Pen, Ink And Paper Links Plus A Picasso

Fountain pens and other delights…

• Gourmet Pens: Paper for Fountain Pens Graphilo Notebooks
• Gentleman Stationer: Best Notebooks For A Commonplace Book
• Anderson Pens: 3 Oysters Colors
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Kuretake Karappo Empty Brush & Felt Tip Pens
• ReadCursiveFast.com: “Oops, I Forgot How To Read Cursive!”
• UK Fountain Pens: The results are in: the great fountain pen survey, part 1
• Fountain pen blog: Some thoughts on the Lamy Nexx fountain pen.
• The Pen Company: How to make your handwriting more beautiful
• 12 Famous Artists’ Signatures and What They Can Tell You

 

Brush Pen Ink Test

Though not crucial for doodles or writing in a journal, permanence is a necessity for use with watercolors. Inspired by Teoh’s pen comparison, I tested some brush pens that contained their original inks.

After allowing the ink to dry for a minute or two, I applied water to the right side of the swatches to see which ones would move. Two were not waterproof. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it can be exploited to make shadows or to add color to objects. Those that are waterproof won’t mix with paint placed next to or over them. That opens up a wealth of possibilities.

The test paper is Bee 100% Cotton Watercolor Paper. Though I use brush pens more often in a sketchbook, watercolor paper provides a better surface to test a pen that will get used with paint.

For drawing, the Kuretake 630-8670 due to its brush-like nib was the best for my purposes. Unfortunately, it seems to have been discontinued.

The Kuretake Cambio is readily available and comes in different nib widths and colors which makes it a bit more interesting for my doodle notebooks. It also has excellent flow and coverage. When I need to purchase another brush pen, the Cambio will be the one.

From top to bottom: Kuretake ZiG Cambio Shu-Boku in vermilion,  Sakura Pigma Sumi Brush XSDK-TA, Sakura Pigma Brush sdk-br#49, Kuretake 630-8670, Pilot S-50FDF-B,  Tombow ABT N15.

A few of the brush pens tested are available at Amazon. Inkophile earns a tiny commission when you use these links to make your purchases.

Kuretake ZIG XO50-10B Cambio Medium Brush Pen, Black

Kuretake Zig XO50F-10B Cambio Fine Brush Pen, Black

Kuretake ZIG XO50-070B Cambio Shu-Boku Medium Brush Pen, Vermillion

Kuretake ZIG XO50-091B Cambio Usuzumi Medium Brush Pen, Gray

Sakura Pigma Black Paint Brush Pen (XSDK-BR-49)

Tombow Dual Brush Pen, N15 – Black, Brush and Fine Tip Marker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking Advantage Of What’s On Hand

New year, new journal? For writers and artists, a journal is the perfect way to document the journey and keep track of ideas, explorations, adventures, and misadventures. With the huge number of choices, what to use tends to baffle me. For 2020, I have decided to use some unfinished notebooks from the past. Why put good paper to waste?

Two Traveler’s Notebooks were ignored last year and deserved better treatment. Time to put them to work especially the larger one that contains a Traveler’s Notebook (Refill 019) Free Diary made with MD Paper. Weekly calendar on the left with grid paper on the right is a week-at-a-glance format that should work very well for me.

My interest in brush pens has been renewed and the Exacompta Sketch Book that was my favorite in the past will now get its due. For watercolor exploration, a Stillman & Birn Beta will be fine while an Epsilon will be my all-purpose companion.

That’s my core group going into 2020.

Add to that five, two additional notebooks for specific uses. Should inspiration strike, a Paper for Fountain Pens bound journal will work for more serious writing. The other is a Strathmore Visual Journal for watercolor exploration. It contains paper that works quite well with Sennelier and similar honey-based paints producing brightly colored swatches. I will continue to look for a 140 lb., 100% cotton paper journal that won’t consume my entire annual paper budget. Perhaps 2020 will be the year for such a find.

Yes, that is a lot of journals but my interests are varied plus I have learned to keep subjects separated. Ink swatches have their own notebooks as do watercolor swatches. It would be confusing to have them mixed together.

A common characteristic is that all of my journals work well with fountain pen ink. The Uni-ball Signo 307 that writes so well over watercolor backgrounds will be another pen option. Luckily, all of the paper can handle a light layer of paint. It wasn’t a requirement, but it certainly is an advantage.

Seven journals won’t leave much need for any of the new products that 2020 will bring. But I promise to make room for whatever comes my way.

Which journal are you going to use this year? Do you keep just one or does it take several to meet your needs?

Shopping links from which Inkophile may earn a small commission should you click through and make a purchase:

Traveler’s Notebook Weekly Diary

Kuretake Brush Pen (Comes with cartridges but will need a Platinum converter to use fountain pen ink.)

Stillman & Birn Beta and Epsilon Sketchbooks

Strathmore Visual Watercolor Journal 140#

Uni-ball Signo 307

Lock charm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kuretake Watercolor Set

Jet Pens sent a small Kuretake watercolor set that contains everything needed for colorful doodles and paintings. Combine with a watercolor tolerant journal like one offered by Stillman & Birn for an especially appealing gift.

 

Just in case five colors plus gold seem inadequate for a color lover, look at what a little mixing can produce.

What a lot of fun you can have for a mere $20!

 

Fresh Hot Links For A Friday

While the demise of cursive still attracts attention from the media, other things are happening like a 16% Pelikan price increase and a Facebook-style sneaky trick at LinkedIn. Hey, it was a weird week even without the riots and financial meltdown. I’m ready for a quiet weekend. How about you?

• Penfountain’s Blog: Buy Pens Now!! (before prices increase)
• Diane Ellis: Borders May Be Dead But Books Aren’t
• Doctor Who fan? Feast Your Ears on Catherine Tate and David Tennant Serenading Each Other
• Daniel Smith Art Materials: Jumpstart Your Sketchbook
• The Canberra Times: Fountain of imagination and joy in the hand
• Quo Vadis: Snail Mail My Email
• Pocket Blonde: Noodler’s Black Swan In English Roses
• Calligraphers still going against type
• The Pen Addict: Kuretake Fudegokochi Brush Pen – Super Fine Review
• Steve Woodruff: A Box You Want to Uncheck on LinkedIn
• Nation of adults who will write like children?