In Desk Set

Mid-Year Stationery Review

Author Laura CameronPosted on 4 Comments

I can hardly believe that we’re almost at the end of May, but here it is! I decided for today’s post I would take a look at what I’ve been using in 2023 and what is (or isn’t) working.

Let’s start with the pens:

My pens in order, left to right:

  • Kaweco AL Sport in Vibrant Violet – F nib (inked with cartridge roulette) and Kaweco x Hello Kitty AL Sport in Opal Green (inked with cartridge roulette). My Kawecos tend to be my favorite desk pens these days. I love the feel of the aluminum barrel, just the right weight in my hands. The faceted caps (and roll clips) means that they never roll away from me. And there are just gosh darn consistent writers. Even if they sit for a week or two, they never have a hard start.
  • Pilot Explorer in Pink – F nib, inked with black Pilot cartridge. I’ll be honest, this one is on my desk because I reviewed it a few weeks ago and it’s got an ink cartridge I should use up. It’s fine, but definitely not a favorite and it won’t be seeing any desk time again soon.
  • Platinum Procyon Maki-e – F nib. This pen is pure pretty and it makes me happy to write with it. It’s a smooth writer and it’s likely it will be inked for some time to come. It’s currently inked with Monteverde Rose Noir.
  • Platinum Preppy Wa Modern Maki-e in Dragonfly – F nib (inked with a Platinum cartridge in Pink). It almost seems silly to have this one out next to a pen with actual Maki-e, but for the quick note this one is still a nice writer. It doesn’t have the same luxury feel to it, but it’s perfectly serviceable!
  • TWSBI Eco Glow in the Dark Green – EF nib, inked with Yoseka x Ink Institute No 1 Origin. Ana and I have agreed to disagree on Ecos. While I don’t think they are precision writing instruments, I like the way they write and I dig getting to see the piston and ink inside. This also is a candidate for never having a dry start.
  • SchonDsgn x Indepdendence Cheerio Waterpen – F nib, inked with Colorverse Morningstar. This pen is gorgeous and Morningstar is one of my favorite teal inks so it’s a match made in heaven. I just like to look at this one, but it’s fun to write with too!

These aren’t the only pens I have, but they are what is most currently inked on my desk lately. I would like to do a better job of using my own bottled inks rather than grabbing cartridges (which is what’s easy with my Kawecos!). I need to invest in a few more converters!

Next let’s look at notebooks:

The two main notebooks in my life currently are the Effin Birds 2023 Monthly/Weekly Calendar and the Midori 5 Year Diary.

The Effin Birds Calendar is one that I use daily to keep track of all my events, appointments and work tasks. I have to say that I am thrilled with the paper. I haven’t really been able to narrow down what paper was used other than “FSC certified paper with soy-based ink,” but it is thick enough that there isn’t any show through even with my wettest writing fountain pens. I also haven’t seen any feathering or bleeding. The planner looks a bit worse for wear, but that’s because of an unfortunately ramen incident where the planner came out the loser. It’s not waterproof (ramen-proof)?

The Midori 5 Year Diary is something I’ve had mixed success with. I should say I really like the paper and it performs well for me (no bleeding, no show through). My biggest problem with the diary is myself! I find myself forgetting to write for days at a time and then trying to catch up. I also find that many days I can’t think of something good to write, and on other days I have so much and there’s just such a tiny space (yes I know I could space things out!). I guess I still haven’t quite figured out how to make this a daily habit and record the things I think I’ll want to remember in a year or 5 years’ time.

Now that we’re partway through the year, what do you find yourself using the most? What are this year’s winners? Any particular losers?

DISCLAIMER: Some of these items were purchased with my own funds, others were provided for free or at discounted cost for the purposes of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Art Supplies

Retro Review: Tru-Tone Crayons

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments
Retro Review: Tru-Tone Crayons

Last weekend, Bob and I hit up our neighborhood yard sale day and came across an estate sale that included some vintage art supplies including this box set of Tru-Tone Broad Line Crayons from Milton Bradley. So these were probably made especially for kids or schools. The box even says “Certified School Crayons”.

Overall the packaging was in great condition and while some of the crayons were broken in half, the only crayon that was missing was the black. There was only two small pieces of the black.

The shape of these crayons is a flat rectangular shape so there are lots of edges to use for drawing and coloring.

The two images above show the full range of colors. There is actually a great range of colors in this set. When testing these, they definitely felt like a traditional wax crayon but the color deposit seemed a little better than a Crayola but its been years since I used a classic Crayola crayon so I’m just guessing here based on my memory. The big sticks of crayon is really fun to use and allows for a nice shading option.

Using the side of the crayon allowed me to shade in color and then used the corners or edges to create lines. Because of the shapes, its sometimes a little less precise then a round or pointed tool but it was sort of fun to be a little more loose and free with these.

While I don’t expect to use these a lot its so fun to see the quality of materials produced decades ago.

I did find a box of these crayons on Ebay at $7 right now in much better shape than the set I got.

Do you ever pick up old art or office supplies at thrift stores or yard sales? What was your best score? Share with us in the comments!

In Planners & Organizers

Journal Supplies: Rub-On Stickers

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Journal Supplies: Rub-On Stickers

Over the last few months, I’ve been collecting some of the rub-on/rub-down/transfer stickers. I grew up using rub-on transfer letters known sold by Letraset and other companies so the revival of rub-on graphics is a bit nostaligc for me.

I have two brands to show: MU Series Print-On Stickers ($3.35 per set of two sheets) and Midori Transfer Stickers for Journaling ($5 per sheet).

Each set includes instructions on the back in both Japanese and English which is helpful. Unlike regular stickers or washi, transfer/rub-on stickers are rubbed onto the paper and will not have any noticeable edges. They can be opaque or transparent which makes them fun for layering over collage or other elements in your journal or notebook.

Tools needed:

In order to use these rub-on transfer stickers, you’ll need scissors (I am using the Allex S-165F Office Scissors with non-stick fluorine coating, $16) and something to rub the stickers down. I used a bone folder but a coin, the side of a plastic card (like a credit card) or the end of a ruler would work too. You can also buy a wood tool like the MU Print-On Transfer Wooden Applicator ($1.95).

How to Apply Transfer/Rub-on Stickers:

Both sets include the sheet of stickers and a backing sheet. The backing sheet protects the stickers from sticking to the inside of the packaging. I recommend keeping the packaging to store the sheets after using to keep them protected. When applying the stickers, remove the protective sheet from the back of the sticker.

For best results, cut out the sticker you want to apply so that you do not press on the other stickers and accidentally apply them.

With the backer sheet removed, place the sticker where you want it on the page. I found it helpful to put a pencil board or other stiff board under my page as it made it easier to rub down the stickers. In the image above, I am using my bone folder to rub down the sticker. Work around the image in a methodical way to be sure you’ve rubbed all the details down.

Peel up a corner gently to make sure all the elements have been applied. You can put the transfer back down this way and rub a bit more if all the art did not apply to the page.

Once done, remove the transfer film. In the case of the Muji transfer stickers, some of the art did not transfer. I think more pressure or a harder under-surface would have made the transfer apply more cleanly.

Even with the tiny bits that didn’t transfer, the art looks really bright and pretty on the page.

I walked through the same process with the MU stickers as well.

After I cut out the art, I removed the backing sheet and I placed it in the position where I wanted to apply it.

I rubbed it down using the same technique as the Midori transfer stickers.

Then I removed the transfer film. In the case of the MU stickers, the artwork applied completely with no residue.

Based on my overall results, I am more inclined to recommend the MU transfer stickers over the Midori as they seem to apply more easily and also the cost less for more stickers. Of course, for you, the designs will be a deciding factor. There are more playful, whimsical designs available from Midori transfer stickers as well as metallic gold transfer stickers which look SO COOL! The MU transfer stickers are available in more nature-themed and watercolor-style designs.

Are you going to try these out for yourself? Which styles do you like better?

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens and Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature, Ink Review

Ink Review: Kuretake Ink-Cafe Meiji no Iro Araishu and Shikon

Author Jessica ColesPosted on 1 Comment
Ink Review: Kuretake Ink-Cafe Meiji no Iro Araishu and Shikon

What? Another new ink line? Several new ink manufacturers seem to have appeared recently, although, like today’s example, most have been in business for many years. Kuretake isn’t new to the pen world or to ink, but their Ink-cafe line is new to the market.

I chose to review two inks in the Ink-cafe line – #536 Shikon is the first. This is a deep blue-purple ink, very saturated, and it sheens a bright gold on most paper types. As you can see in the photo above, I had a bit of trouble with the ink rubbing off the swatch and onto the rest of the card. This wasn’t actual smearing, but it is something that can happen with heavily saturated inks. I did not have the same issue writing on the paper samples.

Only a touch of the sheen shows up with Kuretake Ink-cafe #536 Shikon on Midori MD paper:

The gold sheen shows a bit of green with Kuretake Ink-cafe #536 Shikon on Tomoe River 52gsm (TR7) paper:

The sheen is fairly metallic with Kuretake Ink-cafe #536 Shikon on Cosmo Air Light 83gsm paper:

The second ink I chose from the Ink-cafe line is a bright red #532 Araishu. This is a vivid red with slight orange undertones – not quite as bright as Monteverde Strawberry Shortcake.

Kuretake Ink-cafe #532 Araishu on Midori MD paper:

I was surprised at how much of the orange undertones showed up with Kuretake Ink-cafe #532 Araishu on Tomoe River 52gsm (TR7) paper:

A faint silver sheen can be sheen with Kuretake Ink-cafe #532 Araishu on Cosmo Air Light 83gsm paper:

 

I was able to pick up a sample of each of these inks from St. Louis Art Supply – a store that is new to me! The samples are quite small – only 1.5mL – but cost on $2.50 each. Dip pen nibs, Kakimori nibs, and glass nibs (most) all fit into the tiny sample vials, but I don’t know of many fountain pens that would be able to draw from them.

The ink is priced at $17.95 for a 20mL bottle – $0.90 per mL. This may be a bit steep for a new ink line, but I am interested to try the remaining colors. I do love how bright Araishu is without blinding me.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me. Please see the About page for more details.

 

In Link Love

Link Love: Lamy-Not and Peli-Kan’t

Author AnaPosted on 6 Comments
Link Love: Lamy-Not and Peli-Kan’t

I saw the new Lamy Plus Colored Pencils this week and thought our colored pencil expert, Tina, might want to review them. When I asked her, she confessed that she already reviewed them and said “Lamy should stick to pens”. So, if you are wondering why we are not publishing a review of the Lamy Plus Colored Pencils, this is why.

Me… being salty this week.

In other news, Pelikan launched their email campaign this past week for folks to register for the Pelikan Hubs for this year. Rather than the method they’ve employed for the past couple of years, they instated a convoluted system of email “save the dates” and then a registration. I would have posted about this sooner but I didn’t hear about this until after Link Love was published last year and they closed the email “save that date” in the interim. Yeah, less than 7 days to sign up and then confirm! And they also included a “salutation” field that was required and the only options were “Mr”, “Mrs” or “diver” — and I have no idea what diver means. Do you? Anyway, it seemed like an odd field to require folks to fill out, especially nowadays where pronouns are fluid. Anyway, all this is to say, if you wanted to attend the Pelikan Hub for 2023 I hope you were able to sign up and, if not, I’m sorry. I am definitely not a fan of the new system that Pelikan has put into place to sign up.

It was not my intention to sound so salty this week but some weeks I guess I just need to vent my disappointment. Do better, pen companies!

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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In Paper Review

Paper Review – Wearingeul Ink Color Chart Cards,

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment

A few weeks ago I gave a quick review of the Wearingeul Swatch Notebook and Sheets. This week I wanted to take a look at the Horizontal Ink Color Chart Cards ($7.50 per 100 cards) and the Vertical Ink Color Chart Cards.

I figured the best way to see how the Wearingeul products performed was to test them on a series of inks and compare to my Col-o-ring/Col-o-dex cards. I tried both kinds of the Wearingeul cards – the horizontal Ink Color Chart Cards (shown on the right) and the Vertical cards (shown on the left).

My observations:

  • I had a bit of trouble deciding how to use the Horizontal Ink Color Chart Cards. Clearly the ink is meant to cover the bottle itself, but I like having both a light and dark representation of the ink and the bottle was a bit too small for that. If I used the blank part of the card for my ink swatch, then there wasn’t a lot of room to write. These cards also come in Smiling Cat, with an almost Cheshire like cat grinning in place of an ink bottle.

  • The vertical cards were slightly different in that they had border section that didn’t accept ink around a rectangle that did. You can see on the KWZ Raspberry swatch where the ink ran off the edge of the paper and into that border which almost feels waxy. In general I preferred the format of these.

  • Both cards accepted the ink well, with no bleeding or show through. The cards lay a little less flat after applying the ink to them, but they didn’t distort. My only real complaint is that none of the gorgeous sheen came through on the Robert Oster Fire & Ice card. More about that below.

Now let’s compare the colors I swatched on both Wearingeul and Col-o-ring/Col-o-Dex:

KWZ Raspberry:

Pilot Iroshizuku Tsukushi:

Mont Blanc Irish Green:

Robert Oster Fire & Ice:

In general, I saw a bit less variation in how the inks appeared on the Wearingeul cards, meaning I saw slightly more shading on the Col-o-ring products. The paper between the two is quite different. Wearingeul uses 200 gsm paper which is quite smooth, in addition to that different finish on the two vertical cards. Col-o-ring paper is toothier, with more texture. But the place where I have to say the Wearingeul cards fell down completely was in the sheen. In these two photos you can see the red sheen on the Col-o-dex card. While the ink shows shading on the Wearingeul card there’s just no sheen.

Wearingeul cards are less expensive than Col-o-ring products, which can add up over time. If budget is your key concern then they may be a good option for you. But in my limited sampling, you also get what you pay for, which is a bit less depth to your ink swatches.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. The Wearingeul projects were purchased with our own funds. Please see the About page for more details.

In Pen Review

Pen Review: White Markers from Faber-Castell & Pentel

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments
Pen Review: White Markers from Faber-Castell & Pentel

I am always looking for the best possible opaque white markers and pens for adding highlights, details or accents to my lettering and artwork. So when I saw the Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in White ($15.50 for the set of 4) and the Pentel Milky Brush Pen in White ($6.50) I knew I would have to give them a try.

The Faber-Castell PITT Set includes four different sizes of markers: B (Brush), C (Chisel/Calligraphy), 1.5 (1.5 mm Bullet), and 2.5 (2.5 mm Bullet). I was hoping that the largest size would be useful for posters but its not quite that chonky. Overall, the Faber-Castell PITT set has a nice range of sizes if you’re not sure what will work best for your project.

The photo above shows the tip sizes. From left to right: chisel/calligraphy, brush, 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm. The 2.5 mm barrel is much larger than the other three pens so its a big pen for me to hold in my tiny, little hands.

The other pen I got was the Pentel Milky Brush pen in white. There is a push button on the end that can be pushed to force more ink into the brush tip.

Oh, that brush tip! Its a nylon bristle brush tip not a molded foam tip like the brush in the Faber-Castell PITT set. I love the brushes that have real bristles because the point is often so much finer. The bristles are soft and flex easily for a great range of stroke widths. Pumping the end will add more ink as needed.

I tested these pens on kraft and grey paper stock. They all performed much better on the kraft stock. The grey paper was a bit too light to show them in their best light (or should I say, best white?)

On the Kraft stock, it was easy to get good results with all the markers though I do find that the Pentel Milky Brush was more opaque overall. The PITT markers worked well and could be applied with multiple layers for a more opaque coverage/

Despite the grey paper being a bit light, it does quickly show that the Pentel Milky Brush is much more opaque with one pass of color compared to the PITT white markers.

Further testing is needed to determine how well these markers will work with mixed media drawings when combined with colored pencils, other pens and markers and paint. The PITT pens are India ink so they are lightfast, permanent, and archival. That is definitely an advantage if you are using these with other tools. The Pentel Milky Brush is listed as being water-resistant but there are no additional specifications though with white inks, they are likely to be lightfast.

Depending on your comfort with a real brush pen, I would recommend giving the Pentel Milky Brush a try. If you prefer a bullet tip or chisel tip or need the archival or guaranteed permanent quality, then I think the PITT Brush Set is a good option though I prefer the Pentel Milky Brush overall.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.