In Ask The Desk

Ask The Desk: Broad D1s, Baron+Elastic, Neo Smartpen & Zebra F701

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments

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Khreyselle asked me some time ago:

I’ve been struggling to find the perfect notebook to hold all of my graphic design sketches and notes. I have fallen in love with the paper quality of the Baron Fig/Code & Quill notebooks, but they are both missing the elastic closure and pocket/envelope feature that I would really love to have.

Would you happen to have any notebook suggestions that could possibly have what I am looking for?

PS. If it helps any, I am not a Moleskine fan. (;

Is it possible that the Shinola journals or sketchbooks might meet your needs? I recently purchased the sketchbook which has been getting decent reviews for paper quality and the notebook is definitely a step up in terms of paper quality from the Moleskine. The paper is probably on par with the BAron Fig and Code & Quill but includes the elastic you are wanting. For reviews of the journals, check the Pennaquod blog search tool. For opinions about the Shinola Sketchbook, Roz Stendahl at Roz Wound Up has tested a lot of different materials on the sketchbook with good results.

Cindy is searching for:

I am looking for a non-branded pen refill that is similar to a D1 but 2.0 mm in diameter. Where could I get such a refill?

The widest refill I could find was the Monteverde Soft Roll in Super Broad which is listed at about 1.4mm. Anyone know of a wider D1 refill?

Jaime has quite the conundrum:

I purchased a Neo Smartpen recently and I really like it EXCEPT that the ink refills (they recommend Zebra 4C which came with the pen) blob and I can’t stand it!! They have other brands that they say make a similar product (standard D1 ink cartridges), but that it has to be ballpoint, not gel, etc. to work with the software. I’m not crazy about a fine-tip ballpoint anyway – would rather have medium if possible. I don’t mind the color whether black or blue. Do you have any recommendations that I could try? They start out fine, but within a few pages – far from running out of ink – they are smearing and when I pick the pen up off the paper, it ha a little line of ink that comes with it, like a string of cheese from a pizza, smearing my work.

On my Refill Guide, under the D1 refills, there are several other manufacturers that make ballpoint refills in D1 fine point sizes. I’m surprised that the fine ballpoints are giving you more “string cheese” issues than a medium point might but I’d recommend starting with the Uni Jetstream refills in 0.7mm and see if you have better luck with them.

Adam asked in the Refill Guide thread:

The zebra style of refills seem to be a family all of their own… I’m keen to get the F701 all metal zebra, but I hear their ink is inferior to many other pens. Wondered if there were better alternatives to Zebra refills?

I’m not the only one that hacks refills to fit pens. Over on the EDC Forum, someone went into excruciating detail to hack refills to fit the Zebra F701 because, to your point, Zebra made the most unusual refill to fit this pen. This will allow you to choose the refill based on your preference. Are you looking for gel, permanence or tip fineness? Maybe just easier availability?

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Inktober

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments

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This week, though I am a day or two late, I wanted to use the Inktober theme for Fashionable Friday. And why am I late? Because I am also participating in Inktober, of course so I am spending my spare minutes actually drawing instead of dawdling on the computer!

The goal of Inktober is to develop a positive drawing habit and challenge oneself to use ink — which, to me, means making a commitment to your drawing. We all doodle in pencil but there is a certain level of commitment to your drawing if you apply ink to it, be it ballpoint, fountain pen, rollerball, gel, marker, dip pen, brush pen, whatever… seeing those solid inked lines means committing to that drawing in some way.

I’ve included some of my favorite inky supplies as well as some tools I am dreaming of adding to my collection (I’m looking at you, Lamy Accent Brilliant with the gold nib!). If you are just getting started with drawing and Inktober is your jump start, I definitely recommend having good drawing paper like the Stillman & Birn Epsilon which feature smooth paper versus the Alpha series that has a bit more tooth. You’ll want to have good graphite pencils like the TWSBI mechanical pencil in 0.7mm as well as a wood-cased pencil like the Prismacolor Col-Erase in Vermillion (or Light Blue) which does not smudge and is good for roughing out your drawing before inking it up. If you plan on inking with permanent inks like Liquitex Acrylic inks or PlatinumCarbon Black, you might want to invest in a good nib holder and nibs like the e + m holder shown. If you’re doing your Inktober challenge with more of a calligraphy focus, the nib holder might be a good option as well as the Lamy Joy with a calligraphy nib or the Pilot Parallel modified with the folded nib tip.

Or maybe you prefer inking with a simple fountain pen like a Lamy Joy or just a trusty gel pen like the Pilot Hi-Tec C? Or using a paint brush like the Princeton synthetic squirrel watercolor brushes that are both reasonably priced and well-crafted?

Just because the challenge is called “Inktober” does not mean you can’t also add color so why not try out some of those Copic Sketch Markers, watercolor brush markers or add some color with colored pencils or watercolors? You can add in highlights with the Uni-Ball Signo Angelic White Gel pen too.

The goal is to challenge yourself… are you afraid to add ink, color, go big, add detail, draw outside, show your friends or the world that you draw?Whatever it is, its time to get out of our comfort zone. Now go forth! Draw! We will all have our good days and our bad days and we will cheer each other on through all of it.

  • TWSBI Precision RT Pipe Pencil 0.7mm Matte Silver $25 (via Anderson Pens)
  • Lamy Joy Calligraphy Fountain Pen $28 (via Pen Chalet)
  • Trusco Trunk Medium Tool Box $15 (via Fresh Stock Japan)
  • Liquitex Professional Acrylic Ink 35 colors available, starting at $5.03 per bottle (via Dick Blick)
  • Palomino Blackwing Long Point Sharpener $7.40 (via Anderson Pens)
  • e + m Artist Nib Penholder in Black $9.50 nibs are also available (via Anderson Pens)
  • Princeton Neptune Synthetic Squirrel Brushes starting at $3.65 (via Dick Blick)
  • Lamy Accent Brilliant fountain pen € 195 (via Fontoplumo)
  • Render K Mini in Black Anodized starting at $60 (via Karas Kustoms)
  • Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock Gel Pen – 0.3 mm in black $3.30 (via JetPens)
  • Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock Gel Pen – 0.4 mm in black $3.30 (via JetPens)
  • Sakura Foam Eraser W 100 $1.65 (via JetPens)
  • Stillman & Birn Epsilon Hardbound Sketchbook (5.5″ x 8.5″) $18.50 (via JetPens)
  • Prismacolor Col-Erase Colored Pencil in Vermillion $1.10 (via JetPens)
  • Platinum Carbon Black Ink (60ml Bottle) $20 (via Anderson Pens)
  • Uni-ball Signo Angelic White Gel Pen in 0.7 mm $2 (via JetPens)
  • Pilot Parallel 6.0mm Modified Folded Nib Fountain Pen $24.95 (via Goldspot Pens)

If you need inspiration to motivate you, here are the official prompts for this year’s Inktober as well as the hastags to use on social media.

If you want more prompt ideas, these are the recommended prompts from Ink Journal which you could use instead of, or interchangeably with, the official Inktober prompts. And, of course, you can make up your own themes, prompts or ideas for the month of October.

And, if you want to play along with Art Supply Posse Inktoberists, add the hashtag #ASPink to your images as well on Instagram.

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Bookbinders Snake Ink Sampler Set

Author AnaPosted on 6 Comments

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While at the San Fransisco Pen Show, I was able to acquire a coveted box of Bookbinders Snake Ink sampler bottles. It probably helped that I was working at the Anderson Pens table directly across from the Snake Ink table and the Andersons are the sole distributors of Bookbinders Snake Ink in the US presently. So… access and temptation were at an all time high.

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The packaging and presentation for the sampler set was epic! It was so beautifully presented, wrapped and designed. I was so glad that it made it back to Kansas City without being mangled by TSA or Southwest Airlines baggage handlers.

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The outer box is kraft paper with gold foil lettering and black litho and the inner wrapping is black with a white bookbinding tape sealing the box shut.

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Inside the box are die cut holes for each of the glass vials containing samples of each of the Snake Ink colors, each with a foil stamped label. There are eight 10ml bottles and the package included a pipette to extract ink from the vials and put into your pens.

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Bookbinders Snake Ink Swatches

The Snake Inks are from Australia and the colors are all inspired by the colors of snakes native to Australia. They are not made from snakes and do not contain snake venom. Someone asked me that at that the show!

Bookbinders snake ink writing sample

I tested all the colors with a paint brush and my trusty Kaweco Special Dip Pen on Rhodia paper as well as doing swabs on my Maruman Word Cards. On the Word Card, I had some issues with the Blue Racer and Red Spitting Cobra. Blue Racer seemed a bit thicker than the other colors and Red Spitting Cobra was a little thinner than the other colors. In general, I find red inks tend to be more watery than any other color though. The Blue Coral and Ground Rattler were my favorite colors but I always favor the turquoise and grays so that’s a given. The Eastern Brown is a lovely rich brown color though and I quite liked it too.

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I have included an assortment of color comparison swatches to give as close approximation to other inks. I don’t have a lot of browns in my collection or at least not a lot of warm browns to choose from so I did the best I could. The color swatch comparisons were shot today with my new lighting rig so hopefully they will give as accurate as possible a color read as I can get. There is a lot of brilliance and vibrancy to the Snake Ink colors and some sheening too. In the blues, Oster might have Snake Ink beat but the Emerald Boa and Everglades Ratsnake is pretty luminous. Ground Rattler is a cool gray compared to a lot of the other grays which are much warmer, slate-y grays. Red-Belly Black is a very deep black, more so than the Waterman Black that I have. If you’re looking for a BLACK black, its pretty darn dark.

The Bookbinders Snake Ink Sampler Kit was a special offering for the San Fransisco Pen Show. I don’t know if they plan to offer it again but Anderson Pens sell full bottles of Snake Ink for $12.50 and ink samples for $1.25. The full bottles of Snake Ink come in burlap bags which are very cool too.

In Link Love

Link Love: Inktoberfest

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

rp_link-anaPens:

Inks:

Pencils:

Paper & Notebooks:

Art Supplies:

Other Interesting Things:

In Fountain Pen Review

Pen Review: Regal Alice Fountain Pen

Author AnaPosted on 9 Comments

regal alice fountain pen title

The Regal Alice fountain pen is a slender copper body pen with a shimmer metallic finish and silver tone hardware. The pen is pretty, inexpensive and feels nice in the hand. Everyone who sees it compliments its looks and asks about it because the color is unusual and the slim understated design is something not often seen in modern pen designs. Originally, the pen only shipped with a medium nib but is now designed to accept an EF fountain pen nib ($10) or can be retrofit to accept a rollerball refill if you change out the grip section..

The pen ships with standard black ink cartridges and there is an option to use a cartridge converter. A cartridge converter is available directly from Regal for $3 or the Monteverde Piston Converter which is more widely available.

regal alice fountain pen

regal alice fountain pen EF nib

I swapped out the medium nib for the EF nib which is quite fine and perfect for everyday office writing since its fine enough to stand up to inexpensive copy paper and the like. I also went ahead and got the cartridge converter because I wanted to be able to use lots of ink colors easily.

regal alice fountain pen writing sample

Fountain Pen Weights

The pen is fairly long and slender but because of the brass base material it has a nice weight. The cap does not post because of a plastic lining material inside the cap that helps seal the cap and keep the pen closed tightly. It reminds me of the cap on the Pelikan Stola III in that way. I didn’t mind that it didn’t post but I know this might be an issue for some folks.

regal alice fountain pen close-up writing sample

I normally write pretty small for notes and daily writing so the EF nib on a small, slender body fits my writing style nicely. The Alice is a bit drier writing pen overall so it felt more like a needlepoint rollerball or gel pen and may feel more familiar to people just starting in fountain pens than a wet writer. It also makes it a good candidate for mucking about on everyday office papers where you don’t get a lot of say on the types of paper it is on but would still like to use a fountain pen.

regal alice fountain pen writing samples

I tested the Alice on a bit of Moleskine Cahier paper, Tomoe River Hobonichi and some cheap 20# office paper just to prove my point. There was no feathering and very little show through with the light turquoise ink color I was using. YMMV.

The Alice is available for $20 from Regal in black, white, pink, turquoise,  and champagne pink (fuchsia). It’s also available as a rollerball or ballpoint. At a price like this, if the colors appeal to you, its a fun pen to add to the collection and one that may intrigue non-fountain pen users into the hobby. It definitely catches attention.

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The Alice got to visit my very own Wonderland… in my backyard this weekend. I think it looks right at home.

regal alice fountain pen

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Ink Crate Volume 2

Author AnaPosted on 6 Comments

Ink Crate Volume 2

I finally got a chance to test out the inks in the second volume of the Ink Crate subscription service. Each month, the service sends five 2ml samples each month for $10 per month plus $3.99 shipping worldwide (at present) in their signature mint blue “crates”. Should shipping costs change, Ink Crate will notify subscribers and subscriptions auto-renew via credit card. I say that only because I know how expensive it is to ship overseas from the US, and $3.99 is a STEAL.

Ink Crate Volume 2

This month’s colors were, once again, a nice variety of colors. Two Diamine shades, Aurora Black and two colors from an ink company I had not heard of before: Seitz-Kreuznach. Overall, the color selections seemed “ripe” for heading into fall with tomato red, green apples, denim blue and a maybe not- entirely unwelcome cooler arctic blue. Aurora Black is a classic that is often overlooked but is a staple that should probably be included in any ink collection so its nice to have a chance to take it for a test drive.

Ink Crate Volume 2

Ink Crate Volume 2

According to a thread on FPN, Seitz-Kreuznach is actually a (EDIT!) German ink brand sold mostly on Ebay and their color series is called “The Colors of Nature”. Thus far, I quite liked both of them and am pleased that Ink Crate was able to surprise me with something new. That’s not easy to do!

Tested on Rhodia Uni Blank No. 18 with Kaweco Dip Pen and Zebra G Titanium nib, and watercolor paintbrush. I purchased the Ink Crate with my own money.