One of my pen club pals Katie, swatched all the inks at our local pen shop using a rubber stamp. The effect is eye-catching and makes a quick way to show ink without using a big brushy swab. While in Canada I found a couple stamps from Chamilgarden at PaperPlusCloth. I found a checked…
Lamy released a collection of new inks they are calling Crystal inks. They are calling this their premium line of inks and charging accordingly, at least in the US where a 30 ml bottle is costing upwards of $18. Compared to Lamy’s standard ink line which features 50ml bottles for $12. This sort of price-to-volume…
Review by Tina Koyama I’ve been aware of Maruman sketchbooks for a while, but I hadn’t tried one, mainly because most formats are too large for my sketching lifestyle. The Zuan series, however, includes a postcard size (about 4-by-6 inches) that seems ideal for urban and travel sketching, so I picked up a pad (50…
Review by Tina Koyama What a fun assortment I got for June with my ArtSnacks subscription! Here’s what was in my box: a mini sketchbook (an ArtSnacks + Denik collaboration); a Zig Painty FX permanent paint marker; two General’s MultiPastel Chalk Pencils; and three Tombow Dual Brush Pens. I also got an ArtSnacks sticker and…
Okay, after four ho-hum reviews, this one is the rave review. Sort of. The minute I saw 3 Oysters Doldam on paper, I knew I had to buy a bottle. I love grey ink and this ink is a blue-grey with a yellowish sheen. It has a lot of shading and ranges from a dove…
It has been really challenging trying to round-up and make sense of all the Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday Deals in the pen world. I made an attempt. Hope this helps you find the best deals on the pens you wanted this holiday. Or wanted to give this holiday. Jet Pens: Get…
Review by Tina Koyama When I first visited Paper-Oh’s site, I was immediately struck by the beauty of its products. The notebook designs all have an elegant Japanese look – refined and understated, even when bold colors and elements are used. (Their promotional information does refer to Japanese gift-wrapping and paper-folding inspiration.) Although they’re just…
