Students will study the fundamentals and basic history of Chinese calligraphy, including the major styles of zhuan, li, kai, xing and cao. Examples from museum collections as well as from the artist’s personal collection will be examined for aesthetic appeal as well as content. Chinese calligraphy is unique as visual art, literature and poetry all at once!

Basic instruction includes: How to hold and manipulate a traditional Chinese brush, how the basic strokes of Chinese kai characters are made, how to write Chinese characters. Students will also learn about the art of Chinese seal carving, with an option to carve their own using soft linoleum and cutting tools. Links to resources, as well as printable reference materials, will be sent via email or available for downloading from internet sources.

Students should have:

• Chinese painting/calligraphy brush
• Chinese calligraphy practice paper
• If participating in seal carving: soft linoleum and cutting tools

Approximate costs:

• Basic calligraphy brush and practice paper: $13.00
• Recommended:
• Soft Linoleum and cutting tools: $26.00 (if participating in seal carving)
• Chinese Ink:@ $10.00
• Newsprint pad: @ $10.00 to $15.00