In Link Love

Link Love: Planners & Pen Shows

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Planners & Pen Shows

Back from San Francisco and just in time to launch ourselves head first into planner season. Hobonichi did their official 3-day rolling kick-off this weekend which may have been missed by many in America as it coincided with our Labor Weekend festivities. JetPens will get you up to speed with their Planner recommendations.

Hobonichi Techo 2020

If you missed the SF Pen Show or want to relive the highlights, I pulled out some of the links from this week into their own section, including the Pen Addict Podcast recap where Brad, Myke and I relive our favorite moments, as well as some great photos from Kelli at Mountain of Ink and a massive haul from The Poor Penman. Now we know why he’s poor.

SF Pen Show Recaps:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

In Paper Review

A Review of Two Notebooks from Nero’s Notes

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
A Review of Two Notebooks from Nero’s Notes

Stuart at Nero’s Notes (through the help of his lovely assistant Clare) sent over two plain notebooks for me to test out. The Fa Vo Plain in Vanilla and the Poach My Lobster Notebook (Lobster). I specifically requested plain notebooks because I like to be unencumbered by lines, grids or dots. Somedays I write, somedays I draw, somedays I do both and mostly if I do have lines or dots, I ignore them anyway so why bother with them in the first place? I know that I am among a small audience in my preference for plain notebooks but I can speak to the quality of the paper, binding and overall quality of the notebooks, as for the line or dot quality… you are on your own.

Poach My Lobster Notebook wrapped

Poach My Lobster Notebook wrapped back

Poach My Lobster Notebook foil

The Poach my Lobster notebook (£8) features a bright blue cover made from G.F. Smith’s Colorplan 270gsm cover weight stock with a textured emboss. The cover is foil stamped with a big red metallic lobster and dotted lines. The graphic is bright and engaging. Inside, the notebook features 128 blank pages of Italian Fedrigoni Arcoprint Edizioni Avorio 100gsm warm white paper (that’s a mouthful!). The book’s overall dimensions are 202mmx128mm, which is slimmer than a standard A5.

Poach My Lobster Notebook Spine

The Poach My Lobster notebook does have four stitched signatures wrapped with the card stock cover but there is a lot of glue holding the “perfect bound” cover in place making it necessary to force the pages to lay flat. The stitching can handle the abuse but the book is not going to look as pretty once you have worked the glue loose and the book will definitely need a cover or elastic of some sort to keep it closed afterwards. The detail of actual stitched signature is good though, in spite of all the glue.

Poach My Lobster Notebook writing 2

Poach My Lobster Notebook reverse inside

Poach My Lobster Notebook writing 1

Poach My Lobster Notebook reverse

In writing tests, the Poach My Lobster test did well with about 50% of the fountain pen inks I tried. The paper is slightly toothy making it great for slick gel pens, colored pencils and graphite. Some markers did well but others feathered. Despite the feathering, there was not too much trouble with bleed through. If you favor gel pens, fine fountain pens, pencils and the occasional marker, this paper is quite nice. The warm ivory color is pleasant.

Fa Vo Vanilla Notebook

Fa Vo Vanilla Notebook back

The Fa Va Plain (which is also available in a dot grid, £11) features a completely unadorned cover. On the back is a blind debossed “FA VO” centered at the bottom. The cover is heavy cover stock at 350gsm. The cover has a subtle sand speckle to the paper. The interior paper is 100gsm recycled fiber with a natural, unbleached white color to it. There are some flecks in the paper that suggest it’s recycled quality.

Fa Vo texture detail

Fa Vo stitching detail

Fa Vo Notebook spine 2

The Fa Vo notebooks open completely flat to show off the sewn spine binding. The Fa Vo did not require nearly as much effort to get the book to lay flat since the stitched spine was not buried in glue.

Fa Vo Notebook writing 2

Fa Vo Notebook reverse 2

Fa Vo Notebook writing sample 1

(Ink or pink hair at the bottom of this photo? You decide!)

Fa Vo Notebook reverse

When testing recycled papers, there is a much greater likelihood of feathering and bleeding since the paper has been beaten, shredded and reprocessed making the fibers even more porous. This means that the paper is may only be good for pencil and maybe oily ballpoint ink and liquid fountain pen ink might be a challenge. The Fa Vo surprised me by performing above average with drier fountain pen inks. Some inks feathered a bit but the overall results were comparable to the Poach My Lobster notebook. Even though the paper is recycled, its a bit whiter in color than the Poach My Lobster notebook and the notebook is a little larger too.

The Fa Vo notebook is closer to traditional A5 dimensions at 205x145mm. Actual A5 size is 210x148mm. I accept a little undersizing for trim but 20mm is quite a bit of compromise on the Poach My Lobster notebook when I put it in my A5 leather notebook covers. There was an excessive amount of wiggle room.

Since both of these notebooks feature card stock covers and more than a Field Notes’ worth of paper, I do think it is nice to be able to keep them in a cover of some sort. The Fa Vo is much more in keeping with standard A5 sizing while the Poach My Lobster notebook is the same width as Moleskine large notebook (210x130mm) just a few millimeters shorter in overall height. So, if you already have a cover that accommodates a Moleskine notebook you won’t have any problem working with the Poach My Lobster book. Based on price, the Fa Vo is a little more expensive but it is larger and uses recycled paper and a more complex binding which all warrant a higher price. The Poach My Lobster notebook has a blingy cover and a warm ivory stock. Both will be excellent with pencils and standard pens and will provide mixed results with fountain pens but if you’re willing to experiment, may provide interesting creative results for drawing or lettering.

Nero’s Notes is offering a special affiliate code for anyone who purchases products from The Well-Appointed Desk. This offer puts a few pennies in our coffers which helps us continue to support Art Supply Posse and it’s endeavors for the creative community.

In Ink Review

Ink Review: Krishna Overcast Deep Lilac

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment

Review by Laura Cameron

Ana has been keeping me stocked in purples to review. Recently, she brought me a bottle of Krishna Overcast Deep Lilac (20mL, $6.00) all the way from the DC Supershow. This was actually my first experience with Krishna inks, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect!

Overcast Deep Lilac is a somewhat muted dark blue purple. In certain lights it reminds me of more cobalt or indigo than purple.

Overcast Deep Lilac is part of the Super Rich series, which is designed to provide vibrant but consistent color throughout. So if you’re looking for color-changing or super sheening, you’ll have to look outside this series. I do note that there’s some nice shading in heavier applications, though you probably won’t see too much of it if you’re using a finer nib.

Like I said, I was surprised how blue this ink really is. I really don’t have too many good inks to compare to it in my stash. The lighter parts are fairly comparable to J. Herbin Violet Pensees, which is somewhat blue as well. I also pulled out Robert Oster Summer Storm. Summer Storm is considerably grayer, but has that somewhat muted/matte tone to it.

I think in general, I prefer the redder purples (and you can tell if you take a look at my Col-o-dex!) but this is a nice purple if you’re looking for something that leans blue. It was smooth writing and dried quickly and did give a consistent color that’s easy to read. And Krishna inks are affordable and fun!

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Paper Review

Notebook Review: Leuchtturm 1917 Academy Pad

Author Laura CameronPosted on 2 Comments

Review by Tina Koyama

An unusual notebook came my way in the Urban Sketchers Symposium swag bag: a Leuchtturm 1917 Academy Pad. From the outside, the A5-size notebook looks identical to other Leuchtturm notebooks (the traditional notebook is one of my favorites; I’ve used many as my journals and DIY planners), with a standard elastic band and hardcover. (Ana has reviewed the Bullet Journal version and the sketchbook.) And even when you open it and touch the paper, you might think it’s the same as usual (in fact, the paper weight and surface texture are the same as the traditional notebook).

The difference is that the 60 sheets are glue-bound and easily removeable without perforations. It’s not a notebook – it’s a pad disguised as one. I received a blank-page one for sketching, and it’s also available ruled.

Inside, the gusseted pocket is not in back as you’d expect. It’s in front, containing the usual Leuchtturm accessories: indexing labels and a writing guide sheet.

In back, I was surprised to see that the whole pad can be removed. Yes, it’s apparently refillable (though I didn’t find refills on Leuchtturm’s site). Since the pages are meant to tear out, it makes a lot of sense to offer refills so that the sturdy cover can be reused.

The glue binding allows all pages to open completely flat.

Although I’m familiar with Leuchtturm’s paper and usually use fine fountain pens and gel pens with it, I threw a bunch of other media onto it to test, including a few water-soluble ones. As expected, the sizing is not appropriate for water-soluble media (the first three tested), so washes looked pale, and the paper buckled permanently. The paper also started pilling quickly where I swiped it with water. But most other writing media and brush pens felt smooth, and nothing feathered.

The back of the sheet reveals that the Sharpie bled through (as expected), and the Derwent Paint Pen showed a few spots, too. The rest fared well, though the paper’s opacity allows most inks to ghost.

Since the pages pull out easily, I can now discard the test sheet if I want to, and the book looks new!

The Leuchtturm product information indicates that this pad would be a good choice for notetakers who want to later rearrange their pages (in a binder or folder, perhaps) or pass along the notes to someone else. I probably wouldn’t use it as a sketchbook, since I prefer to keep my sketches bound permanently, but it would be ideal for use during a portrait party. (What – you’ve never attended one? Each participant is paired up with another for a limited time until everyone has drawn everyone else. Then the portraits are all arranged on the floor in a grid – great fun! The first time I did it was during the symposium in Brazil; it was a great activity for people from many countries who didn’t always share the same language but understood sketching and laughter.)

(Leuchtturm 1917 is a long-time sponsor of the International Urban Sketchers Symposium.)

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, Pen Review

Pen Review: Yookers Felt-tipped pens

Author Jessica ColesPosted on 5 Comments
Pen Review: Yookers Felt-tipped pens

By Jessica Coles

Just before I left for the San Fransisco Pen Show, I was browsing through new pen products on various retailer sites (yes, I know I was about to go to a pen show, but I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t miss anything new). I came across Yookers pens on Pen Chalet’s site.

Besides having a name that forces you to smile each time you say it, the pens were fascinating. Felt-tipped pens that used fountain pen ink. Obviously I needed to find this pen at the show and I did at Yafa’s large table.

I loved gel pens and felt-tipped pens all through my childhood and I was constantly searching for more colors. There were never colors enough to satisfy me. But this pen can do all of the colors!

The Yookers felt-tipped pens are available in a surprisingly large number of choices and combinations: plastic or metal, various colors, patterns, and four different tip sizes. Here are the two that I picked up. On the right is the plastic Yookers Yooth pen (MSRP $12, $9.60 at Pen Chalet) which is also available in blue and white. The left pen is a Yookers Metis (MSRP $53, $42.40 at Pen Chalet) also available in Grey Brushed Lacquer and Black Grid on silver.

Each pen style is offered with any of the four tip widths: 0.8mm, 1.0mm, 1.2mm, or 1.4mm. Replacement tips are available – $8 for plastic pens and $17 for metal pens (MSRP). They are expensive relative to the pen because the replacement tips consist of the entire section. You can’t just pull out the tip and replace.

The plastic pen is approximately the size and dimensions of a Lamy Safari while the metal pen is smaller. Both versions post nicely and feel good posted or unposted. Metal pens have screw caps while the plastic pens’ caps pull to open. Metal pens include a converter while plastic bodied pens include a cartridge.

So how do these pens write?

Very well! I filled a converter with ink for each, installed the converter in the pen, and before I finished closing the ink bottle, the tips were saturated and ready to go. Neither pen ever skipped or ran dry although occasionally the ink would start to look slightly lighter. If I gave the pen a slight shake, the color returned to normal – I’m not sure if this was because I was writing quickly or if I had started writing as soon as I inked them.

So what happens if you want to change colors? If you ink up with black ink, does that lock you in for the life of the pen (or at least that tip)? I had inked the larger 1.4mm tip size with Aurora Black, thinking that would be a fair ink to test the ease of cleaning. Above is the inked tip. Below is the tip after rinsing under running water for 1 minute.

Rinsing brought the pen back to completely clean! Writing with it after the cleaning process showed that no ink was left in the tip – only water. I would recommend letting the tip dry after rinsing before using the next ink – otherwise, you will have a watered-down version for a while.

Disclaimer: Some of the items in this review were provided for free for the purpose of this review. Other items in this review were purchased by me.  For more information, visit our About page.

In Link Love

Link Love: Midwestern Tornado

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Link Love: Midwestern Tornado

I’m running a little late today because I got to participate in recording a follow-up episode of The Pen Addict this morning which recorded later than usual. I had to work it in to my regular schedule which is still a little janky since returning from the San Francisco Pen Show. All the details are in the episode. Things will settle down for a few weeks though until the Pelikan Hub which is just a few days before the Dallas Pen Show in September when I’ll spin up again like a midwestern tornado. Then I should settle in for the winter. Until then, enjoy a late summer dollop of links from around the globe.

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Paper & Notebooks:

Art & Creativity:

Photo by: Walter Chandoha

Other Interesting Things:

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Esterbrook Estie Cobalt Blueberry

Author Laura CameronPosted on 10 Comments
Fountain Pen Review: Esterbrook Estie Cobalt Blueberry

Review by Laura Cameron

Ever since the Esterbook Estie came out, I’ve been wanting to get one. However, the original colors didn’t scream “Buy me!” so I figured I’d wait until I saw one that did. This past summer the Cobalt Blueberry (I’ve also seen it called the Blueberry Ice) screamed loud and clear. And so one came home with me!

The Estie is a made of resin, in this case a blue and white resin, that gives it a marbled look. The Estie comes with an logo printed Jowo steel nib and is available in XF, F, M, B or 1.1 Stub. In my case I opted for a Fine nib. Finally, the Estie comes in two trim options: silver and gold. For the icy blue, I preferred the silver trim.

 

 

One of the things that intrigues me the most about the new Esties is the MV adaptor (sold separately) that allows you to use vintage nibs in your modern Estie. I haven’t tried it yet, but I hope to soon!

So far, I have to say that I’m enjoying the Estie quite a bit. It’s a bit larger than the pens I usually use, but I still find it comfortable to hold and write with. The nib writes smoothly and firmly and the ink flows well through the feed system. I am quite sure I can’t say anything more profound than Jesi on the subject of the Estie.

 

Overall, I’m really glad I added this one to the collection.

There are still a few available, and of course the next big thing is Honeycomb!

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.