Playbooks
Can You Practice Writing Classical Chinese Texts by Hand?
Hand-copying classical passages in traditional characters is a real, old practice. Here is how to do it from memory, offline, with no translator bolted on.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Can an App Validate Yan-Style Calligraphy?
Can software grade your calligraphy against a master's style like Yan Zhenqing's? It can check correct form, but style conformity is a connoisseur's judgment.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Seal Script to Simplified: a Calligraphy Decoder?
Want to read seal script and write the modern form? Here is why a one-tap decoder is limited, and how learning the script evolution actually unlocks it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Caoshu (Cursive) Recognition: Why It Is So Hard
Cursive script is so abbreviated that even native readers struggle, and apps cannot reliably recognize it. Here is why, and what foundation actually helps.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Chinese Calligraphy References for Costume Props
Making a wuxia scroll, banner, or talisman prop? Here is which calligraphy script fits which era, where to find references, and how to letter it convincingly.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Handwritten Hanzi Wedding Invitations: a Guide
Want to hand-write custom Chinese wedding invitations? Here is how to learn the names and ceremonial phrases, verify them, and write them beautifully.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Custom Font Upload to Tracing Paths: What Is Realistic
Turning an uploaded font into traceable stroke paths is harder than it sounds: font outlines are not stroke skeletons. Here is what is realistic, and why tracing is a scaffold.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Training Apple Pencil Pressure for Brush Calligraphy
A real brush stroke lives in its pressure changes. Here is how to train Apple Pencil pressure control for convincing Chinese calligraphy, step by step.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Procreate Brushes for Chinese Strokes vs Learning to Write
Procreate is wonderful for making beautiful brushed characters, but it is an art tool, not a learning one. Here is the honest difference, and what each is for.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Meaningful Chengyu Idioms: Writing Practice
Want to write a meaningful four-character idiom by hand, for a tattoo, a gift, or yourself? Here is how to choose one, understand it, and write it correctly.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Pressure-Sensitive Shufa Training on a Tablet
A pressure-sensitive shufa visualizer shows your brush dynamics, which is great feedback. Here is what it teaches, its limits, and the recall that anchors it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Learning Shufa (Calligraphy) Basics in English
Chinese calligraphy resources are mostly in Chinese, which is a barrier for English speakers. Here is how to start with shufa, and the honest line between calligraphy and writing recall.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
How to Write a Beautiful Pie, the Left-Falling Stroke
A graceful pie comes from a relaxed grip and movement from the wrist, not a clenched thumb. Start firm at the top-right, sweep down-left, and taper. Here is the technique and how to drill it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Which Chinese Script Looks Best for a Tattoo?
Game-inspired Chinese tattoos look great, until the character is wrong. Here is which script styles suit ink, and the verification you must do before you commit.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Practising Xingshu (Semi-Cursive): What to Know
Xingshu is a calligraphy style built on top of solid regular-script writing. Here is why standard-script recall comes first, and how Hanzi Write Practice fits (and does not).
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Can Skritter Teach You Calligraphy Proportions?
Skritter is excellent for writing characters correctly from memory, but it is not a calligraphy teacher. Here is the difference between writing recall and calligraphy proportions, and how to learn each.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Calligraphy Tracing on iPad Pro vs Writing Recall
Looking for a digital calligraphy tracing app for iPad Pro? Here is the honest difference between brush-art tracing and writing-recall practice, and which tool fits which goal.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Chinese Grid Paper Templates: 米字格 and 田字格
The right practice grid makes characters more balanced and easier to learn. Here is what 米字格 and 田字格 are, how to use them, and how to get a free printable set.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Is Hanzi Art, or Did Flashcards Flatten It?
Reducing characters to flashcard data can drain the art out of them. Here is a case that writing them by hand restores what recognition-only study quietly removes.
Lawrence Arya··5 min