Schin Loong - Calligraphic Drawing: A How-To Guide and Gallery Exploring the Art of the Flourish

A HOW-TO GUIDE AND GALLERY EXPLORING THE ART OF THE FLOURISH

I was a bored teenager browsing in a posh art store when a book with a strange drawing of a bird caught my eye. The bird was made up simply of lines, a delicate flowing thing with its lines and curves all cleverly arranged in such a way that it looked natural and alive and above all, beautiful. I was enchanted and came to the conclusion that the author must be an Adobe Illustrator genius who used the softwares extensive library of tools to carefully measure and arrange these precise patterns. I even remember thinking, Boy, digital artists come up with the coolest things these days, as I put the book away.

Many years later, I fell in love with calligraphy and as I researched the work of the nineteenth-century penmanship masters, I stumbled upon the ethereal birds again! Imagine my surprise as I realized that these were not created digitally as I had assumed, but were calligraphic drawings made by human hands and a pen, nib, and ink over a hundred years ago!

I was intrigued. I started researching and discovered there was a whole menagerie of these nineteenth- century flourished birds and animals. I learned that the old calligraphy masters executed the drawings very quickly on the page, sometimes in a matter of minutes. Minutes! So much for careful planning on computer software.

I was floored. How could someone master such flowing artistry with a simple steel-nibbed pen? It sparked a passion in me. No matter how many pots of ink I had to empty, I knew I had to learn to do this and grasp these birds in my own hands.

You now hold a book in your hands which will help guide you on your own journey toward mastering calligraphic drawing. The basic steps for the strokes are simple, but as you learn each new pattern and stroke, youll watch your drawings flourish and develop into more complex and beautiful compositions. Your process may be different from mine, but that is what makes flourished drawings so specialeach is unique to the hand that created it. I hope you will enjoy this book.

Have you ever heard the proverb Its a poor carpenter who blames his tools? Well, that doesnt apply to us. Half the battle of doing calligraphic art is having the right nib, so we can absolutely blame any poor work we do on poor tools. Our art relies so much on precision mark making that using a subpar nib, ink, or paper can greatly affect the outcome. Learning a new art form is difficult enough without the added frustration of the wrong tools, dont you agree?

WHAT YOULL NEED

Here are my personal favorite nibs, inks, and papers. These work the best for me, but you may have other favorites.

POINTED NIBS

There are quite a few different brands and styles of nibs available. Ive outlined some of them here. If you can, get a few of each to determine which you like best. Its good to know your favorites because youll be replacing them regularly. Nibs arent meant to last for very long. You can tell when a nib is worn and needs replacing when your lines start to look too thick, or too scratchy, or the nib starts splattering more than usual. How quickly this happens will depend on how often you use your nib.

When starting with a fresh nib, youll need to break it in by cleaning it with rubbing alcohol or dish soap to remove the factory oils. Never let water or ink dry on the nib, as it is made of steel and will rust easily.

NIKKO G

These are great if youre just starting out. They are beginner-friendly and relatively cheap. These nibs are quite large. If you dont already have a nib holder, buy one when you buy these to make sure that your Nikko G nibs fit in the holder.

ZEBRA G

These are basically the same as the Nikko G, but are more flexible and last a little longer. (I like the gold color, too!) Like the Nikko G, the Zebra G is beginner-friendly and a good value.

LEONARDT & CO. EF PRINCIPAL:

These wonderful, flexible nibs gracefully create dramatic variations in thick and thin lines. Theyre perfect for flourishing, but they can be a little tricky to use because the super sharp point can catch easily on upstrokes. Still, I recommend these once youre comfortable with using pointed nibs.

BRAUSE & CO. NO. 76 (ROSE):

These nibs are very flexible and are able to create very thick lines in a single stroke. I use them for larger artworks and bold lettering work.

NIB HOLDERS

Once youve chosen your nib, youll also need a nib holder (also called a penholder). I recommend buying both a straight and an oblique penholder. Oblique penholders have a flange that holds the nib to the side of the holder. (Be sure to buy one that has a metal flange as these are adjustable.) Oblique holders are mainly used for calligraphic writing, but sometimes I use mine for flourishing as well. Try both to find out which type your hand prefers.

INK AND INKWELLS

Youll need an inkwell to hold your ink. It can be any small container with a wide mouth. I like to use liquid sumi ink in bottle formsumi makes a beautiful black ink that is perfect for calligraphy. Pour a little ink into an inkwell and add about 30 percent extra water. The water dilutes the ink just enough to make it flow properly. The only drawback is that its messy. Be careful not to spill because its a pain to clean! And never let it dry on your nib, as the ink will form a layer of dried crust, which will negatively affect your drawing and writing.

PAPER

Paper is the trickiest part. It really is a matter of personal taste. My personal preference is Rhodia pads, but you can try any drawing, layout, sketchbook, or calligraphy practice pads. Good-quality copy paper works just as well, but dont use cheap dollar-store quality paper because the bleeding and tearing will drive you crazy.