Generally speaking, calligraphy is astringent because of friction. That is, the tip of the brush interacts with the surface of the paper.
The necessary condition for the effect of "astringency" is the product of the interaction and interaction between paper, pen, wrist and ink.
1. Paper
Calligraphy paper is divided into practice paper and works paper. For example, at the beginning of the paper we use to practice calligraphy, there is a smooth side and a rough side.
In general, handmade raw paper is actually rough on both sides. Machine-made paper is two sides with different characteristics.
When we write on machine-made paper, we can clearly feel that although it is the same piece of paper, the smooth side and the rough side of the writing feel are completely different.
In general, the smooth side does not easily produce an "astringent" feeling, and the rough side produces the effect of "astringent", and it is very strong.
Therefore, in this sense and that, the difference in the effect of paper is also a reason why we have different writing feelings.
Relatively unsmooth paper surface, rough paper surface, more likely to produce "astringent" effect.
Second, the pen edge
The pen edge is the part that makes direct contact with the paper surface. The material, traits, form and state of the pen edge all affect how we feel during the writing process.
1. The material of the pen edge
The brush edge, which is relatively soft, less elastic and less smooth, is more likely to produce an "astringent" effect. For example, sheep, soft texture. But because of this, it is easier to "stagnate" on the paper during the operation of the pen edge
Soft and cotton pen edge, relatively speaking, the area in contact with the direct face will be very large, and the contact area is large, and the friction force is naturally sufficient.
In contrast, the friction of the pen edge with a hard texture and poor softness is much smaller, so it is difficult to produce friction such as "astringency".
For example, the wolf is hard in texture, and the contact area with the direct face is not large, so it is easier to slip on the paper, and it cannot produce "astringent" feeling.
These different materials, because of their innate characteristics, give them a different sense of writing. But other factors can sometimes transform, or even completely, subvert the original "stagnant" feeling of the pen.
2. Pen edge form
The pen edge form is gathered, the refill is positive, and the sharp edge is upright, and the "stagnation" feeling in the writing process is obvious.
On the contrary, if the pen edge is loose and the refill is not correct, it is more likely to produce a "slippery" effect. These different effects, of course, are caused by the difference in the area of contact with the pen edge and the direct face of the pen.
3. Writing status
The emphasis here is on the state of writing, in fact, the emphasis is on the psychological state of a person when picking up a brush and writing calligraphy.
For example, when I pick up a brush, I imagine that the brush is as sharp as a hard blade, so the words written will be relatively straight and tough.
If I imagined the brush as a soft brush, it would be difficult to write a hard word.
In the writing process, the imagination state is different, people's hearts and feelings for the pen edge are different, biased to believe in the blade, the natural "stagnation" feeling will be very strong.
Third, wrist transportation
The adjustment of wrist luck to our writing feeling is actually achieved indirectly through the change of the state of the pen edge. The key to calligraphy is whether the wrist can play a full and flexible role.
The middle and vertical operation of the wrist is not biased, that is, the pen handling posture of the positive front, at this time, the power of the pen is infused through the whole body into the small end of the pen, and the greater the power is used, the easier it is to produce a sense of "stagnation".
Conversely, the wrist is biased to the left or right, and the pen will run sideways. The power borne by the pen is corresponding to the reduction of a lot because of the large contact area, and the sense of stagnation will be reduced.
In calligraphy, there is a special term called "cone stroke sand". As the name suggests, it is to take an awl and draw on the sand. When we paddle, we will see that the sand is automatically divided into two groups, and the size and shape are exactly the same. At this time, there will be a midline, this midline. In fact, it is the trajectory of the pen's movement.
In the process of paddling, we can experience the "stagnant feeling" of moving forward, and this stagnation is astringent.
The practical awls drawn on smooth slabs and stones also produce this "stagnant" effect.
And the more vertically you stroke and stroke hard, the more this friction force is. The more sideways and the less force, the smoother it is, and it is not easy to produce "astringency".
4. Ink
The role that ink plays in the writing process is very important. In particular, the feeling of stagnation is caused by the ink.
We all know that. The main components of the ink are carbon black, gum and water.
Among these three ingredients, the one that can play a stagnant effect is "colloidal". On the one hand, the colloidal material allows the carbon black to be better stored, and on the other hand, it provides a source for the "stagnant" feeling in Chinese calligraphy art.
The more colloidal components, the easier it is to produce astringency, the more colloidal components are less, more moisture, the more smooth.
Now industrial ink, most of which is chemically manufactured, will be much less astringent, which is why we advocate writing calligraphy with ink blocks to grind ink.
In short, the production of astringency is inseparable from the cooperation between the four elements of paper, pen edge, wrist transport and ink.
"Astringency" is actually a particularly important feeling in calligraphy. It is also an important means for us to focus on creating pen power in the process of writing calligraphy. Astringent, the opposite feeling is slippery. And the feeling of slippery is that it is slippery, impetuous, and immersed.
Astringency is in calligraphy and is a sign of good calligraphy. Some calligraphers like to use astringency to create ancient and old writing forms, and they have achieved good results.