In Ink Review

A Very Special Inkpiphany: Caran d’Ache Chromatics Delicate Green

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
A Very Special Inkpiphany: Caran d’Ache Chromatics Delicate Green

While I realize it’s neither Epiphany nor officially the 12 days of Christmas, our darling Tina created a special ink review for Inkmas that, because Tina was so efficient, I forgot about it. So, without further adieu….

Review by Tina Koyama

Although the Caran d’Ache Chromatics ink series has been around for a while, I’m still tickled by its unique and funky bottle. It raises eyebrows and receives double-takes when it casually sits on a desktop. Some even find its Pisa lean a bit disconcerting, but it’s especially appropriate in a world that has been trying to right itself after nearly two years of being askew. 

My favorite in the line is Delicate Green, which I received a few years ago as a Christmas gift. I don’t think of it as delicate; it’s a fresh, bold green that evokes early spring foliage. 

Since I tend to favor greens on the warm side, I found several in my Col-o-ring book that are similar; TWSBE 1791 Prairie Green is probably closest.

The fine nib dip pen I used on the Col-o-ring card makes the green a bit too pale for writing. I prefer to use it with a big, fat nib, like my Franklin-Christoph Model 20 Marietta with a fude nib, which reveals no sheening but a little shading. I made a sketch of the bottle, which turned out even wonkier than the real thing!

At $37 a bottle, the Chromatics are on the pricey side (as most Caran d’Ache products are). As a unique and distinctive desk piece, though, it’s a good reminder to keep a cockeyed view of life.

tina-koyamaTina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

In feature

2021 Year in Review

Author AnaPosted on 8 Comments

The pen world experienced ups and downs along with the rest of the world in 2021. Some changes were widespread and quite noticeable like fewer pen shows, with fewer vendors and attendees. There were other things that might not have been as obvious.

Secondary Income Streams.

Patreon screenshot
These are the Patreon projects I currently back. I would like to add a few more this year and help to support creators I love, like this lovely lady — you might recognize her name, Squidney, the inspiration for one of our favorite nib stamps!

A growing number of pen bloggers/tubers added Patreon subscription options (or similar) to their content. Gentleman Stationer continues to grown his online shop with more products along with his regular review content. Stationery Cafe and Erasable both expanded their content with videos, extra posts and subscriber extras on Patreon. These options have provided more options for content and new ways for creators to offset the costs involved in creating the content. Its also a great way for fans to get behind-the-scenes content, exclusives and create new niche communities through the Patreon-supported Discord servers, Twitch, Facebook groups and more. If you are a fan of any particular blog or podcast and would like to throw a few bucks their way to help them continue to produce great content, check to see if they have a Ko-Fi, Patreon or other tip jar option. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Zines became a thing. Again.

Pencil Revolution

Many folks, working in isolation, found that zines were a great way to connect and share content over the past couple of years. 2021 was ripe with new stationery-related zines but many folks from the stationery community also spread their wings and created other kinds of content like Johnny Gamber at Pencil Revolution.

Caution everywhere.

As far as I can tell, there was very little experimentation or NEW new products released in the stationery world in 2022. I was not expecting big innovation in our hobby this past year but, as far as I can remember, no one released an ALL-NEW pen design, notebook or other product that left the community gaping. There were new colors for products that often get a color refresh every year like Lamy, Kaweco, Pelikan and TWSBI. But overall, there were no “must have” new fountain pen designs like the TWSBI Go of 2018 or the Lamy Aion release of 2017.

The only “BIG” paper release in 2021 was the Midori-powered PLOTTER ring-binder and paper products.

New ink colors were released by all our favorites though not as many as in past years. The number of new inks from Robert Oster released in 2021 was well below his pervious yearly averages.  I think the number of Oster inks released in 2021 was below double digits (using  Vanness Pen Shop site for the count).

Probably the biggest standout in the ink world in 2021 is the relaunch of Birmingham Pen Co’s ink line. Not only did they begin developing all their ink in-house but they created multiple formulas to meet the needs of discerning pen users like their shimmer (Twinkle), permanent (Everlasting), quick-dry (Swift), sheening (Rich), washable (Wishy-washy) and traditional (Crisp). In each of these categories, Birmingham has released dozens of colors, making them the most prolific ink producer of 2021 (in my entirely unscientific analysis).

There were some new ink brands introduced to US markets in 2021 including Van Diemans, Kakimori, Dominant Industry, IWI and Scribo to name a few.  While 2019 and 2020 were the years of the “magic” inks (those color shifting, light colored inks like Vinta Sirena and Sailor Studio 123) and 2018 was the “year of the Shimmer”, 2021 was the “year of caution”.

With the endless raw material and supply chain issues, its easy to understand why risk-taking, in stationery as well as other product development, was not prioritized over meeting demands for existing products.

Vanness Pens relocated.

I can’t imagine anything more stressful than moving an entire pen shop, unless you try to move during a pandemic. Our friends at Vanness Pen Shop have relocated their shop (still in Little Rock) to a facility more conducive to their largely online business. There is still a small storefront area if you happen to be in the Little Rock area but the good news is that their new space allows for more storage, packing and photography space to make for a better online shopping experience.

NockCo closed.

NockCo Seed A6 Case

For each business that may be flourishing (or at least surviving) during these unprecedented times, others take this opportunity to re-evaluate their goals. In the case of NockCo, Brad decided to close up shop on this business venture, at least for the time being. When he started NockCo with Jeff, there was not a lot attention focused on how we carry our tools in the modern age. Using materials from outdoor gear world, Brad and Jeff created durable, usable, everyday carrying cases for our pens and sundry items. Since then, other companies have recognized a need in the industry so, while we are sad to see the end of NockCo, there are still lots of options available in the world.

CW Pencil Enterprise closed.

CW Pencil Enterprise staff
Farewell photo of the staff at CW Pencil Enterprise.

The pandemic took another victim in the closing of CW Pencil Enterprise. The shop, a destination for any pen fan traveling to NYC, shuddered its doors this fall. The web site was closed for business soon after. There were many homages to the trail forged by CW Pencil Enterprise and its founder, Caroline Weaver. As many have said before me, I look forward to seeing what Caroline does next.

The Tomoe River Saga.

Image shamelessly lifted from The Gentleman Stationer.

Tomoe River paper, beloved by many in the fountain pen community was the subject of debate, hoarding and conjecture throughout 2021 as inventory of the original Tomoe River stock began to dry up and the “new” 52gsm Tomoe River paper started to appear in the market. Then the late breaking announcement that the Tomoe River paper making equipment was sold to another company has furthered the questions and speculations for the future of Tomoe River. As the saga continues to unfold, fear not! We will continue to review and post about the status of the new, new iteration of this beloved paper.

Prices went up.

Price increases for USPS start January 9, 2022 and are mostly on parcel shipping, not letter or postcard rates. These increases basically instate the increases faced through the holidays as permanent adjustments to shipping costs.

With worldwide shipping and sourcing issues, prices across the industry have been creeping up. Some have been more noticeable than others and, unfortunately, the trend appears likely to continue well into 2022. Some price changes were negligible (a dollar here or there added to the price of an ink or notebook) or quite noticeable like the steep increase in the price of Sailor’s Pro Gear line at the beginning of 2021.

Shipping rates, both domestically and globally, have been on the rise all year too. Remember, when ordering from online shops that offer free shipping at a certain purchase amount, that the shipping really is not free. The vendor still has to pay shipping charges and no matter how much product they ship per year, they are not getting a sizable discount from USPS or UPS. Those shops offering free shipping are taking the cost of the shipping from their bottom line. In the US, any parcel starts at about $3-$4 to ship, even if it weighs one ounce.  Don’t be surprised if, in 2022, minimum order requirement for free shipping creep up in an effort to spread the costs over larger purchases.

What About You?

What changes in the pen and/or stationery world did you witness? Did I miss a favorite new release or event in the pen world in 2021? What changes do you expect to see in 2022?

Editor’s Note: I had intended to complete this post before the end of 2021 but the more I researched, the more I wanted to include. While I am sure I forgot numerous notable moments, thanks to waiting a couple days, I was able to include many more than I had initially planned.

In feature, Ink Review, news

Ink Comparison: Kin Mokusei vs Apricot

Author Jessica ColesPosted on 2 Comments
Ink Comparison: Kin Mokusei vs Apricot

Sailor has made a dizzying number of inks, from standard black and blue to special editions that are only available under very specific locations. All Sailor inks have one thing in common, though – because they are high quality and (typically) amazing colors, they are usually in high demand.

While answering a question about Sailor Apricot recently, I tried to find a full history of the ink’s turbulent past but couldn’t find a clear explanation. So of course, I decided to write one.

One long-running ink line was the Jentle group. This line started with a group of six inks: Sky High, Ultra Marine, Peche, Apricot, Epinard, and Grenade (some include blue-black and black in this group as well).

However, in 2014, Sailor decided to update the Jentle line, with the subtitle Colors of Four Seasons. Four Seasons replaced the six inks with Miruai, Nioi-Sumiri,  Doyou, Souten, Oku-Yama, Yama-Dori, Shigure, and Tokiwa-Matsu.

Sailor Fountain Pen Ink - Doyou Sailor ink collection Write GEAR

While there were several inks that were close to the original Jentle inks, they weren’t quite the same. Sky High had been a bit brighter than the new Souten. Oku-Yama was pinker than Grenade. Miruai and Tokiwa-Matsu were both close to Epinard, but not quite. Nothing quite replicated Ultra-Marine and there was no equivalent to Peche (no one complained about that, however). But the one that everyone missed was Apricot.

Soon Sailor Apricot became a currency by itself. Orange-ink-loving individuals hoarded the color when they could. People would exchange small vials of the ink in secret for large amounts of money… well, I don’t think it was ever quite that bad. But it became impossible to find.

Luckily, in 2016 (approximately), Sailor released another eight inks in the Colors of Four Seasons lineup. These inks were: Sakura-Mori, Kin-Mokusei, Yuki-Akari, Irori, Waka-Uguisu, Fuji-Musume, Chu-Shu, and Rikyu-cha.

Sailor Four Seasons Jentle Ink New 8 Colors

Finally, Sailor answered the public’s need for an Apricot replacement.

Here’s a quick comparison of (approximately) equal colors between the Jentle inks and the Colors of Four Seasons inks:

But were Kin-Mokusei and Apricot truly equivalent? This was a question that obsessed many ink connoisseurs.  This has been debated many times in the past and is not in the scope of this article. However, I will examine this question in the future.

First, let’s finish the Sailor timeline of these inks.

2017 brought a surprising announcement – Sailor was rereleasing the original 6 Jentle inks! Finally, we could restock our Apricot shelves and complain about Peche again.

Sailor's Original Jentle Inks Revived! – Goldspot Pens

Image from Goldspot

At this point, Sailor switched gears from the 50mL jars on ink to the pretty but small 20mL bottles that now make up the Shikiori ink line. Sadly, this change meant that the price per mL jumped to nearly $1/mL (from $0.36 or $0.50 per mL), however, the bottles are easier to store next to one another.

The 20 Shikiori inks combine the Jentle and Colors of Four Seasons (1 and 2) inks with a few inks changed or dropped. The missing colors are Ultra Marine, Peche, Apricot, Epinard, Sky High, Grenade, and Fuji-Musume while new colors include Fuji-Sugata, Yozakura, Yodaki, Yonaga, and Shimoyo.

Shikiori 20mL bottles: Miruai, Nioi-Sumiri, Doyou, Oku-Yama, Yama-Dori, Shigure, Sakura-Mori, Kin-Mokusei, Yuki-Akari, Waka-Uguisu, Chu-Shu, Rikyu-cha, Fuji-Sugata, Yozakura, Yodaki, Yonaga, Shimoyo, Tokiwa-Matsu, Souten, and Irori.

So to summarize this look at one small section of Sailor ink history, I have laid out the various colors and line-ups. In the future, I would love to take a deeper dive into a comparison of the ink colors.

Please note with this chart – the dates are very approximate and should really only be used to create a general timeline. Inks were released and received at varying times depending on retailer locations and availability.

DISCLAIMER: I purchased the items for this review with my own money and all opinions are my own. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: Late Night Last Call Link Love

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Link Love: Late Night Last Call Link Love

I started this blog post this morning and thought, foolishly, that I would have time in the middle of the day to finish. HAHAHAHA! So, in the spirit of  my guilty pleasure drunk snack, this is the Late Night Last Call (Jalepeno Popper) Edition of Link Love. So, grab your favorite bag of snacks and enjoy the Year-End Wrap Ups and some potentially hot button posts.

Hope you have a grand (and safe) New Year’s Eve. See you on the flipside!

Year End Wrap-Ups:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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In Desk Set

Calendar Review: Himekuri Sticky Note Calendar 2022

Author Laura CameronPosted on 1 Comment

As I’ve posted before, I’m pretty specific in my calendar/planner needs. I’ll do a more in detail post next week about what I’ve decided to use for 2022 (I can’t believe we’re there!), but first I wanted to share with you a fun little calendar I got from Jetpens.

The Himekuri Sticky Note Calendars ($32.00) are made up of seven little stacks of what look like post-it notes. They are mounted on a sturdy cardstock back that actually folds nicely into a stand so that the calendar can occupy a place on your desk.  The calendars come in a variety of themes: cats, stationery, sweets, zoo and a few others. I purchased Memory which has a variety of gorgeous photos.

The calendar also comes with a memory booklet, where you can store your daily sticky images after you’ve removed them from the calendar. All the text is in Japanese, and I assume it provides more context to the photos, or bits of wisdom, quotes etc. There is a little room in the margins, so I might use mine to record my own thoughts of the week in short form.

Overall, I was really charmed by this little calendar. I’ve added mine to the bulletin board right above my monitor so I can see the week at a glance and enjoy the beautiful photos each week.

DISCLAIMER: I purchased the items for this review with my own money and all opinions are my own. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

My Favorite Home Office Items for 2021

Author AnaPosted on 6 Comments

When reflecting back on 2021, a year many of us spent working from home, I thought it might be nice to reflect on the things that worked — and the things that didn’t. While this post is not pen and ink related, I suspect a lot of folks can relate to the need to upgrade their home office — whether you were working from home or just spending a great deal more time at home.

Stuff that worked:

Standing Desk from Ikea

I didn’t think I needed an electric powered standing desk but I love it! Yes, Ikea has hand-crank models but do yourself a favor, if you’re considering a standing desk, spend the extra money for an electric powered model. First thing in the morning or late at night, cranking frantically to adjust your desk is not something you want to be doing.

Apple Music and AirPods Pro

After half-heartedly futzing around with Spotify for several years, I bit the bullet and switched to Apple Music. I am an Apple user through-and-through. While Apple Music isn’t perfect, I find it easier to make playlists, add new music  and even find new music. I don’t know why Apple Music is easier for me to use, it just is. I also OD-ed on podcasts using Overcast and a lot of videos on YouTube.

Rediscovering my Filofax

Thanks to some serious housekeeping and mutual enthusiasm over the Filofax from my pal Julia, I rediscovered my old Filofax and have been using it for notes and planning. Like many, my planning needs changed over the past two years. I have gone from working for the same company to freelancing to a new job all in the past two years, all while social distancing and often working from home. My planning needs have changed dramatically, as I’m sure its been for many other people. Switching to a system that allows me to quickly and easily add or remove pages and sections has made it a great new-old option for me.

Office Chair

I tried an assortment of different chairs over the past 18 months since the start of the pandemic and I had yet to find a good one. Like so many people, I grabbed whatever I could find at Ikea initially. As you’d expect, “any old chair” didn’t really work well. I tried a couple random purchases from Amazon and a kitchen chair without much better luck. But lo and behold, as I was planning this post, my DH rolled a secondhand Herman Miller Aeron chair into the office as my Christmas present. He was a little unsure if it would be a good gift but I love it! My chair is the small size, which, to some, will look a chair for a doll but when you’re only 5’4″ on a good day, most chairs are just too big. o, I’ve got my Goldilocks chair… finally.

Stuff that didn’t work:

I tried upgrading my lighting set-up for the blog with some of the more streamlined flat panel LED lights. Worst decision of my blogging career. I am sure that someone else could make them work but I tried recalibrating my set-up repeatedly and still had to retouch my photos to try to get more accurate color to no avail. One morning, practically in tears of frustration, I took the new slimline LED panels and buried them in the basement and reinstalled my giant fluorescent tube-powered soft box lights. While i was disappointed that I couldn’t get the LED panels to work to my satisfaction, reinstalling the old soft boxes was such a relief it was hard to stay too upset at the wasted expenditure.

Did your office set-up change over the last year or so? What has worked for you and what are you still fine-tuning?