In news

Giveaway: Pilot Iroshizuku Mini Ink Set (compliments of JetPens)

Author AnaPosted on 231 Comments

PI-Mini-C

Big thanks to JetPens for the chance to giveaway a set of 3 mini bottles of Pilot Iroshiizuku. I love these little mini bottles and the 3-bottle sets come in a great little box. Our little gift to you! You can choose between Set A, Set B, or Set C.

What do you have to do? Just leave me a comment and tell me which set you would want and why. Easy peasy.

PI-Mini-B

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Sunday, August 23, 2015. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 30 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. US residents only please. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money.

PI-Mini-A

In news

News: Creative Types on Their Favorite Tools

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Illustration by Kulapat Yantrasast
Illustration by Kulapat Yantrasast

There’s a great article on the NYTimes about Creative Types From Manolo Blahnik to Milton Glaser on Their Favorite Writing and Drawing Instruments. Thanks to Milton Glaser, I really want my own Koh-I-Noor multi-colored Magic Pencil.

While we’re on the topic of the NYTimes and its love of articles about pens and pencils, here’s a couple others to check out:

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?