The Well-Appointed Desk

Sketchbook Review: 8 Random Sketchbooks (including HOT TAKES)

I recently realized I had accumulated quite a stack of sketchbooks to review. I was not sure the best way to present them so I decided to just review them altogether. There are EIGHT different sketchbooks from seven different companies and include different types of paper, binding methods, number of pages, price points and other variables.

Why review them together? Because when I am picking out sketchbooks, I am usually looking for some key features regardless of other variables. Specifically, I look for paper durable enough to withstand a variety of pen, ink and water tools (watercolor markers, some light watercolor, etc).

Will I reject a sketchbook if it doesn’t an elastic closure or gusseted pocket in the back? No. Am I less likely to buy a notebook again if it doesn’t lay flat? Maybe. Will I abandon or trash a sketchbook with crappy paper? Yes. Everytime.

I use sketchbooks like other people might use a regular notebook — except instead of random ideas written out, I will sketch out thumbnails for a potential new product, practice lettering and calligraphy, paint my lunch or a sleeping cat, write notes, test out new inks, glue down some random bits, etc. This means good paper is paramount. A lay flat binding is highly advantageous but if the binding is good (Smyth sewn or the like) then I can manhandle it until is does lay flat.

So, with these specifications, I decided to go ahead and include all EIGHT sketchbooks I currently have and use the same criteria to tests and compare:

fountain pen ink
watercolor test
various writing pens

The notebooks I tested are as follows:

Notebook	Size	Page Count	Paper Weight	Binding	Bonus features	MSRP
Stillman & Bern Alpha	90×139 mm (3.5×5.5”)	92 pages (46 sheets)	150gsm	Softcover		$11.95
Stillman & Bern Delta	90×139 mm (3.5×5.5”)	52 pages (26 sheets)	270 gsm	Softcover		$11.95
Leuchtturm 1917 Sketchbook	92×150 mm (A6)	96 page (48 sheets)	180 gsm	Hardcover	Two ribbon bookmarks, elastic closure, guested pocket	$17.50
Mossery Sketchbook	136×193 mm	70 pages (35 sheets)	224gsm	Spiral	Elastic, gusseted pock front & back, ribbon bookmark, notebook canoe removed and replaced, included inktober info	$28.50
Viviva Colors Cotton	147x210mm (A5)	40 pages (20 sheets)	300gsm	Hardcover	Flat pocket in back cover (2021 Inktober Edition), included inktober info	$20.00
Clairefontaine Goldline	148x210mm (A5)	30 pages (60 sheets)	180gsm	Hardcover	Pencil loop, elastic closure	$15.25
Maruman Soho Sketch	182x257mm (B5)	100 sheets	96gsm	Glue bound pad		$18.00
Shinola Sketchbook	203×235 mm (8×9.25”)	112 pages (56 sheets)	100lb (approx 160gsm)	Hardcover	Elastic closure, gusseted pocket, ribbon bookmark	$30.00

The chart above is organized by size with the smallest A6 (3.5×5.5″) books first then A5, B5 and the largest at 8×9.25″. The chart lists most sketchbooks by their European sizes as I suspect most readers are fairly familiar with A5 size (roughly 5.5×8.5″ for those unfamiliar) and A6 is essentially half the size of an A5.

The paper weights vary from 96gsm all the way up to 300gsm but just because a paper is very heavy weight did not mean it was better. The papers also had different textures as well, from very smooth to very rough.

In terms of color, the paper color is also an array from a bright white to a deep ivory.

Sketchbook paper color comparison — From left to right: S&B Alpha, Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook, Maruman Soho Sketch, Shinola Sketchbook, Clairefontaine Goldline, S&B Delta and Viviva Colors (I did not include the Mossery)

The sketchbooks I tested also had an array of binding and cover options. What this allowed me to do is establish that I don’t really care about the binding or the cover material as long as the paper is good and the overall sketchbook is durable. I prefer a hard- or softbound book over the spiral or pad. I find that pads do not have durable enough covers and thee pages may fall out when I least expect it. Though pads do make it easy to remove pages for hanging, scanning or burning, whichever the case may be. Hard or softbound sketch books, when bound well, can bee used “across the fold” for a larger format that is harder to do with a spiral bound. Spiral bound are the easiest to fold open but the rings can get in the way for some people.

Hot Takes:

So, let’s cut to the “which is your favorite.” Here is my ranking:

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Hero 330 with Fude Nib

AnaJuly 9, 2021July 7, 20216 Comments

Review by Tina Koyama

Around the time that I had discovered the reasonably priced Moonman S1 fountain pen with a fude nib, I noticed another, even less expensive fude: the Hero 330 ($4; available in dark red, dark green and black). After some so-so experiences with other inexpensive Heroes years ago, I have hesitated about the multitude of fountain pens that this Chinese manufacturer produces. But I reminded myself that many receive favorable ratings and reviews, and maybe I had just gotten duds. At $4, the 330 was worth a shot.

The first thing that attracted me was its retro, Parker-like appearance (Ana makes a similar comparison with the Hero 329). Made of plastic and metal and weighing 14 grams, it is a lightweight, comfortable pen to hold and use.

Also catching my eye was the hooded steel nib, which suits the slender pen body and style. It is gently curved instead of sharply bent as some fude nibs are.

Important to me is that the posted pen is well-balanced, since that’s the only way I use any capped pen. More critically, the pull-off cap posts securely (otherwise, all would be lost, especially the cap).

When I unscrewed the barrel and disassembled it, I was surprised to see that it uses a squeeze converter. I didn’t read the specs or view the detail images on JetPens, so I was expecting it to have the more common twisty converter. The squeeze converter fits with the retro style of the pen’s body, I suppose, but I’m used to syringe-filling all my converters, so this one threw me. I even tried pulling the bladder off to see if I could syringe-fill it that way, but it doesn’t come off. Needless to say, filling it squeeze by squeeze seemed endlessly tedious compared to a quick syringe. In addition, dipping the nib into an ink bottle was messy business – I had to wipe a lot of ink off the hood.

Messy as it was, the 330 fude was finally inked up with black Platinum Carbon ink, and I was ready to take it out for a ride. I had a project in mind – sketching the contents of my sketch kit – with line drawings that I would color with watercolor pencils, and the 330 seemed like a good choice.

And it was a good choice! I was pleasantly surprised by how well the nib behaved from the first mark I made (I took a chance – no test scribbling first) in my smooth Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook. The smooth, responsive nib never once skipped or blobbed, and it behaved as beautifully as my much more expensive fude nibs. The only exception is seen in the closeup below of my ear plugs. I reversed the nib, which I do when I want the finest line possible from a fude, and the line was a bit shaky in places.

The “Field Notes” lettering and the heavy lines of my glasses below show the fude’s widest marks.

Happy with the sketch, I finally gave the 330 a few test scribbles to see its full range of line widths (scribbles made in Maruman Mnemosyne Notepad). Used upside-down, the line was scratchy and inconsistent, but not intolerably so.

As I know from some other inexpensive pens I’ve used, quality control and consistency may be an issue, so I can’t vouch for the one you might get, but I got a winner. The nib has a remarkably good range of line variation. I love this fude – and what a price!

Other sketchers who know I like fudes often ask me for recommendations. This inexpensive Hero is one that I would like to recommend to a fude newbie because of its price, terrific nib and familiar body type, but two things would hold me back: One is the filling mechanism, which might be OK for an experienced fountain pen user, but I would never recommend it to a fountain pen newbie. The second is the possible inconsistency in quality. I would give this one to a newbie (and I might) – but I would hesitate to tell that newbie to go get their own. But at 4 bucks, it’s probably worth the gamble.

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.

Tina 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, Paper Review

Paper Review: Lennon Toolbar Egret Paper

Jessica ColesJuly 8, 2021July 8, 2021Leave a comment

Today I have another new paper to show – Egret 65gsm paper from Lennon Toolbar.

I purchased a pack of Egret paper (A5, 80 sheets for $10) from Alex at Shigure Inks several weeks ago and have only now been able to post a review. Shigure is sold out of this paper at the moment, but make sure to sign up for a restock notification so you can grab a pack!

Lennon Toolbar is only known to me as an ink company so far, and I was very curious to test their paper. Any company that loves ink should make paper that is great for that ink. Egret paper comes in two sizes – A5 and A4. The 80 sheets of loose-leaf paper are packaged in a cardstock-weight envelope.

The packaging is minimal – perfect for protecting the pages though.

Egret paper is the same tone as the Tomoe River paper from Sakae (the top notebook in the pile below) and slightly whiter than Cosmo Air Light paper (the notebook on the bottom is CAL from Musubi).

The paper itself has a very interesting texture. Egret paper is toothy – it slows down the pen stroke when writing. I would compare it to how a microfiber cleaning cloth seems to grip your hand if you brush it.

Egret paper also feels rather soft – somewhat like an old cotton t-shirt.

Here’s the reverse side of the same page:

Due to the toothy feel when writing, shading is amazing on this paper and dry times are faster than usual.

The paper also shows off sparkly ink beautifully.

The toothy texture does have one downside – when writing too quickly, some nibs may not keep up.

Strangely, with each of these tests, I didn’t specifically test for sheen! I did go back and add a sheen test at the bottom of the page, using Bungubox Sweet Love Pink. This ink sheens on most paper but not all. I added 5 drops of ink to the paper, spread it out a bit, and allowed it to dry. So, Will It Sheen?

The only sheen was a thin halo around the ink blob.

As a side note, the ink can be seen on the reverse side of the page, but absolutely no ink bled through.

Lennon Tool Bar Egret 65g – A5 Blank 80 Sheets

DISCLAIMER: I purchased this item with my own money. Please see the About page for more details.

In Link Love

Link Love: Lego My Typewriter

AnaJuly 7, 2021July 7, 20212 Comments

The weeks surrounding the Independence Day holiday are usually pretty quiet in the pen community. Bloggers take a much-deserved week off and all our fine compatriots are busy tending to mosquitos bites and making copious quantities of iced tea and lemonade to stay cool. This will all change in a couple weeks when August can be seen on the horizon and plans to get kids back-to-school and adults start focusing on the fourth quarter which is when we see a surge of new supplies, inks, planners and preparations for the holiday season.

I don’t mean to sound jaded and I’m not. Back-to-school is my favorite holiday. I’m sure you’ll agree there is nothing more full of potential and optimism than a new notebook or brand new package of pencils or crayons.

Last week, we posted about the Clutterbug organizational system and how it might be applied to planning. So, if you too, are raring to get “back-to-school” this is a great time to consider which planner or planning style might work best for you so that when new 2021/2022 planners are released, you know what to look for.

In other news, Tina appeared on an episode of Art Supply Posse this month. Robert Oster is celebrating FIVE YEARS of making awesome inks (he is THE man for blues!). The USPS is celebrating 50 years as an independent agency. The Pen Addict reviewed the Platinum Procyon and came to similar conclusions that I did. The Typewriter Revolution reviewed the Lego Typewriter. And we’d like to introduce you to a new pen-related blog: A Stationery Voyage. (Never fear, the requisite cat and Star Wars posts are included. Hope you love them!)

Have a great (short) week!

Oh, one more thing… the Independence Day weekend was also our Ollie-versary. It’s been one year since this giant ginger cat showed up on our porch and stole our hearts.

We need each other. Please support our sponsors and affiliates. Your patronage will let them know you appreciate their support of the pen community. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In photo

Yarn + Ink Palette: Refreshingly cool summer shades.

Laura CameronJuly 6, 2021July 6, 20211 Comment

Wow those Tuesdays-after-Monday-holidays hit hard don’t they? I was out of town this weekend and got home yesterday afternoon and in a flurry of all those chores (grocery shopping, laundry, and all the rest) I just didn’t get to play with pens and ink.

So I’ll leave you with a little cool and refreshing ink palette inspired by my latest spin (dyed by Apothefaery Luxury Fibers):

The inks:

In Planners & Organizers

Meshelle: The Cricket Planner

AnaJuly 2, 2021December 21, 20224 Comments

(Crickets) love visual simplicity and organizational abundance (micro solutions). You prefer your everyday used items hidden out of sight, but you do tend to pile items until you can put them away properly. You are a classic organizer in every way.

As a classic organizer, Crickets are the people for which planners were often designed for.

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A post shared by MeShelle Scott (@meshellescott)

Our resident Cricket Meshelle (the manager of Skylab Letterpress — she keeps the wheels on that particular bus oiled and on-time!) is the quintessential Cricket. She utilizes spreadsheets like a pro but is also creative (it’s possible to do both).

Her personal aesthetic is polished and minimal. Her organizational systems are equal to this. Meshelle loves Halloween and she often goes all out decorating for the holiday so being a Cricket doesn’t mean that you have to go full minimalist. But Crickets are considerably more likely to keep their possessions pared down to what is important to them and then organize and compartmentalize all the detritus.

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A post shared by MeShelle Scott (@meshellescott)

Meshelle’s favorite planner at the moment is the Field Notes 56-Week Planner. It is minimal but somewhat compartmentalized with lots of lines to keep text neat. Most of the planning she does is for work so the Field Notes Planner has the right minimal aesthetic for her while providing her with plenty of space to keep all her to-do’s — and no fussy pre-printed designs to get in the way of getting down to business.

Some Crickets may prefer greater micro-organizational options like a Bullet Journal or Theme System Journal. Other options might be an Erin Condren Life Planner (or better yet, her new Focused Planners) or other similar options. A Jibun Techo might be good for a Cricket who wants to use time blocking in their planning. If your focus is on goal setting, the MiGoals or Purpose planner might be good options.

Crickets will be most likely to seek out “the perfect planner” but remember that the key is to find a planner that fits your needs or can be easily tweaked to fulfill your needs. Crickets may often pile or postpone organizing until they have time to “do it right” which can lead to piles and inevitable chaos which can create stress. So, the best advice for Crickets (and really, anyone) is to be okay with “good enough”.

If you have not found “the perfect planner”, Crickets might want to consider purchasing a fully customizable planner like the Golden Coil or Agendio. With some pre-planning, Crickets can custom build a planner that meets their needs exactly the way they want.

Some Crickets may benefit from having more than one planner in order to micro-organize information — a larger, specific planner for work and then maybe smaller, portable planner like the Hobonichi Weeks for personal info and even a separate journal to keep as a diary. If multiple planners seem “too much”, Crickets might skip a work paper planner and rely on a digital system for business and use their paper planner for personal project tracking, notes and lists to keep down the clutter.

Crickets might wish they could use a super embellished Traveler’s Notebook (or employ the multi-notebook system utilized by our resident Bee) but a planning system with more structure may be better suited to the personal organizational temperament of a Cricket.

If the planning system requires too much time or effort, Crickets are inclined to postpone planning until it can be done “perfectly”. I advise Crickets avoid the Bullet Journal Instagram rabbit hole– that way lies madness and planning indecision while you ruminate on the perfect layout, lettering and color scheme. Remember to embrace simplicity and “good enough” so that you can utilize your planning or notebook to stay on task without getting distracted trying to find “the perfect system.” (Really, I think that’s good advice for all of us, don’t you?)

In feature

Jesi: The Bee Planner

Jessica ColesJuly 1, 2021July 1, 20213 Comments

Ana spoke in her post about a lightbulb coming on for her once she saw her results from the clutter bug quiz. When I took the quiz, I felt like my past organizational efforts and failures made sense.

The result of my quiz was, unsurprisingly, a bee.

BEE:

You love visual abundance along with organizational abundance (micro solutions). You prefer to see your everyday used items and you need really functional storage or you tend to pile items until you can put them away “properly”. Bees are very visual and tend to be perfectionists. Learn more here

Learning about this organizational type, I was able to see why past efforts into creating a tidy office had failed – I need to see all items that I use on a daily (or weekly) basis, or I tend to forget about the task or lose the item. Also, as a perfectionist, I often wait until I have the chance to organize it perfectly. Of course, that chance never comes and things end up in piles everywhere.

I love micro-organization. Unlike Laura’s Butterfly organization, once things are stored in that clear container, I tend to organize further inside it.

But this is also my downfall. I can organize any kind of collection, drawer, closet… but I often get overwhelmed. I learned through the clutter bug quiz that I needed to take a two-step approach to organizing. The first step is macro organization – putting items in general categories; the second step is micro-organizing each category.

I also learned that I need to see items. The switch to storing stuff in open shelves, clear containers and clear drawers was amazingly helpful – I finally felt like items were organized rather than stuffed in a box to be forgotten.

Applying this to planner style, it makes sense that I’ve found the Hobonichi Cousin to be most helpful – I can lay out information in several ways in this planner while keeping with my macro- and micro-orginizing routine.

As a note, I’m using a mostly blank planner. 2020 and 2021 have been bad years for filling in planners…

Near the front of the planner is a spread with 6 months to two pages. At the beginning of the year, I fill this up with holidays, birthdays, pen shows – any event that takes place over one full day or longer. This helps to give an overview of large chunks of time and I use it heavily when trying to see when we have time for trips or vacations.

The planner has plenty of space on the 2 page monthly spread to keep track of the schedules of my family of 6 – I use a multi-color pen to give each person a separate color. The monthly page is where I keep things as neat as possible so it remains easy to read.

The weekly spread in the Hobonichi Cousin is one item that I have found lacking in most other planners. During the school year, seeing activities over a full week allows us to plan carpools, work schedules, meal lists and other acts of juggling.

I use the A5 sized daily page to jot down notes, make lists or doodle. One of my favorite tricks is to keep Post-It notes nearby and stick them on the correct date when I can.

When I’ve used planners that only include a monthly spread, I haven’t had room for all the details needed. Planners without a weekly spread get too cluttered when planning out meals and those without a yearly spread have me planning a family trip too close to a pen show! Chaos. This planner lets me put everything in daily pages, organize it neatly for the monthly pages, keep track of the big picture with a yearly spread, and juggle the flow of life with the weekly spread. I can see everything and keep it all in one place and by placing paper clips on each layout, I can quickly flip back and forth between the spreads.

I hope this helps any fellow Bees out there!

Hot Takes:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things: