In Link Love

Link Love: DC Show Round-Ups

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

rp_link-ana.jpgPens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Planners & Organizers:

DC Pen Show Round-Ups:

Submit your Link love art: To be the featured artist on an upcoming Link Love, write, draw, photograph, or doodle an original “Link Love” image. It can be lettering, calligraphy, your own interpretation of Link or anything else you think might relate to the weekly list of pen/pencil-centric blog links. Email your submission to me at chair @ wellappointeddesk.com.  Please include any link information you’d like in the image credit (your name, Twitter handle, Instagram, blog, etc). Also include any information about inks, tools, paper, etc used in your creation. Please let me know that I have permission to publish your work in Link Love and that the image is your original piece.

In Ink Review

Ink Review: P.W. Akkerman #22 Hopjesbraun

Author AnaPosted on 7 Comments

Akkerman Hopjesbraun Ink

I don’t tend to purchase much brown ink. When I first got into fountain pens, all I wanted was the perfect, vintage sepia ink but I bought a few bottles early on that I didn’t like and swayed away from browns for a long time. This P.W. Akkerman #22 Hopjesbraun is making me rethink my stance on brown inks. Its got TONS of shading and is a warm, dusty reddish/golden brown that reminds me of the Southwest and cowboys and Albuquerque sunsets. How a Dutch ink company can generate a color that reminds me of New Mexico? Quite the impressive feat.

Akkerman Hopjesbraun Ink

There is a wonderful, dark halo around the letters when writing with my stub nib Esterbrook. Its just such fun to watch the ink darken around the edges of the letterforms as the ink dries. But that’s the catch.

Hopjesbraun dries slowly. I even smudged a bit in my painting at the top of the page because it dried quite a bit slower than the Zuiderpark I tested last week. I suspect in a finer pen or on slightly more absorbent paper, it wouldn’t be quite as big a deal but as a messy left, the dry time was a bit long. For letter writing where I could pause here and there to let the ink dry before I stuck my arm in it, it would not be a problem but as a daily use ink… well, for this lefty I’ll have to save it for special occasions. But it is one of the prettiest browns I’ve ever used.

Akkerman Hopjesbraun Ink

So if you’re a tidy righty, grab a bottle ASAP. And my fellow messy lefties, you’ve been warned to proceed with caution.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Vanness Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

Ink Review: Caran d’Ache Divine Pink

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments

Caran d'Ache Divine Pink Ink

Most of the time, I tend to think Caran d’Ache can do no wrong. Their $5 pencils? Totally worth it. Their colored pencils and watercolor pencils? Epic. Their watercolor crayons? The holy grail of art materials.

But when it comes to their fountain pen ink, I find it a wee bit overpriced. Its pretty and the bottles are unique but $30+ per 50ml bottle is pretty steep. But I’ve bought some so I definitely drink their brand of Kool-Aid. Then I got a sample of Divine Pink and I had to start wondering if Caran d’Ache was having a bad day. You call this pink? I’ll give you warm red. Coral Rose? Maybe even Magenta? But pink, it is not. It’s pretty but it is not pink.

Caran d'Ache Divine Pink Ink

In an effort to prove to myself that I wasn’t crazy to think that Divine Pink was not really pink, I pulled out some of my Prismacolor Premier colored pencils to see what colors appeared similar. Carmine Red was probably the closest in hue. That’s not to say that I don’t like the color. I just think the name is terribly misleading.

The color is bright and vivid. Divine Pink dried fairly quickly on the Rhodia paper, even with my stub Estie nib and I didn’t smudge once. There’s a little bit of shading in the writing as well.

Like most red and pink inks, it is not the least bit water resistant. It activates easily with water but it also means its unlikely to stain or clog a pen.

Caran d'Ache Divine Pink Ink

In comparing Divine Pink to other colors in my swab stash, it falls between Kaweco Ruby Red and J. Herbin Rouge Opera. Ruby Red being slightly more red and Rouge Opera being slightly more pink. I included Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji as an ink I consider to be pink for a clear visual comparison.

This sample was part of a Goulet Pens Ink Drop.

In feature

The Pelikan Wanderbox #4

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments

A couple weeks ago, I received an ENORMOUS blue crate that I had to lug back from the post office because I thought it would be a good day to walk over to the PO and get me mail. Foolish me. Luckily, despite its epic size, the contents are not too weighty. It is the Pelikan Wanderbox #4 which is a project from the fine folks at Pelikan to let the ink wander the world and amass letters written by pen enthusiasts.

Pelikan Wanderbox Amethyst Ink

Inside the foam-packed crate is a beautiful hat box with a bottle of Pelikan Edelstein Amethyst ink and handwritten letters from previous Wanderboxers. It was fun to read through each of the letters and add my own to the pile. Not to mention having an opportunity to try out the Edelstein Amethyst ink firsthand. I filled my one Pelikan M200 with the ink and set to writing my own letter.

Pelikan Wanderbox Amethyst Ink

The color is a little more reddish than other purple-y inks I’ve tried lately but not in a garish sort of way. Its actually quite regal.

Pelikan Wanderbox Amethyst Ink

I swabbed the color to add to my collection and there is a distinctly gold halo in the ink color adding to that royal look. I’m thinking I’ll be buying a full bottle of my own soon.

Pelikan Wanderbox Amethyst Ink

Of the inks currently in my stash, Amethyst most closely resemble J. Herbin Poussière de Lune but the Edelstein Amethyst is a more well-behaved ink. While I love the colors of the J. Herbin standard inks, I often find them too runny for most pens.

Here’s hoping a Wanderbox comes your way soon. This one is off to Arizona on Monday. From there, who knows?

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Saturday: Back-to-School

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments

Fashionable Friday - Back to School

What would August be without my favorite of all shopping holidays, back-to-school shopping! Paper, pencils, pens and erasers as far as the eye can see. I believe that the start of school is an excuse for all of us to get a new bookbag, notebook and writing tools. Here are some of the goodies I’ll be carrying — even though I’m not actually going back to school, I can pretend I am.

  • Kaweco Brass Sport fountain pen 72,50 € (via Fontoplumo)
  • Alvin Brass Bullet Pencil Sharpener $4.61 (via Dick Blick)
  • The Display $70 (via Dudek Modern Goods)
  • Monteverde One Touch Stylus Tool Fountain Pen $40 (via Pen Chalet)
  • The Cambridge Satchel Company 15 Inch Classic Leather Satchel in Red $190.80 (via My Bag)
  • Heritage Vacuum Bottle 24oz in Classic Plaid $39.99 (via Aladdin)
  • Paperblanks Nocturnelle Midi Lined Journal $24.95 (via Anderson Pens)
  • Montblanc JFK Navy Blue $19 (via Goldspot Pens)
  • Yarn-dyed Plaid Pouch $14.99 (via J. Jill)
  • Cavallini Expletive Eraser $3.50 (via European Paper)
  • Zebra Fullst 0.5 mm Mechanical Pencil in Black Plaid $3.30 (via JetPens)
  • Seed Super Gold High Class Rubber Eraser $9 (via C.W. Pencil Enterprise)
  • Diamine Fountain Pen Mini Ink in Green/Black $7.50 (via JetPens)
  • Caran d’Ache Yellow School Pencil $2 each (via C.W.Pencil Enterprise)
  • Mitsubishi Triangular 4563 Pencil B $2.50 each (via C.W. Pencil Enterprise)

(Fashionable plaid photo from Gurl.com’s 20 Ways to Wear Plaid post)

PS: Sorry about the delay in posting the FF for this week. I woke on Friday with a blistering migraine but had a pile of work to do once the meds kicked in so I got a little behind schedule. Hope you enjoy it, even if its a little late!

In Ink Review

Ink Review: P.W. Akkerman #24 Zuiderpark Bluaw-Groen

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments

Akkerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen

P.W. Akkerman #24 Zuiderpark Blauw-Greon is another in a long line of blue-black inks to pass across The Desk. It could be because I seek out the blue-blacks in particular but, this time fate intervened and this lovely ink arrived thanks to Lisa at Vanness.

Akkerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen Ink

There is definitely more of a greenish undertone to Zuiderpark that makes it less a true blue-black and more of a teal-black. At first thought, I anticipated that Zuiderpark might be very similar in color to de Atramentis Petrol but Zuiderpark is much darker. I included a swab of Diamine Twilight which I consider to be a true blue-black as a contrast so that the greenishness of Zuiderpark might be more noticeable.

Zuiderpark dries in a reasonable amount of time, even on Rhodia paper in the humidity of a Midwest August. In my water test, it had a some stay-ability too. I actually scrubbed a wet paintbrush across the sample a couple times after I dropped water on it to see if the ink would move. It leaves a stain on the paper which means Zuiderpark could handle a drop or two of water without losing all your hard work. If you like to paint with ink, it won’t move as completely as other colors. You can decide if that’s a plus or a minus.

Akkerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen Ink Comparison

The advantage of this sort of color is that it looks quite unique but maintains an air of “respectability” since it still runs in the blue family. If you want a work-appropriate ink with a little something extra, Zuiderpark would be a good option. And it goes without saying that Akkerman makes the coolest looking ink bottles.

This is a case where I definitely wish I had a whole bottle of this ink. So, I’ll be investing in one soon. Or you folks in DC can pick up a bottle for me!

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.