Look at this calligraphy

[Tainan Mantis]

Hi All,
I am trying to decide which calligraphy sample I like best and can't decide.
I like them both.
Could you please choose one or the other as your favorite?
This is the name of our school, Peng Lai Wu Ji Tang Lang Men-Taiwan Boundless School of Mantis.

The choices are Brush, written in the more recent style and Chinese Pencil written in a very old style.

Kevin

www.plumflowermantisboxing.com

[cjurakpt]

was always partial to the first style myself...

[BM2]

Sorry, it's all Greek to me.
The first.

[Egg fu young]

I like the first one:)

[SoCo KungFu]

If it was for say a paper document like a certificate or something I'd say the pencil. I like the distinction in the strokes. But since this is for a uniform, I'd say go with the brush stroke. I think that'd be the good choice for anything fabric; uniforms, flags/banners, etc. When you try to get detailed with embroidery and such, it seems that after a couple washes it the threads loosen a bit and they always end up looking like an indistinct mesh of color which I think would be an issue for some of the more close proximity strokes. Thats sorta what happens on all my military uniforms where the patch with the eagle holding the lightning bolt started off looking nice but now its just a big blue blob on my battle dress.

I guess this could also be an arguement for the pencil though as well. How big is this going to be? Is it something like a patch say over a breast on the top? A leg seam maybe? Or will this be something large, say plastered across the back? That might make a difference as to which would actually look better in the end product.

[Tainan Mantis]

Hi SoCo KungFu
I want to have the image silk screened on the side of the black kung fu pants.
There is also an image of a man in a MA pose that will be right above the characters.
Later I will have it silk screened down the front left side of our shirts.

Kevin

[mantis108]

Hi Kevin,

The pencil style looks more elegant.

Warmest regards

Robert

[SoCo KungFu]

Hi SoCo KungFu
I want to have the image silk screened on the side of the black kung fu pants.
There is also an image of a man in a MA pose that will be right above the characters.
Later I will have it silk screened down the front left side of our shirts.

Kevin

I'm pretty sure my old kung fu shirts my sifu had made were all silk screened. I've only done one silk screen myself. I think the pencil would look good for something like that on the pants. The reason I say so is after time you know how the image starts to crack and some parts flake off? I think with the brush, just because of how some areas especially in the center of characters the strokes sort of run together, over time it would look a bit undiscernable. Granted most people probably wouldn't spend much time looking at it anyways, and less would know one way or another. But you know, its aesthetics right? Maybe with how the strokes are more distinct in the pencil than with the brush, it might maintain the vision of the characters longer as the pants start to get kung fu wear and tear.

That and maybe its just that I lived in Japan and am used to seeing the big block style kanji.

What color do you plan to use?
Is the kung fu dude going to be in one of the cool mantis poses? :cool:

Oh one thing I just noticed...maybe its just the crappy monitor I'm using at work...

On the pencil version, the edges of the markings are a little blurred esp on the the first and third characters where the strokes are heaviest. That might look a little weird on the screens. I remember when I did my shirt, there was sort of a haze effect when it was done. But it was done on a white shirt so....it might not be a big deal on black. I just remember that the red characters for San Bao Pai had a pinkish haze around them when I finished. Of course as I said, I did it myself and it was just a screen I did up on the compy anyways. I'm sure you'll get more quality in your stuff.

[Tainan Mantis]

The brush was done by my wife.
The ancient pencil style was cobbled together by me from a dictionary of ancient characters.

The resolution is a bit lower on that which makes it look a bit fuzzy.

For the pants I was going to use black pants and white characters.

The design is inspired by one that I saw when I went to visit Mantis 108 some years ago.
Now, I can't find it.

Robert, can you post a link to page that has someone wearing those pants with the characters down the side?

Kevin