The Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread

[fpupulin]

14 hours ago, seimodern said:

[...]

 

And this book arrived today....thanks again for the suggestion! I hope the pen and book will (ahem) flourish together!

 

I'm pretty sure you will have a lot of fun with this book. And your Calligraphy too...

[fpupulin]

10 hours ago, invisuu said:

I'm still trying to find the perfect ink, but the only ink I have had no railroading with has been Iroshizuku Kon Peki, which comes at no surprise to me anyway, as I have long ago realized this is the gold standard modern ink.

 

[a student]

42 minutes ago, fpupulin said:

 

What do you make of the MB Calligraphy inks, black and golden ones?

[como]

9 hours ago, newstudent said:

No intention of going off topic, but talking of Landolt Arbenz, on my last visit to Zurich almost 2 years back, I found that it had moved off Bahnhoffstrasse, and was tucked away in another place with a new sparse atmosphere in the air, and don't intend to visit again. I really do miss the old place, a family run business, with its welcoming ambiance and a gallery full of displays!

Yes, Landolt Arbenz moved to a much smaller location next to Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville off the Paradeplatz. Still the same staff and the same family run business. As the Bahnhofstrasse location was way too big and expensive for this type of business, in the middle of the most commercial prime location of probably all of Switzerland. I am sure that the cost structure was just too high. As the family owns/owned the building, the opportunity cost of not renting the multi-story building to a multi-national giant was just too great. I still enjoy the shop and some of the staff a lot, same classy as usual, just very expensive, like most things here. When I buy a Montblanc, I prefer to buy it from them than the snobs of the MB boutique a few steps away. Sorry, moderator, way off topic. Please feel free to delete.

[a student]

10 minutes ago, como said:

Yes, Landolt Arbenz moved to a much smaller location next to Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville off the Paradeplatz. Still the same staff and the same family run business. As the Bahnhofstrasse location was way too big and expensive for this type of business, in the middle of the most commercial prime location of probably all of Switzerland. I am sure that the cost structure was just too high. As the family owns/owned the building, the opportunity cost of not renting the multi-story building to a multi-national giant was just too great. I still enjoy the shop and some of the staff a lot, same classy as usual, just very expensive, like most things here. When I buy a Montblanc, I prefer to buy it from them than the snobs of the MB boutique a few steps away. Sorry, moderator, way off topic. Please feel free to delete.

Many many thanks for the clarification (the ladies who served in the old location have probably retired I think). Will certainly visit at the first opportunity.

[fpupulin]

4 hours ago, newstudent said:

What do you make of the MB Calligraphy inks, black and golden ones?

 

Never tried them. However, I remember reading a post reporting that Montblanc expressly advises against using these inks with the Calligraphy nib. The author of the post was justly making some irony about Calligraphy inks NOT for Calligraphy... 

 

I have a few Herbin inks with gold suspensions, and I use them very sporadically for some "special effects", but in general I am not fond on sheening inks.

[a student]

On 5/12/2021 at 1:59 AM, fpupulin said:

 

Never tried them. However, I remember reading a post reporting that Montblanc expressly advises against using these inks with the Calligraphy nib. The author of the post was justly making some irony about Calligraphy inks NOT for Calligraphy... 

 

I have a few Herbin inks with gold suspensions, and I use them very sporadically for some "special effects", but in general I am not fond on sheening inks.

Thanks for clarifying

 

The author of that post has a point for sure. Not only are the inks described as "Calligraphy" inks, but the box for the Calligraphy pen has the same image/motif as the ones for inks.

 

(please excuse my poor photography)

Edited May 13, 2021 by newstudent

[fpupulin]

On 5/9/2021 at 7:29 AM, como said:

@fpupulinI would like to thank you for such a wonderful suggestion, about searching for fonts online, which never occurred to me as an idea. I must admit that in the past I bought a couple of calligraphy books, and never had the patience to go through even a few pages. I couldn't even get the A4 size book to stay open while I tried to copy. 

 

So yesterday I tried what you suggested. Much easier to look at the screen while I tried to copy. I searched for "Avalon font" in google, and just copied whatever I liked seeing. Sorry for the inconsistency of spacing, ugliness and text which I didn't even copy correctly. But it was fun!

 

 

Thank you, Franco, for being such a continuous source of inspiration here on FPN! 

 

[como]

17 hours ago, fpupulin said:

 

@fpupulinI like this Avocado green by Private Reserve. Thank you for showing me. Here I also show you another ink that I like very much which also has good shading: KWZ Fontoplumo. Never mind my writing sample. It's only to show you the shading.

[fpupulin]

10 hours ago, como said:

@fpupulinI like this Avocado green by Private Reserve. Thank you for showing me. Here I also show you another ink that I like very much which also has good shading: KWZ Fontoplumo. Never mind my writing sample. It's only to show you the shading.

 

P.S. Gorgeous 146 you have! My preferred one among the Petit Prince releases.

[fpupulin]

Truly a very "flexible" nib, in a figurative sense. Here I used it again - very improperly - to write a few lines of chancery script. This is a chancery with almost no slant, as can be seen in many Renaissance manuscripts, perhaps my favorite among the Italic cursives.

 

[Translation]

"Obviously, a pen with a cut nib would be ideal for writing italic cursive writing of the cancelleresco type. However, a little for fun, a little to try once again the eclectic qualities of my Montblanc 149 Calligraphy, I decided to perform it here with the flexible nib. To the test, it's not bad at all ... / As the talented calli1958 (another member of the Italian forum) commented recently, you can really write anything with any pen, as long as he has ink. / Fufluns (my mnickname on fountainpen.it)"

[como]

On 5/14/2021 at 10:58 PM, fpupulin said:

 

P.S. Gorgeous 146 you have! My preferred one among the Petit Prince releases.

@fpupulinThank you for your encouragement and your comments on the inks. I also like different brown and green inks, so I will buy the ones you mentioned to try them out. About the MB LPP Planet, I bought it during last year's lockdown. It was the first and only pen of this release that the local shop ordered initially, with M nib. I thought that I would swap the nib via the nib exchange problem to an OM or OB, but I didn't want to part with my pen for a few months so this M nib is staying for good!

3 hours ago, fpupulin said:

Truly a very "flexible" nib, in a figurative sense. Here I used it again - very improperly - to write a few lines of chancery script. This is a chancery with almost no slant, as can be seen in many Renaissance manuscripts, perhaps my favorite among the Italic cursives.

 

[Translation]

"Obviously, a pen with a cut nib would be ideal for writing italic cursive writing of the cancelleresco type. However, a little for fun, a little to try once again the eclectic qualities of my Montblanc 149 Calligraphy, I decided to perform it here with the flexible nib. To the test, it's not bad at all ... / As the talented calli1958 (another member of the Italian forum) commented recently, you can really write anything with any pen, as long as he has ink. / Fufluns (my mnickname on fountainpen.it)"

Impressive penmanship as always. I will need to go back to your previous notes to find that calligraphy ruler again. I don't find it in local stationery shop, so probably will have to buy online. I struggle to keep spacing consistent. Is there any book that you would recommend that shows off different and main font types all in one book? I would love to get one. Thank you!

[invisuu]

So, as per fpupulin's recommendation, I went ahead and bought Montblanc Permanent Black. Dang this ink flows! It's beautiful deep black, the blackest of blacks. I love the smell also. Reminds me of permanent markers.

 

My pen never railroads or runs out now anymore. But my problem is controlling the pen now! It seems like you can write without pressure to get a thin line, but applying just a light touch will make the line go extremely wide. Do you also have the same experience? It's managable for large writing (i.e. double 0.6-0.7 mm line ruling), but for small writing (single line) I can't seem to be able to control it.

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[gyasko]

4 hours ago, invisuu said:

So, as per fpupulin's recommendation, I went ahead and bought Montblanc Permanent Black. Dang this ink flows! It's beautiful deep black, the blackest of blacks. I love the smell also. Reminds me of permanent markers.

 

My pen never railroads or runs out now anymore. But my problem is controlling the pen now! It seems like you can write without pressure to get a thin line, but applying just a light touch will make the line go extremely wide. Do you also have the same experience? It's managable for large writing (i.e. double 0.6-0.7 mm line ruling), but for small writing (single line) I can't seem to be able to control it.

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

 

The snapback will be slower than it is on a vintage Waterman or Wahl.  I switch to a vintage flex pen for smaller stuff.

[Frank C]

8 hours ago, como said:

 

 . . .I will need to go back to your previous notes to find that calligraphy ruler again. I don't find it in local stationery shop, so probably will have to buy online. I struggle to keep spacing consistent. Is there any book that you would recommend that shows off different and main font types all in one book? I would love to get one. Thank you!

I have several books by Margaret Shepherd. Calligraphic Alphabets Made Easy has over 100 pages of sample alphabets, some better than others. I find Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy by Eleanor Winters helpful for getting the most out of the MB 149 Calligraphy pen. 

 

The following webpage is a great resource to learn Foundational Hand, a modern interpretation of Carolingian Script. While it is better suited to a broad-edge pen, the letter forms are common to most calligraphy alphabets. https://www.lettering-daily.com/foundational-hand/  As Franco said, "davvero si può scrivere qualsiasi cosa con qualunque penna, purché abbia inchiostro. (you can really write anything with any pen, as long as he has ink.)" While I know that's true for Franco, I need all the help I can get. 

 

Another good webpage for getting started with Blackletter or Gothic Calligraphy is: https://www.lettering-daily.com/blackletter-calligraphy/  by Edgar Villa. Mr. Villa also has some youtube videos. He recommends a rolling ruler. Here's a link to a youtube video: 

 

 

Here's an article on calligraphy guidelines: https://www.lettering-daily.com/calligraphy-guidelines/

 

I hope this helps. I have found this thread very helpful and useful. I really enjoy using and learning about my MB 149 Calligraphy pen.  

 

[como]

5 hours ago, Frank C said:

I have several books by Margaret Shepherd. Calligraphic Alphabets Made Easy has over 100 pages of sample alphabets, some better than others. I find Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy by Eleanor Winters helpful for getting the most out of the MB 149 Calligraphy pen. 

 

The following webpage is a great resource to learn Foundational Hand, a modern interpretation of Carolingian Script. While it is better suited to a broad-edge pen, the letter forms are common to most calligraphy alphabets. https://www.lettering-daily.com/foundational-hand/  As Franco said, "davvero si può scrivere qualsiasi cosa con qualunque penna, purché abbia inchiostro. (you can really write anything with any pen, as long as he has ink.)" While I know that's true for Franco, I need all the help I can get. 

 

Another good webpage for getting started with Blackletter or Gothic Calligraphy is: https://www.lettering-daily.com/blackletter-calligraphy/  by Edgar Villa. Mr. Villa also has some youtube videos. He recommends a rolling ruler. Here's a link to a youtube video: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's an article on calligraphy guidelines: https://www.lettering-daily.com/calligraphy-guidelines/

 

I hope this helps. I have found this thread very helpful and useful. I really enjoy using and learning about my MB 149 Calligraphy pen.  

 

@Frank CThank you so much for showing me various resources of calligraphy and for showing me this ruler, very helpful! You are one great example of why this FPN community is such a wonderful place. I come here to learn, to share (and also to just hang out 🙂 and I am so often amazed by the resources that fellow members are willing and able to share. 🙏

[fpupulin]

17 hours ago, como said:

@fpupulin[...=

Impressive penmanship as always. I will need to go back to your previous notes to find that calligraphy ruler again. I don't find it in local stationery shop, so probably will have to buy online. I struggle to keep spacing consistent. Is there any book that you would recommend that shows off different and main font types all in one book? I would love to get one. Thank you!

 

Dear pen pal: as to the guide, I use the Ames Lettering Guide, a very inexpensive tool that you can buy for a few dollars in Ebay under several different names (but you can begin searching for “Ames Lettering Guide”). I use it a lot for its simplicity and also because it does not occupy any space on my desk.

 

The question about a good text for calligraphy requires a bit more elaborate answer. To begin with, I would suggest you two things.

 

First, fall in love with calligraphy with a book that I consider the best work ever done on this topic; Calligraphie, by Claude Mediavilla. The original work was written in French, but I know that an English translation also exist. As I know that you will have not any problem with the French language, being Swiss, I warmly suggest you buying the beautiful, hard bound, in quarto volume, that will stay open flat on the table…

Mediavilla’s work is, in my opinion, the best possible choice to approach the theme of calligraphy, and not only in its technical motifs (it includes chapters on tools and materials, and 22 model alphabets with their respective ductus), but also on the historical and cultural aspects of writing and scripts, as well as the historic hands (Roman caps, rustic, Roman cursive, uncial, Carolingian, gothic scripts, and Renaissance writing styles). The most remarkable (and rewarding) aspect of this splendid book are the gorgeous, large size reproductions (almost 500 illustrations) of antique manuscripts and the masterworks of contemporary calligraphers (including abstract paintings), that really convey you the true spirit of the history of writing.

I received the book as a gist from my wife, and I really treasure it for its beauty. The scripts, as Mediavilla executes them, are in my opinion among the best (if not the best) among the different interpretations I know, but the book is worth its price also for those who are not searching for a “manual’ of calligraphy, but a cultural work on its extraordinary history.

 

The second of my suggestions is to learn just a few scripts (not more than three or four) and to try master them somewhat before moving on. This will give you much more satisfaction - allowing you to experiment Calligraphy in practice doing some small work - than trying the tens or hundreds possible hands that you may find in specialized literature. Once you have chosen the styles of scripts you like the most to learn, you will be able to find many specific texts on those styles, and collecting books on these themes is another great fun ...

Just to begin with, I would suggest you two “manuals” that I find quite interesting. The first, Calligraphy - A Comprehensive Guide to Beautiful Lettering,  by Jane Sullivan, presents just a dozen scripts, but very well-executed, with plenty of instructions to master them, and with good examples of their use: a simple and very effective book. The second, Calligraphy - Contemporary Techniques and Tools, by Gaye Godfrey-Nicholls, teaches much more hands, but also present a lot of works of contemporary masters, so being not only instructive, but also very inspirational.

 

I hope you will find this useful to definitively fall in love with the beautiful art of calligraphy.

[fpupulin]

18 hours ago, como said:

@fpupulin[...] About the MB LPP Planet, I bought it during last year's lockdown. It was the first and only pen of this release that the local shop ordered initially, with M nib. I thought that I would swap the nib via the nib exchange problem to an OM or OB, but I didn't want to part with my pen for a few months so this M nib is staying for good!

 

 

I do not know if you have many others fountain pens with Medium nibs, but I personally think that two or three of them cannot be missing in the toolbox... When you want to write "easy", without particular calligraphic pretensions, without focusing on the inclination of the pen or the rotation of the nib, there is nothing more relaxing than a medium nib!

 

I guess the nib of your Petit Prince has arrived to stay...

[lehi53]

Thanks

[invisuu]

On 5/16/2021 at 3:54 PM, gyasko said:

 

 

The snapback will be slower than it is on a vintage Waterman or Wahl.  I switch to a vintage flex pen for smaller stuff.

 

I find the snapback adequate, I think the ink flows perhaps a little too much. I bought a bunch of inks (20+) just to find *THE* perfect ink for this specific nib and I have it currently inked with Aurora Black, which flows perfectly - as if it was specifically made for this nib and feed. I can control the pen perfectly with this ink, even in a single 0.6 mm line, and I have not had a single skip or railroad throughout the full first fill. It was the last ink I've tested and it's by far the best one. 

 

I know I'm weird, no need to say it out loud, but I like to find the perfect ink for every nib I have. It took me 4 months to find one for this pen, but today, I believe I have achieved it!