In Art Supplies

Watercolor Review: Boku-Undo Gansai Aurora Palette

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment

Review by Tina Koyama

I always say (to myself and others) that I’m not a sheeny, shiny, glittery gal (I’ve only ever purchased one bottle of shimmery ink, and I gave it away soon after). Obviously a liar, I recently found myself craving some sheeny, shiny, glittery watercolors. The Boku-Undo Gansai Watercolor Palette in the Aurora colors (6/$14.75) looked mouth-watering.

Before I plant my face into the sheen, I thought I’d mention that I’m already a fan of the Boku-Undo mini palettes of unique watercolors. The E-Sumi palette I reviewed a few years ago are a lot of fun to use when I’m in a dark mood. While the e-sumi palette is subdued, the Aurora set is on the opposite end of the scale: It’s all about the dazzling light.

The set includes (from left) gold, silver, red, green, blue and purple. I used both my scanner and my phone to photograph swatches in direct daylight on black and white papers. Each time, the swatches look very different! 

On white paper, the shimmer is apparent in direct light, but the hues are difficult to differentiate and even seem to change. I’m not sure they are worth using on white paper. 

On dark paper, however, the effect is entirely different. The sparkly, metallic particles glow on black paper. I rubbed a finger across the dried swatches, and some sparkly flecks smeared a bit like powder.

It was obvious that I had to make a test sketch on black paper, so I used a black Stillman & Birn Nova sketchbook. And I had just the right reference photo to use! During the summer months when the sun doesn’t go down until 8 or 9 p.m., my spouse guy and I take after-dinner walks through the neighborhood to enjoy the light. The gorgeous “golden hour” is too brief to sketch on location, so I snap a lot of reference photos to sketch from later (like the long, dismal winters when the sun goes down at 4). The photo I used wasn’t as dark as my sketch appears, but the low, warm light gave everything a lovely glow. 

Whatever gives these paints their sparkle also makes them thicker than typical watercolors. I applied them fairly thick to retain as much concentrated shimmer as possible, and they felt a bit creamy rather than watery.

Oooh, these paints are fun on black paper! I have fully embraced my inner glitter gal.

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 Link Love

Link Love: Meet Me in St. Louis?

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Link Love: Meet Me in St. Louis?

Tomorrow I head out for St. Louis for the pen show. Will you be there too? If not, I hope you are having a wonderful summer and maybe I’ll see you somewhere else in the future?

Until then, have fun with this week’s links including Mike of Inkdependence’s entry into our #21PenQuestions project.

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

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In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Grape – Limited Edition

Author Laura CameronPosted on 12 Comments

I don’t know precisely why I love my TWSBIs as much as I do. Sure there’s the fact that they’re sort of modern, tech-y looking with the see through barrels, and the piston filler. There’s the fact that my TWSBIs almost always start on the first go, and don’t run dry unless they are literally out of ink. The, ECOs, of which I have three, are incredibly reasonably priced so they make great entry-level fountain pens. They provide a nice, if not exceptional, writing experience. They’re available in a ton of different nib sizes. Ok… I guess I’ve given myself a few reasons.

Despite really liking my TWSBI ECOs, I’ve never actually branched out and tried any of their other pens. (I take that back, I tried the TWSBI Swipe a while ago and thought it was ok.) But this time I saw the TWSBI Diamond Mini AL in Grape (a limited edition color!; $62.50) and decided to give the more expensive model a go!

The Diamond Mini AL is TWSBI’s version of a pocket pen. It is styled similarly to the other pens, in the sense that it has a transparent plastic barrel which gives you a bird’s eye view of the piston filling system. There are differences though. The grip and part of the piston system are designed in aluminum. The barrel of the pen is faceted (hence the “Diamond” feel and look). While the ECO and the SWIPE tend to be boxier, with edges on the cap, the Diamond Mini’s edges are rounded, and the cap is tapered. Overall while the ECO is utilitarian, the Diamond Mini is a bit sleeker looking.

I decided to compare a few pens that I use as daily writers to give you a sense of size.

L to R: TWSBI Eco, TWSBI Diamond Mini AL, Kaweco AL Sport, Sailor Pro-Gear Slim.

While the pens vary quite a bit in length when capped, when uncapped the Diamond Mini AL and the Kaweco AL Sport aren’t that different in length. The nibs, however, do have a size differential. In terms of weight they’re very similar: The Pro Gear comes in at 19gm, the ECO at 20, the AL Sport at 21g, and finally the Diamond Mini AL is the heaviest at 23g. But that’s not a HUGE range.

So what do I think? If I’m entirely 100% honest, I don’t feel much of a writing difference between the ECO and the Diamond Mini AL. This is my first extra fine nib from TWSBI, and given that TWSBI tends to use western-style nibs, I don’t find the extra fine to be scratchy in the least. In fact I quite like it. The pen is a bit weightier in my hand, and it’s smaller in size, but I have small hands and it seems like a comfortable writer. So what would make me pay more for the Diamond AL Mini? To me, it comes down to aesthetics. The Mini is fun, and often I do prefer aluminum to plastic (see my preferences for Kawecos!), but given that I don’t see a huge writing difference, I feel like I’m more apt to stick with the ECOs than amass another collection.

Do you have a favorite TWSBI? I’d love to hear about it!

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

In Fountain Pen Review

Mini-Review: Kaweco Sage Fountain Pen (& Frosted Blush Pitaya)

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments
Mini-Review: Kaweco Sage Fountain Pen (& Frosted Blush Pitaya)

We have reviewed the classic Kaweco Sport fountain pen many times but we continue to come back to it. It is a great gateway pen and its is inexpensive enough to live in your bag or on your desk at work. So, of course, you need more than one, right?

So, over the past few weeks, I’ve acquired TWO new models into my collection: the Smooth Sage ($29, EF nib) and the Frosted Blush Pitaya ($24.50, B nib).

The B nib in the Blush Pitaya in focus — look at that tipping!
The EF nib in the Sage in focus– so pointy!

I must confess that this is the first Kaweco Sport with a B nib and I am surprised  how much I am enjoying it. It  isn’t as broad and the BB I tested out years ago and preformed like a Sharpie marker.

Needless to say, my recommendation is that if you’ve never purchased a Kaweco Sport, what in the world are you waiting for? There are dozens of color options and you can even upgrade to the AL-Sport if you want a shiny, and more durable version. We like those too.

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.

In Art Supplies

Mini-Review: Pilot Juice Paint Pen in White

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
Mini-Review: Pilot Juice Paint Pen in White

After my previous post about opaque white markers, I grabbed another model — this time the Pilot Juice Paint ($3.60 for EF). The Pilot Juice Paint pens are available in a variety of colors in Fine and Extra Fine models. I was most curious about the white for adding highlights and details in art work but the metallic silver and gold might be fun for lettering or signs.

The most interesting aspect of this pen is that hex shape of the barrel and cap. It’s comfortable to hold and doesn’t roll away.

In order to activate the marker, you need to push the tip down until it goes into the barrel to prime the ink. It should only be necessary to do this when its new or if you have used a lot of paint.

For a bullet tip paint pen, the color is pretty opaque and the flow was good.

I would compare the pen and color to a Sharpie water-based paint pen. Most artists have one or two paint pens in their toolbox. I think the Pilot Juice Paint is a good option when you need to replace your existing stash.

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.

In Link Love

Link Love: Topic of Tropics

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Link Love: Topic of Tropics
digital collage by © Ana Reinert

As of last Thursday, I have had a succession of little irritations. You know, little things.  I got a flat tire, the blog had some backend issues, I am having issues with my CINTIQ drawing boards, the cats went berserk and tore out a screen on the catio one night, we had workers at the house, meetings were rescheduled at the last minute… you get what I’m saying. Nothing terrible or life-threatening but lots of things that have just worn me down emotionally. I suppose, like an oyster, all these irritations will one day make me a pearl, right? On the topic of tropical, has anyone else binged MerPeople on Netflix! Such a delight!

I hope, for all of you, that you have a week without irritations, full summer joys and mermaids.

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things:

We need each other. Please support our sponsors, affiliates or join our Patreon. Your patronage supports this site. Without them, and without you, we could not continue to do what we do. Thank you!

In photo

Yarn + Ink: This IS a spring chicken.

Author Laura CameronPosted on 4 Comments

This week I looked at the palette I was knitting with and knew it would make a fun set of ink swatches. My regrets are that I don’t have the perfect butter yellow, or that light almost pea green.

But I muddled through and selected:

What other inks should I include?