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Challenge Results: How did my Starter Pens Week go?

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments
Challenge Results: How did my Starter Pens Week go?

Last week I decided to take on the challenge to use only “starter pens” for a week. I picked out all the Platinum Preppy pens I have and a franken-Pilot Prera. I tried to follow a similar process to Derek’s original challenge but had to modify it a little bit to make the challenge work for me and make sure that I could stick with it for a whole week.

Overall, I didn’t do as much writing or drawing as I’d hoped to do last week but I did use the “starter pens” throughout the week — I put my fancy, higher-end pens out of reach and only had the Platinum Preppys and the Pilot Prera (similar to a Pilot Kakuno in terms of nib material and size). I talked a bit with Derek who created this challenge and we both laughed that using what I have (specifically my franke-Pilot) is a great solution to the challenge.

One of the things I discovered is that the Platinum Preppy with the 03 nib is too wide for the small Hobonichi and Stalogy grid papers — at least for me. The 02 Extra Fine Platinum nib worked well for me but I only had one Platinum with this nib. The Pilot F nib which was installed in my Prera was fine enough to use with the tiny grid in my planners. What’s surprising is that the 02 EF Platinum nib is about the same width as the Pilot F. So, if you prefer wider nibs, go for the Platinum 03 or a Pilot M. I’m surprised I didn’t notice this difference sooner.

Most used pens: Platinum Prefounte with 03 F nib and Monteverde California Teal ink and the Pilot Prera with F nib and Kaweco Caramel Brown. Note the difference in the line widths.

The slip-n-seal caps of the Platinum meant there was never a hard start. Okay, that’s a lie. I have one dud Platinum. I think I let ink dry in it and cleaned it twice and still couldn’t get it to perform consistently. So, life lesson — clean your pens regularly. I will need to pull out my sonic cleaner and see if I can get it going again. It was my spare black ink Platinum and the wider 03 nib so I didn’t really miss it from the rotation.

I am glad I went ahead and syringe-filled the cartridges (or scavenged a converter) for these pens so I could use the ink colors I’d selected for my September planners and keep the overall look and feel of my planner, even though I switched pens mid-month.

As this week has come to an end, I’ve decided to continue using these pens through the end of the month. I’ve enjoyed using these little gems. Yes, the Prera breaks the below $20 level of the other “start pens” but since I didn’t own a Kakuno, it was the closest substitute for the challenge and provided me the finer nib size that I prefer overall.

Again, the Pilot prera with F nib and Kaweco Caramel Brown was used most. Its probably the most similar to my go-to Sailor Pro Gear Slim with F nib.

All of that said, I think we tend to put a lot of prestige on higher-priced, fancier fountain pens but this week proved to me that these budget-starter pens still bring a lot to the table. I hope it makes getting in to fountain pens less financially intimidating if someone is just starting out. These are GOOD pens.

In my Hobonichi Weeks organizing my Gamify points. I used the Platinum Preppy 02 with black ink and the Platinum Prefounte F nib with Monteverde California Teal.

I enjoyed this challenge so much I confess I did place an order for a couple of Pilot Kakunos so that I can try this again with the true “starter pens.”

Its not necessary to have under-$20 fountain pens to do this challenge. If you only have Kaweco Sports or Lamy Safaris, you can try this challenge with those pens as well. You could even use a combination of whatever “starter pens” you bought early in your fountain pen life. Do you like them as much as you did when you first discovered fountain pens? Do they still fill you with that sense of joy and adventure or have you realized that the nibs or shape isn’t your favorite? Its such a fun experiment. Let me know in the comments if you try this yourself.

In Pen Review

Why the Pentel Sign (Fude Touch) Brush Pen is my Favorite Brush Pen

Author AnaPosted on 7 Comments
Why the Pentel Sign (Fude Touch) Brush Pen is my Favorite Brush Pen

I have reviewed a few sets of the Pentel Sign Brush Pen ($2.50 each) over the last couple years including the Fluorescent and the 2020 Special Color Set. What I’ve never ‘fessed up to publicly is that I have slowly been adding individual markers to my collection until I essentially have almost every color.

Close up of tip and a detail of the shimmery barrel!

I love the firm, fiber-based, brush tips on these pens. They are perfect for adding headers to my planner or in my notes. The tips are firm enough while having a fine point that I can use them in a wide variety of ways. With a light touch, I can add a small sub-header. With a firmer touch, I can create thicks and thins for a fun title. With full pressure, I can make broad strokes, color in an area or block out an area on my page.

The colors available for the Pentel Sign Brush Pen offer both traditional colors, fluorescent colors and more unusual, subtle or complex colors. My favorites are the Olive Green, Grey and Violet. I probably use them the most. The Emerald Green and Turquoise Green are new to my collection and I think I’ll use them a lot in the coming year.

I love to color coordinate on my inks and pens to my monthly planner theme and picking one or two Pentel Sign Brush Pens it perfect as an alternative to my finer fountain pens or gel pens.

There have been a couple pens with colors too light for regular writing for me: Pale Blue and Light Grey. I usually have a high tolerance for lighter colors but I’ve found that these are difficult to use for writing. I think I just threw the Pale Blue pen away because it was too light to be useful. If your goal is to color or highlight text, they may work better.

I’ve been using some of these pens for months and months so I like they are quite durable and the inks have not dried out.

An example of how the Pentel Brush Sign Pen is used in my monthly planner set-up.

The dry time is a bit longer than I expect so be aware that the Pentel Sign Brush Pens may take longer to dry on paper like Tomoe River or lightly coated stocks (I smudge on envelopes ALL the time).

Proof that the Olive Green Pentel Sugn Brush Pen pretty much gets used every month!

Upon posting this review, I added four more pens to my cart: Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Brown and Black. I think that will complete the set for me. I don’t need EVERY color but I do like having a range of options for my rainbow year.

So, the reason I love these pens is the price, the color options and the sturdy-yet-fexible tips. And they are sparkly on the outside so that’s the BONUS.

If you haven’t tried the Pentel Sign Brush Pens, I can’t recommend them enough. If you have used them, do you love them as much as I do? If not, is there a brush pen you prefer?

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

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In The Shop: Gamify Your Life Zine

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
In The Shop: Gamify Your Life Zine

We have just listed our new zine: Gamify Your Life Players Handbook (2nd Edition) ($12 for zine, $20 for kit)– “Make it Fun to Get Sh*t Done”. This zine was created to accompany my workshops of the same name but I’ve packed it full of enough information that I think it is a great jumpstart into the gamification of your life planning.

The zine is designed to provide the framework of my gamification process — a method that uses the principles of D&D, RPG and tabletop and video games to help prioritize your tasks and reward yourself when you’ve accomplished them.

The system is flexible and will allow you to modify it to align with your gaming language and your goals.

To jump start your geeky planning life, the Gamify zine can also be purchased as a kit which includes two sheets of stickers (one sheet of our A Little Dicey sticker sheet and one sheet of our Roll for Initiative sticker sheet) PLUS a randomly selected set of dice (a full 7-die set of D&D dice) to get you started on your Gamify journey. Sticker gremlins and dice goblins delight!

This 20-page full color zine was written and designed by Ana Reinert of The Well-Appointed Desk and includes worksheet pages, quest lists and prompts.

I’ve also added a handful of new sticker designs to the shop:

In Link Love

Link Love: Fake Fall Faked Me Out

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments
Link Love: Fake Fall Faked Me Out

We had a few lovely, cool mornings about a week ago and I got so excited that Autumn was finally here. But no. I live in the Midwest and that was FAKE FALL. The temps have zipped back up to 90ºF for the past week and, even as a human lizard that prefers warm weather, I’m over it. I want bowls of steaming soup, a steady stream of spicy teas and a chance to wear even one of the dozens of sweaters I’ve knit.

I want to plan my final months in my planner and get excited about cracking the covers on new 2026 planners. But no. Instead, I have the kind of malaise that can only happen when you’ve been slow roasted for the better part of the last FIVE months. Its gotten so bad, I’m actually excited to see that the temps might drop to the mid-80ºFs at the end of the week. I think my brain has melted.

Send me cool weather wishes, rainy days and cozy memories while I slowly bake into shriveled pink jerky.

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks, Planners & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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Laura Answers the #12PenPersonQuestions List

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment
Laura Answers the #12PenPersonQuestions List

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and answer OliveOctopus’ #12PenPersonQuestions list!

1. If you consider the different ways you can engage with pens and stationery—as a user, a collector, a hobbyist, a creator, a maker, a vendor—which roles fit best and what percentage of 100% would you assign to each? Are you happy with the balance?

Hmmmm this one is a hard one. I write with my pens and paper every day and I enjoy using them. I’m somewhat of a collector, but that’s mostly so I can write posts about them and share my thoughts with you. I don’t know if my collection would be as big as it is if I were purely a hobbyist and a user. So I’d say probably 50% Hobbyist/User and 50% Collector/Creator of content.

2. What is something you want to understand better or develop more informed opinions about?

I’ve never had a nib ground. In fact, while I understand the point of nib grinding, I’ve never played with different nibs to feel the differences (other than the obvious fine nib puts down a fine line, broad nibs put down wider lines). In general I sort of have “this pen feels great” and “this one doesn’t.”

3. In the pen community, what’s something someone has said or done that stuck with you?

I can’t think of any one person or thing that’s been said. All I know is that the pen community is full of great people who are generous with their knowledge and always ready to let you try out their new pen to see how cool it is! Whether it’s learning the secrets of Parker Vacumatics from a vintage dealer to understanding the amazing differences in paper (Daryl at Musubi I’m looking at you) there are always people happy to spread the love of pens and stationery.

4. There are now 25 hours in a day, a bonus hour is available to use however you like as long as pens or stationery are involved—how do you spend your hour?

Journaling. I have so many hobbies (most of them creative and artsy), and between work, chores (who needs clean clothes or food?), I always feel pressed at the end of the day to fit in all the things I want to do. Sadly, my journaling always gets shorted as I sit down to knit and listen to a book first. I would spend it recording the events of the day and playing around with adding more art to my journal.

Or painting. I keep watching friends get into watercolor painting and it’s a talent I would love to develop. I’ve never progressed much beyond stick figures.

5. In the pen community yearbook, what would your superlative be? (i.e. “Best ______”, “Most _______” “Most likely to _______”)

If we’re talking about my work on the Desk I’m going with “Best Administrative Assistant” because I do lots of little things behind the scenes. Also I might be the “Most Reliable Sidekick?” You can ask Ana!

6. How do you feel about your handwriting?

In general I’m happy enough with it. I won’t lie – every time I see Ana playing around with lettering I wish I could do more of that, but generally speaking I’m happy enough with my writing. Except when I let it get too messy to read!

7. What is something you are proud of doing, achieving, or overcoming?

The year I turned 30 I left my job and my life as I knew it in my hometown, and moved halfway across the country to be with my fiance (now husband). It was 2008 and finding another job in the economy was ROUGH. I ended taking any job to make it through and proved to myself that I would do whatever it took even if it was soul-sucking. I’m happy to say I’ve found better jobs since and we’re going on 17+ years of wedded bliss!

8. You’re going on a writing retreat anywhere in the world—where would you go, what would you write, and what would you write with?

Hmmmm I want to say someplace somewhat isolated, without too many people around. Definitely someplace where I could hear water – either the ocean waves, or rivers/streams tinkling along. As for pen, probably my Pelikan M205 Apatite because my hand never gets tired of holding it. It writes smoothly, puts down a nice amount of ink, is thin enough that my hand doesn’t ache holding it. As for paper, something that dries quickly so I can keep writing without fear of smearing the ink.

The above photo is from Estes Park, where I’ve been a few times for fiber festivals and vacations.

9. What’s a current or favorite creative outlet?

I have so many! Currently my favorite is sitting at my sewing machine. In the last two years I’ve gotten more into quilting (occupational hazard of working for a fabric company). Whereas I’ve been knitting since I was a kid and don’t always find new things to explore, almost everything in quilting is new to me. It’s both incredibly hard (have you tried to sew a straight line before?) and incredibly easy to grow my skills. It’s been super rewarding to see my progress in how my quilts are coming together.

10. What’s something that causes you benign envy—the kind of admiration and desire that leads to inspiration or motivation?

I have to agree with OliveOctopus here. Watching other people’s journals or watercolor explorations makes me admire what they are doing and become envious of their skills!

11. What’s a comfort item, material, or color?

Anything super soft and squishy – quilts backed with Cuddle, knitted blankets, cozy plush socks. The more color the better!

12. What would be a dream collaboration, project, or partnership?

This is a hard question for me to answer because this isn’t my first hobby industry. Don’t get me wrong – I love pens and paper, but my collaborative energy often goes into knitting and quilting. I love being a part of the Desk though – I get to review new products, get sneak peeks on what’s coming. I think that’s my favorite project!

 

What would your answers be to #12PenPersonQuestions? I’d love to read them!

In feature

Challenge: Use Only Starter Pens For One Week

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Challenge: Use Only Starter Pens For One Week

I was inspired by Derek over at dwrdnet on YouTube to attempt my very own “Use Starter Pens for One Week” Challenge. I like to think of the this as a Platinum Preppy Challenge as these were some of my first fountain pens and the one I’ve loved the most.

If you want to try this challenge for yourself, the goal is to go back to those under $20 pens that made you fall in love with fountain pens. Maybe for you it was a Pilot Kakuno. Or a Varsity. Maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever they are, dig them out of the drawer or wrestle them back from your kids for a week and give them a chance to shine.

If you have the original cartridges, take decision making out of the process and just pop in that cartridge. If, like me, those cartridges are empty or dried out, give them a quick clean and eye dropper them with your favorite ink. Worst case, find a converter you can use.

My goal is to re-embrace that initial love and excitement that I got when I first tried some of these pens. I also remember that these pens are actually pretty good.

For my challenge, I am using Platinum Preppy and a Platinum Prefounte. I recently acquired two of the new Platinum Preppy Wa “Modern Maki-e” Edo Monogatari (3rd Edition) pens ($13) in Neko (cat) and Hanabi (fireworks). I filled the Hanabi by refilling an empty cartridge with Kaweco Caramel Brown. I wanted one of my Preppies to be filled Caramel Brown since that will match the ink I was using for my planner. The Neko was filled with Monteverde Birthday Cake for my other journal for color consistency.

I also have a classic black Platinum Preppy in the 02 nib size (EF) which I filled with a Platinum Carbon Black ink cartridge. This will be my drawing and sketching pen, of course.

And finally, I have a Prefounte in teal that I filled with a matching ink, Monteverde California Teal. I didn’t have an extra cartridge to refill it so I had to go in search of a converter. I think I stole it out of one of the many Platinum Desk Pens I own.

I think my biggest hurdle will be that the majority of the Preppies are the 03 which is equivalent to a fine or medium fine which is a bit wider than I normally use. This could be a big issue with my planners which includes a Hobonichi Weeks (with iffy paper) and a B6 Stalogy. Since both books are fairly small and my handwriting is pretty tiny so I’m hoping the nib widths aren’t too wide for me.

The other issue is that the nibs are smoother than I am used to using. As a die hard Sailor F nib user, I am more accustomed to nibs with a bit more friction when I write. These smoother nibs make me want to use slightly toothier paper to slow down my writing.

Last-Minute Addition:

At the last minute, I added in a makeshift Kakuno since I don’t own one. I did however have a Pilot Prera and a Pilot F nib from a very old entry level Pilot pen from days-gone-by that makes a good substitute for the Kakuno. Preras are more expensive but use the same style nibs as a Kakuno so from a sheer writing experience, I think it will be a fair comparison. The Pilot F nib is definitely finer that the Preppy 03 nib so I think that will make a difference for my day-to-day writing.

We’ll see how this goes. Are you ready to challenge yourself too? What pens will you use? I’ll be back next week with my results!

In feature

Friday Friends: Paper Art with Yulia Brodskaya (www.artyulia.com)

Author Laura CameronPosted on 2 Comments

I don’t remember precisely how I found paper artist Yulia Brodskaya, but I do know that once I did, I couldn’t look away. I had never see such delicate paper art turned into such amazing works of art. I don’t know Yulia personally so calling her a friend is a bit of a stretch; I can only admire from afar. But if you love paper, she’s worth a follow (@yulia_brodskaya_artyulia on Instagram)!

Yulia Broadskaya