I started testing some of the Diamine Inkvent inks (circa 2021). The funny little shape was a little unusual to use and I probably would need some time to figure out the best way to utilize the space. But then I noticed that the writing looked like it was feathering.

So, I decided maybe I needed to compare these Midori cards to. those, pardon my bias, the gold standard of ink testing cards.  Since the Diamine Inkvent inks have specific details on the bottle about the ink qualities, I knew I might be missing some of the nuances of the inks. Garland was listed on the bottle as “shimmer and sheen” and Seize the Night was listed as “standard”.

On the ducky cards, I see the shimmer but the potential sheen does not show at all. On Col-o-ring paper, the poppy pink/red sheen is very visible. Also, the dip pen writing didn’t bleed on the Col-o-ring paper.

The Seize the Night color shows some yellow/greenish sheen on Col-o-ring but just looks like a deep plummy purple on the Midori Ducky paper.

While I had fun trying the ducky cards, I feel safe that people will still prefer Col-o-ring cards, especially if Diamine  continues to release the Inkvent calendars that we all wait all year to swatch!

Phew! I was afraid I was going to need to find a new job!

The post Paper Review: Midori Flash Cards Ducks appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Seriously, Bob went to look for some printing equpiment out in the country and as they were talking, the gentleman mentioned he had some blotter stock and would we be interested in it? Um, yes. And so a deal was struck, the cargo was loaded and we started planning the best way to cut it and make it available to all you lovely folks.

The vintage blotter paper is thick, adsorbent cardstock available in two sizes: A5 and A6.

This blotter paper is white with blue marble look. It is very thick. It’s cardstock not paper. It will work great inside your journal or notebook to soak up an ink that hasn’t completely dried before closing the page.

Each pack includes 5 sheets.

• A5: 5.5 x 8″ (20 x 14 cm) $10/pack of 5
• A6: 5.75 x 4″ (14.5 x 10 cm) $5/pack of 5

The stock is very limited. When this batch is sold out, that is all there is so grab it quick. I don’t think it will last long.

Currently, the Blotter Paper will only be available on Big Cartel.
For anyone supporting us on Patreon, check your email or on Patreon for a special offer!

Reminder: The paper is vintage NOS so there may be some slight variation in color and texture. We quality checked it, trimmed it and packaged it so it should be the best of the best but be aware, this is OLD STOCK.

One last thing: Every order placed will also receive a blotter bookmark (while supplies last).

This post is a shameless plug for product we sell in our shop. 

The post New Product! Vintage Blotter Paper appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The Nebula Guide Sheet set includes five pages, printed on cardstock with guides printed on both sides of the sheets. The sheets fit into A5 notebooks. This set is unique in that it features swatch style guides a well as various grids, lines and cursive angled lines.

Surprisingly, the only online shops I could find carrying the sets were in Australia and Italy. When I googled Atlas Stationers came up but the link was “404”. Weird.

What I found surprising is that the insert sheets in the set that provide the front and back sheets in the cello bag are bright white, matte finish cardstock.

In a tear test, the cover sheets appear to be Yupo or similar tear proof paper. When I initially saw the set I thought “How genius!” Of course, you’d make guide sheets on a plasticized paper so ink or water could be wiped off and the tear-proof quality would make it more durable for long term use than traditional paper.

However, the actual guide sheets are printed on a soft white, textured, uncoated cardstock. It’s lovely paper and I bet it would take ink beautifully but that’s NOT THE POINT of a guide sheet!

In a perfect world, Nebula would read this post and follow my recommendation to print all the guide sheets on Yupo paper as they would be much more durable.

As the guidesheets are right now, they are 100% functional and the variety of page layouts provide lots of standard options as well as some great ink sampling layouts. The line weights are dark enough to show through Tomoe River paper just fine. Some thicker papers may be more difficult to see the guide lines but in most situtaions, these sheets will probably work just fine.

Please email your favorite pen shops and ask that they start carrying this nifty little product. Otherwise, I might have to stock it in our shop.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Luxury Brands USA for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Product Review: Nebula Guide Sheet Set appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I ended up purchasing the Japanese Maple Message Pad ($7.00) and the Dahlia Letter Pad ($9.50). These top bound pads are filled with ivory textured paper, and silk screen printed with designs inspired by Maki-e lacquer art.  Both contain absolutely lustrous colors with foil accents. They are, in a word, stunning.

Each pad contains 16 sheets, 8 each of two designs. They are intended for writing letters or notes, and there are guides included at the back of each pad. Even though I’m not a letter writer, I just had to buy these – I have no idea what I’ll use them for, but they’re just so pretty!

The paper is quite interesting. It’s textured and almost has a cottony feel, but it doesn’t seem to absorb more ink than usual. Sheening inks don’t appear to sheen so much on it (I tested Robert Oster Fire & Ice), but the paper doesn’t feather or bleed either. And it’s thick enough that you could clearly use both sides.

These seem to be selling out fast, but if you’re looking for lovely stationery gift for a fellow pen addict, I’d definitely recommend these!

The post Paper Review: Midori Autumn Silk Screen Printed Pads appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I was excited to see that Good Inkpressions was stocking Tomoe River and Clairefontaine but I was curious to see what Splendorgel paper was so I ordered an A5 blank notebook ($16.24 USD). There are multiple cover colors available as well as an assortment of ruling options. Each book includes 120 pages and the editions with rulings are printed with soy based inks.

The covers are blind debossed using a Vandercook letterpress which is subtle and pleasantly minimal.

The double-fold cardstock cover opens flat and the heavy duty staple binding is visible along the spine. All four corners of the notebook are rounded which  is unusual but with the lighter weight soft paper covers rounding the corners eliminates the likelihood of corner dings.

Once opened, the pages lay flat with little effort.

The Splendorgel paper stock is listed as 85gsm on the website and is a soft white. Above, are samples of the Good Inkpressions Splendorgel paper on the far right and then regular Leuchtturm 1917 paper next to it which is the closest in color. Next is Profolio Oasis which is more cream/ivory colored and the Good Inkpression 68gsm Tomoe River (the lighter White) and finally on the far left, bright white Col-o-ring paper for comparison.

The Good Inkpressions Splendorgel is not so yellowy to affect ink colors unless its a very light shading ink. It’s “easy on the eyes” soft white.

I decided to cut to the chase in testing the paper and pulled out a Pilot Parallel pen to lay down a massive amount of ink and see if there was any bleeding or feathering issues. Nope. The Pilot Parallel ink was Diamine A Leap of Faith (link to Mountain of Ink’s review of the ink). There was not a ton of sheening evidence but I really don’t use a ton of sheening inks so its not a make-or-break for me. Less sheening also means shorter dry time.

The view of the reverse of stock shows a little bit of show through but no bleeding.

Once assured this paper was fountain pen friendly, I tested an array of other writing tools and was successful with all of them.

The only evidence of any bleed through was the rollerball pen and there was just minor bleed through. Again, the darker or heavier inks had a little show through but not so much as to limit the use of both sides of the paper.

Since I didn’t purchase any with ruling I am not sure how dark the printing is on the pages but looking at the samples on the site for the planner inserts, it looks like a middle grey is used.

In the time since I initially placed my order with Good Inkpressions, they have added a lot of new products including planners and inserts for a variety of different tastes. They offer Filofax inserts as well as Traveler-sized notebooks in all the varieties of papers they stock with an array of ruling as well. These are options that I’ve not seen offered by any other notebook company thus far.

The prices for the notebooks are quite reasonable, the quality of the notebooks is very good and I received my order within a couple weeks which is not bad for international orders. If you are looking for a new FP-friendly paper or a maker who offers familiar papers in formats not often available, then Good Inkpressions is worth a try.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me and I was not compensated to write this review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Notebook Review: Good Inkpressions A5 (Splendorgel Paper) appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Why review them together? Because when I am picking out sketchbooks, I am usually looking for some key features regardless of other variables. Specifically, I look for paper durable enough to withstand a variety of pen, ink and water tools (watercolor markers, some light watercolor, etc).

Will I reject a sketchbook if it doesn’t an elastic closure or gusseted pocket in the back? No. Am I less likely to buy a notebook again if it doesn’t lay flat? Maybe. Will I abandon or trash a sketchbook with crappy paper? Yes. Everytime.

I use sketchbooks like other people might use a regular notebook — except instead of random ideas written out, I will sketch out thumbnails for a potential new product, practice lettering and calligraphy, paint my lunch or a sleeping cat, write notes, test out new inks, glue down some random bits, etc. This means good paper is paramount. A lay flat binding is highly advantageous but if the binding is good (Smyth sewn or the like) then I can manhandle it until is does lay flat.

So, with these specifications, I decided to go ahead and include all EIGHT sketchbooks I currently have and use the same criteria to tests and compare:

• fountain pen ink
• watercolor test
• various writing pens

The notebooks I tested are as follows:

The chart above is organized by size with the smallest A6 (3.5×5.5″) books first then A5, B5 and the largest at 8×9.25″. The chart lists most sketchbooks by their European sizes as I suspect most readers are fairly familiar with A5 size (roughly 5.5×8.5″ for those unfamiliar) and A6 is essentially half the size of an A5.

The paper weights vary from 96gsm all the way up to 300gsm but just because a paper is very heavy weight did not mean it was better. The papers also had different textures as well, from very smooth to very rough.

In terms of color, the paper color is also an array from a bright white to a deep ivory.

The sketchbooks I tested also had an array of binding and cover options. What this allowed me to do is establish that I don’t really care about the binding or the cover material as long as the paper is good and the overall sketchbook is durable. I prefer a hard- or softbound book over the spiral or pad. I find that pads do not have durable enough covers and thee pages may fall out when I least expect it. Though pads do make it easy to remove pages for hanging, scanning or burning, whichever the case may be. Hard or softbound sketch books, when bound well, can bee used “across the fold” for a larger format that is harder to do with a spiral bound. Spiral bound are the easiest to fold open but the rings can get in the way for some people.

Hot Takes:

So, let’s cut to the “which is your favorite.” Here is my ranking:

1. Stillman & Birn Alpha & Delta (tied)
2. Shinola Sketchbook
3. Clairefontaine Goldline
4. Maruman Sketch
5. Leuchtturm 1917 Sketchbook
6. Viviva Cotton A5 & Mossery Sketchbook (NO!)

1 & 2. Stillman & Birn

I have always preferred the S&B sketchbooks since they first appeared on the scene several years ago. Their range of sizes, paper weights and colors and cover options make them probably the best sketchbook choice in the US. Whether S&B are as readily available outside the US, I am less certain. However, if you are a US resident, I recommend trying S&B for yourself. I have always favored the Alpha for its slightly toothy paper and value but the Delta is with its extra thick paper makes it an equally good option. Don’t fear the page-to-price difference between S&B’s 150gsm paper and 270gsm knowing the heavier stock will easily allow use of both sides of the sheet with heavy coverage where the 150gsm might have some show through and require using only one side of the paper. Once you’ve decided if you want smooth or toothy, white or ivory, the hardest decision is what size and binding to choose. I normally go for A5 sized sketchbooks but with these sketchbooks for review I chose the smaller, pocketable A6-ish (3.5×5.5″) and I have really enjoyed them. They are less noticeable if you like sketching in public and require simplifying a sketch to its essence to fit on such a small space.

The photo above shows the color different of the paper stocks. The Delta on the left is warmer and the Alpha is a bright white.

The fountain pen ink tests on the Alpha and Delta paper show the color and textural differences. I have only included the reverse image of the Alpha paper. The Delta paper reverse images are actually the watercolor swatch samples — the paper was so opaque, I could easily use both sides without ANY show through.

Again, for the writing samples, I am showing both the Delta and Alpha paper and the reverse of the Alpha paper. The Delta was so opaque, there was no show through and I continued using the reverse side of the paper for the next test.

Finally, the watercolor tests on the Delta and Alpha paper plus the back of the Alpha paper. The texture is visible on the Delta paper (top) and the granulation of the watercolor paint is more visible on the Alpha.

3. Shinola Sketchbook

My second pick in the Shinola Sketchbook. Where the S&B sketchbooks were small and pocketable, the Shinola is the largest sketchbook in this review.

I find the whole idea of the Shinola brand to be a bit pretentious but, damn if the sketchbook isn’t worth the hype. The exterior is minimal, the overall construction is sturdy and includes all the “extras” that make it feel as much like a notebook as a sketchbook and the paper is aces.

The downside of the Shinola sketchbook is, of course, the price. It’s one of the most expensive notebooks I reviewed (a comparable S&B would be the 7×10″ spiral bound books that retail for $24.95 however the S&B is a spiralbound not hardcover) and it is only available in only one size with either a black or orange cover.

Despite preferring a smaller sketchbook, the Shinola turns out to be a pleasing size — not TOO big after all.

Above is the front and back of the fountain pen ink tests on the Shinola Sketchbook paper. The dip pen ink seems to hold up pretty well and the swash of color is clean and true-to-color. The paper was smooth enough not to catch the nib and though there is a little waffling of the paper from the water, there is almost no bleed through.

The watercolor swatches on the Shinola sketchbook paper are smooth and show some granulation of the pain. The violet even shows a bit of sheening. In other ink experiments I didn’t get a lot of evidence of sheening but the sizing on the paper differs a bit from one side to the other so YMMV.

There was a little bleed through with the watercolor paint but not terrible.

With the writing samples, the ink and line weight fidelity is good and there is very little show through on the reverse side of the paper.

#4 Clairefontaine Goldline

Next in my faves is the Clairefontaine Goldline. It would have rated higher than the Shinola if it weren’t harder to find in the US and to find alternate sizes.  The horizontal A5 format is designed to cater to nature sketchers with the wide page folios but, for someone like me who is more likely to be drawing in a coffeeshop, airplane or on the couch, the long format is a bit unwieldy for me. However, the paper is great. I appreciate the effort to add extras but the elastic loop only holds a pencil, its not wide enough for pens. For UK and European readers, the Clairefontaine Goldline might be a great option for you. On the Clairefontaine website, there are six sizes available plus an assortment of other sketchbooks and pads to try.

The smooth paper in the Clairefontaine Goldline took fountain pen ink really well. The linework is crisp and clean. There was NO show through to the back of the paper.

Watercolor on the Goldline is vivid and there was very little buckling of the paper after all the water application — bonus!

Writing samples were crisp and clean. The paper took all the ink well and did not feather or absorb the ink. Some of the other papers showed some ink spread but the Goldline kept fine lines fine and the brush pen work smooth and clean.

The Goldline really is a gold standard in paper quality. I am not crazy about the natural, linen-like textured fabric cover but I tend to be messy so easy-to-clean black sketchbooks are my preference. Maybe it was years of art school and the classic black sketchbook but I feel like everything else is trying too hard.

#5 Maruman Soho Sketch (B5)

At #4 is the Maruman Soho Sketch. This paper is super smooth and takes fountain pen ink, markers and other pens really well. Yes, there is more bleed through with this paper than any of the others I recommend but the value of 100 easy-to-tear out pad means that, for the price, its a good value. It’s also the thinnest, smoothest paper so the likelihood of bleed or show through was likely to be higher.

If you’re looking for a hardcover “notebook-style” sketchbook, this is definitely going to be aesthetically underwhelming. However, if your goal is to “play” with fountain pen ink, then I would recommend the Maruman Soho Sketch just be sure to get the 96gsm paper, not the 126gsm  which is toothier.

The tapebound binding lays flat but doesn’t seem particular durable for carrying around in a backpack for daily use. On a desk though, it would be fine for regular use.

Just looks at how the dip pen and ink splash performed on the Maruman paper! For fountain pen ink play, the Maruman Soho Sketch is great. There is definitely bleed through with the paper but with 100 sheets per pad, only being able to use one side of the sheet is okay.

With the watercolor test, the Soho paper got a little waffly/crinkly, so I would definitely recommend this paper to ink art and doodling rather than heavy applications of watercolor.

The back of the watercolor test shows how much of the paint bleeds through.

The writing samples show how “ink friendly” the Maruman Soho Sketchbook is.

Again, there is a little show through on the back side of the paper but its most obvious where water was added and where the heaviest brush pen was used.

This close-up shows just how crisp the paper behaves with ink.

#6 Leuchtturm 1917 Sketchbook

Last is my recommendation is the Leuchtturm 1917 Sketchbook. The paper is better quality than the comparable Moleskine Sketchbook (not to be confused with the Moleskine Watercolor sketchbook which features toothier paper). The Leuchtturm is a  brighter white than the Moleskine Sketchbook and doesn’t have a waxy coated feel when applying various media to it. The Leuchtturm 1917 Sketchbook has two ribbon bookmarks like their regular notebooks but I’m not sure that’s really necessary for a sketchbook. It handles most pen well and fountain pen ink when used traditionally.

Once you start trying to apply fountain pen ink like watercolor or use a dip nib, things start to get a little messy. The bleed or showthrough isn’t terrible so if you’re wanting a little “play” sketchbook that’s in line with their regular paper notebooks, then this is a good option.

There’s some feathering with the dip pen that’s interesting but not the sort of results I was expecting. On the reverse, there is a little bit of bleed through of the ink.

For a smooth stock, the watercolor applied fairly well with just a little bit of bleed through on the back.

Pen tests are really where the Leuchtturm sketchbook paper performed best. The only place where I got any bleed through was where I applied water to the marker. I feel like the Leuchtturm Sketchbook might be a good option for someone who wants to do a highly decorated bullet journal.

The line quality maintained fidelity though there is an unusual “salty” look to the marker ink when I zoomed in. While it looks a little odd in the macro view, the ink stayed on the paper, not IN the paper.

When compared dollar-for-dollar, the Stillman & Birn sketchbooks are a better value and better paper. You might be losing a fancy, gusseted pocket and two ribbon bookmarks trading the Leuchtturm for an S&B sketchbook but you’d be gaining better paper.

Not Recommended

The two sketchbooks I would not recommend are the Mossery Sketchbook and the Viviva Colors A5 Cotton.  Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend the Mossery to ANYONE. The Mossery Sketchbook, despite listing 224gsm mixed media paper, is not good for almost all the tools I tried. If you’re a pencil sketcher, than the Mossery might be fine but seriously… who uses only pencil?

All the pen ink looked soft and sort-of squishy. This paper behaved like cheap office copy paper despite being very heavyweight.

After seeing all the other marker close-ups, its clear that the Mossery paper was not up for the challenge of a bullet tip marker. The Pentel Touch is not a fancy tool, its the Japanese equivalent of a PaperMate Flair pen. I feel like a sketchbook that touts ON THE COVER that it is “suitable for pencil, pastel, charcoal, watercolor, gouache and ink” should actually be suitable for those tools. Sadly, the Mossery is NOT suitable for anything but pencil really.

The fountain pen ink test on Mossery showed a lot of feathering and showed unusual color shifts almost like a chromotography test.

The bleed through on the back of the Mosssery paper is serious.

Watercolor inks “sunk” into the Mossery paper and could not be moved like other papers designed for watercolor where it’s much easier to add more water and scoot the paint or ink around. The burgundy and Persian swatches show distinct paint strokes like a wet-on-dry painting technique despite being done wet at the same time.  I’d describe this paper as “absorbent like toilet paper”. Paper designed for inks and watercolor have a little sizing on the paper to keep the inks and paint “up” on the paper and not absorbed into the fibers (the Goldline sketchbook is a good example of this).

The Mossery had the worst bleed through but I couldn’t get past the weird absorbency of the paper. It was practically SUCKING the paint from my brush.

On the plus side, the Mossery is spiral bound and the interior notebook can be replaced. There are two gusseted pockets and a ribbon bookmark built into the cover. However, none of this is enough to get me to recommend the Mossery Sketchbook. If you buy one or already have one, I would recommend using it for collage rather than using the paper for any kind of ink or water-based media. I might save the cover and make a custom Col-o-ring notebook to slip into the cover. Because the cover is pretty but the paper — sheesh!

And finally, the Viviva Colors A5  Cotton is the other sketchbook I would not recommend. The paper texture is extremely textured and a very dark ivory color. If color and ink fidelity is important to you, this paper is NOT for you. The rough surface creates a very uneven surface for pencils, fine tipped pens and creates rough edges when using wet media like watercolor or brush pens.

The pocket in the back is not gusseted. This flat pocket is difficult to use. I almost would have preferred no pocket to unusable pocket.

The cover is not attached to the paper block, just the back of the block is attached to the cover. Though the paper looks to have a sewn binding, there is a lot of glue in the binding so it is difficult to fold the pages back completely without creasing the paper at the edge of the binding tape.

The color fidelity of the watercolors, despite the warm white paper color is good and if you like cold press paper for watercolor, then this might appeal to you. For most casual artists, this paper is too rough for general use though. Viviva does sell another sketchbook featuring smooth paper that might be a better option for most folks.

The ink from pens did not bleed on the paper but the bumpy surface made my handwriting look a bit shaky. It’s most notable in the Acroball writing. When water was added, there was some weird color haloing with the “permanent” inks.

It’s quite noticeable how rough the surface of the paper is when you see the ink swatch when compared to other papers sampled here. The dip pen ink didn’t feather but it was scratchy trying to use it on paper this rough.

When viewed from the back of the sheet, there was no noticeable bleed through on the Viviva Colors paper.

Conclusion

If you scrolled through all eight sketchbook reviews and all 64 photos, give yourself  pat on the back then go out and buy yourself a Stillman & Birn sketchbook. Even if you don’t buy an Alpha or Delta version, its unlikely that you will be disappointed in the quality of the S&B sketchbooks and you can get on with focussing on your ideas, drawings and projects and think less about your sketchbook.

The post Sketchbook Review: 8 Random Sketchbooks (including HOT TAKES) appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

If you missed Part 1 of my review of the Stonehenge Legion Mini Artist Pad Sampler Set, you might want to start there. Part 1 gives an overview of the whole collection and includes a review of seven papers. Today I’ll cover the remaining papers.

Although six pads in the sample set remain to be tested, it’s complicated. The papers are Yupo Translucent, Yupo Medium, Yupo Heavy, Stonehenge Colors, Stonehenge Kraft, and Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black. The pad of Stonehenge Colors, however, includes five tones – Natural, Warm White, Cream, Fawn, and Pearl Gray – so you’ll see tests of a total of 10 papers. To further complicate matters, Natural, Warm White and Cream are fairly close in color, and since the individual colors are not identified in the sample pad, I had to guess based on somewhat ambiguous images found on various retailers’ sites. As if that weren’t enough, the Warm White included in the Colors set is slightly different from the standalone Warm White that I showed in Part 1! Note to Legion: I would have appreciated having the paper names printed directly on the sample sheets.

On one side of most samples, I tested student-grade Van Gogh watercolors, a Winsor & Newton Watercolor Marker, a Sakura Koi Coloring Brush Pen, and a Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle pencil. (I placed a small piece of graph paper beneath half the Yupo Translucent sample so that the degree of translucency could be seen.)

On the reverse side, I used a Pentel Pigment Ink Brush Pen, my Sailor Naginata Fude de Mannen fountain pen with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo ink, a Staedtler Mars Lumograph H graphite pencil, a Tombow Mono 100 6B graphite pencil, a Caran d’Ache Luminance colored pencil, and a Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencil. 

For Aqua Coldpress Black, I picked out some especially opaque media to see how they popped: two colors of Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle pencils, a Sakura Gelly Roll gel pen, a Caran d’Ache Fibralo metallic marker, an East Hill Tombstone white brush pen, a Prismacolor Premier pencil, and Uni Posca Paint Markers. (I didn’t have any gouache paints to test, but I bet they would be cool on both black and Kraft.)

First, some thoughts on Yupo: It’s the weirdest “paper” ever. A synthetic material, Yupo is “recyclable, waterproof and tree-free,” according to Yupo. It’s closer to plastic than paper. The most experience I’ve had with Yupo is the Field Notes Expedition notebook, which I use to sketch in the rain (yes, of course, I do). I usually use a soft graphite pencil, which skates silently on that completely frictionless surface and looks as almost as dark as a Sharpie!

Other materials behave just as surprisingly. Since Yupo doesn’t absorb moisture at all, watercolors and other wet media sit on the surface until they dry, which can take a long time (a few hours for some of my tests). I’ve seen some watercolor painters create fantastic effects by taking advantage of this unique quality. But some materials will never dry, like gel pens, and can be rubbed off months later.

The Pentel brush pen’s pigment ink looks rich and solid. On the other hand, the Koi coloring brush pen looks flat and dull. The most surprising effects came from the two colored pencils I tried. The soft, wax-based Luminance could barely be applied; the pigment felt like it was simply sliding around. The oil-based Polychromos, however, had much better results. The best thing to do with Yupo is to try it with as many media as possible! It will likely surprise you, no matter what you use.

After Yupo stole the drama show, all the other samples behaved exceptionally normal by comparison. Although weights were not given on any of these samples, the Aqua Coldpress Black and Stonehenge Kraft feel like 140 pound. The Colors are lighter (I’m guessing about 90 pound). 

The Black Coldpress has a strong tooth similar to its white counterpart (reviewed in Part 1). All the Colors have a much lighter texture that feels the same as the Lenox Cotton and White (Part 1). 

Overall, the subtle tooth on the lighter papers (Lenox Cotton, Warm White and White in Part 1; Kraft and Colors in Part 2) is probably what stands out as most distinctive about the Stonehenge Legion collection. It’s smooth enough not to cause problems with fountain pens, but it also has enough tooth to make pencilers happy. At least, this penciler: I’m looking forward to using the 9-by-12-inch pad of White I just bought for a colored pencil class I’ll be taking soon.

DISCLAIMER: The item in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

The post Paper Review: Stonehenge Legion Mini Artist Pad Sample Set, Part 2 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

H. C. Marks (@HCMarks) on Twitter asked “do you know of any stencils with which to draw ruled lines in blank notebooks?”

I have something so much better, at least in my humble opinion. I use a sheet of lined paper that I tuck under my blank page to create perfectly straight lines that are there. But not. Using a guide sheet does not require any prep time. Just slide the sheet behind your current page and start writing.

Using a guide sheet with a blank notebook gives a lot more flexibility. You can sketch and free form on some pages and then use the guide sheets when you want to write. It also means that you get the line spacing you want instead of what the manufacturer decides is best. Write larger? We have a guide sheet for that. Prefer graph paper? We got you covered? Want to mix it up depending on the pen you’re using? That’s where guide sheets really shine. Way more flexibility.

Guide sheets are great with letter-writing pads too.

Harry’s request could not have been more timely as I’ve been planning to make up a few different line widths to share with readers so that you too can try this. The sheets have pretty thick, dark lines (but not as dark as the NEW Bold Lines edition! See below!) that can be seen through most standard writing paper. I’ve tested these sheets in my Rhodia Uni Blank for several weeks.

I have created paper guides in 6mm, 7mm, 8mm and 10mm lined plus 5mm and 10mm graph paper. NEW! I’ve added 5mm and 6mm dot grid to each size.

(I hate to have to make this clarification but these guide sheets are FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. If you need custom sheets printed for your next product, email us!)

The NEW All-in-one PDF document includes the following:

• A4
• US Letter
• A5
• Field Notes size (in a 3-up layout that will fit on standard US Letter or A4 paper)

Print out your favorite line width spacing on a laser or ink jet printer. One copy of the guide sheet can be kept in each of your favorite notebooks and should last for a long time. If you print the guide sheets on heavier weight paper or card stock it can double as a blotter sheet, pen primer or to protect the next sheet from pesky bleed through.

You can still print out individual sheets if you prefer. The links are still available here:

US Letter Size (8.5″x11″):

• 6mm Lined – US Letter.pdf
• 7mm Lined – US Letter.pdf
• 8mm Lined – US Letter.pdf
• 10mm Lined -US Letter.pdf
•  5mm Graph – US Letter.pdf
• 10mm Graph – US Letter.pdf
• All Guide Sheets – US Letter Sized

A4 Size (210 x 297mm or 8.3″ x 11.7″) ADDED Feb. 3, 2015:

• 6mm A4 Lined.pdf
• 7mm A4 Lined.pdf
• 8mm A4 Lined.pdf
• 10mm A4 Lined.pdf
• 5mm A4 Graph.pdf
• 10mm A4 Graph.pdf
• All Guide Sheet – A4 sized.pdf

A5 Sizes (148 x 210mm or 5.83×8.27″):

• 6mm A5 Lined.pdf
• 7mm A5 Lined.pdf
• 8mm A5 Lined.pdf
• 10mm A5 Lined.pdf
• 5mm A5 Graph.pdf
• 10mm A5 Graph.pdf
• All Guide Sheets- A5 sized

Field Notes Sized (3.25″x5.5″) UPDATED Feb. 3, 2015:

• 6mm Field Notes Lined.pdf or 6mm Lined 3-up.pdf
• 7mm Field Notes Lined.pdf or 7mm Lined 3-up.pdf
• 8mm Field Notes Lined.pdf or or 8mm Lined 3-up.pdf
• 10mm Field Notes Lined.pdf or 10mm Lined 3-up.pdf
• 5mm Field Notes Graph.pdf or 5mm Graph 3-up.pdf
• 10mm Field Notes Graph.pdf or 10mm Graph 3-up.pdf
• All Field Notes Guide Sheet.pdf
• All Field Notes Guides Sheets – 3-up layout.pdf

These new sizes have been trimmed down width-wise so there’s no overhang in your pocket notebooks. I’ve also added 3-up layout on a US letter sized sheet.

Field Notes “Dime Novel” Edition

• Field Notes: Dime Novel Edition Guide Sheets.pdf (5 pages, includes lined, grid and DOT GRID on US Letter sized sheets. Should print fine on A4 as well just be sure to adjust your printer setting).

Latest Variation, Bold Lines A5-sized:

I had a request for an A5 version with darker lines so that the guides would be visible through heavier weight paper or would be easier to see. I created the Bold Lines Edition in A5 to start with all the same lined, graph and dot grid as our found in the new All-in-one PDF, just with a heavier black line to improve viewing. Please give me feedback and let me know if you find them useful.

Tips for printing guide sheets:

If you don’t have a PDF app on you computer, I recommend Adobe Acrobat Reader. When printing, be sure that you choose to print at 100% (or “actual size”), do not choose the “fit to paper” option. I ran the lines to the end of the template to maximize guides. Your printer might trim the edges a bit.

If there’s interest, I can make up other sizes as well. Just let me know in the comments what you prefer.

Other Options:

Stalogy Templates :

Stalogy offers templates  in B5, A5, B6 and A6 sizes that fit into their notebooks or any other books of similar size.

Leigh Reyes of My Life As A Verb has created her own A5-sized Journal Guide templates which feature some various custom page layouts . She offers four different formats to download and hopes to make plastic versions in the future.

Ink Journal offers some additional downloadable guide sheets to fit Field Notes-sized and standard Midori Traveler’s Notebooks. They offer bullet journal templates, lined, dot grid and script practice sheets as well as their ink collecting template. These work great with their Tomoe River paper journals.

UPDATES:

1. 11/9/14 Added 5mm and 10mm grid and true A5-sized.
2. 2/3/15 Added A4 and revised Field Notes sizes, added 3-up layout for Field Notes.
3. 8/23/2016 Added links to Leigh Reyes A5 Journal Guides and Ink Journal’s Free Resources
4.  9/24/2017 Added FN Dime Novel Edition formats
5. 10/27/2019 Added Bold Lines A5 edition and All-in-one PDF with Dot Grid
6. 10/11/22 Added Stalogy template links

The post Our FREE Downloadable Guide Sheets: Turn a Blank Notebook into a Lined Notebook appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.