How you hold your brush depends on what form of calligraphy you are trying to do. The most common form would be traditional Chinese calligraphy. The method of holding the brush is more unique; the brush is held vertically straight between the thumb and middle finger. The index finger touches the top part of the shaft of the brush, while the ring and little fingers goes under the bottom of the shaft. The palm should be hollow. This method, although difficult to hold correctly for the beginner, gives freedom of movement, control, and execution of strokes.

Many people publicly practice in areas such as parks or sidewalks. By using water for ink and the ground for paper, if they use a large paintbrush, they can produce lovely pictures. However, this form of painting will be temporary, because of the evaporation of the water.

Painting takes years to master. The painter must have proper stroke order, proper balance, and rhythm of characters. Different size thickness brushes produce different effects.

More examples include: