Position the Body
To write Chinese calligraphy, you need to learn the proper way to position yourself. First, you can sit when writing small size characters or stand when writing large size characters. Keep your body erect, make sure your shoulders are balanced and your back is straight. Firmly plant your feet on the ground and space them evenly apart to support your whole body. You can tilt your head slightly forward, but don’t let it go too low. Focus on just the spot where you intend to write each character.
Hold the Brush
If you love to eat Chinese food, you probably know how to hold chopsticks. A calligraphy brush is held with five fingers, too. Traditionally Chinese people hold the brush with the right hand. But I’ve taught students who are left-handed. No matter which hand you use, you need to arrange your five fingers. Use your thumb to press against the brush. The index and middle fingers hook around the outside of brush, while the ring and little fingers are placed against the inside of the brush.
Use the Wrist
Last but not least, it is crucial to move your wrist and elbow in a flexible way to control the movement of your brush. The basic positions include resting your elbow on the table and lifting your wrist and elbow off the table. As calligrapher, Chengyi Xu, suggests that if your wrist can coordinate with your hand, the movement of the brush will be agile.
Practice
Feel ready to give it a try? Let's start to write Chinese calligraphy! In the following video, I will teach you how to write the character Yong with the meaning of "eternity" in Chinese. This character includes all basic strokes. If you can write this character well, you will be able to handle all characters well.