This week Art Supply Posse had a bit of a technical hiccup and had to re-record episode 16. So this is Episode 16, take two. We discuss the difference between lettering, calligraphy and typography and then I stick a nib in my mouth. The things I do for art. Also Heather goes up north and we give Inktober spoilers.
I’ve got two pieces of news to share.
First, there was a podcast snafu last night when we recorded Art Supply Posse. As a result, we are having to re-record the whole show again tonight. So, Episode 16 will not be posting until late on Wednesday, Sept. 21. Sorry for the delay.
As Heather said last night, we were riding the struggle bus yesterday in a big way. Technical difficulties were the word of the day! Everybody cross your fingers that tonight we catch the express bus.
Because….
My second piece of news is that I’m headed to Dallas tomorrow for the Dallas Pen Show! If you’re in the area, come by and say hello! I’ll be working at the Vanness Pens table with the always delightful Lisa Vanness and her crew. We’ll be selling gallons of awesome inks like KWZ, Callifolio, Robert Oster, and many more along with pens, paper and accessories. Admission is just $5 a day Friday and Saturday so come on… you know you want to! Friday the show is open until 8pm so bail out of work early and come by. As always, you can find me at the hotel bar after hours, I’ll be the one with the inky fingers.
Pens:
Ink:
Pencils:
Notebooks and Paper:
Planners & Organizers:
Art Supplies:
Other Interesting Things:
I confess I had to look up what exactly Torquay was in the dictionary and it turns out to be the name of a resort town in Devon, England, considered to the English Rivera. Its also the name of strip of coastline in Victoria, Australia, home to Bells Beach where iconic surf brands like Quicksilver and Rip Curl got their start. That explains why Robert Oster Inks chose this name for this exquisitely turquoise blue-green ink shade so reminiscent of seas, surf and ocean waves.
In a very fine nib pen, tested specifically because I’d read elsewhere that folks found Oster inks to be a bit dry, resulted in a lovely light turquoise shade. And no, I did not find the ink to be a hard starting ink at all. Not even in an extra fine, budget-priced fountain pen. With a dip pen, like the Kaweco Special Dip Pen, I found it well behaved and a much deeper ocean blue. There was lots of shading and a hit of red/purple edging in some places.
I must admit that the color is so vivid that it was very difficult to capture it on camera. It glows.
Compared with other aqua and turquoise shades, it has a bit more green to it. Diamine Aqua Lagoon being the closest in color to it that I had in my collection. All the other shades were much more blue turquoise shades and the reddish halo around the Torquay made it a very unique color.
The Oster inks come in recyclable plastic bottles which are nice in that you don’t have to worry about breakage in shipping and their slender shape make them easy to store. However, they will become challenging to fill pens with them after awhile because they are so tall and skinny. The inks really will need to be transferred into more user-friendly containers over time, something lower and wider, or syringe or pipettes will need to be used to transfer inks into pens. Just a warning. Overall though, I think there are some really great colors at very reasonable prices so when the time comes, I am prepared to transfer my inks into other containers.
A 50ml bottle of Torquay is available from Anderson Pens for $16 or a 3ml sample for $1.25.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Robert Oster Inks for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
On my review of the Leuchtturm 1917 Sketchbook Teresa asked:
Did you test it on copic markers? If so, did they bleed? How did the paper hold up?
Teresa’s question was quite timely. I had just started experimenting the day before she asked with my Copic Sketch markers and I just happened to test the colors in my Leuchtturm 1917 sketcbook so I had the answer for her right away. I added these photos to the review (should anyone stumble across it in the future) but I thought I would also post them here as well.
On the front of the paper, the Copic colors look good. The colors are smooth and look almost like watercolors. I have a lot of pale, pastel Copic Sketch markers but the paper in the Leuchtturm Sketchbook handled the colors nicely.
There was definitely bleed through on the reverse of stock. Oh, yeah. But if you’re aware that it will bleed through and plan accordingly, the Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook makes a good sketchbook for Copic markers.
I do recommend putting a sheet of scrap paper under your page though because some darker colors will bleed through to the next page and through the back of that like a damn laser beam. If you have one of those flexible plastic pencil boards, I would slide it under your drawing page to protect the next page from unwanted transfer. Otherwise, the Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook takes Copic markers pretty well and doesn’t make the color look splotchy or weird.
Matthew asks a few questions:
- What is your favorite pen that you are currently using?
- What is your favorite gel ink pen to use?
- What are your thoughts on the Midori brass pen?
My current favorite pens right now are my two Franklin-Christoph 45 XLVs (shown above) and my Pocket 20. All three have been purchased this year at various pen shows so they have sentimental value as well as being beautiful pens with nibs selected and tuned just for me. Its hard to decide which one is my absolute favorite and they are all small enough to fit in bag so they all travel with me regularly. I mean, really, which one would you leave behind? Each one has a different style nib and a different ink color so I enjoy switching it up throughout the day.
My favorite gel ink pens (at present) are the Sakura Ballsign Knock Gel Pens in 0.4mm (shown above in my custom Dudek Modern Goods pen holder). I have a rainbow of colors on my desk. They are comfortable to hold and write smoothly but with a nice fine point. I haven’t had any issues with hard starts with them either. The more exotic colors like the pastels and neons have some hard start issues but the standard gel pens work flawlessly.
And finally, I have the Midori Brass Pen but it actually in the bottom of a drawer. It does ship with a very fine tip ballpoint refill and it looks like you could probably modify a gel pen refill to fit into it instead pretty easily. I own a lot of vintage bullet advertising pencils so I guess I just never gave the Midori Brass Pen the attention it deserved. I should probably pull it out and give it a fair shake.
Jennifer asked:
A friend of mine asked for recommendations on rough paper for general journaling/writing. I am at a loss. I primarily use Rhodia and Tomoe River. She doesn’t want to spend a lot and uses Pentel RSVP pens. Any ideas? Thanks so much for your help. Jennifer
I was at a loss to think of a good, inexpensive paper for journaling and writing but I stumbled across a very inexpensive sketchbook this week that may be a good option for your friend. The Peter Pauper sketchbook in the 5.5″x8.5″ (roughly A5 size) has very nice 128gsm paper. For me, the bonus was that is was only $7.99 at my local Barnes & Noble. Now, I assume she’s not looking for blank sketchbook paper but I’m going somewhere with this so stay with me.
Peter Pauper also sells an assortment of lined journals including a competitor to Moleskine called the Essentials in A5 and A6 sizes for $12.99 and $8.99 respectively. This might be a good option, especially if your friend is working mostly in ballpoint. Many of their other journal products are available at Barnes & Noble but not the Essentials line since B&N carries Moleskine.
I have lots more Ask The Desk questions in my queue so bear with me. I will try to answer them swiftly.
I have been a lifelong Duran Duran fan and I don’t just listened to the albums they released back in the 80s. This is a band that was not just a one-hit wonder pop band. They’ve managed to maintain their lust for a pop life for decades and have continually evolved their pop sound in such a way as to surprise and delight their fans. In fact, I love a lot of the music they released in the 00s and 10s more so than their early albums that made them household names. The fact that their latest album is called Paper Gods, only makes me love them more. The fact that they worked with Janelle Monae and Nile Rogers on the new album is even better. So, if you never listened to Duran Duran or think they are a bunch of old guys, give this playlist a listen and enjoy my Fashionable Friday inspired by pop culture Paper Gods. There are a few albums that aren’t available on Spotify so I wasn’t able to share a few favorites from Pop Trash, Astronaut, and Nice. But I hope you enjoy this anyway. Put on your disco shoes and shimmy!
To open and play the whole Paper Gods playlist in Spotify, click here!
Thanks to all my sponsors for providing some of the inspiring images. Please help support this blog by purchasing your next pen, ink or paper product from one of the shops that support this blog and let them know you heard about them on The Well-Appointed Desk. Thanks for your support and for supporting the shops that help keep it running.
I couldn’t resist sharing this office supply themed art by UK-based artist Ruby Taylor. I love her art. She does a lot of work for the magazine Flow from the Netherlands and there’s a darling video on her About page which makes me like her even more.
