Guides
Your First Strokes: Calligraphy for Beginners
How to hold the brush, make ink and practice your first Chinese characters.
Hold the brush upright
Hold the handle vertically between thumb, index and middle finger, a little above the middle. Keep the wrist loose and move from the arm, not just the fingers.
Make a small amount of ink
Add a few drops of water to the inkstone and grind the ink stick in slow circles until the ink turns dark and slightly thick. Start small; fresh ink is better than stale ink.
Start with one character
Try 家 or the character on your brush. Write it slowly, press down to widen a stroke and lift to thin it. Ten slow attempts teach more than a hundred fast ones.