Chinese Calligraphy

I am getting all ready to learn Chinese Calligraphy. The paper with the blocks is to practice on with a brush and water. When the water on the paper dries, one can practice some more. The blocks also have dotted lines to teach you to write in the centre of the block. Brushes are stored in a foldup bamboo mat with a pocket lining at the bottom of the mat. Very convenient - I do this with knitting needles. Now either the painters learnt something from knitters or the other way round. Wonder who was first - the knitter or the painter! I have cheap or lazy ink in the bottle and the traditional paint in the form of a flat stick - you can see it resting on the little black block. You wet the paint-stick (I don't know the proper name) and then 'write' in circles in the hollow of the little black block to make the paint come off onto the black block. From there you can dip your paintbrush to pick up some of the paint. The tiny white and blue bowl is for the water. The other white and blue gadget is to hold the paint brush. I have no calligraphy to show as I am still learning how to control the brush and its bristles that have a mind of their own. Just to make a straight line is actually an exercise in a figure of 8. Who would have thought that? The front of the line looks different to the end of the line and I thought a line is a line and that is it. Once I can do one line properly I guess the rest will come a bit easier.

Here is a site on Chinese Calligraphy: http://www.chinavoc.com/arts/calligraphy/origin.asp