Artist Audrey Kawasaki working at her desk.
(via Suicide Blonde)
April Ink Drop: Better Late than Never
This month’s Ink Drop selection plays on the theme “April showers” with a range of blue hues from aqua to true blue.
The colors are:
- Diamine Aqua Lagoon
- Noodler’s Blue Eel
- Noodler’s Ottoman Azure
- Noodler’s Turquoise Eel
- Waterman Mysterious Blue
For more information, check out Goulet Pen Co. Ink Drop HQ.
Organize your desk, Ikea-style
This sleek little desk organizer almost makes me want to trek out to an Ikea. The Kvissle Desk Organizer $5.99.
(via IKEA)
Rad + Hungry does Berlin (again)
In my giant pile of mail upon my return from traveling was this little gem from Rad + Hungry. Its the April Berlin stationery kit with the Der Brunnen Block blank notepad, a Faber-Castell Grip 2001 (my favorite pencil) and a solid metal sharpener from M & R. I’ve already taken the paper for a test drive and it writes beutifully!
Link Love: The Catch-up Edition
I culled through three weeks of accumulated blog posts and thought I’d share a few gems you might have missed:
- Design Y Notebooks review (via Pencil Things)
- Note pad review: Fabriano EcoQua A5 dot rule (via East…West…Everywhere)
- Gourmet Pens compares the Pelle Journal to the Midori Travelers Journal.
- Fabulous comparisons of shades of green fountain pen ink in two separate entries: 1 & 2 (via FPN)
Also, while I was away, The Well-Appointed Desk got a couple shout-outs:
- Notebook obsessed on Notebook Stories
- In the Friday Link Share on Rhodia Drive for our Travel Tips for traveling with fountain pens
- My review of the AutoPoint TwinPoint mechanical pencil was mentioned in the April Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper on Economy Pens.
Finally, I’d like to send a shout out to Melissa of Craftgasm and the National Postal Museum for the letter writing social they hosted on Saturday. If I had not been crippled with debilitating jet lag, I may have mentioned it sooner — like in time for people to actually go. Mea culpa.
Stamps and seals
My absolute favorite find while traveling in Asia was this Uni Mitsubishi Stamp Pad (HSN-S30K) in red and a custom made chop from Stanley Market with my name carved into the bottom.
The stamp pad was purchased at CN Square in Hong Kong for $36HK (a little more than $5US) while I paid about $10US for the small wood stamp (extortionate but I wasn’t in the mood to haggle with the vendor as it was the coolest one I had found).
While I could not read the box that the stamp pad came in, its a little puffy round pad perfect for registered seal frequently used in Asian cultures. It was the only one left in the store or I would have bought out the stock. It snaps shut tightly so its perfect for on-the-go stamping and the ink dries quickly. Of course, I’ve used it with the little chop I’ve bought. I’m horrified what I’ll do when it dries out as I have no way to find a new one. Anyone know were I might find more?
Sign it like Neil
A reader recently asked Economy Pens what the best tool would be for a book signing. I remembered reading about the tools used by Neil Gaiman from an article from Netmouse on “Neil-Handling“. I thought I’d quote the writing tools section specifically here but if you’re a fan on Neil, you may be entertained to read the whole article.
Neil usually provides his own pens, but it’s good to be prepared to procure replacements.
Most often I have seen him sign books with a fountain pen, using brown ink (filling the pen from a bottle). For most comic books, CD covers, and some books he generally switches to a silver pen. The best kind of silver pens are the ones with a calligraphic tip that you have to shake to get started. Those can be purchased at any book and art supply store. In a pinch he can use a silver Sharpie, but he says those run out more quickly.
A black Sharpie is also useful for some comic books and for signing t-shirts and random objects. Since these are so generally handy, I suggest you carry one with you.
High-quality rollerball pens or gel pens are also nice to have around. At Worldcon Neil switched to these because his fountain pen wasn’t working well.