I thought I’d give you all a change of pace– a post without a single notebook in it! Instead, I’ll talk a little bit about the pens I use with my notebooks, for the tests I do in reviews, and for day to day use. My most frequently used pens tend to be Uniball Signo … Continue reading My Pen Collection
Some excellent sketchbook spreads from Lisa Congdon– I love the density of the patterns: She notes that she uses a Moleskine Sketchbook and glues the pages together with a glue stick to provide extra thickness. I’m curious to try this out– I wonder if the glue adds an extra layer of protection from bleed-through… … Continue reading Lisa Congdon’s Latest Sketchbook
This week’s addict is a blogger and urban sketcher who also hand-binds her own notebooks. Here’s some of her hand-bound books: She’s also used a Rhodiarama notebook as a travel journal: And I love this shot of her travel sketching kit! You can read more on her blog about the handbound sketchbooks and how she … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Tina
A reader named Steve commented on my “Dissecting a Moleskine” post with a link to a fascinating inquiry of his own: what is the actual weight of Moleskine paper? Steve points out that many notebook brands make a selling point of their paper weight, expressed in grams per square meter (GSM): • Calepino, 90 • … Continue reading Moleskine Monday: Analyzing Paper Weight
I’ve gotten way behind on carnival administration and we missed doing July… but here it is, at last! Thanks for everyone who has submitted posts. Future months are open for carnival hosts, so if you have a blog about pens, pencils, paper or anything related, please contact me to learn more about hosting. art supplies … Continue reading Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper
This is another notebook I bought about 3 years ago and then immediately shelved. When I first examined it after buying it, I pretty much hated it. I bought it because it was cheap and I’d never tried a softcover Piccadilly, though I’d liked using some of their hardcover ones with graph or plain paper. … Continue reading Review: Piccadilly Softcover Notebook
This is one of my favorite reader-submitted photos ever– meet Tholakele, a 5-year old from South Africa. On a trip to Paris, left the toy department at Le Bon Marché empty handed and instead picked out a notebook and pen and ink set for herself, which she tried out the minute she and her mother … Continue reading A Five-Year Old Notebook Fan!
This week’s addict is something of a celebrity: I’m sure you’ve seen the amazing artwork of Mattias Adolfsson— he does incredibly detailed whimsical drawings in Moleskines in a very recognizable style. He’s been featured frequently on various blogs and in books about illustration, sketchbooks and Moleskines. But what I’ve never seen before is his actual … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Mattias Adolfsson
This notebook is for all the fountain pen and ink fanatics out there: the Ink Journal. It was created by Tom Oddo of Goldspot Pens, who I am sure tests a lot of pens and inks, and as such, must have put a lot of thought into what a perfect ink-testing notebook would be. A … Continue reading Review & Giveaway: Ink Journal
There are so many different kinds of paper artists can use, and so many materials that demand different surfaces. When you’re in an art supply shop, there are multiple options for loose sheets and large spiral-bound sketchpads, but when it comes to smaller hardcover sketchbooks, each brand only seems to offer one option… why? You’d … Continue reading Review & Giveaway: Stillman & Birn Sketchbooks