In Link Love

Link Love: Reading Mojo

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Link Love: Reading Mojo

Do you ever find a book (or two or three) that you just don’t get into? Do you DNF (did not finish) it or do you slog through it? Do you feel like you’ve lost your reading mojo?

That’s been me for the past month or so. No book mojo. Every book I picked up for over a month just made me feel “bleh”. They probably weren’t bad books, they just weren’t engaging for me. I might not have been in the right mood for the type of book I grabbed or they were just slow to get going.

I have talked with several people who also dealt with a little of book malaise recently.

But finally, FINALLY! I broke the malaise. I chose a book that was on my library list and just plunged in and finished it in two days.

I am a voracious reader so when I don’t read much or lose enthusiasm, I start to question my identity. Am I not a book nerd? Am I broken? So, grabbing a light, frothy little romantasy story unlocked my inner book lover who may have gotten buried under beliefs that I have to like every book I read, finish every book, or just love everything.

If you have had a bit of book malaise lately, remember… you’re not being graded. There’s no quiz and no one should judge you if you don’t love or finish the books on the NYTimes bestseller list or that was on your TBR pile. Read what you love and love what you read.

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In Art of the Day

Do you doodle?

Author Laura CameronPosted on 9 Comments

Traditionally, I have been far more inclined towards the needle arts than the graphic ones. I draw TERRIBLY. But I am drawn to color and shapes and patterns…and doodles!

I haven’t shared many of my crafts of late and that’s because this year I have been dealing with tendonitis. This means I have had to severely limit the time I spend knitting and spinning, knitting being my one truest love. In the interim, I have dabbled in some other needle crafts (embroidery and quilting) that don’t seem to aggravate my arm as much. I’ve started following an increased variety of crafters on Instagram and what the algorithm feeds me has been changing.

Suddenly I’ve been thrust into watercolors (gorgeous, but I wouldn’t know where to start) and doodling reels. Doodling – abstract shapes and colors that don’t have to look like anything in particular, well that has seemed to catch my attention. I suspect a lot of it is the popularity of Zentangle, but somehow I decided I might like to try. After all, I have fine liners and all kinds of pens (Sailor Ink Pens, those beloved Gelly Rolls, Marvy Le Pens, and more!) to use.

Despite having a MILLION notebooks, I did decided to invest in a new one so that I could purchase slightly thicker art paper in case I decide to add ink washes, alcohol markers or anything else. I opted for simple and purchased a Bee Creative Drawing Book ($16.19 at Dick Blick). This is an 8″ x 8″ book of 160lb (260gsm) white drawing paper. The book contains 35 acid free pages that I’m hoping to fill up.

So far, I’m doing what I think many new artists do: imitation. I’m working on the second of my doodled drawing and realizing how much time it takes to do small details! But I am enjoying it quite a bit, and my hope is that by the time I reach the end of the book, I’ll be doing less copying and more creating my own designs.

So, do you doodle?

In Fountain Pen Review

Fountain Pen Review: Rubato Map Nib Fountain Pen

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Fountain Pen Review: Rubato Map Nib Fountain Pen
My small collection of Rubato Pens including an extra nib unit for the map nib. The pen with the pompom has a standard Schmidt nib at the moment. The Bee pen has the G nib unit

Rubato Pen Studio is a one-woman pen maker who I have met at both the California and SF Pen Show. I am totally enamored with the designs she creates and the experimentation she is employing in her pen development. She comes from a calligraphy background and is definitely an artist (she drew the adorable cat sketch pictured above) so what she is creating are pens that help creative people use fountain pen(-ish?) pens for their creative endeavors. I was initially taken with her use of color and inclusions in her resins. There are pale translucent colors with glitter and creamsicle swirls. She has added wildflowers, leaves, seeds and charm inclusions into some of her pen designs.

The pens are tiny but the caps thread onto the body to create a longer, more comfortable writing experience.

The prices for a complete pen range from about $90-$150 depending on the pen, nib unit and add-ons.

What continues my excitement and enthusiasm for her work is her innovations in nibs and her amazing ink caps made of a clear plastic material with pyramid-like hollows like the back of an alligator that hold ink and look SOOOO COOL!

This is the G nib with the ink capture piece on top with ink collected in it. I am puling ink from the cartridge in the pen and not from dipping though dipping the pen will definitely help to charge the nib and feed.

When ink is flowing, the ink pools into the folds of the ink cap (What should this be called?!?! According to her web site, it’s an “upper reservoir” but I like Ink Alligator!) allowing the pen to be used for longer periods of time as a dip pen or with the ink cartridge without as much of the railroading that can often happen with more flexible nibs if the feed cannot keep up.

The upper reservoir without ink to more clearly show the pyramid areas that hold ink.
This is the map nib with a smaller upper reservoir/”ink alligator” — I don’t know what else to call the clear plastic piece on top of the nib. So cool!

The map nib unit holds a smaller than normal dip nib called a map nib for its extra-extra fine lines often used for details on (you guessed it) maps. The map nibs can be quite scratchy and are not for the faint of heart. They are great for detailed linework in sketching and drawing.

I absolutely love using the G nib unit. I had no issues with railroading while using it and I find the G nibs to be pretty smooth to use. The map nib is scratchy for me (lefty here!) but it was not ink starved, just very freakin’ pointy. The incredibly fine line of the map nib has its appeal in some cases but I would not recommend this as an everyday writer or for a newbie.

In general, there is some play to the flex nib units on the Rubato pens so I wouldn’t recommend them to a new fountain pen user in general. If you love the look of these pens, I would recommend starting with her standard Schmidt nib unit to get the great looks with a more traditional nib. If you’e ready to experiment with flexible nibs, then the G nib unit is amazing but may require a little adjustment here and there (the nib and upper reservoir/alligator are friction fit and held to each other with a silicone rubber band which can require being reset or adjusted if it’s been cleaned or bumped. It’s not a big deal but it’s something more experienced fountain pen users will be more familiar with (“are the feed and nib fully inserted into the housing?” type of knowledge) and may require getting your fingers a little inky.

Overall, the Rubato Pen Studio pens and nibs are some of the most unique and innovative that I’ve seen in the maker markets this year. Hopefully, Rubato Pen Studio will be at the California Pen Show in February next year with more of her amazing, unique creations.

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

In Art Supplies

Marker Review: Pilot Juice Paint Markers (set of 8)

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment

Review by Tina Koyama

For the past couple of years, my favorite everyday-carry sketchbooks have been colorful Uglybooks (my review at the Desk is here. Uglybooks now also offers perfect-bound editions; see my personal blog for a review of those).

I’ve experimented with various media, and one of the best is acrylic paint markers. You need strong, vibrant colors to hold their own against those bright pages, and opaque paint markers fill the bill. 

Unfortunately, I have an ongoing love/hate relationship with Uni Posca and other paint markers, which have the annoying habit of blobbing and clogging easily. I thought I’d see how Pilot Juice Paint Markers stack up (8 for $9.50 and other sets; individual colors for $3.60 each). 

One big difference between paint markers and other markers is that the former can also be used on nonporous surfaces like plastic, glass and metal. I tried writing on a glass jar, and the paint flows smoothly and easily, just like on paper. These would be fun to use in craft projects.

One thing to be aware of, though, is that the tip that can withstand writing on those hard surfaces is somewhat abrasive. If you apply multiple strokes in the same area while the paint is still wet, it can damage the paper’s surface. 

The water- and pigment-based paint is both waterproof and bleed-resistant. Unlike toxic, solvent-based inks that stink intolerably, Pilot Juice has no odor. Best of all, its opacity can’t be beat, making the colors pop beautifully on colored papers. (Swatches below made in Uglybooks sketchbook.)

Most paint markers, including Pilot Juice, require fairly extensive prep and maintenance compared to other markers. First, it must be shaken vigorously and at length, especially when the pen is new. An agitator helps to keep the paint mixed. (You’ll know when you haven’t shaken enough if the paint comes out transparent instead of opaque.) To get the paint flowing, prime the tip several times on scratch paper by pushing vigorously several times. 

Beware: The initial release is likely to be a big blob. If you need to shake again and then prime again, be sure to replace the cap before shaking. (Tip: The contents is acrylic paint; it will not wash out of clothing, no matter how much you curse the pen. Ask me how I know.)

In my test swatches, I primed the tip just a bit as I was applying the yellow, and it blobbed out faster than I wanted. It dried completely, but if you look at it closely, you’ll see that the surface of the thick blob cracked. To avoid this, it’s important to prime the pen on scratch paper first (which I know I should do, but in urban sketching situations, as well as for swatching, I am too lazy to do it, and then I regret the results. Live and don’t learn).

In the sketch examples below, I’ve used a variety of pens and markers. The pink and yellow markers are Pilot Juices. I love how brilliant they are on equally brilliant pages!

I haven’t experienced clogging with the Pilots, though that may be a factor of the “extra fine” bullet tip size, which is slim enough to write with but not slim enough to clog continually (which I’ve experienced with Posca’s “ultra fine point”). If you don’t mind the maintenance (and heed the warnings), these paint markers are super fun for both sketching and writing.

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: I Smell Chai

Author AnaPosted on 2 Comments
Link Love: I Smell Chai

It has started to cool here in Kansas City. Our mornings have a slight chill in the air and the evenings are cool which means on September 1, I made my first pot of pumpkin spice coffee. I started making spice tea in the evenings and I started knitting a new wooly sweater. I sest up my planner for September in a bookish theme. I have 100% fully embraced the coming of Autumn.

Are you ready for Fall? How do you celebrate the changing of the season? Do you live somewhere that the weather and seasons are different? Share your seasonal vibes in the comments!

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In Ink Review

Ink Review: Kobe #12 Okamoto Pink

Author Laura CameronPosted on Leave a comment

Today’s review is another for the definitely not peach files. In fact, I would have slotted this one in with the Living Coral of 2019 inks!

Kobe #12 Okamoto Pink ($30 for 50mL) is a bright pinky coral ink with beautiful shading. There’s no sheen, but tons of lovely pinks and corals. It reminds me a bit of Van Dieman Tassie Seasons Salmon, although that one is redder. This one is almost neon in its intensity.

The ink itself is lovely. Not too dry, not too wet and just full of color! I feel like this would also be a great candidate for my Kaweco Perkeo Infrared.

In comparison to other inks I own the lightest parts are almost spot on with J. Herbin Corail de Tropiques. The intensity is similar to PenBBS #140 Bloom, but that’s got gold sheen for days. I did pull out some other bright ones – Diamine Peach Haze and Pilot Iroshizuu Fuyu-Gaki, but those are distinctly more orange.

What do you think about this one? I think it might be one of my new favorites!

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.