| Chinese calligraphy ink method is an important artistic techniques and aesthetic content in calligraphy art, it is less discussed in the traditional calligraphy theory, while sub-colored was originally a Chinese painting techniques, but gradually extends to the calligraphy creations from the painting, which received a great many calligraphers’ stare at it. This paper attempts to explore from four aspects of how the calligraphy art use the Chinese paintings for reference, the phenomenon of sub-colored theory practice and choice:the origin and development of "sub-colored" theory; the change and development of writing tool materials; the unique style of calligraphy ink method usage of the ancient representative calligraphers Dong Qichang, Su Dongpo, Wang Duo and the modern times representative calligrapher Lin Sanzhi; the requirements of the public aesthetic consciousness on calligraphy masstone. |