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CALLIGRAPHY BRUSHES
Availability
in Belgium
Availabilty in US
Calligraphy brushes are used in Chinese calligraphy. They
are also used in Chinese painting and descendant brush painting styles
277426
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Brushes differ greatly in terms of size, texture, material
and cost. Generally sizes are classified as either big, medium or small. Most
calligraphy is written with a medium-sized brush. The smallest brushes are used
for very small pieces and to sign works. Medium brushes are the most widely
used; wielded by a skilled artist, a medium brush can produce a variety of
thicknesses of line, from very thin to fairly thick. The largest brushes are
used only for very large pieces. The texture of the brushes are either soft,
hard or mixed. Certain textures are better for writing certain styles than
others are.
Normally the brush is made from Sheep, Pig, Mouse, buffalo, wolf
and rabbit hair, while exotic ones can be made from tiger, fowls, deer, yellow
weasel and even human baby hair (from the first haircut a baby gets, said to
bring good fortune while taking the Imperial examinations. For the stalk
material usually normal bamboo is used.
Exotic brushes instead may use
materials like gold, silver, jade, ivory, red sandalwood or mottled bamboo.