The Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread

[fpupulin]

6 hours ago, Inkyways said:

@fpupulin

Your work is very impressive.

I love how you handle all type of writing styles.

I am wondering how long you practice/ Waste pen and ink and papers before you think you are ready to get into a  last results?

 

Thank you for your kind words.

 

I will take the time to reply with a long answer to your deceivingly simply question, hoping it will be of some utility. Please remember that these are very personal advices, based on my experience, which is limited.

 

1. The simplest and most important advice I would like to give to those who want to dabble in calligraphy (not professionally) is that it is not necessary to learn many styles. In fact, I think two or three to be practiced are enough. I would suggest: one of the medieval/Renaissance scripts (uncial or chancery) and one or two pointed modern (Copperplate and / or Spencerian). With these two/three scripts one should be able roughly to master most of the ducti needed to write in most styles.

 

2. Try to identify what are the elements that make of a certain script a characteristic style. It is an individual interpretation, but it helps to write "in that style". To give you couple of example, for me the key characters of the Copperplate are the narrow oval eyelets, the "d" and "t" with short ascenders, the beginning and the end of the shafts very rectangular (if necessary, they can be retouched in a second moment), the exit leg of the "h", "m", "n", and "p" that slims before the curve, and the change of wide/narrow traits at the lowest point of the ovals. In Spencerian, the "h", "m", "n" "p" with the second shaft rising well at the foot of the first (not in the middle or at the top), the "return" of the apex of the "c", the “long” exit of the final letters and the "long” start of the opening letters.

 

3. Make the ductus of the single letters, in each style, becoming natural to your hand. Do not mix different ducti in a single writing, but just practice that particular style. With time, you will be able to mix any kind of ductus and style if you achieve a certain control of the individual styles as they are.

 

4. When practicing, dedicate one session to one style alone, until you feel the rhythm of the ductus.

 

5. Use only a few pens and inks. This would seem a strange suggestion in a forum of pen passionates, but it is important to know well how a particular nib, with that given ink, behaves to obtain the best of it. Also in this case, I would suggest that one cut nib and one or two pointed are enough.

 

6. Buy a lot of paper. The white sheet id intimidating, and the only way to get beyond this point is having an abundance of paper to waste. Use a paper you are satisfied with.

 

7. Practice frequently, but not for long time. To answer you question directly, I usually write half an hour each night before to go sleeping, maybe a bit more during the week ends (but not always).

 

8. During the week ends, try giving your exercises a good test on a “work”, as simple it can be. Being proud of our calligraphy is important. It can always be better, but meantime it is good to do something more than just exercises. For this, buy several sheets of good quality paper, in a size larger that the one your are used to write on.

 

Finally, to answer your last question, I use a lot of paper and ink, until I am more or less satisfied with the results. I have never been completely satisfied with my calligraphy. It may be that I will never be. But I learnt that imperfection in writing is the sign of humanity. I can leave with that.

[como]

@fpupulin I was just about to reply on your earlier posts, when I saw the above. What great advice! I should print it out and read it often. I've had a lot of fun since first visiting this thread. I can never get bored with the 149C. It's probably the only pen that I ever filled and used up the ink from start to finish, and not thinking of changing ink before writing it dry. I dare to say that being introduced to calligraphy here prevents me from getting bored eventually with another pretty purchase. I probably still do that once in while, but discovering and practicing another script that is attractive to me is much more fun and a more sustainable hobby. 

 

Again, thank you very much, Franco, for your contributions on FPN, which made it all the more fulfilling experience for many of us here.

[invisuu]

I'm sorry for being off-topic in advance, but I feel like this thread has well progressed past that point anyway and has generated a small community all on it's own. I don't really have anyone else to share my excitement with, except this group, so I'd like to announce here that I have gotten a Montblanc 149 "the expressive" - a limited edition of 80 pieces that Fritz Schimpf ran a while back. It's the calligraphy nib, but ground as a crisp italic. I'm looking forward to receiving it (I only just paid it) and playing around with it. It supposedly writes ~0.2mm in horizontal and ~0.8mm in vertical, being able to flex up to ~1.6mm in vertical direction.

[fpupulin]

This is a great, great, great addition to any pen collection. The greatest of Schimpf’s creation and now as rare as a Hens Tooth to find. Congratulations, invisuu!

I can only imagine your trepidation in waiting for the pen to arrive…

 

Do not forget posting your impression about The Expressive nib, and a lot of pics!

[empliau]

I too congratulate invisuu - I love my Expressive. 

 

News: FS has a new upcoming edition with MB. From their Instagram, when asked about the nibs:

"They are big, broad and beautiful writers with a little extra."   Naturally I am waiting with bated breath!

 

ETA: It will be an edition of 100.  FS was at Montblanchaus doing testing of the nibs.

 

[Inkyways]

On 5/9/2022 at 8:38 PM, fpupulin said:

 

Thank you for your kind words.

 

I will take the time to reply with a long answer to your deceivingly simply question, hoping it will be of some utility. Please remember that these are very personal advices, based on my experience, which is limited.

 

1. The simplest and most important advice I would like to give to those who want to dabble in calligraphy (not professionally) is that it is not necessary to learn many styles. In fact, I think two or three to be practiced are enough. I would suggest: one of the medieval/Renaissance scripts (uncial or chancery) and one or two pointed modern (Copperplate and / or Spencerian). With these two/three scripts one should be able roughly to master most of the ducti needed to write in most styles.

 

2. Try to identify what are the elements that make of a certain script a characteristic style. It is an individual interpretation, but it helps to write "in that style". To give you couple of example, for me the key characters of the Copperplate are the narrow oval eyelets, the "d" and "t" with short ascenders, the beginning and the end of the shafts very rectangular (if necessary, they can be retouched in a second moment), the exit leg of the "h", "m", "n", and "p" that slims before the curve, and the change of wide/narrow traits at the lowest point of the ovals. In Spencerian, the "h", "m", "n" "p" with the second shaft rising well at the foot of the first (not in the middle or at the top), the "return" of the apex of the "c", the “long” exit of the final letters and the "long” start of the opening letters.

 

3. Make the ductus of the single letters, in each style, becoming natural to your hand. Do not mix different ducti in a single writing, but just practice that particular style. With time, you will be able to mix any kind of ductus and style if you achieve a certain control of the individual styles as they are.

 

4. When practicing, dedicate one session to one style alone, until you feel the rhythm of the ductus.

 

5. Use only a few pens and inks. This would seem a strange suggestion in a forum of pen passionates, but it is important to know well how a particular nib, with that given ink, behaves to obtain the best of it. Also in this case, I would suggest that one cut nib and one or two pointed are enough.

 

6. Buy a lot of paper. The white sheet id intimidating, and the only way to get beyond this point is having an abundance of paper to waste. Use a paper you are satisfied with.

 

7. Practice frequently, but not for long time. To answer you question directly, I usually write half an hour each night before to go sleeping, maybe a bit more during the week ends (but not always).

 

8. During the week ends, try giving your exercises a good test on a “work”, as simple it can be. Being proud of our calligraphy is important. It can always be better, but meantime it is good to do something more than just exercises. For this, buy several sheets of good quality paper, in a size larger that the one your are used to write on.

 

Finally, to answer your last question, I use a lot of paper and ink, until I am more or less satisfied with the results. I have never been completely satisfied with my calligraphy. It may be that I will never be. But I learnt that imperfection in writing is the sign of humanity. I can leave with that.

 

@fpupulin

Thank you very much for this Intensive notes!!

It is actually the most essence of your writing guide perhaps  you had form a long waking of this writing journey. I am into this too seriously and I am doing the Copperplate  as the best and just switching into to Spencerian ( business writing ) from time to time. It gives me  more ease to do my daily practice whenever  I feel tired. I am studying  your writing and It is  interesting how smoothly you do it with  A FOUNTAIN PEN. So this proves that This MBC (NIB)  is Something special and also it should be in a person with good penman ship.  

 

But I like to mention something that I have found about penmanship. Dr. Joe Vitolo Is talking about the Montblanc -C Here.

But I don't put this as  anything  and as a calligraphy enthusiast I admire his contribution to contemporary calligraphy. He is a master penman and his devotion to keep the American  history of writing still living in our time is honourable. 

I think he has not yet mastered this BMc in his hand like you do.??? That is my take from this video.

 

 

I use only dip pens for my writing and I don't intend any of the calligraphy using a fountain pen for the time being. I do believe we can't do/ learn , real calligraphy with fountain pens as we do with a pointed pen or any dip pen. If you know the fundamental and basic then you can do it with anything as bamboo sticks, brush, pen and a pencil.

Thank you for the long intensive answer. And sharing your daily experience of writing from time to time.

Cheers _ Cyril 

[singlechange]

I am looking to join the wonderful group of owners of the Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 Calligraphy pen.

The luxury goods shop in Madrid in Spain of Iguana Sell has the 149 Calligraphy in stock right now.

Mine is arriving via FedEx in a few days to me here in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

To those interested buyers, Iguana Sell describes the nib as Med Flex. So I talked to the salesman at the Montblanc Boutique store in Los Angeles in California and he told me that there is only  one nib offered in the 149 Calligraphy and that  nib is the one introduced in 2019. Hope this allays any doubts  about how the nib may be described by different stores and distributors anywhere.

[fpupulin]

On 5/11/2022 at 9:10 AM, Inkyways said:

 

@fpupulin

Thank you very much for this Intensive notes!!

It is actually the most essence of your writing guide perhaps  you had form a long waking of this writing journey. I am into this too seriously and I am doing the Copperplate  as the best and just switching into to Spencerian ( business writing ) from time to time. It gives me  more ease to do my daily practice whenever  I feel tired. I am studying  your writing and It is  interesting how smoothly you do it with  A FOUNTAIN PEN. So this proves that This MBC (NIB)  is Something special and also it should be in a person with good penman ship.  

[…]

I use only dip pens for my writing and I don't intend any of the calligraphy using a fountain pen for the time being. I do believe we can't do/ learn , real calligraphy with fountain pens as we do with a pointed pen or any dip pen. If you know the fundamental and basic then you can do it with anything as bamboo sticks, brush, pen and a pencil.

Dear Cyril, the fountain pen, in general terms, has replaced the dip nib pen for its added convenience. Being able to carry a loaded pen, without the ink well, and being able to write for a long time without the need to dip the nib, represented extraordinary qualities compared to the ancestors of the fountain pen. For ordinary writing, no one has doubts about the superiority of a fountain pen. As for calligraphic writing, however, only rarely (or perhaps never at all) the fountain pen was able to match the ductility, flexibility and elasticity of the steel nib and its variety. There is a price to pay for the convenience ...

I am not a calligrapher, and handwriting does not rank first among my "desk pleasures". I would rather say that it occupies the third place, after writing and fountain pens, if not the fourth after the tactile pleasure of paper. The sacrifice of a little quality in the performance of a nib in the face of the aesthetic and emotional pleasure of a splendid pen at work is not only worthwhile for me, but it also feels completely natural. In the  current state of my pleasures, I would never sacrifice these aesthetic and functional components for an improvement in my calligraphic results.

 

That said, the Montblanc 149 Calligraphy is not my best pen for pointed calligraphy. In this, my Omas Gentlemen surpasses it with its Omas Extra nib, which has the same flexibility (or a little more) and greater elasticity (a better snapback), and is on par with another pair of Omas with extra fine Extra Lucens nibs. 

I have, however, a certain preference for the aesthetics of the 149 and a strong preference for its ergonomics over my Omas. I would add that the Montblanc 149 is a contemporary pen, which you can buy new in a shop and which has an assistance service, details that even the best of vintage Omas pens lack. Last but not least, my Montblanc 149 is a pen that I can also use for calligraphy, but it remains essentially a great pen with an extra-fine flexible nib for everyday writing, in which it undoubtedly excels. That makes it, in my eyes, a very special pen!

[fpupulin]

On 5/12/2022 at 11:16 PM, singlechange said:

I am looking to join the wonderful group of owners of the Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 Calligraphy pen.

The luxury goods shop in Madrid in Spain of Iguana Sell has the 149 Calligraphy in stock right now.

Mine is arriving via FedEx in a few days to me here in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

To those interested buyers, Iguana Sell describes the nib as Med Flex. So I talked to the salesman at the Montblanc Boutique store in Los Angeles in California and he told me that there is only  one nib offered in the 149 Calligraphy and that  nib is the one introduced in 2019. Hope this allays any doubts  about how the nib may be described by different stores and distributors anywhere.

[singlechange]

Franco, What a very pleasant surprise and a treat for me to finally see an example of your everyday fountain pen handwriting. I especially like how you keep the separation between your words very consistently even.  Much appreciated and enjoyed by yours truly.

[fpupulin]

On 5/9/2022 at 2:17 PM, como said:

@fpupulin I was just about to reply on your earlier posts, when I saw the above [...] I dare to say that being introduced to calligraphy here prevents me from getting bored eventually with another pretty purchase. I probably still do that once in while, but discovering and practicing another script that is attractive to me is much more fun and a more sustainable hobby. [...]

 

There is another advantage, como, in being able to manage a few different scripts.

 

You will soon realize that the meaning of a sentence - even more when it is your own expression - may be strongly influenced by the type of script you use to write it. Some kind of fonts are more static and "lapidary" (or written in stone, according to the Latin meaning of the word), other are lighter in shape and contribute to made lighter also the meaning of a thought, other again seem to just express fun, and inevitably transmit this airiness to the words they are giving a shape to.

 

 

[invisuu]

Thanks for the kind wishes, I knew this was the right spot to post about this. It's a pretty significant purchase for me, as I'm quite frugal otherwise and don't like to spend money on myself. I'm very happy to report that the nib is tuned to absolute perfection, which seldom happens in this little hobby of ours nowadays, at least from my experience.

 

Here is a writing sample; I can't do the nib justice really, it would be much better suited in the hand of fpupulin and the like, but I am enjoying myself. From my observation the specifications from Fritz Schimpf seem to be pretty spot on; about 1:4 ratio between verticals and horizontals, double that under pressure. 

 

[singlechange]

Big day for me today. My "Intrinsic Quality" fountain pen arrived via FedEx from Madrid in Spain to my home in greater metropolitan area of Washington, D.C..

The AD in Madrid does a very poor job of packing for shipping I must say.  Flimsy lightweight cardboard shipping box, one thin layer of small bubble wrap for sleeve box and three small square plastic air filled pouches. When I opened the Montblanc black box,  I saw that the pen had popped out of the foam slit and has been rolling around free during entire shipment. It is a good thing the box is completely lined in soft white cushioning foam material. The single sheet of nib instruction that has three horizontal folds is also folded vertically once as if someone put in the additional fold so the sheet would fit into his pants pocket. Definitely will think about letting AD know about poor packing for shipment I received.

All this but the pen is in perfectly new condition. No sign it was mishandled previously. I used a loop to examine the nib and it is fine. And the cap posts very securely too.

If I had been warned how poorly the packing was, I would have paid extra to have it done properly or had  a poxy personally pick up the merchandise at the store and had it packed for shipping by a third party.

To steal a quote from KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLE CO. "Let the Good Times Roll."  Now I get to find out what all the fuss and buss  is all about with this Montblanc 149 Calligraphy.

[invisuu]

Congrats!! Considering the pen was delivered from Spain, I'm assuming you bought it from Iguana Sell? I have bought there many times and the packaging has always been superb, so I'm very surprised by your post, but I do believe you of course. It's been a while since I purchased from them, perhaps things have changed. But as long as the pen is fine, then all is fine. Do let us know how you find it!

[fpupulin]

On 5/16/2022 at 2:48 PM, singlechange said:

Big day for me today. My "Intrinsic Quality" fountain pen arrived via FedEx from Madrid in Spain to my home in greater metropolitan area of Washington, D.C..

[…]  Now I get to find out what all the fuss and buss  is all about with this Montblanc 149 Calligraphy.

 

So, have you had a chance to play with your new pen? Your long silence makes me fear that something did not correspond to your expectations…

 

Please, post your impressions and a few pics of your writings! 

[fpupulin]

A few weeks ago a dear friend, and a member of this forum, shown me a bunch of notebooks, blocks and other papers that he bought during a recent visit to Italy. Among his treasures, I saw a folder of assorted colored laid sheets by Clairefontaine, and I just remembered that I also bought this folder some time ago, and I thought that the time to use them was arrived.

 

Some of the colors are pretty difficult to use with a fountain pen, like the beautiful red, or the dark brown or the black, but others are a joy to see and promise a rich writing experience, like the beige and  the different shades of grey and pale greens.

I selected one of the papers that contain darker fibers, and I penned something that I have had in my head for a long time:

 

 

For your reference, the sheet measures 24 x 32 cm.  The ink is Diamine Ancient Copper.

[invisuu]

I had again problems with Montblanc's Permanent Blue (must be my bottle?) and it stained my ink windows and made tiny blobs of sticky residue also in my newly acquired The Expressive, the one with the flex nib ground to italic. So I thought I'll just unscrew the section and clean it out like I do with my 149C, but I couldn't do it; it would require excessive force which I did not want to impose on my nib and feed. I would like to add a follow up, in case yours doesn't unscrew easily as well, I have found an easy and fool proof way to do it is also using pincer tongs like below

and sticking them into the holes I marked here:

 

My tongs also have a soft coating, so they didn't damage anything, and it was very easy to unscrew the whole section and clean out the ink window. While I was at it, I also took out my 149C and gave it a re-lube; after a year and a half of constant use it needed it. The difference between then and now was actually night and day. If you will be doing this, please keep in mind to not save money here and buy 100% pure silicone grease. I have listened to what silicone grease divers will trust their lives with and it has served my fountain pens well so far  

 

My 149C is finally getting some rest, completely cleaned up and re-lubed, so I can have some time with my Expressive now.

[como]

@fpupulin I got curious and finally took out a sheet from this block and practiced writing alphabet on it.

 

1. Done with Omas old style Paragon Arco Brown with 18k M nib ground to a soft Italic, ink MB Royal Blue.

 

2. Done with MB 149C, ink MB Royal Blue.

 

Strangely parts of this paper feels waxy/slippery by the nib, so you see some inconsistency of the line widths. I am not sure if it’s really the paper or maybe oil from my hand. 
 

I believe, strictly speaking, this “Elegant” script (name of this script) is supposed by written by an Italic nib angled at 45-degree slant. I still prefer to use 149C, because somehow it feels less restrictive. I need to practice a bit more. Sorry I probably butchered this “Elegant” script 😀!

[JulieParadise]

@como No, no butchering, nowhere. Both your versions of this script look absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing these! 

[fpupulin]

Dear como, I agree with JulieParadise that both versions look fantastic. I have a slight preference for the alphabet you wrote with the 149 Calligraphy, as it has that subtle and elegant stroke variation that made it more "live". 

 

Nonetheless, your test well demonstrates that this particular script may be perfectly written with an italic nib, and il looks very nice also this way. 

 

As to the paper, I have not had problems with the 3-4 sheets of Clairefontaine I used so far. Now that the the weather is brighter and warmer, it sometimes happens that the hand interferes with the paper, making it a bit oily.

 

As a side note, I really enjoyed your pic, with the two beautiful pens resting on the sheet after the work... They are so absolutely diverse, and so absolutely splendid in their own, particular, timeless beauty!