Last week I received an Amazon gift card and I couldn’t resist. I ordered a set of Ohuhu Alcohol Markers. I have a lot to learn, but here’s a sneak peek:
Giveaway Winner: Laban Rosa Fountain Pen
Thanks to everyone who entered our Laban Rosa Fountain Pen Giveaway.
Our winner for the giveaway is CC who wrote a little poem waxing about the color.
Thanks again to Luxury Brands for sponsoring this giveaway. Stay tuned for more giveaways soon!
Pen Review: Tom’s Studio Lumos Duo Pro Refillable Pen
The Tom’s Studio Lumos Duo Pro ($121) is a refillable pen with eleven nib options and TWO different pens in one pen body. I got the Ivy color which is a lovely green color but there are other colors available.
Can I just say I hate this packaging? The pen does not stay in the box and the ink bottle that was included was tucked inside and fell out and broke on my hardwood floors. It made quite the mess.
And the “lift carefully” message — it’s like it was laughing at me.
The packaging is all paperboard so its 100% recyclable and that’s what I plan to do with the packaging.
The back of the box shows all the tip sizes included with the pen. The writing tips remind me a bit of the tip included with the Wren though I have not had the chance to try it yet.
When disassembled, you can see the cotton reservoirs and nib holders, the brass nib covers, the aluminum pen body barrels and a rubber cap that can be used to help remove the tips. The threads of the sections include rubber gaskets to create a tight seal.
I pulled out the BR (Brush) tip from the set.
Then the next step was to pick ink colors. I was hoping with the large brush tip a lighter color could be used and then the 0.3mm fiber tip could use a deep color that matched the pen barrel. I chose Colorverse Morning Star No.11 for the 0.3mm nib and the Sailor Manyo Hinoki for the brush tip.
The filling was quick, taking mere seconds to work up the capillary action and ready to use.
Once filled, these were ready to test. The step between the tip and the barrel is a bit server and a little awkward in the hand. The two half pens are too short to use by themselves but when the full length, with both barrels screwed together, is a bit too long (over 6″ long capped). Luckily, the aluminum barrel is light enough that its not too awkward to use the pen at its full length. It doesn’t fit in most of my pen cases though!
The brush tip is soft and the fiber tip I tested, the 0.3mm, seems consistent with other 0.3mm tips I’ve used.
Once filled, I was again surprised by how light the link colors looked in the Lumos Pro. I was hoping that some of the multichromatic qualities of the Sailor Hinoki but instead the color shifted completely.
On the Tomoe River paper, none of the purple hue was visible.
The Morning Star ink looked more turquoise/light aqua than the deep teal that shows on my swatch. It was a bit frustrating. The ink didn’t show its notable sheening qualities either.
I’m definitely going to have to try to fill the Lumos Duo Pro with much darker ink colors.
As I did with the Wren, I cleaned and refilled the Lumos with darker colors. I refilled them with Colorverse Vortex Motion and Pillars of Creation. I, once again, decided to test the Lumos against the Kuretake Karappo and used the same ink colors in both the Karappo and the Lumos Pro Duo.
In the Lumos brush pen, Vortex Motion looks distinctly purple while in the Karappo Brush, the color is more grey. I even tried to use a Colorverse Permanent Black ink in the Lumos Duo and Karappo and both look light like a grey rather than black. So frustrating.
I will be ordering more reservoirs ($3 for a pack of 5) and a couple packets of replacement tips ($3 per set of 3) in an effort to try some different inks and see if I could get a deeper, more accurate color.
Overall, as much as I want to love the Lumos Pro Duo, I was just ho-hum about it overall. The concept is wonderful and the colors of the aluminum barrels is excellent. Some of the details could use more refinement. The transition between the nib and the grip on the Wren is more aesthetic and comfortable for many writing styles while the step-down on the Lumos is a bit severe.
And, I don’t understand why the ink colors are so distinctly washed out with the felt tips.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Ink Comparison: Tom’s Studio vs. Diamine
A new player has come to light recently in the pen world – Tom’s Studio. This is a pen maker in England who broke into the scene with calligraphy tools and is quickly expanding into fountain pens, refillable fiber-tipped pens, and most recently, Tom’s Studio ink.
I ordered a Lumos pen from Tom’s Studio months ago when I saw a stainless steel special edition of the pen – I love the extra weight from the material. While ordering it, I noticed that the store offered ink samples of their 20 ink lineup.
Or at least there are inks numbered up to 20. There’s actually no number 13.
The ink samples came packaged in individual sleeves of heavy paper with a swatch of the actual ink on the paper.
The bottles themselves are adorable.
Each bottle comes with a dropper. Which is good because it’s a very small vial – the same size as the Ferris Wheel Press sample vials – too small for most fountain pens but fine for most dip pens and converters.
I chose the most interesting 10 inks from the line up and when the package was delivered, I found an additional sample (Stainless Steel) had been included – I assume it was included because the pen was a special edition in stainless steel.
The shape of the Tom’s Studio ink bottle plus the location of the store made me wonder if these were inks produced by Diamine – many inks are manufactured by a large ink maker and repackaged for a retailer – so I thought I’d take a shot at comparing these inks to existing Diamine inks.
Since there are ten inks here, I’ll let the photos do most of the talking.
Tom’s Studio Marmalade is a touch lighter than Diamine Autumn Oak
Tom’s Studio Dove Grey is a bit darker but very close to Diamine Grey.
Tom’s Studio Deep Black is nearly identical to the base color in Diamine Solstice which is probably Onyx Black (of which I do not have a swatch!).
Tom’s Studio Iris is close to Diamine Majestic Purple but a bit darker.
Tom’s Studio Strawberry Jam and Diamine Wild Strawberry are very close (AMAZING red ink – either of these choices are wonderful).
So that’s the first 5 inks. Now for the remain 6:
Tom’s Studio Raspberry Sorbet and Diamine Deep Magenta are a nearly perfect match. My Deep Magenta swatch has seen a bit too much sunlight, it seems.
Tom’s Studio Sunny Teal is close to Diamine Soft Mint but a touch darker.
Tom’s Studio Neptune reminded me of Diamine Marine but it isn’t quite as blue. It is nearly identical to Diamine Helen which is a Cult Pen’s exclusive color.
Tom’s Studio Cassis is close to both Diamine Syrah and Diamine Burgundy Royal from their 150th anniversary inks. Beautiful color.
Tom’s Studio Damson is somewhat close to Diamine Purple Dream from the 150th anniversary collection but much closer to Monteverde Rose Noir (another gorgeous color).
Finally, Tom’s Studio Stainless Steel. This is a touch warmer than the Dove Grey from Tom’s Studio, but still a close match to Diamine Grey. It’s a bit cooler than Kala Spring Rain, an ink that is no longer available.
Here are all 11 inks from Tom’s Studio on Midori MD paper:
Cosmo Air Light paper:
And Tomoe River 52gsm paper:
I’m fairly certain the Tom’s Studio ink line is made by Diamine. However, that’s amazing news for everyone interested in these inks – Diamine has such a long history with ink. We know that they understand quality control, packaging, distribution, and supply. I wasn’t able to show the swatches of the inks I did not purchase, but there are several colors that I’m not certain have equivalents in the current Diamine line – Peaches and Cream and Lemon Yellow are two of those.
The Tom’s Studio line is a solid offering for a first round of inks from a new company. The price is amazing – $16 for 50mL glass bottle ($0.32 per mL), the packaging is minimal and recyclable, and the colors on the labels are accurate to the color of the ink (since they use a swatch of the ink as the actual label). Diamine inks themselves are packaged in either 30mL plastic bottles or 80mL glass bottles.
I started this review thinking it would be some kind of exposé about how these were just repackaged Diamine inks. But I don’t think it matters if they are. They are still very well priced, amazing colors, and the packaging itself offers new choices for size and color label clarity. I’ve seen great innovation from Tom’s Studio so far with the felt-tipped refillable pens and I’m excited to see what else they have in store for the future.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me the purpose of my own use. Please see the About page for more details.
Link Love: A Very Papery Day (and Ereader Questions)
I need your help. I have had multiple brands of ereaders over the years. My latest ereaders are an 11-year old Kobo Aura and a Kindle Paperwhite purchased in 2018. These devices are old and it shows.
My Kobo no longer holds a charge on the battery and is having some refresh issues so its basically sat in the bottom of a drawer for about a year or so now. The Kindle is so old that it does not have the dark mode option and cannot be updated to add it which is annoying if I want to read at night.
For the last few months, I’ve been trying to decide if I should buy a new ereader and, if so, which brand I should purchase. I have been researching options from Kindle, Kobo, Onyx Boox and a few others. My goal is to read books and I check ebooks out from our library so I really want Libby support. The release of the new Kindle Colorsoft has thrown a little wrench into my research as I wait for reviews and comparisons to be posted online. So, I thought I’d throw it out to you, my lovely readers, do you use an ereader? If so, which brand/model? I could really use some recommendations. I’m leaning away from Kindle (for the most part) but I haven’t ruled it out. Let me know your thoughts!
Link of the Week:
Ooh, a Color Kindle Is Finally Here (via Kottke.org)
Now, on to the links!
Pens:
- Measuring How Far Pens Write: Writing Distance Test Pattern (via Unsharpen)
- Do I Really Hate Rollerballs? Revisiting This Question for the Umpteenth Time (via The Gentleman Stationer)
- How to select the right fountain pen nib: tips for beginners (via Rediscover Analog)
Ink:
- Vinta Inks Blue Blood Dugong Bughaw 1521 Ink Review (The Pen Addict)
- Diamine Fireside Snug Ink Review: Excellent Fall Ink + Halloween Ink (via Pen Chalet)
- Ink Battle: Bungubox, Robert Oster, Sailor, and Sailor (via Rachel’s Reflections)
- Ink Review #834: Taccia Ukiyo-E Hiroshige Asahanada (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
- Ink Review #2648: Kobe Lampwork Museum Maroon (via Mountain of Ink)
- Ink Review #2647: Ferris Wheel Press Blushing Mushroom (via Mountain of Ink)
- Ink Swatch Wednesday: Robert Oster Grey Seas (via CJs Wunderkammer)
Pencils:
- What Is In Your Perfect Pencil Kit? (via The Pen Addict)
- Identifying as a Pencil Pusher (via Line Variation)
- Staedtler’s sugar cane / corn / olive eraser (via Bleistift)
Planners, Notebooks & Paper:
- Endless Storyboard Pocket Notebook Review (via BLAKE’S BROADCAST)
- Guest post series – ‘Filohax’ No. 15 – Paul (via Philofaxy)
- Midori Hibino (via Wonder Pens)
- Letter Writing Again (via Wonder Pens)
- # Halloween writing prompts for adults (via The Pen Company Blog)
- My 2025 Techo Kaigi: A Mostly Fond Farewell to Hobonichi (via The Gentleman Stationer)
- A dip inside my commonplace diary (via Austin Kleon)
- Southworth air mail stationery (via The Typewriter Revolution blog)
- Paper Matters to the Ink (via Chronicles of a Fountain Pen)
- A Hobonichi Haul and My 2025 Planner Plans (via Inky Imaginings)
Art & Creativity:
- Switching to an A4 sketchbook – and why! (via Liz Steel)
- Travel Sketching: a quest for the right amount of tools (via Apple-Pine)
- FAQ: What do I do when my sketch is still wet… (via Liz Steel)
- REVIEW: Tonic Watercolor Core Mixing Set from St. Louis Art Supply (via Doodlewash)
- The Lost Art of Cyanotype, Found Again (via Messy Nessy Chici)
Other Interesting Things:
- Artist Immortalizes Iconic Junk Food in Still Life Oil Paintings (via My Modern Met)
- IKEA appoints ‘grumpy gran’ as the face of its new gaming range (via Creative Boom)
- Five Things To Look Forward to at the 2025 World Expo Japan Pavilion (via Spoon & Tamago)
- Oblation Papers & Press Shop Visit (via The Pen Addict)
- NaNoWri…No. (via The Pen Addict)
- How to curate your vinyl collection (via Rediscover Analog)
Oh, one last thing! I know I’ve told you about our Patreon but have you checked out our shop lately? We even have an Etsy shop for our international readers. We have lots of new products like stickers, exclusive Rickshaw bags and cases, washi tape and so much more! Your support helps keep us going. So, thank you for reading this and supporting our site!
Doodle-tober?
This year instead of participating in Inktober, where I try and use different inks during the month, I decided to do my own “Doodle-tober.” So I took all the supplies I had at hand (more about those below) and started playing. I took lots of inspiration from Instagram, and I’m hoping to develop my own style. Here are a few of my doodles!
Now since this is a pen and ink and paper blog, here are the supplies I’m using.
Paper:
Pens:
My new favorites:
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen Hard Black – I think I got this one in a sampler pack from Jet Pens a while back. It is now my FAVORITE black pen. It’s a brush pen, but the line it puts down is thin enough to almost me a liner for me. Edgings? Details? I love this pen.
TriC Art Performance Dual Brush – I don’t know what these are. A quick Google returns a set on eBay. When I started doodling my husband said, “I have some markers you might like.” He’s right. I love them. They’ve got a fine liner tip and a brush tip, and I think they’re basically Tombow knockoffs… I guess I’m saving my pennies for a set of Tombows?
DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review, others I purchased with my own money. Please see the About page for more details.
Fountain Pen Review (& Giveaway): Laban Rosa Fountain Pen in Lilac
Laban is Taiwanese-based pen company that I’ve had a lot of experience with using so I was quite excited to get a chance to test one of their fountain pens.
The Laban Rosa Fountain Pen ($140) in Lilac with the Medium nib is an acrylic resin pen with gold tone hardware. The Rosa line includes several other color options. The cap bands on the other designs look like a Greek Key repeating pattern while the Lilac has an etched branded cap band. Its a medium-sized pen, similart in overal dimensions to a Leonardo Momento Zero in size and shape.
The pen ships in a simple paperboard drawer box and includes the pen and a converter.
The colors of the Lilac are a swirl of green, grey and a periwinkle blue violet. It’s accented with the warm gold hardware and a two-tone nib.
The nib is a smooth writer with a bit of bounce. It’s not flexible but does have a gentle spring when used.
I attempted to match some ink colors to the pen. Which color is your favorite?
I chose the Ayame originally since it has a similar color range. But it ended up being a little too light for the medium nib so I went with the Pen BBS No. 224 Tolstoy.
Because of the bounce in the nib, it doesn’t lay down a lot of ink for an over-handed left-handed writer.
When I switched to underwriting (the middle sample) the color was much deeper and the line weights were a bit thicker. There was even a little bit of line variation as a result of the bounce in the nib.
I was a bit surprised to discover the bounce in the Laban nib. Sadly, it’s not a pen that works with my writing style. The resin is very pretty and its quite comfortable in the hand.
So, my loss is your gain. I am giving this pen to one lucky reader.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell me what the colors of this pen remind you of. Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.
If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give themonkeys some time.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday, October 25. 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 actual 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 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. 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. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Luxury Brands USA/Laban for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.