Johannes
Calligraphy emerged in Chinese culture during the Han dynasty. Back in those days, all men were expected to know how to write Chinese calligraphy, but interestingly enough, even some court women were also allowed and expected to know the art. It was Chinese artisans that perfected some of the basic materials that are still used in Chinese calligraphy today. Calligraphy is a beautiful form of writing, and it is also considered to be an art form.
Although Chinese calligraphy was originally created as a way to write down the histories, it has worked hand in hand in many other types of training from painting or self-control techniques, that have been developed, throughout the centuries. There are several styles and techniques to Chinese calligraphy, and it is important to understand these in order to choose which Chinese calligraphy set will provide you with the best results for learning and developing proper techniques for this beautiful handwritten language.
General Information About Purchasing Chinese Calligraphy Sets
Chinese characters, in genera, are works of art, and when they are written as calligraphy, the word gorgeous writing takes on a whole new meaning. Chinese calligraphy can be an excellent hobby to pass time by, and it can even become a profession, if you become skilled enough at it. However, regardless of the reasons behind the calligraphy, it is important to look for the right Chinese calligraphy set.
There are many of these sets available for you to choose from, but there are some things that are necessary for a Chinese calligraphy set to be considered helpful and efficient. The best calligraphy set should come with everything needed to get started writing Chinese characters in calligraphy. The set should contain Sumi brushes, which are best for creating clear and distinctive Chinese characters. They often use old fashioned inks ground from Chinese rocks, just like the ancient Chinese use to us.
If you are a beginner, another feature that makes or breaks a quality Chinese calligraphy set is finding one that comes with a character book. This book should provide instruction and illustrations on what each Chinese character looks like and the proper technique to writing each one. They usually also provide “technique” names and “styles” to help make instructions, throughout the book easier.
Finally, the best Chinese calligraphy set will provide you with an ample amount of ink and accessories, like a inkpad, seal, bowl and spoon to be able to start practicing right away. As a bonus, some of these sets might even provide you with specialized paper to make practicing your Chinese calligraphy easier and more authentic.
Chinese Calligraphy Set Reviews
The following Chinese calligraphy sets are the best on the market. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses. It just depends on what what exactly you need to get started or continue with your Chinese calligraphy lessons.
Chinese Calligraphy Set
Rewritable Water Writing Cloth Fabric Scroll with Brush Rack and Water Dish Quick Drying Fabric Cloth Paper for Beginners Practice Set (6 Items)
Chinese calligraphy is a true art form, and this Chinese calligraphy set comes with all of the necessary materials needed to start learning and writing Chinese characters. This is an excellent set for beginners, because it provides endless hours of practice, with the use of the reusable writing cloths. This set has three writing cloths, and each one can be reused at least 1,000 times, which will allow you plenty of practice before purchasing expensive inks and making permanent pieces of Chinese calligraphy art.
One of the writing cloths comes as a scroll, providing you with the traditional feel of how Chinese calligraphy use to be written. This set does not use traditional ink to practice with, which makes it perfect for younger children and people. All you have to do is place a small amount of water in the provided water dish. Then, lay out one of the provided writing cloths, and start practicing. The cloth is designed to react to the water as you make the characters with the provided brush.
After a few minutes, the marks will dry and disappear, which will allow you to start over from scratch with a clean cloth and none of the messy clean up of ink. For beginners, this Chinese calligraphy set also comes with a booklet full of Chinese characters. However, the only downside to this particular booklet is that it does not provide the English translations for the characters. If you wish to know what the characters stand for, you can always look up Chinese characters online and make small notes in the character booklet for future reference when practicing your Chinese Calligraphy.
Unlike other sets, this one comes with a high-quality 10.5″ calligraphy brush, designed to provide the best grip for practicing the art. After you are finished practicing your calligraphy, cleanup is simple. Allow for the water used on the cloth to dry, empty and dry the water dish, and place all of your materials back in the ancient style gift box, that the calligraphy set comes in.
Pros:
- Excellent quality materials
- Comes with reusable cloth for practice
- Uses clean water for practice
- Comes with high quality calligraphy brush
- Comes with small water dish
Cons:
- Packing not impressive
- Booklet doesn’t provide English translations for Chinese characters
- Specially designed for beginners of Chinese calligraphy, no more ink stain your desk...
- Just write with clean water, the writing will disappear in a few minutes.
- The cloth can be used 1000 times.
- Writing, Painting, show your imagination.
- Come with 1 water writing cloth in scroll style, 1 book with Chinese characters, 1...
Teagas Chinese Calligraphy Brush Water Writing/Painting Sumi Set(12 Items)
This Chinese calligraphy set was designed for writers and artists of all levels in mind. It comes with everything that you need to start learning Chinese characters and calligraphy from the moment it arrives and is opened. The entire set consists of 12 items, each one made of quality grade materials, to make your calligraphy experience a better, regardless if you are a beginner or an expert. First, this set provides your with four different brushes, which allows you more variety in the way you write calligraphy.
Each brush has a different tip: sharp, flat, round, and toughness. Each one is designed to write different types of characters and give a different experience once put on paper. The most unique features about this Chinese calligraphy set is the fact that it comes with two different writing modes. If you are a beginner, and do not want to waste countless ink and paper, you can choose to work with the water writing materials. It has a single water writing cloth that is very practical for beginners and economically suitable.
In order to write on this cloth, the only thing you need to use is the small porcelain water/ink bowl and water. As she mark on the water cloth with the brush, the water reacts to the cloth revealing the strokes that you do. After a couple of minutes, the water that made the mark dries, and the cloth is once again clear and free to practice your characters again.
If you prefer to learn with traditional inks, this Chinese calligraphy set provides you with this opportunity, as well. You’ll receive a Chinese ink stone, a Chinese seal, a cinnabar ink pad, a Chinese ink stick, a spoon, and a small porcelain bowl. When writing with this ink, you want to use Chinese calligraphy paper, for the best results. Once you are ready to start writing, you will take the ink stick and grind a small portion onto the ink stone. Then use the provided spoon to gather the right amount of water from the bowl and place on the stone where you ground the ink.
Once you have your ink ready, just choose your preferred brush, and start practicing. The only downside to this Chinese calligraphy set is that it does not come with any sort of instruction book for Chinese characters. However, the water writing cloth does have some character practicalities on it to help you get started.
Pros:
- Provides 4 Sumi Brushes
- Two different modes of writing
- Nice carrier box
- Ink stone and stick provided
Cons:
- Some shedding of brushes
- Issues with packaging
- Made of better materials. This Chinese Calligraphy Sumi Brush Writing/Painting Set is...
- Chinese Water Writing Mode: This Chinese calligraphy set comes with one water writing...
- Chinese Ink Writing Mode: If you are experienced or you become an old hand at Chinese...
- FULL SET INCLUDED 12 ITEMS-- FOUR CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY BRUSHES, ONE CHINESE INK STONE,...
- SERVICE-- Safe gift packaging design. Now click "Add-to-Cart", you will get it in a...
Chinese Calligraphy / Sumi Drawing / Kanji Brush Set-Excellent High Quality
(6 Brushes)
If you are in search of an entire Chinese calligraphy set to get started with, this is not the best option for you. However, if you have some experience with Chinese calligraphy, this set of calligraphy brushes has everything that you need to perfect your skills. This Chinese calligraphy set has six different brushes to choose from, and they even make writing in Kanji and Sumi drawings, possible.
It doesn’t come with any ink, so you will have to purchase ink separately from this Chinese calligraphy set, but it does have an elegant hanging rank for you to be able to hang your bushes up on when not using them and to let them try after each use. This set of brushes has made a few different best sellers lists like, Drawing Pens, Arts, Crafts & Sewing, and Writing Supplies & Correction Supplies. Once again, this is not a start from scratch Chinese calligraphy set, but it does provide you with high-quality brushes that can help in making your brush strokes more exact.
Pros:
- Named on multiple best seller lists
- High-quality brushes
- Stable brush hanging rack
- Useful for Chinese calligraphy, kanji writing, and Sumi drawing
Cons:
- Some difficulty in assembling rack
- Adjustments needed to some brush loops to fix rack
- Package: 1 pcs pen hanging, 6 pcs brush
- Material: Chicken Wing Wood
- Suitable for calligraphy lovers
