Calligraphy is a unique form of art in Asian Cultures. It is among the four basic skills nee of the Chinese Literati. Chinese Calligraphy is one of the oldest art forms that still practiced to this day. Although it still serves its more practical application—written communication—calligraphy is appreciated by the rest of the world as something more like abstract art, conveying more than just arbitrary words but expressions of creativity and of the human spirit. Picasso and Matisse openly acknowledged the influence of Chinese Calligraphy in their works.

Chinese Calligraphy is an ancient art form stretching back to almost 3000 years in the past. This style of writing is said to be a type of abstract art in itself. Numerous masters throughout Chinese history have left behind their own unique interpretation of the Chinese characters. It was Tu Mang who collected it all together with form identification and styles. He established names for the techniques used to specify the words. For example, a carefree style has an undefined or unknown direction. On the opposite side, a carefully executed type insists on a very careful execution and thought behind the work. Mysterious is to use your imagination. There are 120 distinct expressions used in Chinese Calligraphy, very many born by great masters of the past.

 Calligraphy was one of the most prized art forms in antediluvian China. Calligraphy was considered to be the most eminent and most complete form of calligraphy. The annals of Chinese Calligraphy go back to the 2nd century BCE. In the earliest times, calligraphy was done on silk, until paper was later invented during the 1st century CE.

Chinese art, and in particular, Chinese Calligraphy is greatly treasured around the globe. Chinese Calligraphy can be retraced to as far back as six thousand years ago in the Neolithic Age when the Chinese have begun utilizing brushes in Chinese Calligraphy. Chinese art dates back even sooner than that.

Birth, development, maturity and flourish of Chinese Calligraphy are always closely related to the change of character. For thousands of years' history of Chinese Calligraphy, inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty, big seal character, lesser seal character, ordered running script, official script, regular script, running script and grass script are all the creations breaking a new way in choreography. In addition, present style of Chinese Calligraphy is to shape rhythm image with lines. The lines are either strong or soft. The strokes are various. The horizontal and vertical strokes are bend or extensive.

The tip of writing is either dark or clear. Using brush can be slow or quick. Lifting and pressing brush can be both light and weight. The structure is either open or close. The posture is both motive and quiet. The orderly ways are both proportional and new. All the above skills can produce various rhythms. The lines of regular script can make people feel grant and steady. Seal character and official script are both simple and kind. The lines of running script and grass script are much changeable and have thousands of bearings and can show the line's expressive force of rich rhythms and tunes.
 
The art of Chinese Calligraphy has thousands of years' history up to now. Chinese history has pasted many dynasties. Each dynasty has given birth of many famous calligraphers. Every calligrapher had created a lot of excellent handwriting works in their whole lives. So such tremendous amount of famous calligraphers and excellent works are really culture treasure of our whole nation. The art of Chinese Calligraphy with such unique artistic style is also a brilliant peal in whole humans culture treasury.

Chinese characters have been defined as complicated yet beautiful in their meaning. They are complex in relation to other writing languages. Romanization is used in terms of relation or simple visual information, however the meaning of the character remains mysterious as the art styles behind it. Some Chinese characters mimic similar tones of other characters, yet have different meanings. Some characters written with just an added dot or stroke, turn into something totally different.

What kind of brush strokes would best represent the meaning of the words you had chose? You could go with a more classic, traditional style used in ancient times or even something called the "grass" style, looking more whimsical to me. You had not realized the depth of expression involved not only in searching a tattoo, but the actual essence, personality, and layers upon layers of meaning associated with this beautiful art.

Words like love, faith, endure, tranquility, written in a one character form creates a personalization amongst the observer admiring it. Many of these characters live on walls in homes to communicate a feeling. Many masters have created their own unique style and now exists over 120 diverse styles of written Chinese Calligraphy.

Another unique quality to Chinese Calligraphy is the poetry inscribed within it. It becomes the artist's signature or inscription exclusive to them. Chinese Calligraphy minimizes the use of space, sometimes leaving a canvas almost blank, with just a few brushstrokes leaving a word to contemplate on. The styles of this writing do not embrace crowding compositions with too much and badly placed brushstrokes.

The rules behind learning Chinese Calligraphy are to invite simplicity, balance, beauty, and originality of style. You should possess graceful execution and represent the depth of meaning of each stroke, whether using a brush or ink. The idea behind Chinese Calligraphy is to find understanding and beauty is simple delivery of who you are as the artist and what you are projecting as meaning with the chosen style adopted.

Whether you embark on learning to write one character well to display as art on your wall, or you continue with the craft to put words together, even learning to read Chinese, it is rewarding. The more you unravel the mystery living inside each of these characters, it seems to create added curiosity and a desire to keep going.

Chinese Calligraphy is a worthy and nice experience to launch into. Expect Countless hours of enjoyable practice into an ancient, respected, old world art. If you wish to learn Chinese Calligraphy, then by all means continue on.

Reference:

http://www.articlemotron.com/Article/All-About-Chinese-Painting/79373
http://www.articlemotron.com/Article/Chinese-Calligraphy--Learn-Chinese-Calligraphy/76480
http://ezinearticles.com/?Chinese-Art-Chinese-Calligraphy&id=1171235
http://ezinearticles.com/?Chinese-Calligraphy-Used-in-Tattoos&id=1218232
http://ezinearticles.com/?Chinese-Calligraphy&id=195898
http://ezinearticles.com/?Calligraphy&id=195844