If you've been trained to use a Western alphabet to communicate in writing, it can be difficult to understand how character-based languages work. Our untrained eyes see boxes, strokes and swirls but these delicate shapes represent thousands of symbols that, when altered just slightly, can have a completely different meaning with just a turn of the brush. Happily, you can bridge East and West by learning rudimentary strokes that become symbols and, ultimately, create the name art you're looking to achieve. No worries about learning Chinese. This article will show you how to use the English alphabet to create a piece of finished name art that will delight a rose by any other name.
Master the art of the stroke. Chinese writing consists of horizontal strokes (一) written from left to right and vertical strokes (川) that start at the top and sweep to the bottom.
Practice Chinese boxes by starting at the left edge and making a continuous stroke that closes at the bottom (口). Finally, learn the hook stroke (小) by placing a vertical line down and sweeping it up at the bottom. If it juts to the left, the stroke will have a completely different translation that a right facing hook.
Follow the practice required of all Chinese schoolchildren by repeatedly drawing basic strokes on squared-off paper to get comfortable with the process. Use a brush and black ink for accuracy and mastery.
Follow the principle of directional writing to put characters in correct order. Chinese can be written both vertically and horizontally, so make sure your symbols read from left to right or, if the name art is to be in vertical format, stack characters from top to bottom.
Choose from these two ways to determine your Chinese name: A) Ask someone fluent in written Chinese to translate your name into English. B) Visit the "Get a Chinese Name" website. Input a name and birth date and a Chinese name will be given to you. In either case, you will be using delicate brush strokes to write the English words that make up your name.
Practice painting the name over and over until it has a soft, flowing appearance, then move on to the actual art. Pencil in boxes to act as character space guides and fill each with letter strokes in correct order. You may also want to try tracing characters on tissue paper before transferring them to the stock. Use ink and brush to cover the traced pencil strokes. Allow the name art to dry.
Use a small brush and paint to add decorative touches to the art. Red peonies, sprigs of spruce or gold "I-Ching" coins make perfect Chinese artistic touches. Showcase the art with a red, gold or black frame, with or without the addition of a contrasting mat.
