The Well-Appointed Desk

Colored Pencil Review: Camel 36-Color Mini Pencil Set with Elastic Case

The Camel 36-Color Mini Pencil Set with Elastic Case ($40) is a tiny package full of cute, colorful sticks of fun. By fun, I mean colored pencils. These colored pencils are rounded square shaped and arrive in a paperboard box that closes with an elastic strap. The box, when closed, is about the same size as a standard Traveler’s Notebook, making it the perfect companion to your journal.

The exterior of the pencils are a soft matte black and the rounded square shape make them comfortable in the hand (even for being so small) and unlikely to roll off the table. Each pencil is numbered with the color and the inside of the box includes a list of color names that correspond with the number. I would have preferred that the ends of the pencils were color dipped for easier identification but I understand the aesthetic choice for all-black. It just makes for a lot of hunting to find the right color.

The pencils inside are diminutive in size (8.5cm or 3.34″).

Compared to a full-sized Prismacolor, it’s clear to see just how small the Camel pencils are.

The pencil core is visible from the unfinished end of the pencil. The core is much smaller than a Prismacolor core but that will make these pencils better for detail work.

The set of 36 colors includes approximately 3 purple/violets, 6 blues, 6 greens, 5 reds, 4 oranges, 3 yellows, 4 browns, black, white, neutral grey and a metallic gold and silver. The white is, like most colored pencils, best used as a blending tool rather than a highlight white as it is not very opaque.

When compared with Prismacolor for blending, the Camel pencils are not as soft and blendable, particularly on paper with any tooth or texture. However, because of the smaller core, it’s much easier to use the Camel pencils for small details or even to write.

I liked that the Camel pencils are about the same size as my travel watercolor tin making them extremely portable — with or without their box.

I was a little concerned about sharpening them but the square shape means that they fit into a standard-sized pencil sharpener. I used my Staedtler 2-hole sharpener and the Camel pencils sharpened just fine.

These are probably not artist-grade, fade-proof, top quality colored pencils but for everyday coloring, journaling, doodling fun, they are an adorable set. If you are looking for a last-minute gift for the artist or artist-at-heart, this set of colored pencils would make a delightful gift.

I originally received my set from the now-defunct Fresh Stock Japan but my dearest friends at Wonder Fair in Lawrence, KS (LFK!) are carrying them and would be delighted to ship them to you or your loved one ASAP.

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

In feature, photo

Eye Candy: Rose Gold

Jessica ColesDecember 3, 2020December 3, 2020Leave a comment

By Jessica Coles

This time of year turns me to thinking about sparkly things and pens are part of that. One of my favorites is rose gold things. Ana and I were talking about rose gold the other day when the idea of a matching ink came up. What kind of ink is good with rose gold?

Well, as I pulled out the pens in my collection that I consider either rose gold or copper (since rose gold is rose due to the addition of copper), I noticed that they fell into three basic groups. Orange under tones, Brown under tones, Pink undertones.

Orange undertones (left to right): TWSBI Smoke and Rose Gold 580AL, No Name (pronounced noh-nah-meh) pen, Conklin black and rose gold, Waldmann Tuscany Rose Gold, Y-Studio Classic.

For the pens with orange undertones, here are a few ink options:

The Brown under toned pens (left to right): Nemosine Rose Gold, Caran D’ache rose gold 849, Lamy Rose Gold, Platinum Nice Pur, Copper Schön Pocket6.

Inks for pens with Brown under tones:

Pink under tones (left to right): Kaweco AL Sport Rose Gold, PenBBS pink, Kaweco Apple Pencil sleeve, Uniball Signo Angelic Red

Inks for the Pinks:

In Link Love

Link Love: Holiday-Adjacent

AnaDecember 2, 2020December 2, 2020Leave a comment

The holiday shopping season is officially underway and Link Love reflects the arrival of all things holiday-related: from “The Child” hot cocoa to snowflake Field Notes. If you need a holiday idea, a video to make you smile or shipping information, hop down to the Holiday-related section.

I have one more week of teaching before the winter break. Hopefully, that means my posts will start being a little more prompt. Don’t hold your breath.

But, to all my knitters, enjoy some notebook and yarn pairings. We should do this more often.

Post of the Week:

Colorways (via Field Notes)

We all need each other. Please support our sponsors and affiliates. They help keep this blog going. Without them, we would not have products to review or a server to house our content. Your patronage of their shops, services and products 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 feature

Shop Updates

AnaDecember 1, 2020December 1, 20201 Comment

We are making so many new things right now for the shop. Not all of them are ready yet but some things are en route, some are well into production and others are at the tips of our fingers but we have been so busy packing orders that we haven’t had a chance to put the finishing touches on them yet.

Shipping:

Rubber Stamps and notepads are available in both our Big Cartel and Etsy shop. International shipping is available through our Etsy Shop only. Be aware that, to meet postal deadlines, orders must be placed by:

First Class Package: Ship by December 18th.
Priority Mail: Ship by December 19th.
First Class Package International, and Priority Mail International: December 7th (Deadline has passed for packages to arrive in time for Christmas for Central America, South America and Africa).

New Rubber Stamp Ink Pads:

I am a reseller of Ranger Archival ink pads ($7 for full-sized pads) since this summer but, due to the pandemic, Ranger is having a terrible time keeping up with demands. As a result, I have expanded my ink pad offering to Tsukineko Staz-On ink pads ($9 each) as well.

The Staz-On pads have a plastic inner liner under the lid to help keep the stamp pad from drying out and each pad comes with two small stickers for labelling the ends of the stamp pad containers if you file them on their ends. Very Japanese details.

As a result, I have a few pads in color and black from Ranger and some red and blue from Staz-On. Both are great waterproof and archival stamp pads.

I also have the Staz-On All-Purpose rubber stamp cleaner available now too. It’s designed to work with the permanent inks which tends to dry quickly onto the stamps and will eventually cake up making your stamp a bit mushy and indistinct. So, stamp cleaner is pretty handy. I would try to figure out how to make my own but this is reasonably priced and comes in a nice spray bottle ($4.50) or dauber bottle ($5) which is very handy so it’s just as easy to buy a bottle.

We are also carrying one water-soluble rubber stamp ink pad: The Tsukineko Brilliance Moonlight White ($9). I got this for entirely self-serving reasons because I like to stamp all the outgoing boxes and some of our mailing boxes are kraft colored and this opaque white sings on the kraft brown. It will also look great on colored paper. Just remember, it is water-soluble so plan accordingly.

Rubber Stamps Back in Stock:

Thanks to the hard work of Paper Pastries in LA, I’ve been able to restock all of the nib stamps (The Daily Grind and The Unfamiliars)($11 each) as well as Ink Bottle ($14) and Sample Vial ($13) stamps. Paper Pastries stamps are gray rubber instead of the red rubber that I was getting from my previous vendor but the quality is top notch! I will be continuing to work with Margaret at Paper Pastries through the end of the year until my stamp manufacturer recovers from their fire.

Did I mention our latest Star Wars edition?

I know it’s not Wednesday but I still have Star Wars to talk about. You probably already know about our Rebel Plans and Imperial Orders and maybe you’ve seen our Do or Do Not addition. But we couldn’t stop there. Nope. Now we have our Stay on Target pad as well. They all use the same fountain pen friendly paper found in all our notepads. The Stay on Target pad feature 7mm lines because this was Bob’s baby and he writes with a big ol’ crayon-like 1.1mm fountain pen these days and insisted on wider line spacing. We used the same 7mm line spacing for the Do or Do Not pad to leave space for those all-important checkboxes.

All notepads feature 40 pages and are $8 each.

What’s Next:

I want to tell you all about what we have coming but I’ll keep it a surprise. I hope you’ll like them. Follow us on Instagram for regular updates.

In Art Supplies

Review: Boku-Undo E-Sumi Watercolor Palette

AnaNovember 30, 2020November 28, 20201 Comment

Review by Tina Koyama

In late September as I geared up for InkTober, of course I inked up a few favorite fountain pens. But I also picked up a few new things to keep it fresh and challenging (you can see them in my inky previews here). One was a Boku-Undo E-Sumi Watercolor Palette (set of six $17; single colors $3 each). Since I fully embraced colored pencils, watercolors have not been in my regular sketching arsenal for years, so I thought these paints would be nothing more than a novelty. I was so wrong! They nearly took over my InkTober.

According to the product description, Boku-Undo colors are “made with a combination of traditional sumi ink* and colorful dyes.” The six “shadow black” shades in the palette are, indeed, mostly black with a hint of hue. They evoke the “off-black” shades of some gel pen inks. (Swatches below made in a Col-o-ring Oversize.)

One of the many challenges of using watercolors is that it’s difficult to get intense blacks and other dark hues, but these inky paints make it easy. I find it especially fun to make values studies with varying dilutions of color. (Still life below made with greenish-black on Canson XL 140 lb. watercolor paper.)

Seattle’s Smith Tower is one of my favorite buildings (and where my spouse guy and I were married a few decades back). I made this anniversary card with bluish-black (Canson XL 140 lb. watercolor paper).

For my daily InkTober sketches, I continued my series of hand drawings, and that’s when I really fell in love with Boku-Undo. Typically with watercolors, I get wimpy washes, but not with these – the washes are as rich and dark as I want them to be without much effort. I love pairing the inks with a Uni Posca Paint Marker with a brush tip for highlights. I used a notebook containing colored, coated pages that made the ink bead up – a surprising effect that I like! On the blue paper below, I used bluish-black. On the yellow page, I used reddish-black.

Perhaps my only problem with Boku-Undo is wondering what they really are. Traditional sumi is made of soot that comes in a solid form and must be slowly ground with water to make a liquid ink. It’s conveniently sold as a liquid ink, but I’m pretty sure traditional sumi masters would frown on using that. (Grinding your ink patiently and meditatively is part of the process, said my instructor at a workshop I once took. The workshop was only one day, and we must have spent half of it grinding the ink.) These Boku-Undo look and behave just like pan watercolors, so they aren’t traditional sumi, either . . are they painty inks or inky paints? No matter. Boku-Undo are a ton of fun.

*Editor’s Note: Sumi inks often contain carbon soot, pine tar and animal glues. These can be corrosive to dib pen nibs and other materials. DO NOT, under any circumstances, use Sumi inks in your fountain pens.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. This review also includes affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. 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

Black Friday Weekend Sales

AnaNovember 27, 2020December 1, 2020Leave a comment

It’s that time again. The official launch to the holiday shopping season lovingly known as Black Friday. There’s also Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Though, this year, I think it’s all “cyber” shopping for most folks.

So if you are trying to make a wish list, find gifts for friends and family or just “treat yo’self” here’s a quick list of pen shop savings and deals.

Our Sponsors:

JetPens is offering 10% off a curated collection of their best black merchandise. There’s over 400 items to choose from and this offer lasts through Dec. 23, 2020 or while supplies last.

Pen Chalet is offering 10% off with the code BLACK at checkout. Additional items will be discounted items throughout the weekend! Pen Chalet is also hosting giveaways and random orders will receive one of our “Gift Packs” at confirmation.

Pen Boutique is offering a range of awesome deals for Black Friday including upt to 50% some items, mystery bags and more. Full details will be listed here. Offer is only good through the end of today.

Appelboom in The Netherlands have special deals available all weekend.

Fontoplumo, also in The Netherlands, is offering a generous 20% discount during Black Friday until Cyber Monday. Use the code BF2020 at checkout. The discount is valid on most products and the offer is valid until midnight of next Monday (Fontoplumo time: CET / UTC +1).

Vanness Pen Shop is offering 10% off all weekend. Discount is automagically applied at checkout. Now through Sunday. And they are offering a surprise gift with all orders placed Thursday and Friday.

Karas Kustoms has released several limited edition “Ultra Black” models for Black Friday. These are in limited supply so check them out and order fast (no discounts available for these). Other products are discounted 20%. Use the coupon code BF2020 at checkout to receive 20% off your order (Some Exclusions apply*). This coupon is valid through November 30, 2020.

*Coupon Exclusions include: November $100 Dollar Bundle and Black Friday Ultra Black Special Releases (Ultra Black Speed-Groove Bolt V2, Ultra Black GroovEDK V2, Ultra Black INK V2 Rollerball, Ultra Black Retraktable Mechanical Pencil)

Goldspot Pens has lots of specials available including Gift Sets and Bundles, Coupons and Discounts, and exclusive products.

Other shops:

Milligram is Australia is offering 20% off storewide for Black Friday.

Baron Fig is offering 25% off everything (Wed-Sun). Use the code BF20 to claim this deal.

Pencils.com is offering Blackwing Deals* (now through Monday 11/13) at a range of price points:

Free Blackwing Stickers with every order.
Free US shipping on orders of $25 or more.
Free Blackwing 602 pencil with every $10 spent.
Free screen-printed Blackwing tote bag with orders of $75 or more.

*(while supplies last)

Kenro Industries is getting into the Black Friday spirit with discounts of up to 60% in their Sample Room. Choose from YStudio, Montegrappa, Aurora or Esterbrook pens.

Goulet Pen Company is offering a November Specials section and a free (30ml) bottle of Monteverde Gemstones ink with select pens.

Art Snacks is offering 30% off all orders in the Shop and on the first month of a subscription (for you or as a gift). Use the code CHEER30 at checkout. The holiday sale ends on Monday, November 30th, at midnight EST.

The Journal Shop in the UK is offering 20% off everything and special discounts all weekend (through Nov. 30, 2020).

Our friends at Bertram’s Inkwell have all sorts of sales and deals:

Deals For All Four Days:

Receive an additional 11.27% off everything (yes, this is on top of our already discounted prices)
Orders over $125 get a mystery gift pack worth $25
All fountain pens come with a free bottle of Monteverde ink, all other pens come with a free pack of Monteverde refills
Monteverde Ritma Fountain Pen/Ballpoint Sets are $60

Friday’s Deals:

All Lamy Pens come with one free pack of Lamy brand refills (black or blue)
Buy any Pineider fountain pen, get a free Snorkel filler
All Monteverde, Conklin, Diplomat, Tibaldi, and Stipula Fountain Pens get an
8oz bottle of Monteverde Pen Flush

Saturday’s Deals:

Free Platinum Preppy or Pilot Varsity with all orders $25+
Buy any Visconti Fountain Pen, get 1 free bottle of Visconti brand ink
Buy any Lamy 2000, get a free Lamy Safari Ballpoint

Sunday’s Deals:

Buy any Platinum pen (except Preppy and similarly lower priced pens), get a Platinum Prefounte free
Lamy Holiday Gift Sets get an extra discount

Monday’s Deals:

All boxes of pencils come with one free sharpener
Paper orders over $50 get a surprise bonus pack of paper
Buy a Leuchtturm1917 journal, get a Free Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop

Late Additions:

The Gentleman Stationer is offering 10% off your order from the TGS Curated Shop using the coupon code “GIVETHANKS”! Offer is good through Sunday, November 29 at 11:59pm ET. And remember that all orders over $75 receive free shipping.

Cult Pens in the UK is also celebrating Black Friday with a whole host of deals. All deals are whilst (such a charmingly British expression) stocks last – so don’t wait too long. They are also hosting giveaways every day and on Black Friday itself we’ll announce details of how 3 lucky followers can win their Christmas wishlist, worth £150, plus lots more goodies on offer too. Check their social media for details on the giveaways.

Lemur Ink is offering 15% off your entire order (excluding TWSBI) through Monday night at 11:59pm EST and free shipping on orders over $20. Enter code “BF2020” at checkout to take advantage of this deal.

Nibsmith has a whole host of deals running now through Cyber Monday including 10% off on all standard priced items including featured urushi and maki-e pens. Other offers can be combined with most promotions except where noted. Does not apply to Sailor, TWSBI, or clearance items. Deals end Dec 1 at 12:01am (Nibsmith time).

Shameless Self-Promotion:

Skylab Letterpress is offering 20% off total order ($15 minimum) now through Dec. 5, 2020. Use code TURKEY20.

The Well-Appointed Desk Shop is also offering the same deal as Skylab. Receive 20% off your whole order when you spend $15 or more with coupon code TURKEY20. Now through Dec. 5, 2020. This coupon will also work in our Etsy Shop.

If you find items you want to order that are listed in both the Skylab shop and The Desk shop, please DM us to create a custom listing. Or leave a note in the order that you’d like to “combine orders” and we will refund the shipping overage.

I’m sure I missed some great sales so check with your favorite online retailer for deals today. Remember to join their newsletter list which will shoot these deals directly to your in box.

Also, remember that this is going to be an online shopping heavy holiday so be sure to shop early for delivery by Christmas (or holiday of your choice).

In Link Love

Link Love: The One I Forgot to Post

AnaNovember 26, 2020November 26, 20201 Comment

By the time this post goes live, we will have recorded the annual Pen Addict Podcast Gift Guide episode. (It actually went live yesterday but in the haze of post-recording, I completely forgot to post Link Love. Oh, the shame!) I’ve lost track of how many years I’ve been invited to participate in this event but I am so glad they still ask me to be a part of it. I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoy recording it.

Look for a Black Friday Post tomorrow listing all the deals I could find. In the meantime, check this out:

Sneak Peek of Uppercase 48. Subscribe by Dec. 7 to receive this issue!

Pens:

Types of Pens: How to Pick a Pen with the Right Ink (via JetPens)
Review: Jinhao 601 Vacuumatic (via Comfortable Shoes Studio)

Ink:

Holiday 2020 Inks (via Mountain of Ink)
Kala Nostalgia Neon Foxy (Neon Pink) (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
Robert Oster Choc Pudding (via Mountain of Ink)
Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai Sabimidori (Rusty Green) Ink: A Review (via The Pen Addict)
Birmingham Pen Company’s Electron (via Inkdependence)

Pencils:

My Favorite Pencils for Left-Handed Writing (via The Pen Addict)
Vintage Colored Pencils: Eberhard Faber Colorama (via Fueled by Clouds & Coffee)

Notebooks & Paper:

Notebook Review: The Scribes Crosby Journal (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
Made Thought on the tactile design of G. F Smith’s latest collection featuring over 450 different paper stocks (via It’s Nice That)
10 Best and Most Unique Sketchbook and Notebook Brands for Designers (via My Modern Met)
Recollections Guided Journal Review (hybrid bullet journal / planner) (via All About Planners)
Journaling: where Pen & Ink meet Paper, promises eternal bliss! (via Inked Happiness)

Typewriters:

Typewriters, pens, pins, and more. (via Writing at Large)
The Typewriter Revolution blog: Analog College (via The Cramped)
Never (Again Shall I) Scorn the Humble Silver-Seiko Portable Typewriter (via oz.Typewriter)

Other Interesting Things:

When Central Camera had a record label (via Dave Hoekstra)
Typodarium 2021 – Tear Off Type Calendar (via slanted)
Creative Boom’s top picks for 2021 calendars by artists and designers (via Creative Boom)
The packaging for reMarkable 2 is entirely made from paper, a first for screen products (via It’s Nice That)
Daily Cat Drawings: Artist Wants To Adopt A Cat So Bad, She Signs Up For A 100-Day Cat Meme Drawing Challenge (via Design You Trust)
What’s In My Pockets: Star Wars Stormtrooper EDC(via Carryology)
Nakabayashi Lifestyle Tool Wall Box Review (via The Pen Addict)
Five Surprisingly Practical Uses for Washi Tape (via The Gentleman Stationer)

We need each other. Please support our sponsors and affiliates. They help keep this blog going. Your patronage of their shops, services and products 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!