The Well-Appointed Desk

The most recent ink line in my collection is the IWI Colors of Nature line. The line includes 24 colors so I will be presenting the collection in parts – today I’ll be covering the third set of 8 out of 24. I purchased my samples of IWI Colors of Nature inks at Vanness: each ink is $12 for a 30mL bottle or $2.60 for a 4mL sample. If you missed part 1 or part 2 of this series, make sure to read those as well.

I’ve divided up the Colors of Nature inks into various themes. Today’s inks are all in the Temperature and Condensation group. I’ve started with Slight Heat. I’m not certain of the order of these inks so I’ve ordered them with how they would be seen in Colorado. Slight Heat is similar to ColorVerse Supernova.

Great Heat is next which is nearly identical to KWZ Chicago Blue.

Limit of Heat is a great rust orange close to Diamine Ancient Copper. However, IWI Limit of Heat feathers quite a bit.

Slight Cold is my favorite of the Temperature and Condensation group (purple is best!). It shades dramatically in the swatch and slightly less dramatically in writing.

Frost’s Descent shows a decent amount of sheen and looks like a darker version of Robert Oster Fire & Ice. Surprisingly, I didn’t see feathering in this sample at all.

IWI Slight Snow is a dusty rose and was hard to match from my current swatch cards. This was the worst in the feathering category in the Temperature and Condensation group. I was disappointed since this is an amazing color!

Great Cold is slightly darker than Monteverde Rose Noir, but again, feathering.

The final ink today is Great Cold ink – strangely this is nearly the same color as Great Heat. It has a bit more blue in the mix and is almost a match for Kobe #50.

I love seeing the differences in these inks on Tomoe River paper (top) and Cosmo Air Light paper (bottom). CAL shows the blues in Slight Cold but almost blocks out the pink. CAL also has a more defined boundary to the ink edges rather than the granulated texture on Tomoe River paper.

Again, on Tomoe River paper (left) and Cosmo Air Light paper, the ink shows different properties. Slight Snow shows as bluer on CAL paper.

The differences in color don’t show as dramatically with Great Cold and Great Snow (CAL paper on the left and Tomoe River paper on the right), but the texture difference is easy to see here.

I inked three pens that each had the same nib to test the feathering issues with a more even ink flow and with a rounded point nib. Cosmo Air Light paper is on the top here with Tomoe River paper on the bottom. I did not see a single issue with feathering this time. The “l” in Slight Snow isn’t showing feathering, just a bit more ink.

However, when I wrote on Col-o-ring paper with the same three pens, the feathering showed up again in Slight Snow with a touch of feathering in Slight Heat as well.

Finally, here’s a photo of the eight inks reviewed today:

If I look at the entire 24 inks of IWI Colors of Nature only for the colors, I adore this lineup. The colors are not standard, the line has a wide range of colors, and several are colors I do not already have in my collection. But I can’t ignore the feathering issues with these inks. I don’t know if this is something IWI can change in the future but until that time, I can’t recommend more than a few of these inks for everyday use. I will check back periodically to see if the line has been updated – if the feathering is fixed, these inks will be a huge hit!

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me and I was not compensated to write this review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: Magic Brushes

AnaOctober 27, 2021October 27, 20212 Comments

Austin Kleon loves his Pentel Pocket Brush Pen… so much so, he made a video.

Sometimes, the tools we use unlock the magic within us. It could be the kind of strokes they put on the paper, or sometimes its the color of the the ink or how it feels in our hand but this is the magic we are often looking for when we venture out into the world (real world or virtual world) looking for a new tools or new notebook. We are trying to find or recapture the magic we had or we’ve seen other have. We know that it is often just the process of doing the thing that will get us back into that zen state but sometimes, just getting us to sit back down with our notebook or pad, we need to bribe our inner child with a new pen or notebook.

My inner child likes to have several pens so she can be enticed with switching colors at a whim — particularly if titles or page headers can be written with a larger brush pen (like Austin uses). The new washi strips are definitely helping to keep my child brain engaged too.

How do you soothe your inner child when he or she doesn’t want to settle down to work? Do you set a timer? Do you promise a snack or a treat to yourself for working? Do you woo your inner child with a shiny new pen or notebook?

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In Ink Review

Fountain Pen Ink Review: A collection of yellows.

Laura CameronOctober 26, 2021October 26, 20213 Comments

For the past few years, I have taken to collecting inks in the Pantone Color of the Year. This year there were two colors, Ultimate Grey and Illuminating, a bright yellow. A few years ago I spent my Inktober focusing on 31 shades of grey, so I knew if I was going to do anything this year it would need to be in yellow. As there are only a scant two months left in the year, and yellow is the ink I have the least of in my collection, I went ahead and ordered a bunch of yellow samples to try!

My selections include:

Papier Plume Yellow (30 mL, $8.00)
Rohrer and Klingner Helianthus Sunflower (50 mL, $11.95)
Vinta Sunrise Hanan (30 mL, $12.00)
Robert Oster Aussie Gold (50 mL, $17.00)

Papier Plume Yellow is probably the closest to Illuminating, a bright sunny yellow that is the very color I think of when I think of yellow. While the ink is beautiful and can shade nicely, my biggest complaint about it is that I don’t think it’s terribly legible. While I couldn’t do without this sunny yellow in a rainbow, I just don’t know how practical is it for fountain pen usage.

Rohrer and Klingner Helianthus Sunflower is a gorgeous yellow-orange that reminds me of fields of sunflowers or egg yolks. It is beautifully legible though there’s not a ton of shading in it. I also don’t know if it quite hits the yellow spot for me – it’s just a little on the orange side. I tend to think of this color as more of a goldenrod?

Vinta Sunrise Hanan is a yellow that leans a bit gold. There is more shading in this one, but it takes a bit of a step back on the legibility scale, particularly with my glass nib. I just love the way it shades on the Col-o-ring card though!

And finally Robert Oster Aussie Gold is a deep golden yellow, the color of summer wheat fields. This one has some glorious shading as most of the Robert Oster inks doo, and is quite legible in writing.

As you can see from my Col-o-ring Oversize, I don’t have too many yellows in the ink stash – Robert Oster Honey Bee and Franklin Christoph Honey Comb cover the gold spectrum, and Colorverse Gluon and Platinum Citrus Black cover the yellow-green/olive end of the spectrum.

In almost any other color of ink I enjoy having a large variety of hues to choose from, but I guess the lighter nature of yellows just keeps me from buying too many.

Paper: Baron Fig Mastermind Desk Pad ($16)
Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) and Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15), Col-o-Ring Oversize ($15)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Good Inkpressions A5 (Splendorgel Paper)

AnaOctober 25, 2021October 25, 20211 Comment

Good Inkpressions is a notebook company in Spain that is focusing on a wide array of fountain pen friendly notebooks that features well-known papers like Tomoe River and Clairefontaine but also a “new to me” paper called Splendorgel.

I was excited to see that Good Inkpressions was stocking Tomoe River and Clairefontaine but I was curious to see what Splendorgel paper was so I ordered an A5 blank notebook ($16.24 USD). There are multiple cover colors available as well as an assortment of ruling options. Each book includes 120 pages and the editions with rulings are printed with soy based inks.

The covers are blind debossed using a Vandercook letterpress which is subtle and pleasantly minimal.

Good Inkpressions Splendorgel A5 — ARGH!!!! CAT HAIR in the photo!!

The double-fold cardstock cover opens flat and the heavy duty staple binding is visible along the spine. All four corners of the notebook are rounded which is unusual but with the lighter weight soft paper covers rounding the corners eliminates the likelihood of corner dings.

Once opened, the pages lay flat with little effort.

The Splendorgel paper stock is listed as 85gsm on the website and is a soft white. Above, are samples of the Good Inkpressions Splendorgel paper on the far right and then regular Leuchtturm 1917 paper next to it which is the closest in color. Next is Profolio Oasis which is more cream/ivory colored and the Good Inkpression 68gsm Tomoe River (the lighter White) and finally on the far left, bright white Col-o-ring paper for comparison.

The Good Inkpressions Splendorgel is not so yellowy to affect ink colors unless its a very light shading ink. It’s “easy on the eyes” soft white.

I decided to cut to the chase in testing the paper and pulled out a Pilot Parallel pen to lay down a massive amount of ink and see if there was any bleeding or feathering issues. Nope. The Pilot Parallel ink was Diamine A Leap of Faith (link to Mountain of Ink’s review of the ink). There was not a ton of sheening evidence but I really don’t use a ton of sheening inks so its not a make-or-break for me. Less sheening also means shorter dry time.

The view of the reverse of stock shows a little bit of show through but no bleeding.

Once assured this paper was fountain pen friendly, I tested an array of other writing tools and was successful with all of them.

The only evidence of any bleed through was the rollerball pen and there was just minor bleed through. Again, the darker or heavier inks had a little show through but not so much as to limit the use of both sides of the paper.

Since I didn’t purchase any with ruling I am not sure how dark the printing is on the pages but looking at the samples on the site for the planner inserts, it looks like a middle grey is used.

In the time since I initially placed my order with Good Inkpressions, they have added a lot of new products including planners and inserts for a variety of different tastes. They offer Filofax inserts as well as Traveler-sized notebooks in all the varieties of papers they stock with an array of ruling as well. These are options that I’ve not seen offered by any other notebook company thus far.

The prices for the notebooks are quite reasonable, the quality of the notebooks is very good and I received my order within a couple weeks which is not bad for international orders. If you are looking for a new FP-friendly paper or a maker who offers familiar papers in formats not often available, then Good Inkpressions is worth a try.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me and I was not compensated to write this review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Tools

Product Review: King Jim Kitta Tapes & Kitta File

AnaOctober 22, 2021November 12, 20211 Comment

When Jesi came through town a couple weeks ago, she showed off her stash of King Jim Kitta washi tape strips and the lovely 24-pack file she stored them in. I immediately decided I need to invest in some of these delightful sets and a file as well.

Rather than buying the large 24-pack file ($10.50) that Jesi had, I decided to go with the more compact and portable 6-pack file ($8.50) in green plaid.

Each pack of Kitta tapes (starting at $4.70 per pack) comes in a matchbook packet with four designs in each set. Each packet includes 10 strips of each design. When the cover is folded back, it can be tucked into the file under the clear plastic flaps in the file.

When the tape is removed from the backing paper, it’s just like regular washi tape.

Most washi is translucent (shown above ) so its perfect to use in planners, journals and notebooks. The strips can also be cut or trimmed as needed.

I find the Kitta Tapes less of a commitment than rolls and rolls of washi tapes. The file makes it easy to carry a variety of tapes in a small package too. If you aren’t sure if you’ll use washi tape or prefer less commitment in your notebook accessories, then the King Jim Kitte Tapes and File might work for you too.

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.

In Ink Review

Ink Review: IWI Colors of Nature Part 2

Jessica ColesOctober 21, 20211 Comment

The most recent ink line in my collection is the IWI Colors of Nature line. The line includes 24 colors so I will be presenting the collection in parts – today I’ll be covering the second set of 8 out of 24. I purchased my samples of IWI Colors of Nature inks at Vanness: each ink is $12 for a 30mL bottle or $2.60 for a 4mL sample. If you missed part 1 of this series, make sure to read that as well.

I’ve divided up the Colors of Nature inks into various themes. This group is the Grain set. First up is Grain Rain. I love this color and I was disappointed with the feathering here. The pink and yellow show up separately making the overall color a peach.

Once there is a good Grain Rain, you get Grain in Ear. This is a great yellow that is a bit lighter than PR Buttercup but darker than Montblanc Lucky Pig.

Time marches on, giving way to Grain Full. Somewhere between RO Honey Bee and Callifolio Inti, Grain Full Has definite multi-chromatic qualities where the dark yellow-brown separates from the orange.

This may be the set with the most dramatic difference between the two tested papers – Cosmo Air Light first followed by Tomoe River paper second. There is even a textural difference between the two.

The second group is… the group that Didn’t Fit Well Into Other Groups (DFWIOG). First up is Waking of Insects. This is a beautiful dirty green, very close to Diamine Safari.

Pure Brightness is a touch bluer than Ferris Wheel Press Mirror of Moraine.

The final DFWIOG ink is Rain Water. This contains more blue than Pure Brightness and is close to Faber Castell Turquoise.

I apologize for the random splatters of Grain in Ear on the page. This again proves that cats and ink should never mix. The first photo here is Cosmo Air Light paper and the second is Tomoe River. Again, there are color differences between the two paper types but also a textural difference. Tomoe River paper has a grainy texture while Cosmo Air Light is crisp.

The two papers side by side so you can see the differences under the same lighting conditions.

The last two inks today could be grouped in with part 3, but I’ve placed them in part 2 because the numbers worked out that way. I have elegantly named it Condensation Through the Year (CTtY). Yes, I know Rain Water could be with this group.

White Dew is lighter than Diamine Ochre and not quite as red as SBRE Brown.

Cold Dew is a fabulous gray and seems to be warmer than my cold grays but colder than my warm grays. Bungubox Melancholic Grey is the closest I could find.

Both White Dew and Cold Dew take on a cooler tone on Cosmo Air Light paper (first photo below) than on the Tomoe River paper (second photo below).

The full eight inks presented today lined up together:

As I mentioned in part 1, these IWI inks have quite an issue with feathering. They all have a watery consistency that allows some beautiful color separation – an amazing quality in inks used for artwork or on paper with slow absorption. Tomoe River paper seems to handle IWI inks with little to no feathering while still showing the multi-chromatic characteristics. Again, this is a topic I will revisit in part 3, next Thursday.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me and I was not compensated to write this review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: The Sad News Edition

AnaOctober 20, 2021October 20, 20212 Comments

This week has been full of stationery melancholy following a stream of news from around the community.

CW Pencils Sidewalk Sale

First, CW Pencils held a sidewalk sale over the weekend as a final farewell to their brick and mortar days. The website is still up so if there was ever a pencil you wanted, now is the time to buy. Items are selling out fast.

Papier Plume ink recall

Then, I received an email from Patrick at Papier Plume informing me that there was an issue with some of their inks. He was able to quickly identify which inks have issues and when they were produced and is offering to replace any bottles. This will be a sizable expense for a small business and I worry how much of a burden this will be to Papier Plume’s finances. Most small businesses have little expendable income. Please, if you have a bottle of this ink you would like replaced, try to pool your request with friends to cut down on the shipping charges (especially since we have entered the USPS’s increased shipping rate season). If you can wait, find out if Papier Plume will be attending a pen show near you soon and exchange your ink then — and also make a new purchase or two.

Next, a blog post from Pencil Talk appeared letting the stationery community know that long-time pencil blog Contrapuntalism created by Sean Malone is gone.

NockCo email

Finally, I received an email on Monday that NockCo was closing. While I know that Brad has many other projects in the works, the products developed at NockCo created a new category of pen and stationery cases that other makers will continue to refine and develop. So, while NockCo will no longer exist as a business entity, the influence that they had on the stationery community will live on.

On the heels of hearing that these stationery businesses are closing or are dealing with product difficulties, I am more committed than ever to try to save the ones we have left. If you believe in these businesses and shops like them, please continue to support them. (Side note: Jeff Bezos does not need anymore of your money.)

And, now for our regularly scheduled Link Love….