Acquire the basic knowledge of shodo (2)
4. How to use calligraphy tools
-Soften a new brush-
A new brush tip is glued and hard. It is not possible to draw characters and lines as it is. This glue must be removed in the correct way before using the brush. Please note the difference between how to soften a large and small brush.
Water can be used for washing brushes, but lukewarm water is better for washing away the glue.
Soften a large brush
Loosen the brush hair with your fingers carefully and gently from the tip to the root.
While washing, there are falling hairs and remove them. Every brush falls a little hair.
After removing glue and loosening hair enough, wipe off moisture so as to sharpen hair gently with paper or cloth finally.
When writing starts without wiping off the moisture sufficiently, the sumi ink diminishes and the written letter blurs out.
If you do not wet the hair and try to loosen your brush, the hair may cut off or sumi ink does not penetrate into hair and it becomes a faint letter.
Soften a small brush
Wash only the tip of the hair and loosen it with your fingers. Be sure not to loosen up to the root. If you loosen it to the root, the hair spreads and you cannot draw a thin line.
-Grind ink stick "sumi"-
Sumi ink used in Shodo has been made by grinding an ink stick called “sumi” since ancient times. Grinding ink stick not only makes sumi ink, but also calms our minds, increases our concentration and prepares us mentally for writing. The quaint scent of the sumi ink will spread quietly around you when grinding sumi.
The inkstone has a flat part and a recessed part as we told at “Introduction of calligraphy tools“.
Use the flat part to grind an ink stick.
Put some water in a water dropper, and put several drops of water onto the flat part of the ink stone.
Adding some water, grind the ink stick onto the flat part as if you were drawing a circle.
When the sumi ink gets thicker to a certain degree, add some drops of water with a water dropper, and then repeat the process.
When the sumi ink gets thick enough, you can start writing.
-Dip brushes in sumi ink-
There are three steps to dip a brush in sumi ink. Please note the difference in how to dip a large and small brush.
Large brush
1. Dip the brush in sumi ink fully up to the root.
2. Remove too much ink with the edge or flat part of the inkstone.
3. Hold the brush vertically , make sure no sumi ink drips off, and then start writing.
Small brush
Dip only the tip in sumi ink for a small brush.
Wash brushes and inkstone
Be sure to wash your brush after practicing. If you leave it unwashed, the sumi ink on the ear of the brush will dry and the ear will crack or the hair will be damaged, making it impossible to write. On the other hand, if you wash it well, you can keep your hair in good condition and you can write comfortably every time. Also the brush will last longer.
Water can be used for washing brushes, but lukewarm water is better for washing away sumi ink. It is also good to wash with the pooled water in a bucket.
Wash a large brush
Wash hair well massaging with your finger, especially at the root of the hair. Sumi ink is penetrating into the plugged part of the hair. If you can wash it neatly, the hair will not go bad or come off or crack. So wash the root of the hair massaging with your fingers many times as careful as possible until the color of the sumi ink coming out from the root becomes light gray.
When washing is done, please wipe off moisture so as to sharpen hair gently with paper or cloth.
Wash a small brush
Wash only the tip of the hair. Be sure not to wash the root of the hair. If you wash to the root, the hair spreads and you cannot draw a thin line. Wipe off moisture like a large brush.
Dry brushes
After washing brushes, instead of storing them in a brush roll soon, hang them with the tip of them facing downwards and let them dry naturally if possible. Mold may grow in a brush roll when you store brushes in it without drying.
Wash an inkstone
When you finish using the inkstone, wash it with a sponge or another soft material while pouring water on the inkstone.
After washing the inkstone, wipe it with cloth.
What's Next?
You have just learned the essential basics to start writing Shodo here! What should you do next?
That is the BASIC PRACTICE as we mentioned in “What should you learn in Shodo?”. The BASIC PRACTICE is to practice drawing the basic dots and lines that make up kanji characters. This practice will ensure that you are ready to write the kanji correctly and beautifully.
You can learn how to practice this BASIC PRACTICE in the “Online Shodo Course” created by Shihan Shimoda. In addition, this course will provide beautiful kanji models created by Shihan Shimoda and demonstration videos of those kanji characters written by her, so you can also learn how to write kanji characters. You can get $200 worth of limited privileges now. Click here for more information.
