Types of calligraphy paper:
According to the processing method, rice paper is mainly divided into three categories: raw Xuan, cooked Xuan and half-cooked Xuan.
Cooked Xuan: The paper is hard, has weak water absorption capacity, and is not easy to bleed. Suitable for gongbi painting and calligraphy.
Medium-rare: The water absorption capacity is between raw and cooked, with a certain degree of elasticity and stability. Suitable for calligraphy and painting.
Shengxuan: It has strong water absorption and water-clearing properties, and can produce rich ink color changes. Suitable for landscape painting.
According to the materials used, rice paper can be divided into cotton rice paper and leather rice paper.
Depending on the thickness, rice paper can be divided into single-layer rice paper, sandwich rice paper (two papers in one), two-layer rice paper, and three-layer rice paper.
According to specifications, rice paper comes in different sizes such as 4 feet, 6 feet, and 8 feet.
Shengxuan has strong water absorption and is suitable for ink painting. Ripe Xuan has poor water absorption and is suitable for fine brushwork painting. Medium rare is somewhere in between.
The material of Shengxuan is diverse, including tribute, jade, pure leather and other sub-categories.
The choice of rice paper depends on the type of painting and personal preference. Understanding the different types provides a better calligraphy and painting experience.