How do masters choose brushes?

First of all, we must understand the structure of the brush. A brush consists of a pen tip and a pen tube. The nib is divided into tip, waist and root according to its length; According to the height of hair quality, it is divided into pre-pen hair, two pre-hair, cushion hair and fur.

Secondly, we should know the types of brushes. Brush can be divided into large characters, Chinese characters and small characters according to the size of the pen head; According to the stroke length, it can be divided into long front (soft front stores more ink), center and short front (just front stores less ink). According to the texture of raw materials, it can be divided into hard hair (rabbit hair, wolf hair, etc. ), soft hair (wool, chicken feathers, etc. ) and doubled two brushes (the hard pen is the main hair and the soft hair is the auxiliary hair). According to the source, it can be divided into: tire brush, wolf brush, rabbit shoulder purple brush, deer brush, chicken brush, duck brush, brush, pig brush, mouse brush, tiger brush, ox ear brush and so on. According to the shape, it can be divided into round type, pointed type and luxurious type.

(1) Ranunculus. This pen is made of goat hair. Wool pen is soft in texture and absorbs a large amount of ink, which is suitable for writing with round and solid stippling. More durable than a wolf's brush. Most of these pens are lake pens, which are relatively cheap. Generally, there are big pens, Jingti (or pen lifting), Lianfeng, Feng Ping, Ding Feng, Gaifeng, flagpole, Jade Bamboo Shoots, Yulanrui and Jingzha.

(2) Wolf brush. This pen is made of the hair on the tail of a weasel. The rat tail produced in Northeast China is the most common, and it is called "North Langhao" and "Guandong Liao Wei". Wolf hair is stronger than wool pen and suitable for writing and drawing, but it is not as durable as wool pen and more expensive. Common varieties are Zhu Lan, freehand brushwork, landscape, flowers, Ye Jin, costume patterns, red beans, small seiko, deer and wolf hair calligraphy and painting (made of wolf hair and deer hair), leopard and wolf hair (made of wolf hair and leopard hair), special long-peak wolf hair, super long-peak wolf hair and so on.

(3) font size. The writing pen is made of rabbit hair, so it is named for its purple, black and bright colors. This kind of pen is tall and straight, sharp and sharp, and its elasticity is stronger than wolf hair. Rabbit hair produced in Anhui is the best.

(4) Double-sided brush. This pen is made of two kinds of animal hair with different hardness and softness. Common varieties are double-strand brush, wolf sheep, double-strand brush and purple sheep, such as five-purple five-sheep and seven-purple three-sheep. This pen has the advantages of both sheep and wolves, moderate rigidity and moderate price, and is commonly used by painters and painters. There are two types: harmonic type and quilt type.

Third, we should know the criteria for choosing pens. Sharp, neat, round and healthy, summed up by the ancients, are the basic criteria for choosing a brush, which is called the "four virtues" of a brush. Only by finding the sharp, neat, round and healthy position can we ensure that we can choose a good pen with good quality.

Fourth, we should learn the method of choosing pens. When choosing a pen, the pen tube should be straight, the nib should be conical, the nib should be firm, and there should be no moth-eaten hair removal. Then soak the nib in water for about 2-3 mm, and squeeze this part into a flat shape. If the bristles are the same length, arranged neatly, dipped in water and restored to a cone shape, then gently draw a circle on the nail cover, which is not forked, twisted and elastic, it is a good pen.

Fifth, we should pay attention to the use and protection of pens. When the pen is selected and used, it should be soaked in water until the roots are completely scattered, and the attached glue should be washed clean, drained and then dipped in ink for use. Every time you want to use it, you should first soak the pen with clear water; Every time you finish writing, rinse off the remaining ink on the pen tip with clear water in time, straighten out the bristles, and hang them vertically or insert them into the pen container for reuse.