In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Aurora Style Gemstone Aquamarine EF Fountain Pen

Author AnaPosted on 10 Comments

The Aurora Style Aquamarine Fountain Pen with extra fine nib is probably one of the most budget-friendly Italian pens. The pen price is $85 at the time of this review which is pretty reasonable. Aurora makes their own nibs so there is real appeal to being able to get an Aurora for less than $100, even with a steel nib.

The Style Gemstone line features three pastel colors that each feature smooth, glossy exteriors. There is another Style line called “Resin” featuring more jewel tones and traditional colors, that is specifically called out as using resin for the cap and body but nowhere could I find information that definitively confirmed that the Gemstone line used resin. If anyone can confirm the material used for the Gemstone line, please let me know in the comments.

The cap features an angled, flat surface with a chrome, disc shape that mimics the shape of the Aurora logo. The clip is a sleek simple shape in chrome and the band at the bottom of the cap is also chrome with “Aurora” and “Italy” engraved discreetly into it. The pen body is rounded and tapers into a cigar shape. The grip section is black and separated from the body by a chrome ring. The overall effect, with the solid pastel color, is very retro.

The pen is a snap cap which might take some getting used to, if you usually use threaded caps.

Because of the lightness of the materials, the Style is not a very heavy pen. Uncapped and unposted, with a converter, it weighs only 14gms. Posted, it weighs 22gms. The cap will post if you prefer a weightier pen.

From left to right: For size comparison: Aurora Style, Pilot Metropolitan, Kaweco Sport, Sailor 1911 regular size and Sailor Pro Gear Slim

The nib has a nice etched decorative line, the size and “Aurora” marked on it. Simplicity at its finest.

As much as I was drawn to the looks of the Aurora Style, it was the nib I was most curious about trying. How would a steel nib form Aurora actually perform? I was most surprised to discover that the EF nib had quite a bit of bounce to it. The nib is very smooth, right out of the box and I was able to use it both holding it below the baseline and overhanded (weird left-handed style).

A big stumbling block is that the Style does not ship with a cartridge converter in the box. If you are inclined to use bottled inks, you’ll want to add a cartridge converter ($16.50) to your order. Aurora uses a proprietary converter and cartridges. Parker cartridges will also work with Aurora pens but I couldn’t find any pen shops that would confirm that the Parker cartridge converters would which is a bit of a bummer because they are half the price of the Aurora converters.

So, the addition of the converter brings the Style price up to $101 which does make me reconsider the Aurora Style a little bit. At $85, it was easier to put the Style as a step up from TWSBI 580 at $50-60 but at $101, the Style is in that “over $100” range. For me, I suspect the Aurora Style is priced to be a competitor to the Pelikan M200/M205 which is priced around $130-150.  Where I had issues with flow from the entry level Pelikans, the Aurora Style worked fine from the box but I think the Pelikans look a little bit more high end than the Style does. However, I really like the look and feel of the Aurora Style and I like the nib of Style a whole lot better than my few experiences with Pelikan thus far.

For another perspective of the Aurora Style,  see the video review from Waski Squirrel on YouTube. He purchased the Aurora Style in Rose Quartz with a Broad nib.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

Product Review: ArtSnacks March 2017 Subscription Box

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment

Review by Tina Koyama

On top of all the usual excitement over the release of the latest ArtSnacks box, the March edition was a celebration: ArtSnacks’ birthday! For four years, this subscription service has been curating a monthly assortment of fine art and craft supplies to art material junkies like me.

The March box included two tubes of M. Graham & Co. watercolor paints (Terra Rosa and Titanium White Opaque), a Protégé Taklon Paint Brush by Connoisseur, a Koh-I-Noor Triograph 2B graphite pencil, and a small sample pad of Stonehenge Aqua Hotpress watercolor paper by Legion Paper. As a birthday commemoration, subscribers also received an ArtSnacks logo magnet, which I promptly put on my metal file cabinet. Of course, the box also included a snack – a piece of WarHeads Extreme Sour candy (which was sadly long gone by the time I took this photo!).

Having paints, a brush and watercolor paper in the same box meant that I could conveniently try out all three items at once. First, the brush: From images I saw on Instagram, subscribers received a variety of brush styles. I got a No. 5 round, which I’m very happy with because it’s a versatile size that works well in my small sketchbooks. The synthetic bristles snap back nicely, and it retains its point well. I used the Terra Rosa to paint a small pear, and I like the control I had with wide strokes of paint, as well as the fine point on the pear’s stem.

I’d heard that M. Graham paints were unique in that they contain honey to keep the pigments moist. I squirted out a bit more Terra Rosa onto my palette than I had intended because it has a very loose consistency that reminds me very much of honey. The paint is so intense and rich that I could mix in quite a bit of water without diluting the hue. I’m not familiar with this color in other paint brands, so I don’t know how the particular pigments contribute to the consistency, but it appears very concentrated. A little would go a long way with these paints!

The Titanium White Opaque wasn’t nearly as runny as the Terra Rosa. After my pear sketch dried completely, I added a dab of white as a highlight to the upper part of the pear, and it dried nearly as opaque as when it was wet.

I made swatches of both paints over some ink lines so you could see their opacity.

Now, about that paper. In addition to making the pear sketch above, I ran a few of my favorite drawing media over it – the Triograph pencil that came in my box, a traditional and a water-soluble colored pencil, a fountain pen and a brush pen. On the side of the paper that would be considered the front (if you think of the pad’s cover as the front), the surface is considerably more toothy than the back, which is much smoother and without a visible texture. You can see the difference, especially, in the pencil tests. (The pear sketch was painted on the back side.)

The front side feels a bit too rough for hotpress; I found it unpleasant under a fountain pen, which is often what I use for line work before painting. It’s really a two-sided paper – coldpress on one side and hotpress on the other! The paper’s substantial weight is not indicated on the sample pad, but I’d guess it’s at least 140 pound. The sizing is beautiful – I love the way water-soluble media wash out with a rich bloom.

(Out of curiosity, I compared it with the sample pad of Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress paper that I had received in a previous ArtSnacks box. The coldpress has a strong texture, as I’d expect, and it’s consistent on both sides.)

Of the items in the March box, I’m having the most fun with the pencil, which is a jumbo-size, triangular graphite. It’s the biggest graphite pencil I own, so I thought it was appropriate to take it out for a spin on National Pencil Day! (For the sketch below, I used the Plumchester sketchbook, which is one of my favorites with graphite.)

The 2B core is firm enough that it easily retains a point for details. At the same time, that extra-thick core held flat against the paper makes for fast, easy shading. I thought the chunky triangular shape might be unwieldy for drawing, but it is surprisingly secure. The core reminds me of a carpenter’s pencil, but the body is much more comfortable to use.

I like the lightly varnished natural finish and the lacquered end cap.

I scribbled with it on the Plumchester paper, gave the marks a finger smudge and erased with a Tombow Mono Zero eraser. Smudging and erasing were typical of a 2B core, and it felt similar in softness to a Palomino 2B and Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2B.

The Triograph does not fit in any sharpener I own (and I own quite a few). However, taking a knife to it was a prime opportunity to give that deliciously thick core a chisel point, which will be even more fun for the next sketch!

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.

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

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: Darkest before the Light

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments

We have not seen the sun in nearly eight days and I have come to embrace the London-like weather in Kansas City. We shall embrace the darkness. Clearly, last week’s post was premature.

  • Vertical Lace Pattern Washi Tape in Purple $3.50/roll (also available in green and blue, set of three rolls for $6.50) (via CuteTape)
  • Take What’s There Shawl Pattern €3.90 (via Ravelry)
  • Kokuyo Neo Critz Large Pencil Case – Navy / Light Blue $22 (via JetPens)
  • Aurora Blue Black Ink (45ml Bottle) $18 (via Anderson Pens)
  • Kiriko Edo Komen Card Set $32 (via Egg Press)
  • Sailor 1911 Standard Fountain Pen – Anderson Pens Special Edition, Peacock Pre-Order, ONLY 100 PIECES AVAILABLE! $245 (via Anderson Pens)
  • Lamy Safari Petrol fountain pen matt blue (2017 Special Edition) €19,90
    (€16,45 Outside EU) (via Fontoplumo)
  • Pelikan Edelstein Color of the Year Smoky Quartz Sale: $31.50 (via Pen Chalet)
  • CDT Graffiti Pad $3.50 (via Fresh Stock Japan)
  • Platinum 3776 Century Fountain Pen in Bourgogne $220 Special Offer $165.66 (via Pen Chalet)
  • INK Rollerball Pen (ON SALE! NO COUPON NEEDED 3/31-4/7) Starting at $70 (via Karas Pen Co.)
  • Platinum Citrus Black Ink (60ml Bottle) $25 (via Anderson Pens)
  • Copic Gasenfude Brush Pen $7.49 (via ArtSnacks)

Thanks to my sponsors for providing some of the images I use for Fashionable Friday. Please consider making your next purchase from one of the shops that support the blog and let them know you heard about them here.

Thanks for reading the blog and for supporting the shops that help keep it running.

In news

April is National Letter Writing Month

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments

Okay, gang! I know you’all get jazzed about InCoWriMo in February but letter-writing is not a once a year occurrence. Did you fall short in February? Did you lose steam? Did you not even know about InCoWriMo at all? Whatever the case may be, going back as far as 2001, the USPS made a statement that it wanted to expand its previous weeklong card- and letter-writing campaign tradition beyond the first week of April to the entire month of April. It hoped  to encourage school-age children to write cards and letters along with the rest of us by giving us a whole month to put forth the effort to put pen to paper.

In 2014, the Letter Writers Alliance documented that other dates have been chosen as of letter-writing significance. But let’s decide that April is as good a time as any to develop, hone or polish our letter-writing skills. Whether its dashing off a few Easter cards, writing some birthday wishes this month instead of just posting messages on Facebook or finding some like-minded friends to start up a correspondence with – take this month to do a little letter-writing.

One of the most inspiring things I heard this week that got me wanting to write was the podcast Nerdette interview with Tom Hanks talking about typewriters. Go forth, listen, enjoy and get to writing!

You also might want to consider the Egg Press and Hello Lucky collaboration project, Write_On Kit to help you stay motivated.

Write_On is a labor of love. Each year, we offer Write_On Letter-writing Kits because we believe in the power of letters to bring people together in a meaningful way. This year, we invite you to invest in Write_On too – by paying what you can for a kit – so that we can continue to supply you with the tools and inspiration you need to keep your letter-writing practice strong. We really couldn’t do it without you. Free kits are still available to those who need them, but please consider purchasing yours if you can. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

And don’t forget to check out the Think.Make.Share. blog which will be “getting serious” throughout the month of April with posts focused on letter writing, printables, inspiring stories and other excuses to use the tools you love. I love it when my day job and my night job cross paths!

The best thing about the April Letter-Writing Challenge is there is NO challenge. It’s just letter-writing month. You are not being challenged to write a letter every day or set some heroic goal. You can set a realistic, doable goal. Is it to just answer the letters from February? Or finally write those Christmas thank you cards? Maybe just send a couple sweet nothings to your spouse or your child so they get a real card or letter in the mail? Invite a couple friends over for a mini-letter writing social? Or give yourself an excuse to spend an extra hour at your favorite coffee shop and dash off a few notes to old or new friends.

Happy writing and don’t forget to use all those pens, inks and papers you’ve been collecting!

In Link Love

Link Love: Calligraffi-what?

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

Pens:

Inks:

Pencils:

Paper & Notebooks:

Planners & Organizers:

Other Interesting Things:

In Ask The Desk

Ask The Desk: Pen Show List and Nib Holders

Author AnaPosted on 3 Comments

Shane challenges:

According to my dad, in the olden days they had inkwells in their desks and practiced handwriting with dip pens in school.

Every dip pen I can find has a really sharp pointed nib, or a calligraphy nib. Does someone make a dip pen that has a nib more like a fountain pen nib, for extensive writing? I’d like a dip pen so I could use any color of ink I want for things like correspondence. I can dip one of my fountain pens, but cleaning them up afterwards is a chore.

Thanks for any help or ideas you might have!

There’s a whole history of trying to make a dip-less dip pen but once ballpoint pens debuted, they were abandoned. However, you can still find them on Ebay and at pen shows.

(From Penucopia)

You can get a custom-made nib holder as well. I actually have a “dip pen” for vintage Esterbook nibs. Shawn Newton made one for me but I know that similar holders have been made for other vintage screw-in nibs. Essentially its a nib holder with no ink reserve but since screw-in nib units have a feed and nib, they hold a good deal of ink — usually enough to write several lines or even a page. Thomas Hall had Shawn create a holder for his Morissett nib but he started out with the the classic dip-less set and started many of us on this path.

Or you could have a pen craftsman create a special holder that holds a modern nib unit just for the nib and feed without a cartridge or converter to allow you to just dip fill. This would work with several modern brands like TWSBI and Kaweco off the top of my head. If you are attending any pen shows this year, it might be something to ask a pen maker if they might make for you.

Finally, you could just dip your favorite fountain pen into ink and let the feed take up some ink rather than actually filling the converter or cartridge. It will slowly “run dry” and need to be re-dipped. Then clean the nib and feed when you are finished writing. I’d recommend removing the converter or cartridge to avoid having to clean that as well.

Sandi asks:

Do you know if there is a website with pen shows? I wish I lived near you…it would fun to attend but I’m in Ohio.

Anderson Pens has a very nice list of the 2017 Pen Shows with links to the show pages. It looks to be all the shows I know about including the Columbus show in Ohio. Maybe you can visit that one? Hope that helps!

In Link Love, news

News: Col-o-ring Release, Upcoming Pen Shows & Swatching Video

Author AnaPosted on 5 Comments

I did a soft launch of the Col-o-ring Ink Testing Books this weekend and thought, “Hey, maybe we might sell a few.” Um, wow. The response was amazing.

We sold out. In a day. I’m speechless.

We are going back on press this week and will be adding more to the shop throughout the week as they are available. Hopefully, there are other people who want books otherwise we will reprint my lifetime supply. That’s what I thought with the first batch but you crazy, awesome, amazing people bought them so we are taking a chance and printing more.

In the meantime, I made a short video demonstrating how I do my swatches. I am not at all experienced at making videos so please overlook the video quality. And the green hands… I had an ink accident prior to recording.

This is by no means the only way to do ink swatching. This is just the method I use. I love the technique that Mike from Inkdependence uses in his video. I included a link to his video in Link Love last Wednesday. There are many other methods as well. If you have a favorite technique, please leave a link in the comments.

In other news, Wednesday is the 250th episode of the Pen Addict podcast. I thought I might crash the party and help the boys celebrate. A little warm-up before the real party in Atlanta in a few weeks.

Speaking of Atlanta…

The Atlanta Pen Show is just THREE WEEKS away! Holy crapoly! I’ve got inks to swatch, Col-o-rings to make, pink hairs to dye and many, many blog posts to get prepped and ready so that folks who AREN’T GOING still have things to read.

For Attendees: You can find me at the Vanness Pen Shop table by day, and either the bar or the Waffle House by night. Unless, of course, its Saturday night, then I’ll be third wheelin’ for Brad and Myke and the Relay Con live recording of the Pen Addict podcast.

The Vanness Pen Shop will be stocking the Col-o-ring Ink Testing Books for the Atlanta Pen Show. Pre-orders will not be needed though there will be a limited number of books available. Hopefully, we will not run out.

If you’re not going to Atlanta: I’ll be sure to have regular content through the week and as many Instagram posts as I can cram in. I’ll be sure to include a wrap-up after the show if you’re curious about the details.

Other Pen Shows: Plans are to bring the Col-o-ring Ink Testing Books to Chicago, San Francisco and other pen shows this year as well. News as those shows get closer.

I promise, the blog is not turning into “All about Col-o-ring”. Stay tuned for our regularly scheduled content including reviews, Link Love and Ask The Desk posts about all the topics you love. I just need a day or two to catch my breath.