I found the great thread 'Some tips for improving your handwritten kanji' by ファブリス, and he mentioned Fude brushes. I always use a pencil or something, so my kanji/kana don't look quite right! Too thin, it just doesn't look like Japanese writing. So, I would like to get a Fude brush, but I can't find anywhere to buy it... does anybody know of a place I could get a Fude brush?

Where are you?

I live in USA, so I'd need to buy it for somewhere that shipped there. Sorry I didn't say that in the last post, I forgot!

A lot of local art stores sell Asian brushes and ink. Here are a few links I turned up:

http://www.orientalartsupply.com/?afid=205
http://www.silverdragonstudio.com/sumi-e....html#sets

Typically you will need:
A large brush
An inkwell (stone)
Ink (liquid ink is much more convenient than block ink)
A mat (usually made of felt)
Practice paper
A paperweight

The paperweight is the easiest to improvise with stuff you have lying around. Let us know if you have any specific questions about items.

Wow, thanks! Everything on the list looks good! lol, and yeah, I could probably just use a book for a paperweight.

Is there any specific reason why I would have to get a stone inkwell? Wouldn't a glass inkwell be good? Stone inkwells seem to cost quite a bit (from the websites I've seen).

I'm not positive that there's any benefit to stone over glass. The texture might make a difference, and if you ever wanted to grind your own sumi, you would need stone. There's also the issue of the shape. The ones used in Japanese calligraphy are like this one:


($10 on Oriental Art Supply)

It's sloped in the middle, so that the ink pools at one end and the other and you can adjust the amount of ink on your brush, which is important in calligraphy. I've never tried using anything other than the stone inkwell, but I think there are valid reasons for using one.

Well the kids here in Elementary school use plastic inkwells, so if you just want to try out calligraphy that might be a nice cheap way of starting. You can always upgrade to fancier equipment later!

You didn't mention in what area of the United States you are. If there's a Kinokuniya near you, they might have most of the stuff.

[ファブリス]

Hi charliechip, there are some excellent suggestions here. Those are for full blown calligraphy though, it might not be practical to do this while you are reviewing, so I mentionned "fude pens" in my other post, if you follow the link there you will see what it looks like.

Fude pens are easy to use, however they're not comparable to ink and brush, I haven't been able to reproduce some of the strokes I did in calligraphy with a fudepen at home. I've found the circling strokes like the hiragana [kana]no[/kana] is difficult to do with a fudepen. But for kaisho, fudepens are fun. I'm still curious to see what a fude pen could do in the hands of a good calligrapher. When my calligraphy course resumes I'll ask my sensei.

Consider also calligraphy "mini-sets". Should be a little cheaper and still more flexible than a fude pen.

I reckon I should've read the original post a little better. I'm about to send you an e-mail charliechip95. Let me know if you don't get it.

JimmySeal Wrote:I reckon I should've read the original post a little better. I'm about to send you an e-mail charliechip95. Let me know if you don't get it.

Okay, I received it. I sent a message back.

ファブリス Wrote:Hi charliechip, there are some excellent suggestions here. Those are for full blown calligraphy though, it might not be practical to do this while you are reviewing, so I mentionned "fude pens" in my other post, if you follow the link there you will see what it looks like.

Fude pens are easy to use, however they're not comparable to ink and brush, I haven't been able to reproduce some of the strokes I did in calligraphy with a fudepen at home. I've found the circling strokes like the hiragana の is difficult to do with a fudepen. But for kaisho, fudepens are fun. I'm still curious to see what a fude pen could do in the hands of a good calligrapher. When my calligraphy course resumes I'll ask my sensei.

Consider also calligraphy "mini-sets". Should be a little cheaper and still more flexible than a fude pen.

Yeah. I'm still interested in Japanese caligraphy, though! I'm considering getting what's been suggested here.

I don't know what kind of difference there would be, but you could try using a brush pen. They cost a few dollars at an art store, and would be a whole lot more simple than buying a bunch of complicated calligraphy stuff.
Here's link so you can see what it is http://www.studioartshop.com/acatalog/Ar...lours.html