When I was studying Chinese painting in China I spent most of those years copying, stroke for stroke the paintings of the old masters. What I thought in the beginning would be tedious and boring, quickly turned into study on a much much deeper level, profound in many ways. No wonder this same technique has been used in both east and west for countless centuries.

The two photos are part of a long hand scroll that I had to copy of the famous painting Ching Ming Shang He Tu, (Along the River at Ching Ming Festival) by Zhang Ze Duan 1085-1145. It is 6.5 meters long and took me about 3 months to complete because the more I practiced, the better my linework became and I would have to start at the beginning over and over again.

But what a revelation to read an article in Writer Unboxed that the same principle can be applied to writing. Read the article HERE