Eye Candy: Solstice BLACK OUT

Eye Candy: Solstice BLACK OUT

As we approach the solar solstice, sunset comes earlier every day. Since the sun is gone by 4:30 around here, it seems like a good time to bring out black pens. Not just any black pens, however. Black pens with black trim as well.

Above (top to bottom): Strathmore 500 Series Multi Media paper sketchbook; Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black; Retro 51 Solar System; Yookers Gun Metal; Leonardo Matte Black Momento Zero; Aurora Black Mamba; Blackwing 33 1/3.

As I pulled out any items in my collection that might have black trim, a few stood out from the rest. My favorite group was this:

Above (left to right): Aurora Black Mamba; Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black; Yookers Gun Metal; Blackwing 33 1/3 on top

Another group seemed to separate itself out as well. Those with a Ruthenium or black ionized coating to the trim.

Above (left to right): Leonardo Momento Zero Matte Black; Nakaya Decograph Twist; Sailor Sweet Love Pink.

A few pens had matte black fittings but plenty of color to offset the trim that seems to suck up any light around.

Above (left to right): Retro 51 Bump in the Night; Diplomat Aero Factory; Diplomat Aero Green; Diplomat Aero Flame; Retro 51 Zodiac.

The pens from Pilot looked so nice together (even though I couldn’t balance both the model type and the color):

Above: Pilot Vanishing Point Metallic Green; Pilot Explorer Green; Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black.

Another bonus picture with a few more black trim pens:

Top: Leonardo Momento Zero Matte Black

Middle (left to right): Retro 51 Solar System; Spoke Pens Purple; Monteverde ; Monteverde Ritma Red and Gun Metal, Retro 51 Monarchs

Bottom: Opus 88 Bela Blue

You may be a person who enjoys mixing up your colors with pen and ink combinations, but in keeping with today’s BLACK OUT theme, here are some great choices for black inks:

Above (left to right): Platinum Carbon Black (pigmented, permanent, and true black); Aurora Black (incredibly wet ink); Sailor Kiwa-Guro (pigmented, drier ink)

Above (left to right): Kyo-no-oto Nurebairo (very dry, silvery sheen); Omas Black (vintage); Kingdom Note Stag Beetle (greenish sheen); Franklin Christoph Graphite 4B (lighter, pencil-like finish)


DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this post were provided free of charge by Appleboom for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Link Love: Planner Optimism and End-of Year Wrap Ups

Link Love: Planner Optimism and End-of Year Wrap Ups

The end of the calendar year is a busy time for the stationery community. We are inundated with last-minute product releases (which is probably true for most retail businesses) plus the final selections of planners for the coming new year. Add in the requisite end-of-year wrap ups, best of’s and top ten lists and there is a flurry of activity.

This week’s Link Love shows the start of the end, so to speak. There are top ten lists for books as well as inks. There were lots of wonderful animal posts so they got their own category this week. And finally, there is a wonderful Tiny Desk Concert by Dua Lipa that might brighten your afternoon. Even if you are not familiar with her music, it’s joyful and she is kind to her bandmates. It put a smile on my face.

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Our Animal Kingdom:

Other Interesting Things:


We need each other. By supporting our sponsors and affiliates you help keep this blog going. Without them, we would not have products to review or a server to house our content. Your patronage of their shops, services and products will let them know you appreciate their support of the pen community. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

Notebook Review: Fabriano EcoQua Gluebound A5 Notebook

I seem to have quite the notebook collection. I know it’s a problem many of us have. I don’t exactly hoard them, but I do purchase for reviews and to try them out and see if I like them. I suppose I’m in search of that elusive PERFECT notebook (more on that in a future post!)

So when I saw the Fabriano EcoQua Gluebound A5 Notebook ($8.50) which comes in dot grid (which is totally my jam) I added one to my cart immediately!

To start with, I would say that this is more of a notepad than a notebook. The Fabriano notebook comes with a sturdy card-stock cover with woven texturing. It’s available in a variety of colors including blue, wine, stone, lemon, raspberry, orange and black.

The paper is advertised as acid free, FSC-certified and fountain pen friendly. It’s 85 gsm and comes in 4mm dot grid (light grey dots) on white paper. The notebook includes 90 sheets.

The reason I consider this more of a notepad than a notebook is that the paper itself is glue-bound across the left edge of the pad. Sheets are easily torn from the pad so you can save notes and share with friends. When I think of a notebook, I think more of a collection of pages that are meant to be stored together. The glue on this pad is very thin and even trying to turn the page mostly separated it from the remainder of the pages. While this is a total plus if you want a tear and share pad, it’s not a notebook meant to keep the pages all together. None of this is specifically a detractor – I just want you to know what you’re getting!

I actually did really like the paper. It’s a little toothy, and was pleasing to write on. I tested my ball points, fountain pens, gel pens, brush pens and more. The only thing that “failed” the test was the Sharpie of course – bleed-through city! The paper is fairly thin, so there is plenty of show-through, but I got no bleeding or feathering with anything but the Sharpie. I also kind of dig the smaller grid – you could fit a LOT on this page if you’re a small writer.

Overall, the Fabriano is going to end up being a desk pad for me. I like the paper and I know I’ll use it to dash off notes on phone calls and meetings, and to write daily to do lists. However, I won’t use it for anything of permanence, and that means I probably won’t end up buying it again as I prefer to keep most of my notes organized together. I do think it’s a reasonably priced product of good quality, but it just doesn’t fit my needs as much as I would like.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Ask The Desk: Planner for Medical Editor, Waterproof inks and Cross Porous Point Pen Options

Ask The Desk: Planner for Medical Editor, Waterproof inks and Cross Porous Point Pen Options

Angela asks:

Hello–I’m a freelance medical editor. I have to keep track of jobs for ±6 clients each day. For years, I’ve used a spiral notebook and pencil. I’ve been upgrading my notebooks, and now I think I’d like to use a daily planner so I have a more orderly view of finished projects. I would need something that at least 8 inches wide because I have to record client job numbers and project descriptions, as well as the amount of time each job takes. Do you have a recommendation for a nice but moderately priced planner or notebook? I wouldn’t need extra pages for long-range planning or goals.

I think your best bet would be to start with Agendio.com. This site allows you to completely customize a planner to meet your needs. This takes a bit of decision-making on your part but it also means you can get what you want and nothing you don’t. You can save your design and change it or update it next year if you find that there was something you didn’t like about your layout this year. And you can start any month. You can even choose if you want a spiral binding or just what your pages punched to fit into a binder you already own.

Lisa asks:

Hi, I’m thinking of buying a TWISBI ECO to accent my watercolor sketches with ink. What kinds of ink can the ECO use? I’m interested in experimenting with acrylic inks, for example. PS – total newbie. Thanks!

Lisa,

NO ACRYLIC INK!!!

I don’t mean to yell but I want to make sure you don’t miss my comment. Fountain pens use fountain pen ink ONLY. However, there is waterproof (bulletproof, archival, etc) ink that can be used in fountain pens that will work with your fountain pens. I did a post awhile back about some of my favorite waterproof fountain pen inks and urban sketcher Liz Steel is a big fan of using fountain pens for her artwork too. Our own resident urban sketcher Tina also uses fountain pens for her artwork and has lots of recommendations as well. And, of course, my favorite will always be Platinum Carbon Black.

If you want to play with acrylic inks, I would recommend using a dip pen and nib like a Speedball dip nib. These are available for about $1 per nib and a holder is anywhere from $5 and up depending on how fancy you want to be. Using acrylic ink with a dip nib means if the ink dries on the nib, you have only damaged a $1 nib. No big deal. You can throw the nib out (or recycle it with a metal recycler) and use a new one.

John asks:

Hello, I was wondering if you know what pens are compatible with the cross porous felt pen refill. I truly love that you porous refill tips from Cross and looking for a similar experience with a different pen body. I was wondering if you knew of any.

The Porous Point (felt tip) refill from Cross is part of their “Selectip” line which fit in the Cross Century Classic. Any of the BigiDesign capped designs like the Ti Ultra, Ti Arto EDC, and Ti Arto. Pretty must any of the BigiDesign models with a cap. I realize that’s not a lot of options but at least it will give you a pen that will accept other refills should you no longer be able to get the Porous Point or decide you want to use something else.

Colored Pencil Review: Camel 36-Color Mini Pencil Set with Elastic Case

Colored Pencil Review: Camel 36-Color Mini Pencil Set with Elastic Case

The Camel 36-Color Mini Pencil Set with Elastic Case ($40) is a tiny package full of cute, colorful sticks of fun. By fun, I mean colored pencils. These colored pencils are rounded square shaped and arrive in a paperboard box that closes with an elastic strap. The box, when closed, is about the same size as a standard Traveler’s Notebook, making it the perfect companion to your journal.

Camel 36 Colored Pencil Set

Camel 36 Colored Pencil Set

The exterior of the pencils are a soft matte black and the rounded square shape make them comfortable in the hand (even for being so small) and unlikely to roll off the table. Each pencil is numbered with the color and the inside of the box includes a list of color names that correspond with the number. I would have preferred that the ends of the pencils were color dipped for easier identification but I understand the aesthetic choice for all-black. It just makes for a lot of hunting to find the right color.

Camel 36 Colored Pencil Size

The pencils inside are diminutive in size (8.5cm or 3.34″).

Camel 36 Colored Pencil Set compared to full-sized pencil

Compared to a full-sized Prismacolor, it’s clear to see just how small the Camel pencils are.

Camel 36 Colored Pencil Set compared to full-sized pencil

The pencil core is visible from the unfinished end of the pencil. The core is much smaller than a Prismacolor core but that will make these pencils better for detail work.

Camel 36 Colored Pencil Set color swatches

The set of 36 colors includes approximately 3 purple/violets, 6 blues, 6 greens, 5 reds, 4 oranges, 3 yellows, 4 browns, black, white, neutral grey and a metallic gold and silver. The white is, like most colored pencils, best used as a blending tool rather than a highlight white as it is not very opaque.

Prismacolor pencil blend comparison

When compared with Prismacolor for blending, the Camel pencils are not as soft and blendable, particularly on paper with any tooth or texture. However, because of the smaller core, it’s much easier to use the Camel pencils for small details or even to write.

Camel 36 Colored Pencils in watercolor tin

I liked that the Camel pencils are about the same size as my travel watercolor tin making them extremely portable — with or without their box.

Camel 36 Colored Pencil in Staedtler sharpener

I was a little concerned about sharpening them but the square shape means that they fit into a standard-sized pencil sharpener. I used my Staedtler 2-hole sharpener and the Camel pencils sharpened just fine.

Camel 36 Colored Pencil Set

These are probably not artist-grade, fade-proof, top quality colored pencils but for everyday coloring, journaling, doodling fun, they are an adorable set. If you are looking for a last-minute gift for the artist or artist-at-heart, this set of colored pencils would make a delightful gift.

I originally received my set from the now-defunct Fresh Stock Japan but my dearest friends at Wonder Fair in Lawrence, KS (LFK!) are carrying them and would be delighted to ship them to you or your loved one ASAP.


DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Fresh Stock Japan for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Eye Candy: Rose Gold

Eye Candy: Rose Gold

By Jessica Coles

This time of year turns me to thinking about sparkly things and pens are part of that. One of my favorites is rose gold things. Ana and I were talking about rose gold the other day when the idea of a matching ink came up. What kind of ink is good with rose gold?

Well, as I pulled out the pens in my collection that I consider either rose gold or copper (since rose gold is rose due to the addition of copper), I noticed that they fell into three basic groups. Orange under tones, Brown under tones, Pink undertones.

Orange undertones (left to right): TWSBI Smoke and Rose Gold 580AL, No Name (pronounced noh-nah-meh) pen, Conklin black and rose gold, Waldmann Tuscany Rose Gold, Y-Studio Classic.

For the pens with orange undertones, here are a few ink options:

The Brown under toned pens (left to right): Nemosine Rose Gold, Caran D’ache rose gold 849, Lamy Rose Gold, Platinum Nice Pur, Copper Schön Pocket6.

Inks for pens with Brown under tones:

Pink under tones (left to right): Kaweco AL Sport Rose Gold, PenBBS pink, Kaweco Apple Pencil sleeve, Uniball Signo Angelic Red

Inks for the Pinks:

Link Love: Holiday-Adjacent

Link Love: Holiday-Adjacent

The holiday shopping season is officially underway and Link Love reflects the arrival of all things holiday-related: from “The Child” hot cocoa to snowflake Field Notes. If you need a holiday idea, a video to make you smile or shipping information, hop down to the Holiday-related section.

I have one more week of teaching before the winter break. Hopefully, that means my posts will start being a little more prompt. Don’t hold your breath.

But, to all my knitters, enjoy some notebook and yarn pairings. We should do this more often.

Yarn matched to Field Notes National Parks edition

Post of the Week:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Holiday-related:

Other Interesting Things:

We all need each other. Please support our sponsors and affiliates. They help keep this blog going. Without them, we would not have products to review or a server to house our content. Your patronage of their shops, services and products will let them know you appreciate their support of the pen community. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!