The Well-Appointed Desk

Notebook Review: Nanami Café Note B6 Slim Grid

I love when I’m stationed close to the Dromgoole’s tables at pen shows. Inevitably, I find things I cannot do without. When I saw that they had the Nanami Café Note B6 with 3.7mm dashed grid ($20), I couldn’t resist trying it out.

The Café Note comes with a heavyweight matte white paper wrap over the actual cover of the notebook. Under the wrap is a brand-free burgundy heavy cardstock cover with a woven texture embossed into the paper. The pages are stitch bound (the line of stitches up the spine is visible under the burgundy wrap, if you angle the book just right in the light) which allows the book to lay flat. I did find that the first page, which is glued to the end pages does not open flat but with 384 pages of Tomoe River paper (52gsm lightweight), I can overlook this.

The Café Note features a diminutive 3.7mm grid which is printed in light grey dashed lines. The paper is the white Tomoe River. While it’s not bright white, it is a good natural white. It should not alter the color of your inks dramatically nor strain your eyes from staring at paper with a 97% brightness rating.

As with other Nanami notebooks, a pink blotter sheet is tucked inside the back cover to help with the slower dry time of Tomoe River paper.

The notebook is a compact B6 Slim size (176mm x 110mm, approximately 7″ x 4.3″). The size the same as the standard “Shinsho” books, the second most popular book size in Japan, also known as “Slim B6”. Shinsho size is used primarily non-fiction books. The most popular book size is A6 which is called “Bunko” and is used mostly for fiction. These compact, portable book sizes were created for commuters in Japan.

This size format is not one I’ve used in the past and I was surprised how much I liked how the book felt in my hand. The beefy page count makes the Café Note about the same size as a paperback book.

The photo above shows an A5 notebook on the bottom with the Nanami Café Note next and a paperback on top for scale.

The photo above shows just the Nanami Café Note and the A5 notebook for reference.

Since the Nanami Café Note was acquired during a pen show, it immediately fell victim to pen tests, doodles and drunken scrawls. When I pulled it out to write this review, I decided use these pages as part of the review. Enough has been written about the merits of Tomoe River paper at this point that another laundry list of pen tests is not really necessary.

As you can see from the above photos, the notebook appealed to everyone who picked it up to use it.

My biggest takeaway from using the Nanami Café Note is two-fold: Nanami notebooks are some of my favorite Tomoe River notebooks. Their simplicity, brand-free aesthetics and generous page count make them my first choice when I need a new Tomoe River notebook. Second, I really like the B6 size. I will be looking for more notebooks in this size.

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.

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: ystudio Weight of Words Resin Fountain Pen in Red

AnaApril 9, 2020April 13, 20208 Comments

When I saw the new ystudio Resin fountain pen in red ($71.99), I was at the Baltimore Pen Show. Cary from Kenro Industries had just told me that they would distributing ystudio in the US and that the Resin fountain pens are new and would be one of the first models they were bringing in to the country. The pen has this beautiful matte finish, and a wonderful hex-shape and Cary was called away by a customer. I stuck the pen in my pocket and crossed my fingers that Cary would turn a blind eye to my slight-of-hand.

For the next day and half, I showed the pen to a ton of people at the show and the after-hours events, knowing full well that I would eventually have to give it back without knowing exactly when the pens would arrive in the US. After waiting and waiting, the Resin fountain pens are here! They are available in the same deep burgundy red that I saw in Baltimore as well as white and black.

The packaging is matte paperboard with a paper wrap and an information pamphlet. It was tucked into a cello bag. It is protective and completely recyclable. Inside the pen was one standard international cartridge.

The Resin fountain pen has a crisp hex shape that tapers down to a rounded grip section in brass. The details on the pen are brass, including round dots on the end of the cap and body. The nib is in matching gold-tone steel by Schmidt. The cap is a snap cap and it easily posts.

The Resin fountain pen is a medium size pen. It’s 5.5″ long capped and 6.5″ posted. Uncapped, the pen measures 5.0625. The resin is light so the pen only weighs 22gms capped and filled and 19gms uncapped.

The ystudio Resin fountain pen is understated in appearance, but it feels so nice in the hand. IF you liked the finish of the Lamy Safari Dark Lilac or Petrol, the finish is similar but smoother. It’s balanced, comfortable and unique. The pen is also reasonably priced. It does not, however, come with a converter so be sure to add one to your order.

Tools:

Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
Pens: ystudio Resin Fountain Pen in red with fine nib ($71.99)
Ink: Troublemaker Grapevine ($12 for 60ml bottle)

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

In Link Love

Link Love: (Week Three Quarantine)

AnaApril 8, 2020April 8, 2020Leave a comment

Since sheltering at home is the new reality for so many of us, I know a lot of folks are tired of reading about it or even thinking about it. I tried to keep all the even-marginally Shelter-at-Home/Coronavirus links in their own section this week which I title “Keep Yourself Entertained.” However, our new reality is permeating everything, so it was hard to isolate all the posts.

What I did choose, I’ve tried to keep entertaining and educational. There are creativity classes, coloring pages, journaling ideas, subscription boxes and a beatboxing video that I highly recommend. If you have musically inclined kids at home, they might like the beatboxing video too. Everyone will be trying to say “boots & cats” all day afterwards.

And of course, sheltering at home is a perfect time to finally swatch all your inks. Check out the absolutely glowing review that Jaclyn at Inkpothesis wrote about out new Col-o-ring Dippers. And don’t worry, we’re making more!

Giveaway: Baron Fig Work/Play III

Laura CameronApril 7, 2020April 7, 202072 Comments

In the past, Ana has reviewed the Baron Fig Work/Play limited edition. Well today we’ve got a Work/Play III ($20), generously sent to us by Baron Fig, for giveaway!

The Work/Play editions are designed to balance work and play. On the left side of every page is dot grid, and on the right side is blank paper, allowing for both structured and unstructured use. This hard-bound notebook has an embossed cover, matching front/end pages and 192 pages of 90gsm white paper. Finally there’s a ribbon bookmark to be sure you can keep your place!

Let’s get to the giveaway part!

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell me what stationery item you’re using most right now. 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 the monkeys some time.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Friday April 10, 2020. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday, April 13. 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 7 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.

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Apuntes Medium Hard Cover Notebook- Piso Beige

AnaApril 6, 2020April 6, 20201 Comment

The Apuntes Medium Hard Cover notebook in Piso Beige ($19.50) is made in Mexico City. It features 90gsm ivory paper and 200 plain pages. The book has a paper-wrapped hardcover and is approximately B6 (172mm x 108mm / 6 3/4 x 4 1/4 in). It’s also available in other covers and dot or lined (school-style).

The Apuntes notebook has an elastic closure. I don’t utilize these a lot on a day-to-day basis but when I put a notebook in my bag, I do like to be able to close the book if I don’t have another cover for it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Keri Smith’s Wander Society and the idea of having a sort of ready-to-go sketch/writing kit. This notebook is in that sweet spot. It’s not too small and not too big to fit into a small bag along with a small collection of pencils and pens so that I can have a readymade sketch kit for a hike/walk in my neighborhood.

There is a little gusseted pocket in the back which, I’ve noticed is not featured in any of the Tomoe River notebooks but is often in the other notebook brands. It would be a perfect place to tuck receipts, leaves or other little tidbits.

I tested out an assortment of pens, pencils and brush markers and the paper is smooth with just a tiny bit of tooth. It’s slightly toothier than Rhodia but a similar creamy color. Since the pages are stitched it does lay flat but since the covers are glued I had to work the covers a little to loosen the glue to get the pages to lay flat.

There’s a little showthrough but not so much that I couldn’t use the opposite side of the page. There was no bleedthrough though. The fountain pens I used did not feather at all. Bonus!

All-in-all, this is a delightful little notebook. The matte finish paper cover is understated and the ivory pages are easy on the eyes. The paper texture is that sweet spot — not as slick as Rhodia but not as toothy as Midori Cotton. The price point is a little higher than some but its a good quantity of pages and fountain pen friendly from a small maker.

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

In feature

Taking It One Hand at a Time

AnaApril 3, 2020March 30, 20204 Comments

by Tina Koyama

My Leuchtturm weekly planner is eerily empty. As a mostly retired introvert, my calendar is never overly full, but it hasn’t been this blank since seventh grade. Jazzercise on Mondays, yoga on Wednesdays, an Urban Sketchers meetup every second Fridays – all gone for the foreseeable future (thank goodness the trash pickup is still on Thursdays, or I’d lose all my weekly markers).

A week or so after Washington State’s (and the US’s) first COVID-19 deaths became public, my anxiety level was ramping up as fast as the infection curve. Drawing always takes my mind off other things, so I wanted to keep going with my usual sketching habit, but I was having difficulty focusing. Nothing grabbed my eye, and I kept fussing about which (of my admittedly vast supply of) art materials to use. I needed something to draw that I didn’t have to look for or be inspired by first. One morning I simply grabbed a Bic ballpoint that I had last used during InkTober and started drawing my own hand (which happened to be “handy”). It worked: The act of focusing on the drawing calmed my agitation so that I could move on to other tasks.

Over the next few days, I drew my hand each day. When I shared the sketches on social media, I joked that I had become more aware than ever of my hands, squeaky-clean but increasingly chapped as they were.

I know that many writers and other creatives start their day by writing “morning pages” in the Julia Cameron tradition. I decided that drawing my hand every morning would give me the same kind of daily focus I needed to get through this global disaster. It gives me a bit of structure on my empty calendar. Like writing morning pages, it clears my mind while also giving me time to reflect if I’m ready to. Sometimes the act of sketching shakes loose some thoughts that are worth following up, so I end up journaling afterwards.

For now, I’m sticking with simple materials so that I can grab any paper without worrying about whether it’s compatible. A favorite notebook has become one by Shizen Design that Ana gave me a while back. It contains five bright colors of paper bound into one book, and the thin paper seems to do best with ballpoint and pencil, so I get an easy color fix without fuss.

Take care, everyone, and wash your hands. Please share in the comments how you are getting through each day. You can follow my daily hand sketches on Instagram.

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 Ink Review

Ink Review: Colorverse Goldspot Special Edition Aurora Borealis

AnaApril 2, 2020April 2, 20204 Comments

According to the Goldspot web site, the colors created for the Colorverse Aurora Borealis special edition set ($36 for a two-bottle set) were inspired by the colors of the Pilot Vanishing Point Twilight & Crimson fountain pen.

In the larger 65ml bottle is Solar Wind, a bright, clear water blue. The smaller 15ml bottle is Magnetosphere is a deep violet purple.

In writing tests, Solar Wind is light and bright and Magnetosphere is a deep violet. Both do not appear to have any sheeing, and there’s a little shading in Solar Wind but Magentosphere is too dark to shade much.

In straight color comparisons, J. Herbin Bleu Azur and Sailor Jentle Yuki-Akari are the closest in hue and value. MontBlanc Mile Davis is more indigo blue than the slightly aqua of Solar Wind.

Comparing Magnetosphere to other inks reveal that Noodler’s Purple Martin is probably the closest match. Waterman Tender Purple is more violet blue but sheens. Colorverse Joy in the Ordinary Delicious Sleep is a little bit lighter.

The real treat with this set is that Aurora Borealis was designed specifically to be mixed together. To best show the range of colors that can be created with Solar Wind and Magnetosphere, I decided to make a loose watercolor using the two inks. With spatters, washed and a dip pen, I blended the colors.

Depending on the ratio of colors, the range is pretty lovely. Adding water creates lovely washes of color as well.

There’s even some sheening as a result of blending the colors.

If you are just looking for inks to fill your pens, these are lovely colors but there are less expensive options. If you’re looking for a set to experiment, paint and blend to create your own colors, then this is a lovely set.

Tools:

Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 7mm guide sheet, Canson XL Cold Press Watercolor
Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Shawn Newton Esterbrook Nib Holder with #9668 nib
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Brush: Silverwhite Round #2, Princeton Neptune Round #4 & 1/4″ Liner
Ink: Colorverse Aurora Borealis Solar Wind & Magnetosphere Special Edition for Goldspot Pens ($17 for 50ml bottle)

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

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Keep Yourself (and Your Family) Entertained:

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