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Vent: My calligraphy teacher in Beijing told me my ink was 'too thirsty'
I was practicing at a community class near the Lama Temple about two months ago, and my teacher, Mr. Li, watched me for a full minute. He finally said, 'Your ink is thirsty. It's begging for water on the page.' He meant I wasn't adding enough water to my ink stone, making my strokes look scratchy and weak. I'd been doing it that way for six months, thinking thicker was better. Now I use a specific ratio, about one extra drop of water for every five dips, and the characters flow so much smoother. Has anyone else gotten a piece of advice that flipped a basic skill for you?
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the_ruby5mo ago
Did you read that old saying about ink needing to breathe like a living thing?
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alice2425mo ago
Makes me wonder if cheap ballpoint pens suffocate words.
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the_miles4mo ago
Rubio's right that cheap pens don't give the same feel, but good paper matters just as much for letting ink breathe without bleeding.
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