Lockdown Distractions Plus A Few Links

To keep the lockdown from being a bore, I’ve spent a good deal of it investigating my under-appreciated and unused writing and watercolor paraphernalia. Exploring several empty journals and an assortment of gel, rollerball and brush pens has provided colorful distraction. My first choice in mechanical pencils, an Autopoint 0.9, has been joined by a Uni Kuru Toga 0.5 and a Pentel Icy 0.7 providing gray-scale variety for sketching as well as writing. My planner has morphed into a diary as well as my log of binge-watching that includes several BBC series, film noir features, Wynonna Earp, Longmire, How the Universe Works with Mike Rowe plus a variety of science programs.

How are you staying busy?

• Leigh Reyes compares waterproof to water resistant to water-soluble
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Paper Review: Yamamoto Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Collection
• Someone has too much time on their hands
• So does someone else
• The Mind Circle: 30 Secret Hiding Places That Will Fool Even the Smartest Burglar
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Ink Review: DeAtramentis Artist Green, Brown, Black
• TombowUSA: Cloud Doodles

My favourite cat of the day. pic.twitter.com/jWrE4EoLJq

— ANIMALS R US (@Animal_R_Us) April 28, 2020

If you want to play along, these are the mechanical pencils I am currently using:

Autopoint 0.9 mm with HB lead

Uni Kuru Toga 0.5 mm with 4B lead

Pentel Icy 0.7 mm with HB lead

Drawn from a photo on Instagram…

Pen Links That Banish Boredom

Are you staying busy? Not a problem for me. My wish list has grown dramatically thanks to so much free time. Paper in particular has my interest so the massive list from Fountain Pen Love is getting a second look. After all, what good are fab pens and inks if they don’t have a proper playground?

• Richard’s Books: Japanese Pocket Pens, The world’s first publication devoted to Japanese pocket pens!
• Fountain Pen Love: The Massive List Of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Ratings (So many good brands of paper.)
• Filling A Journal Page
• The Gentleman Stationer: The Best Paper for Everyday Writing
• Conklin eyecandy
• Fountain Pen Blog: A look at the Visconti Van Gogh Starry Night fountain pen
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Notebook Review: Nanami Café Note B6 Slim Grid
• Getty-Dubay Italic: Letter of the Day
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Montegrappa Elmo Fantasy Bloom Edition Review
• From the Pen Cup: Not that I need more ink, but…
• Fountain Pen Quest Trail Log April 12, 2020
• Fountain pen blog: The Cross Apogee fountain pen, revisited.

This may be from the archives but a Platinum pen never goes out of style.

 

Need A Distraction? Pen Links To The Rescue!

Whether you call it quarantine, lockdown or unscheduled stay-cation, fifteen straight days at home has provided too much time to squander in the pursuit of a quick fix, either intellectually or emotionally. Seeking out noteworthy sites has helped me stay out of trouble. Well, for the most part. What keeps you going?

• Jet Pens: Our Top 7 Notebooks for Journaling
• Lamy Safari and a watercolor painting
• JolyPoa and the Carrot
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Fountain Pen Review: Leonardo Momento Zero
• Fountain Pen Love: The Big Fountain Pen Paper Sample Pack
• Kanopy: Stream thousands of films for free
• The Pelikan’s Perch: The Origin Story Behind Pelikan’s Original M800 Tortoiseshell Brown
• 11 Classic Video Games You Can Play Online for Free
• Open Library
• Fountain pen blog: A New Year party conversation

From the archives, inks in rotation April 3, 2012.

Tuesday Tidbits: Pen, Paper And Ink Links

José Naranja makes beautiful journals that he on occasion offers for sale. Oh, and I didn’t even make it through January without falling in love with an ink from Colorverse. What do you think of it?

• What is Washi tape? + Ten Tips to Use It (#4, 5, 7, and 8 work well in my journals.)
• Notebook Stories: Daily Carry Notebook
• Pen Chalet: Lamy Al-Star Special Edition (Gorgeous color!)
• Stamps, Scientific Charts, and Hand-Drawn Maps Occupy Every Inch of Travel Notebooks by José Naranja (h/t Fountain Pen Quest)
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Ink Review: Taccia Ukiyo-e Inks
• Retro 51 is going on a sabbatical (h/t Brad Dowdy – The Pen Addict)
• Jet Pens: Lefty-Friendly Stationery Videos
• Life Imitates Doodles: Review: Hahnemühle 1584 Notebook (Via Doodlewash)
• Watercolors Meet A Laban Fountain Pen
• The Getty-Dubay App: Handwriting Success for Real Life (h/t Kate Gladstone)
• Exaclair Has The Classic Blues
• Colorverse No. 24 Gluon (The first ink to go on my 2020 wish list.)
• Papyrus closing all stores (In my early FP days, it was a source for good paper and greeting cards.)

From the archives, a photo of my mother’s jet beads, a silk flower, Rhodia pad, and ten pens. The red Lamy Safari looks out of place but it’s a good writer. In my rotation, how a pen writes is more important than its form. Which is more important to you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ink, Pens, Paper And A Norbert

Some good stuff and a dog…

• Quick Fountain Pen Review: Top 5 Chinese Fountain Pens 2019
• Anderson Pens: TACCIA LIP COLOR Ink
• Noodler’s Ink has a new website.
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Eye Candy: Yamamoto Paper Tasting (No, that isn’t a typo.)
• Create A Simple Landscape Using Fountain Pen Ink And Water
• fude fan: Japan pen trends in 2019
• From the Pen Cup: Just Right: The Theme System Journal
• A goblet full of chocolate or is it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pen Stuff And Giggles

Babies are always cute but some have a brightness and charm that is engaging beyond the usual. Nash is one of them. The pen links aren’t bad either.

• The Well-Appointed Desk: 12 Days of Inkmas: Day 1 – TWSBI 1791 Part 1: Pink and Prairie Green
• Fountain Pen Love: What Are The Best Fountain Pen Friendly Notebooks For Bullet Journaling?
• Mountain of Ink: Ink Review #986: Diamine Scribble Purple
• The Finer Point: Using Hoarded Notebooks
• Crónicas Estilográficas: Japanese Skylines
• Deccan Herald: In memory of my father’s pens
• Nick Stewart: My top 12 inks for 2019
• The Pelikan’s Perch: Edelstein Ink of the Year 2020 – Moonstone
• Just for giggles, Nash talking to his Daddy

Sunday Reads: Pen And Ink Links

Just a few for you…

• Ed Jelley: TiScribe Mini
• From the Pen Cup: Diving In
• Brilliant!
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Link Love: Gift Guides & Koala Rescues
• Quick Fountain Pen Review: Noodler’s Ahab with a FPR Ultra Flex Nib
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Notebook Review: Blackwing Clutch
• Jet Pens: Top Fountain Pen Ink Releases of 2019

‘Tis the season…

Snowy Victorian Houses pic.twitter.com/VQ99mLhQSr

— Victorian Houses (@HousesVictorian) December 12, 2019