Regarding the operation of seal engraving, how to take the knife, there are always people who keep asking, the previous paragraph wrote Wu Changshuo's knife holding and knife method, Qian Song's knife holding and knife method, it seems that it is only the perceptual understanding of the Indians, in fact, in the ancients, the knife method is also sorted out by theory, such as Qin Gonggong's "Printing Finger", Xu Jian's "Printing Saying" and so on. Today, I will share the reading notes of the section on the knife in Wang Weitang's "Secret Theory of Imitation Printing" in the Qing Dynasty. Wang Weitang seems to be active in Qing Jiaqing, Daoguang, Haiyang people. His biography is unknown.
Original text: Copy the knife, the arm is empty, make the arm strong, then the painting text vibrates and wants to fly. Thin text with a knife, more with a single pen. Qin Wen is delicate and charming, slowly turning, not straight through, if it is straight, not weak, it must be dead, not like this article. There is a thin civilian official seal, a time to call the iron wire text, light and sharp, only need to re-groove with a knife, so that the painting is even. Fat text with a knife, on both sides of the ink knife, take the middle ink road, the square has bone strength, and then to the middle of the calligraphy and painting a knife, the painting road is straight, that is, the application to the end, the word is also correct, carved small casting also use this method.
Note: The so-called imitation of the knife, the arm is suspended, and the power on the arm is used to the end of the knife, which is actually similar to Qian Song's "with the pen", "make the knife like a pen". The so-called painting text vibrates to fly, when the fingers, arms are suspended, in order to make the arm move freely, the seal is carved with a knife, and when seriously thinking about the method of using the pen to hang the wrist and the elbow.
(Han Zhu Wenyin)
Thin text with a knife, more use of a single sentence, refers to a thinner stroke, should I use a single knife, Qin Wen (Qin Xi seal white text) how delicate, when carved, should be slowly turned, can not be straight to the end of a knife, if a knife straight down, is not weak and weak, or boring, violating the seal law. This is related to the characteristics of the Qin seal, and the engraving of other Indian-style white seals cannot be operated in the same way.
There is a thin official seal, when calling the iron wire text, roughly refers to the iron seal fine text (not only refers to Zhu Wen), when engraving to be shallow and powerful, only need to double the knife in the groove of the first knife, so that the painting text can be evenly clean, at present, there are some Indians in the printing altar when engraving the fine Zhu Wen seal, that is, first engrave a thicker and thin strip, and constantly double the knife, that is, roughly use this method, even and clean, but it is easier to stagnate.
The so-called fat text with a knife this sentence, roughly refers to the white text thick class, such a seal, engraving, when the knife on both sides of the ink line, take out the ink road, and finally in the middle of the calligraphy and painting a knife, along the stroke in the middle of the knife, you can look at the Han casting casting characteristics, the formation of a correct and powerful printing surface text, the same, carved small character casting can also be used in this direction, just line knife control knife strengthening. A stroke with a double knife on both sides of the ink line, with a knife depicting the ink line in the middle.
(Chinese Printing Surface)
Original text: The Great Seal Knife Method, the Han people are anxious to chapter more knife method Canggu, non-knife carving, more chisel for it. Today's people imitate it as the Great Seal, but it is better to add a little charm in the canggu, if it is too ancient, it is dead, too beautiful is tender, and if it is urgent with a knife, it has bone strength.
Note: The so-called big seal knife method refers to the knife method of printing with a large printing surface, according to the standard size of the Han seal 2.5CM, then more than 3CM can be regarded as a large seal, but it is not absolute. Han Qian's sword method canggu (mostly the general's seal) is not carved, but chiseled. Now people carve the big seal, need to add a little charm in the canggu, too old is too rigid, if the wind rhyme is too much, it will appear that the knife is immature, and the knife should be crisp and crisp, that is, the so-called "bold playing knife".
Original text: The method of carving a small seal knife should be style, not ancient, an ancient clumsy is not like the previous generation of private seals, must be wind to the attitude, in and out of the spirit, with the knife intention slow, can be beautiful.
(Private Seal of Han)
Notes: Engraving a small seal (that is, a small seal of the private printing style below the Hanguan printing style) knife method should be styled, that is, the knife method of the small seal should try its best to express the charm, do not pursue the ancient clumsiness, and once the ancient clumsiness will lose the private printing style of the small seal, the wind will be attitude (pay attention to the fun), the knife is not urgent, it is necessary to slow down, and the lines that come out can be fully charmed.
In the above two paragraphs, the attention points of the knife characteristics of the big seal and the small seal are clearly explained.
Original text: As for the ancient Chinese knife method, it is also used to remove the ink from the knife on both sides, only the two sharp edges, there is no need to start the knife to carve, such as do not start to carve, the painting is not sharp. Freehand knife method, must be skilled in knife edge, just like the ink pen, casual interest, sharp grass, and the urgent knife method is different, do not be a kind of madness, if not the knife is skilled, can not learn bad hands.
(Ancient Seal)
Note: The ancient Chinese knife method mentioned here refers to the knife method of the ancient seal seal knot Fine Zhu Wenyin, the two ends of the stroke line, there is no need to re-engrave the knife in the process of knife line, if it is re-engraved, the stroke is not sharp. The law of the freehand knife in the back can borrow more cursive pen method to practice the knife, and it is also urgent to use the different chiseling knife methods in the chapter, the knife must be skilled, the kung fu must be sufficient, and the knife cannot be controlled.
Original text: Miao seal with a knife, such as carving thin text, slow knife to use, should not be thin, a thin is not good-looking, the knife is not slow is weak, there are also small text thin people, in people live change, as long as it looks good.
Notes: is the standard Han seal of the knife, such as carved fine text, you need to slow the knife, to have an astringent feeling, if the light and shallow line of the knife, then thin and weak, there are also seals small and thin text, you need to be flexible and changeable, the so-called good-looking, then no operability, everyone's eyes of the "good-looking" is not consistent.
(Han Bird Worm Print)
Original text: Dragon Chapter Text, such as bird tracks traveling to the dragon, as long as the knife method is similar, not Canggu charming, and then combined with the miao seal with a knife, it is wonderful.
Notes: Bird and insect text, and Canggu, feminine two styles of knife method is not the same, the most important thing is to portray the image to be like, to have a rich posture, and then with the Miao seal engraving method (the slow knife in the previous paragraph), only clever.
Two more words:
The above so-called knife method argument is the sword method argument of the Qing people, this is not a law, not a law that must be followed, we must find the inspiration point of our own knife method from it, and learn and use it. In fact, once the knife method is fixed in language, it is rigid. At this point, we must be clear, we can't glue the pillar drums and stick to the rigid set. The so-called knife technique ultimately comes from practical exploration and the improvement of the theoretical literacy of printing.
([Old Li Carved Hall] No. 182, part of the picture from the Network)