Advantages and disadvantages of various materials of brushes and applicable scenarios

1. Brush material characteristics and applicable scenarios

• Sheep hair brush
  • Material : Made of goat hair, soft texture, large ink storage capacity
  • Advantages : The lines are round and full, suitable for expressing heavy strokes such as seal script, official script, and regular script
  • Disadvantages : less elastic, beginners need a long time to adapt to the pen tip control
  • Recommended scenarios : official script "Cao Quan Tablet", seal script and other fonts that require rich ink
• Wolf Hair Brush
  • Material : Weasel tail hair, more elastic than goat hair
  • Advantages : The pen tip is upright and vigorous, suitable for expressing the continuity of running cursive script and the delicate details of regular script.
  • Disadvantages : higher price, shorter service life
  • Recommended scenes : Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Preface" running script, Slender Gold Small Regular Script

• Jianhao pen
  • Material : Mixed goat hair and wolf/purple hair (common ratio: seven wolves and three goats, five purples and five goats)
  • Advantages : Combination of rigidity and flexibility, moderate elasticity, balanced ink storage, suitable for a variety of calligraphy styles
  • Recommended scenarios : Comprehensive exercises such as Yan Zhenqing's "Duobao Pagoda Stele" in regular script and Chu Suiliang's "Yanta Shengjiao Xu"

• Purple Hair Brush
  • Material : Wild rabbit hair (the best quality is from Anhui), with the best elasticity
  • Advantages : Precise tip concentration, suitable for fine calligraphy such as small regular script
  • Disadvantages : Expensive, cannot print large characters

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2. Select the material by the font. Suggested content to be converted

Font	Recommended materials	Specific feature matching
Regular Script	Mixed hair (such as seven purple and three sheep)	The sharp, rounded and strong pen tip can accurately express the contrast between thin horizontal and thick vertical lines, taking into account both the difficulty of pen control and the strength of strokes.
Cursive	Wolf or hard mixed hair	Elasticity supports quick lifting and pressing, ensuring smoothness of the thread connection
Lizhuan	Long-haired goat-hair or soft-hair	The large ink storage capacity supports the thick lines of seal and official scripts, and the soft brush can enhance the layering of ink penetration.
Small regular script	Purple or short-hair wolf hair	Strong elasticity makes it easy to control small strokes, and the ability to focus the tip shows exquisite details

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3. Practical skills in purchasing

• Test the ink : Dip the ink and write horizontally and vertically to feel the gathering and dispersion of the brush tip and its resilience (the wolf-hair brush should have obvious elastic feedback, and the sheep-hair brush needs to observe the uniformity of ink storage)
• Observe the Four Virtues :
  • Tip : The tip of the pen is sharp and has no forks.
  • Qi : After being flattened, the wool is arranged neatly like a knife blade
  • Round : The pen belly is full and jujube-shaped
  • Jian : Can quickly return to its original shape after pressing
• Cost-effective choice : Beginners are advised to buy mid-range mixed-hair brushes (such as "Late Autumn" purple bamboo mixed-hair brushes) priced at 30-80 yuan, and avoid low-priced nylon blended and inferior brushes

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4. Maintenance points

• Open the brush : Soak in 40℃ warm water until the gelatin dissolves, gently pinch the brush hair to spread it out and then absorb the water
• Cleaning : Wash the ink thoroughly after each use to prevent the pen from hardening.
• Storage : Hang to dry to avoid mildew. Apply a small amount of hair care oil if not used for a long time.

By accurately matching material properties with calligraphy requirements, combined with scientific purchasing and inspection methods, you can quickly find a brush that suits you. As your skills improve, gradually try more material combinations to expand your expressiveness