A look at pen holders.

Now that we have discussed the most dynamic of the materials you will need for Spencerian and Copperplate script, it is time to discuss pens or pen holders, sometimes referred to as pen staves.  You have two basic types to choose from, straight and oblique.

Straight holders are, forgive the pun, fairly straightforward.  Buying a cheap one or an expensive one won’t have much effect on the quality of your writing.  Determining what works best for you will be a matter of personal taste, and whether your favorite nib will fit the holder.  These holders come in a wide variety.  Speedball makes a cheap and sturdy basic black plastic one, while some of the online stores have rather ornate turned wooden holders for sale. There are some nice ergonomic manga pen holders available, and Brause makes an odd, hexagonal holder that takes a nib at either end. Writing with a straight holder is difficult for the right handed, but sometimes recommended for the left handed.  Should you be right handed, writing in script with a pointed nib will require a special grip.  It is difficult to master, and a number of torturous looking contraptions were devised to train people’s hands to it.  If you do not get the nib angled to the paper correctly, one side of your line will have a ragged edge as the following tine of the nib lags behind the leading edge and skips all over the place.  This yields ugly letters and breaks nibs.

Oblique holders are recommended for Spencerian and Copperplate scripts.  Specifically they are recommended for the right handed scribe, though a number of left handed penmen use an oblique holder.  They do make them for left handed use, though if you watch a John Decollibus video, you’ll notice he is using a right handed oblique holder in his left hand and writing vertically, descending the page with his script.  Mostly, you only see right handed oblique holders for sale, if you desire a left handed one, you may have to commission one.

It is my recommendation that you avoid the Speedball oblique holders.  The flange on the ones Speedball make themselves are loose, insuring that your nib will wallow as your vary your pressure.  They are $1-$3 depending on where you get them, and they are a waste of your money.  You can get a Speedball holder with a brass flange from several online stores. They make them from a variety of Speedball’s straight holders.  A dremel tool is used to make the cutout and insert the brass flange.  These are ok, if you are only going to spend $12-$16 because you aren't sure you will stick with calligraphy, maybe these are for you. I personally don’t care for the modified Speedball holders, once I bought a nice oblique holder, I never looked back.  They are good for learning a few things though, like adjusting a flange.  You don't want to wreck the flange on your nice holder.  If you do buy a modified Speedball, at some point I suggest you take some wire cutters and clip the tail off.  Afterwards wrap some sports take around the barrel.  It is the cheapest way to find out whether you would rather have a carrot oblique holder.

In the mid-$20 range there are a number of good choices from several stores.  The century oblique and the zanerian oblique come to mind.  These are quality turned wooden oblique holders.  Everyone should consider purchasing a Buddy Blackwell holder at some point.  The unique style of adjustable flange in the Buddy Blackwell holder allows you to try most any nib you come across without having to get out a pair of pliers to adjust your flange.  The wooden version with brass fittings is around $40.

Ranging above $40 is where you see your truly premium oblique holders.  Paper and Ink Arts has an hourglass oblique holder with adjustable flange.  Joe Vitolo had design input on this one.  You can see him using one in several videos.  Master Penmen Bill Lilly and Michael Sull both sell handmade unique holders for around $50.  The Lilly flange and the Sull flange are very different, the Lilly flange being longer with a wider angle of attack and the Sull flange being shorter and more acute.  They are both very high quality pens, and I recommend finding one of each to try out after you have had some practice.  Once you begin to develop some as a calligrapher I absolutely recommend upgrading to one of these pens.  When you are ready, it will make a huge difference in the quality and ease of your work.  After you have been working with these for a while, you may be content to continue with them, and I go back to mine fairly often, or you may desire something fancier.

From Left to Right:  an Hourglass Adjustable Oblique, a Lilly Pen, a Sull Pen, a Blackwell Holder, a Yoke Pen Company Pen, a Tachikawa Manga Holder

I must stress, upgrading from a Lilly or Sull pen is mostly an aesthetic choice unless you are after a pen of specific length or diameter.  If you are after something fancier, I recommend Christopher Yoke over at the Yoke Pen Company.  He does made-to-order work.  The flanges on his pens are set at the same angle as a Lilly pen, but are shorter like a Sull pen.  I have a very beautiful Yoke pen I have done wedding invitations with.  Also, a fellow calligrapher has recently recommended Brian Smith to me.  Brian has a shop on Etsy.  He does beautiful work based on historic examples.  There are of course, other people out there making pens, but I’m not personally familiar with their work, nor is anyone I know familiar with them. Pens by Jake Weidman are purported to be of excellent quality, but I’ve yet to encounter one.

Discussing what is available is well and good, but the important thing to know about an oblique holder, is how to set your nib in the flange.  The nib should be set in such a manner that the end of the nib is even with the center line of the barrel of the pen.  You may set it 1 or 2 millimeters past that if you wish for slightly thicker shades.  This is not recommended for beginners though.  The flange should be canted in such a way that when the barrel is level, the shoulders of the nib are angled back and down, and the nib gently rises up toward the top of the barrel when you are viewing the flange edge on.