How to use your wrist when writing calligraphy

When writing calligraphy, there are three ways to use the wrist: pillowing the wrist, lifting the wrist, and hanging the wrist.

Learn the correct way to hold a pen. To write well, you should also master the method of using your wrist and elbow. Because when writing, you not only need to use your finger strength, but also rely on the use of your wrist strength. "Hold the pen with your fingers and move the pen with your wrist". Only by using the power of the wrist to move the pen and writing, with a wide range of movement and strong control ability, can the written stipples be powerful, the strokes perfect, and the words written well. Therefore, learning to move your wrist is very important for writing well.

There are three main ways to move the wrist: pillowing the wrist, lifting the wrist, and hanging the wrist.

1. Pillow wrist method: When writing, place your right wrist flat on the table, slightly close to the table, or use your left hand to pad the foot of your right hand. This method makes writing stable and less strenuous, and is suitable for writing small and medium characters.

2. Wrist-raising method: When writing, the right wrist is raised, and the right elbow rests lightly on the table. The wrist is flexible and the pen tip can move forward and backward freely. This method is suitable for writing Chinese characters and large characters. What you need to pay attention to when writing with your wrist is that it is best not to press your elbow tightly against the table, which will make the wrist stiff and inflexible, which will affect the writing effect.

3. Wrist hanging method: When writing large characters, the hands, wrists, elbows, and arms should be suspended in the air, not touching the table, and the wrists should be kept flat. Stretching forward is a necessary condition for writing large characters. Because the characters are large, the pen movement has a large range of advance and retreat. It is impossible to write without hanging the wrist. Learning to write with the wrist hanging will be very beneficial for us in writing large-character signs, couplets, advertisements, and slogans in the future.

When you first learn to write, you need to hang your wrists and elbows. It's really not easy to have your arms hanging in the air. I didn't dare to write at first. When I started writing, the strokes were ugly. After a while, my arm muscles would become sore. This is mainly due to the lack of practice in this area. As long as you keep practicing, you will gradually adapt to it in three months and your wrist strength will gradually increase. Once the habit becomes natural, you will feel that your wrists and arms are relaxed when writing, and your writing will be powerful and smooth.