INK · CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY
Brushes, inkstones, ink sticks and Xuan paper make up the Four Treasures of the Study: the traditional materials of Chinese calligraphy.
IKANE offers calligraphy sets with varying contents, as well as individual inks, brushes and papers to replenish your supplies or explore ink wash techniques.
The exact contents of each set are listed on its product page.
Handmade Xuan paper made from plant fibers
Calligraphy Set – The Scholar’s Four Treasures
The Scholar’s Four Treasures Gift Set – Chinese Calligraphy
PREPARING THE INK
In Chinese calligraphy, traditional ink is prepared on an inkstone. Add a little water and rub an ink stick against the stone: the ink gradually mixes with the water, allowing you to control its depth before making a mark.
A rich black for defined characters or lighter greys for ink wash. To explore this preparation without choosing every tool separately, IKANE offers sets based on the Four Treasures of the Study. Contents vary by model.
THE PROCESS
Place a few drops of clean water on the flat grinding surface.
Rub the stick steadily on the stone until the ink reaches the depth you want.
Adjust the dilution for defined strokes or softer shades of grey.
CALLIGRAPHY · INK PAINTING · HISTORY
A calligrapher writes a character; a painter draws bamboo or the slope of a mountain. Both work with the same brush, ink and paper. In China, writing and painting have developed in dialogue for centuries.
Chinese writing has a history of more than three thousand years. As brushes and paper became more widely used, the form of a character took on new importance. The width of a stroke, the pressure of the hand and the movement of a curve became part of its expression. From the Han period onward, calligraphy developed into an art in its own right, allowing the character of an individual hand to emerge.
The vocabulary of calligraphy also shaped Chinese painting. During the Song dynasty (960–1279), scholar-artists brought painting, poetry and calligraphy into especially close dialogue. A brush could describe bamboo, build the texture of a rock or suggest a mountain with diluted ink. In ink wash painting, untouched paper can matter as much as the marks placed upon it.
You do not have to know Chinese characters to explore drawing with ink. Press a little harder and the line broadens; lift the brush and it narrows. A wet tip lets ink spread, while a nearly dry brush reveals the grain of the paper. On absorbent Xuan paper, a mark may travel further than expected. You look at what happened, adjust and try again. The interest lies as much in that exchange with the material as in the finished image.
The traditional Four Treasures of the Scholar’s Studio are the brush, ink stick, inkstone and paper. IKANE’s calligraphy sets bring together instruments from this tradition; please check each product page for its exact contents.
