is just ugly hand-writing ?
Let us start with the basics. A Chinese word consists of vertical strokes, horizontal strokes, slanting strokes at 45º, vertical dots and slanting dots at 45º. The whole word forms approx. a square, as shown: The word is ‘painted’ by a cone-tip brush, hence the special effects at both ends of the strokes. A slightly more artistic calligraphy is formed by ‘Italicizing’: Vertical strokes remain strictly vertical, but the horizontal strokes are rising at a small angle from left to right, as shown: Also, the word now forms a portrait rectangle instead of a square. The rising angle of the horizontal strokes should be consistent from word to word. Other ‘free-hand’ artistic fonts basically varies the HORIZONTAL strokes, but the VERTICAL strokes should remain STRICTLY VERTICAL. So, in general, look for vertical strokes to be strictly vertical and look for consistency from one word to the next. Crooked lines, vertical strokes which are not strictly vertical, and great variations from word to w
