In Pencil Review

Pencil Review: Mitsubishi No. 850 Colored Pencils (Set of 24)

Author AnaPosted on

mitsubishi colored pencils

Several months ago, I purchased a set of Mitsubishi No. 850 Colored Pencils from Fresh Stock Japan. It was the 24 color set which is reasonably priced at $22 for the pack. The set includes gold and silver metallic as well as an opaque white plus an array of standard colors. The barrels are smooth round and fit into a standard sharpener. The barrels are beautifully foil stamped and the paint on each pencil is stunning. The set is in a plastic case, slid into a paperboard sleeve. The packaging is perfectly Japanese.

The Mitsubishi pencil leads are soft but not quite as soft as Prismacolor Premier pencils. The Mitsubishi pencils seem to be a standard wax pencil that blends pretty nicely on smooth stock for the price point but are not quite “artist quality”. I’d qualify them as a good starter set — more like a student-grade. Most of the colors are opaque enough to show over dark paper. I tested the colors over black gesso to test this range which is a nice added feature.

The color range is pretty broad for a 24-color set though I would have liked an additional bright pink/fuchsia and a true violet or purple in the set instead of one of the blues which are quite similar or one of the reds which are also quite similar. Overall though, with some blending, I was able to get a good range of color from the set for less than $25.

mitsubishi colored pencils

I tested the pencils in drawing on Strathmore Series 500 Mixed Media sketchbook paper which is quite toothy, 100% cotton and the Mitsubishi pencils did not blend as well as Prismacolor Premier or Derwent Artists. I was able to layer Sharpie Pen and Platinum Carbon Pen over the pencil for mixed media doodles so I think on smoother paper, the pencils really do perform nicely. But they don’t soften into the tooth of paper as easily as softer Prismacolors.

mitsubishi colored pencils

Alternately, in a smooth adult coloring book like my new Posh Coloring Book: Happy Doodles for Fun & Relaxation by Flora Chang, the Mitsubishi Colored Pencils were perfect! The smooth paper let the pencils easily blend and mix and the colors really popped. If you’re looking for pencils to pair with a coloring book, the Mitsubishi are a good set to combine and Flora’s coloring book is full of such fun drawings (and I’m only a little bit biased because she works with me!).

mitsubishi colored pencils

So, for doodling, light sketching and coloring, the Mitsubishi colored pencils are a good starter set. For mixed media art-making where you will be doing a lot of textural blending, I’d hold out for a slightly pricier set like Prismacolor Premier or Derwent Coloursoft.

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Faves from 2015

Author AnaPosted on 7 Comments

Fashionable Friday Faves for 2015

For today, I decided to pull together my favorite items from 2015. These are products and/or previously mentioned Fashionable Friday items I actually bought, used and kept. So it might look a bit like a hodgepodge but in the spirit of full disclosure, I’m often my biggest enabler. So now you know! And wow, did my faves end up being colorful and more pink than I would have thought! I guess I needed a lot of vibrant color this year.

Most of my most-used and most-loved goodies ended up being reasonably priced pieces too. I may be an enabler but sometimes I’m a reasonably-priced enabler.

I didn’t list any inks because I really just played with colors this year and relied most heavily on Platinum Carbon Black fountain pen ink (pack of 4 for $3.30 last me all year and I’m still on the first cartridge) for day-to-day. Who would have thought I’d become a mostly black ink girl? I still enjoy using color inks for letter writing but I didn’t have one true favorite that I reloaded again and again. I tried a new ink, used it up and then tried a new one. Did you find your favorite ink color this year?

In Paper Review, Planners & Organizers

Moving Into My Hobonichi Techo 2016

Author AnaPosted on 13 Comments

hobonichi techo 2016

The first step into getting prepared for 2016 was to set-up my new Hobonichi Techo A6 with the blue-green cover ($47). The color combo is absolutely PERFECT! Lime green loveliness inside with my second favorite color, turquoise, exterior. I had a decorative plastic protective sleeve I purchased a few years earlier from 1101.com that I added to the book. I quite like the overall look but sadly, this particular cover is no longer available. There is a different printed over available though or a clear cover.

hobonichi techo 2016

Inside, in the array of card pockets provided, I put lots of tidbits like stickers, washi tape wrapped around old playing cards and a few other tidbits. I’m not hugely inclined to do a lot of decorating in the Hobonichi at this point but the washi tape will give me a way to attach receipts, notes or other ephemera into the book as need and the stickers can be added to the monthly calendar for events and birthdays. Mostly, I plan to use the Hobonichi as a daily journal so the decorative bits are really for those days when I haven’t got a lot to write about and may be inclined to doodle or draw or just put a great big “X” on the day and call it done.

I wanted a pencil board to put between the delicate Tomoe River paper pages so I made one from a piece of index card (read: plain manila file folder), cut to size with a decorative tab at the top. I used the fancy tab punch and some scrapbooking paper to make the tab and the adhesive tab sticker to cover it. It wasn’t necessary to add the tab but it makes it quick to pull the card out and flip it around from page-to-page. It only took a few minutes to make it so I can use it as a blotter card as well if my inks are not completely dry. If it starts to look dodgy after awhile I can make a new one. I used a bit of washi tape to put in the ticket stub from Star Wars: The Force Awakens opposite my pencil board as you can see in the photo below.

hobonichi techo 2016

In the back of the book, I added a little A6 plastic folder that my friend brought back from Japan for me several years ago. As I was setting up the Hobonichi, I realized it was the absolute perfect size to fit into it and gave me a place to put a few more cards and stickers.

hobonichi techo 2016

The Hobonichi provides the last two weeks of December as half-page sheets so that I have been able to slowly start moving towards using it as a daily journal. The narrow half columns are a bit limiting so I’m looking forward to having a full page to write or draw the day’s events. I have been using an extra large Moleskine softcover notebook so the Hobonichi was seems incredibly small in comparison. I’m hoping moving to the full page will help alleviate any feeling of being cramped since the Moleskine XL was a bit larger than I needed per day most of the time.

I’m also still a little concerned about ink smudging and adhesion on the Tomoe River paper. The whole left-handed thing can be a bit of a pain and I get caught up in writing and forget to make sure the ink is dried before I run my hand through it. I’ve already run my hand through it a couple times so I will definitely need to make a point of finding a few pens that are the best match with the Hobonichi and keep them with the book to avoid future messes. So far, my favorite pen with the Hobonichi is the Platinum Carbon Pen. The super fine line allows me to write very small on the graph lines and the ink dries pretty quickly. I’ll play more with the gel pens I stash in my office at work in the next couple weeks and see if any others become favorites.

Are you moving into your 2016 system yet?

In Art of the Day

Art of The Day: Sinuous Pencil Scarf

Author AnaPosted on 10 Comments

Sinuous Pencil Scarf

I love it when my worlds collide. Nothing makes them collide with quite so much glee as anything related to pencils and knitting. So the Sinuous Pencil Scarf knitting pattern has made it quickly to the top of my knitting queue. The pattern is available for $3.99 via Ravelry. I believe it would be a perfect accessory for the socks I’ve already started. Time to cast-on!

In Link Love

Link Love: Wrapping it up for 2015

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments

rp_link-ana1111111111111111-1.jpgPosts of the Week:

Pens:

Ink:

Paper & Notebooks:

Other Interesting Things:

In news

End-of-Year Sales

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

There are far too many end-of-year sales for me to list them all here but if there’s something you’ve had your eye on for sometime, now might be a good time to double-check and see if there’s a discount, price reduction, coupon or free shipping offer available.

Kate Spade Hello Darling Stationery Set

Lots of our favorite pen shops are doing year end inventory clear outs, like Pen Chalet (don’t forget to add the coupon code YEAREND in cart for an extra 10% off), Levenger is holding its semi-annual up-to-50% off sale and this year they’ve added lots of new planning supplies back into its offerings as well as its pens, Circa systems and travel bags. Notemaker is hosting its Boxing Day sale with 15% off sale items with the coupon code BOX15 through Wednesday 30 Dec. 2015. Kate Spade is having a huge sale that includes discounted prices on planners, stationery, phone cases and much more. Use the coupon code THRILL on sale items for an additional 25% off as well. I ordered the notecard set above for $16 (half the original price!) that way.

Lots of other shops are having sales so if you know of a particularly good one, leave a note in the comments. I’m sure there’s someone with some Christmas cash burning a hole in their pocket.

Remember, the best way to find out about sales, special offers and new products from any of your favorite retailers is to subscribe to their email newsletter list. I have mine filter into a special folder so they don’t clutter up any urgent messages but can be reviewed and perused regularly. Happy shopping!

In feature

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Author AnaPosted on 13 Comments

I say this every year but I love the start of the New Year. Its a chance for new beginnings, opening that brand-new planner, journal or notebook and starting on a new path, or course-correcting the one you set last year. I hope that 2016 will be a year of great adventures and great joys for everyone, myself included. I know a lot of us had rocky moments in 2015 but I know there were also some great triumphs as well.

(Photo reposted from Pen Compass)
(Photo reposted from Pen Compass)

For me 2015 was filled with wonderful ups and some hard downs as well. The Atlanta Pen Show was the absolute pinnacle for me and was my saving grace in what turned out to be a rather tumultuous year that followed with work- and health-related stresses. Brad and Myke and all the pen community welcomed me so warmly and openly in Atlanta and the whole world over that I felt like I had the whole world at my back this year and, for that, I am eternally grateful.

As I move forward into 2016, I want to stay committed and actively involved with the pen-and-paper community and be a resource and asset to the wonderful people that are a part of it. Expect to see more ink, paper, pen, and pencil reviews here as always. Holler, if there’s something particular you’d like to see more.

This summer, I started taking drawing and painting classes to try to be more creative and its something that I’d like to continue to do in 2016. I hope that in spending more time making art, I’ll also add more art material reviews to the site as well with the occasional watercolor, colored pencils, and other art material reviews for people who may want to try their hand at more sketching, drawing or mixing of media in their notebooks. By no means, will I be changing the focus of the site but I want to help people feel comfortable using pens with other materials. To be brave and to experiment! Even the most expensive piece of paper is still cheaper than a pizza from the take-out joint down the street, right?

why

One of the most meaningful pieces I wrote all year, for me anyway, was the post Why Does All This Matter? which came hot on the heels of devouring half of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic book (I promise there will be a review of the whole book in a week or so!) and it still resonates in my mind. All these pens, pencils, notebooks and accouterments are all a means for us to be thoughtful, creative, to remember, to relive and to explore our ideas. However those tools help you do that is good but we have to remember not to let them impede the acts themselves.

This is something I plan on tackling quite a bit this year. The nature of doing product reviews is that I acquire a lot of samples. Its not that I have anything that is not good quality, its just that I am buried under a lot of it and it often leads to indecision and fretting over which ink to use, which pen to pick up or which notebook to write in next. One of my goals for 2016 is to pare down the stash dramatically. If anyone has a good idea about redistributing the wealth without breaking the bank, please let me know.

So, my goals for 2016:

  • Make more art
  • Daily journaling in my Hobonichi Techo A6
  • De-stash the pen/paper/ink/supply clutter
  • Take some personal time for little luxuries (30 minute coffee shop stop, a quiet walk, read for pleasure, etc)
  • Don’t work so late at the jobby-job

My keep-on-keeping’ on:

  • Reviews and more on the blog
  • Atlanta Pen Show 2016, look out!
  • Put all those planners to good use
  • Keep knitting (maybe finish some of those half-baked projects?)
  • Keep biking, and maybe more regularly than I have the last few months

Do you take the end of the year to re-evaluate and make plans? I never think of this end-of-year planning as “resolutions” but as a chance to re-tool, re-focus and start fresh. What do you want to accomplish in 2016? Let’s do this together!