Chinese writing is a complex system of communication and an art form in and of itself. Chinese characters can be beautiful and ornate, especially in stylized calligraphy. Each character is made up of a series of strokes, and it's the simple but ornate touches, such as a subtle upturn on the end of a stroke, that help distinguish calligraphy from everyday writing.
Use a large sheet of paper to start with. Plain white 11 x 17 paper is an inexpensive medium on which to practice before you move on to canvas, rice paper, or other higher quality materials.
With the pencil and ruler, mark out squares, one for each character. Chinese characters are always square, being the same length and width. Bigger squares are easier to practice in. As you get better, you can skip this step.
Dip your brush in the ink. Brushes don't need to be special; a standard watercolor brush will work just fine. You should have enough ink to complete simple characters. Always be sure to finish each stroke in a single motion.
Start with basic, simple characters. In a good Chinese writing book, these will be the first taught. You may also start by simply practicing brush strokes. Follow the direction lines in the book.
Make your strokes for each character from left to right and top to bottom. Traditional Chinese reads from right to left, top to bottom across the page, so you may choose to write across the paper in the same way, but the strokes that form each character go from left to right.
Do not add extra flourishes. If the end of the stroke is straight, keep it straight, though often there will be a fade as the brush is lifted. Turning up the end of a stroke can change the character or at the very least make it look sloppy.
