Montblanc Homage to Victor Hugo Sepia Brown Ink

 

The Montblanc Writers Edition celebrates the literary giants who have made their mark on world literature through the power and artistry of their writing. The new limited edition pays tribute to the creative talent and cultural legacy of Victor Marie Hugo (1802 – 1885). Considered one of the greatest French Romantic writers, the novelist, poet, dramatist and illustrator developed his own distinctive style of imaginative realism, pairing realistic elements with abundant symbolism. Hugo firmly believed that his mission as a writer was to defend the less fortunate members of society by documenting injustice, using his work to champion the social and political causes of his time. Among his many achievements, he was elected to the Académie française in 1841, testament to his influence on French arts and letters.

While he wrote prolifically in all genres, he is best known around the world for his novels Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris (‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’), that have been adapted in many different versions and have earned an enduring place in popular culture. These two colossal works of French literature have inspired the design of the limited edition Montblanc writing instruments. In addition to storytelling elements drawn from the novels, the collection also pays homage to the author’s personal and private life with elegant references to Hauteville House, his beautifully decorated home in Guernsey.

The author’s novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is set in Paris during the 15th century, tells the story of Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer and his unrequited love for the beautiful La Esmeralda. True to Hugo’s passion for social justice, the novel condemns a society that cruelly excludes the likes of Quasimodo and Esmeralda. - Montblanc

Available at Appelboom for ~$34USD.

Another year, another brown ink. I like sepia browns but I was not super excited about the brown depicted on the box itself. At first glance, it looked somewhat bland. The artwork is very elegant and brings to mind the Notre-Dame de Paris. I really don't like to keep boxes for most things but Montblanc's special edition inks are an exception. The bottles are simple and attractive and they are safe inside the box, even if the box fell off a shelf, the foam inside would more than likely keep the glass intact. They stack and store really well and they look really cool all lined up, each with their own design and color. 

Anyway that's enough about the box. I just think they're neat. I swabbed the ink first to see what kind of shading it would produce and I still wasn't all that excited about it. Although it does shade in heavy applications, I did not feel like it had much character. Le sigh. I decided to ink the Montblanc Meisterstück 90th Anniversary 149 with the oblique triple broad nib. Big surprise (or not) - the shading that the nib is able to achieve got my attention! 

With extra light.

Whoa! Have you ever had an ink that did nothing for you? I judged this ink by this cover. The cover was not terrible, but it wasn't anything to write home about. The ink is funny. It has grey undertones that I tried to capture with the previous and following picture. Apparently the sepia brown is supposed to be chosen for the gargoyles that sit atop the Notre-Dame and I guess if you think of it that way, the grey undertone - especially when exposed to water - makes complete sense.

With extra light.

Ahh such a beauty in its full glory! I really like the color in a nice thick nib. I always smear some water around on ink to see what happens and I didn't realize this ink is fairly water resistant. It might be perfect for those times you don't want to deal with a permanent ink in your pen but you don't want your words to disappear! Despite the water resistance, I found the ink pretty easy to clean out of this pen with the caveat that I don't let my "hard to clean" inks dry out in the pen. Otherwise, the ink is quite well-behaved so I'm pretty pleased overall.

The splats are interesting - it has no sheen but shades nicely.It's a nice walnut sepia, less on the red scale. You can really see the difference when it's compared to two other Montblanc inks: Toffee Brown and Purdey & Sons Single Malt Whiskey. Unlike the Purdey inks (Whiskey & Cigar), this one is not scented, which is great for those who don't want to smell their writing!

I hope this has been helpful. Thank you for reading. If you enjoy and/or appreciate this type of information and you want to lend your continued support, please do check me out on Patreon. You can pledge your support for as little as $1. You are in no way obligated to do so, of course. I appreciate your readership and your support so much, so thank you! 

When Pelikan launched the M600 Violet, I pre-ordered it at Appelboom because I have almost no self control when it comes to pretty things. Of course, not everyone thinks it is pretty and that's perfectly fine. I had to see for myself if I liked it more than the pink one from a few years prior. That I sold. And then re-purchased. The nib was tuned by Appelboom's nibmeister, Anabelle, and it was done before it even reached me. So convenient!

Shop at Appelboom using the discount code 'friend' and you will receive 10% off your purchase! Excludes Montblanc, per their requirements. No commission, just a sweet deal for you.

FAT NIB FRIDAY! Montblanc 146 Fun Handwriting Bespoke Calligraphy Music Nib

It's Fat Nib Friday! Most fat nibs are also serious nibbage, so here we are on this Friday. Oddly satisfying, much mouthwatering. 

Pen: Montblanc Meisterstück 146
Nib: Bespoke Calligraphy Music nib
Ink 1: Montblanc Blue Hour Twilight Blue
Ink 2: Sailor Apricot

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Louis Vuitton Rouge Libertin Ink

I remember the first time I heard Louis Vuitton had fountain pen ink, I chuckled to myself because I was 100% sure there was no way I would be willing and able to spend $52 on a bottle of fountain pen ink. A generous reader sent me a sample of Bleu Rêveur and I did a review of it - way back in 2015! Looking back at that review, I also cringe at my handwriting but I guess that's part of the journey.

These bottles are very much like the Caran d'Ache Colors of the Earth bottles with their square shape and heavy glass base. I really like how stable they are because there's no way I want to knock this bottle over while filling my pen because I'll be sucking it off my desk with a pipette to return to the bottle. Or my mouth in desperation if there is no pipette nearby. When it was released, it was basically $1/ml so it's probably the most expensive 50 ml of ink I have. I have several of these LV inks to check out and share now because I borrowed them from a friend so while they are not my inks, its still fun for me. Hopefully it'll be fun for you, too!

The box is very light and elegant and I really like the simple, clean branding and label. The bottles all match each other with all their labels being just as clean and tidy. I love how they match when they're all lined up. The bottles have wide mouths and are easy to fill from. I have not reached the halfway point in the bottle and I imagine when the ink level is lower, it'll be harder to fill big nibs from but for now there are no issues. Eventually I'll have to switch to just inking the cartridge or using a syringe to fill a converter/piston/eyedropper. This is not a deal breaker for me. A little dip in the base of the bottle would make it easy to get to every last drop.

Mmmm that red! It's a gorgeous deep red with medium saturation so it still can show some shading. There is no shiny sheen, rather the saturated spots dry down to a matte red. Rouge libertin, or libertine red, is a very interesting name. Obviously it's red. Wikipedia says a libertine is, "A libertine is one devoid of most moral principles, a sense of responsibility, or sexual restraints, which are seen as unnecessary or undesirable, especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behaviour sanctified by the larger society. Libertinism is described as an extreme form of hedonism."

It gets better. Oxford's definitions are as follows: 

Noun: libertine
1. a person, especially a man, who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility, especially in sexual matters.
Similar: philanderer, ladies' man, playboy, rake, roué

2. a person who rejects accepted opinions in matters of religion; a freethinker.

Adjective: libertine
1. characterized by a disregard of morality, especially in sexual matters. "his more libertine impulses"
Similar: licentious, lustful, libidinous, lecherous, lascivious, lubricious

2. freethinking in matters of religion.

Late Middle English (denoting a freed slave or the son of one): from Latin libertinus ‘freedman’, from liber ‘free’. In the mid 16th century, imitating French libertin, the term denoted a member of any of various antinomian sects in France; hence libertine (sense 2 of the noun).

Well, that certainly gives one something to think about. I remember seeing a bottle of shiraz from McLaren Vale called The Hedonist and the color certainly makes me think of this ink. I'm clearly overthinking this but it's part of the fun of inks with interesting names.

It's a little on the dry side but I have no issues with its flow when writing. It's well-behaved - easy to clean because it's not super saturated, performs well on various papers although I really only use fountain pen friendly paper like Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Tomoe River, Midori, and Maruman, and the I like the color a lot. My go-to red is Montblanc Corn Poppy Red but now that it's discontinued, I'm expanding my palette a little. I'm happy to say Rouge Libertin falls into the true red category for me - not orangey red, thank goodness! - because that's what I want in my reds.

I'm just having fun with my inks as of late and it's been a nice spark of excitement for me in the hobby.

Pen: Esterbrook JR in Carmine Red + medium steel nib
Paper: Tomoe River

I hope this has been helpful. Thank you for reading. If you enjoy and/or appreciate this type of information and you want to lend your continued support, please do check me out on Patreon. You can pledge your support for as little as $1. You are in no way obligated to do so, of course. I appreciate your readership and your support so much, so thank you! 

Visconti Medici Rose Sovrano Oversize Fountain Pen

Thank you to Appelboom Pennen for loaning me this beautiful pen! Remember you can shop at Appelboom and use the discount code 'friend' for 10% off! No commission, just a sweet deal for you.

Check it out at Appelboom!