I'm attempting to learn how to paint in the classical Chinese style. I've always been interested in China and I bought some painting gear whilst on holiday there some years ago. I've been on a short course, but it isn't easy to find anyone in this area to teach me so I have to try and learn from books.

I'm most interested in Chinese freestyle painting, which is done on very absorbent paper; so you have to be very sure of what you're doing and not make mistakes. There's an old Chinese saying; when painting, spend two thirds of your time thinking of what you're going to do and one third putting the brush on the paper.

You must use brushes made of bamboo and animal hair, which create the different grades of softness - horse hair being the coarsest. The primary colour is black and you use an ink stone, apparently made from soot and glue. You grind the stone in water and then dilute it again to achieve different grades of blackness, from very thick black to a pale grey.

Everyone here thinks I'm mad with all my squiggles and I've never actually completed a picture which is good enough to frame, but I'm just practising every week and I'm really enjoying myself. Jill Goodchild