As a lefty, smearing my writing is a fact of life. As an adult without a critical teacher looking over my shoulder, it doesn’t don’t bother me much. The only time I get annoyed is when I’m working on a graphite drawing, and I see the mess I’m making – both on my drawing and on my hand. 

With drawing, though, it’s not even a lefty issue, is it? Righty artists make smudgy graphite messes as much as lefties do. I found an easy solution for all of us, whether writing or drawing – the SmudgeGuard Glove.

Wanting to minimize hand coverage, I chose the one-finger style ($14.99). It’s also available in a two-finger style ($16.99), which was apparently requested by tablet users. Both styles can be worn on either hand.

Mine is “cool black,” but it’s also available in “sweet lavender,” which is pretty, but there’s no way I want a color that would instantly show graphite and ink dirt. My black one will look new indefinitely (want to guess how many black items of clothing I own?). Even if it starts to look grungy, the product description says it’s hand-washable.

When I first saw this product, I was skeptical about how comfortable it would be to wear as I draw, but I was pleasantly surprised. I have worn mine many times for a couple of hours at a time, and have not found it uncomfortable, even on a hot day. I think an accurate fit is important, though. Following the product description’s recommendation to “use an actual ruler” (instead of a screen image of the size guide) to measure my hand, the XS fits me (ahem) like a glove. The nylon/spandex fabric is plenty stretchy, but I think baggy fabric of a too-large size might impede comfort and maybe effectiveness. 

The SmudgeGuard Glove is working out much better for me than traditional solutions I’ve tried, like a piece of tissue under my hand (which never seems to be in the right place as I move around). It keeps my hand clean and also prevents transfer of graphite from my hand to the paper. The glove works equally well for writing, too. 

(On warm summer days, I like to take my drawing easel and pencils out on our shady back deck, where these photos were taken.)

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. 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 Product Review: SmudgeGuard 1-Finger Glove appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

In addition to high-end, limited-edition, collectible pencils, Blackwing makes a few unique pencil accessories, including the Blackwing Point Guard ($10 each). Available in matte black, gold, silver, and a set of one of each color, the point guard is made in Taiwan of lightweight, machined aluminum. I chose matte black to match my favorite standard-edition Blackwing. Like all of Blackwing’s standard editions, the Point Guard’s esthetic is sleek, minimal and professional.

When the Point Guard first came out, I had heard some grumblings in the pencil community that its friction fit marred some barrel finishes or didn’t fit comfortably on some standard-size pencils. A good fit would be one that allows the cap to slide on without force and stay on during transport in a bag or pocket. I went through my pencil collection to find a variety of barrels to try it on. Of course, I put it first on several older and newer Blackwings; it fits all of them just fine and leaves no mark.

I also tried it on a Mitsubishi Hi-Uni, one of my all-time favorite pencils, and it fits fine also. I couldn’t find any standard-size graphite pencils in my collection that were a problem.

Next I tried several pencils that have ever-so-slightly-larger-than-standard barrels. These pencils often are a problem when I try to put them into sharpeners designed only for standard-size pencils, so I didn’t expect them to fit the Point Guard. The Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle colored pencil, the Caran d’Ache Klein Blue graphite pencil and the Derwent Drawing Pencil are all snug, but the Point Guard goes on without force. I see no marks on the barrels. These surprised me – I didn’t think they would fit at all.

This one also surprised me: The Caran d’Ache Supracolor, which I have always thought of as having a standard-size barrel, is slightly loose in the Point Guard. It stays on, but with less resistance than the Blackwings or the Hi-Uni. 

Finally, I dug around in my pencil cups for an oddball: a Japanese prayer pencil with a square barrel. It fits also.

Maybe the Point Guard has improved over time, but I have nothing to grumble about.

Well, OK, I have one grumble: the price. Does a $10 Point Guard work better than a plastic Sonic Cupot (my personal favorite pencil cap, 6/$3.25)? No, but it will probably last longer, and for some, it might suit their professional image better than the Cupot’s elementary-school palette. I can’t argue with that.

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

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Pencil Cap Review: Blackwing Point Guard appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

They even made me a custom logo version just because they could. I’m sure they’d be open to suggestions or ideas for other shapes as well.

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

The post Pen Rests: PenQT Pen Rest from Penquisition appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

My daily-carry bag contains many pencils, both colored and graphite. To prevent broken points and inadvertent stabs, I keep them and myself protected with pencil caps. Although I’ve tried some fancy ones made of leather or metal, my favorites are inexpensive, lightweight, colorful plastic ones. Kutsuwa makes several, including round ones with roll-prevention nobbies (12/$2.25) and triangular ones with bonus sparkles (12/$2.50).

The round set includes four transparent pastel colors. Tiny nobs near the base keep the caps from rolling off your desk (or down the sidewalk).

The triangular set is a candy palette of six glittery colors.

Both sets come with name labels so that you can identify your caps.

Although the triangular caps are designed for triangular pencils, they also fit onto standard-barrel pencils. All caps fit securely on the standard barrels I tried. The triangular ones feel a bit more snug than the round. Unfortunately, neither style fits on slightly larger barrels such as many Caran d’Ache pencils.

Interestingly, I learned about minute barrel-size differences among some pencils I thought were the same size by capping them. In the photos below, I pushed each cap down as far as it would go. While the triangular caps fit about the same on all the pencils shown, the round caps indicated that the two Staedtler pencils (blue Mars Lumograph and striped black/red Tradition) are a hair narrower than the Mitsubishi Hi-Uni and Blackwing, as I was able to push the caps down further.

I like having both styles on hand so I can use the one that fits a particular pencil best.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Notegeist for the purpose of review. 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 Tool Review: Kutsuwa Round and Triangular Pencil Caps appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

It’s no secret that I love Tombow Irojiten colored pencils, inside and out. Aside from their beautiful glossy white lacquer and even more beautiful end caps, these wax-based pencils are a delight to use. As much as I could go on about them, I won’t repeat what I wrote in my original review about their performance or appearance; my focus in this review will be on a new portable case including pencils (24 pencils/$39 with case).

The set comes with an insert (mostly in Japanese) showing swatches of the entire Irojiten color line and a blank swatch card to make your own color chart. It’s clear from the imagery that the Japanese esthetic based on the four seasons guided the color selection of the 24 pencils, which are suitable for landscapes and nature.

Made of sturdy canvas, the cream-colored case is fastened with a brown elastic band. The brand is printed in brown on the front. Unlike many pencil rolls that are literally bulky rolls, the Irojiten case tri-folds like a book. It emulates an elastic-banded journal as well as Irojiten’s other boxed sets that look like books (after all, Irojiten means “color dictionary”). Folded and filled with 24 pencils, the case is no more than an inch thick. I like the slender profile.

When opened, the “book” reveals 30 elastic loops – 24 for the enclosed set, plus six more for additional colors or other pencils. Although 30 pencils will fit, I prefer keeping the folded profile slimmer by sticking with 24. The loops are snug enough to hold standard-size pencils securely, but slightly larger pencils (like my favorite Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelles) will easily fit, too.

The 24 colors are not new to the Irojiten “dictionary,” but they have been carefully curated for a landscape sketcher. In addition to five greens (essential to any landscape-focused set), the palette also includes several shades of blue, a few earth tones, some warm florals, and a warm and a cool gray. Although I might have exchanged one of the darker blues for a second, cooler yellow, this urban sketcher approves of Dandelion, which could be used for heavy equipment (one of my favorite subjects). Overall, it’s a good urban and natural selection.

A flap of fabric protects the pencil points. (Gratuitous image of lovely end caps also shown.)

On the end of one flap are two small pockets that would accommodate a standard bar eraser and small sharpener.

It was time to give the Irojiten case a spin! Sadly, my urban sketching range has narrowed to a few neighborhood blocks these days. But on a sunny afternoon, I tucked the Irojiten case under my arm and dragged a kitchen chair out to our front stairway landing. Across the street, I spotted our neighbors’ happy trees. It’s a tidy sketch kit that fits easily on my lap under my sketchbook. (For my sketch, I used Scarlet, Dandelion, Moss, Cactus, Indigo, Sepia and Taupe in a Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook.)

I tried sandwiching a Field Notes Signature sketchbook inside the Irojiten case, and it fits nicely without adding much bulk. A pocket-size Stillman & Birn sketchbook would also fit, but it’s a bit bulkier. With either, when the elastic is fastened, the book stays secure inside. The pairing makes a great grab-and-go sketch kit. In fact, what a terrific gift they would make for an urban or travel sketcher. As the smallest Irojiten set, this is an ideal introduction to Tombow’s dictionary of color.

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

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

The post Pencil Case Review: Tombow Irojiten Set with Portable Case – Limited Edition appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

On various occasions, I’ve had the need for a rolling date stamper, and believe me, I’ve visualized more than once Ana’s impressive collection. But then I’d find a different solution to my need that worked just as well, and I would still be without one. Maybe it was my recent acquisition of a full rubberstamp printing kit that rekindled my interest. Or maybe the unique mix of pandemic anxiety/restlessness/boredom prompted a wave of childhood nostalgia to play “post office” or “library.” Whatever the reason, I suddenly decided I needed the C. Ching Stationery Rubber Date Stamp ($5.75).

Along with the date – which has the date, month and year through 2030 that change with traditional rollers – the stamper offers 11 messages and icons, including “Thank you,” “Congratulations” and “Hey, give me five.” I was especially tickled by the pencil icon.

The messages are keyed to numbers on the roller that turn with a separate crank handle (on the left side for this lefty! High five, indeed!).

The impressions are surprisingly crisp and clean, even the messages with the tiniest type.

In addition to playing post office, I can see dating my journal, undated planner and correspondence with it. At this price, I don’t know why I didn’t get it a long time ago.

P.S. Cleaning out a desk drawer recently during a fit of anxiety/restlessness/boredom, I found a rolling date stamp I’ve apparently had a long time: The last year on it is 1991. As much as I love vintage things, it’s annoying to find them among my own possessions.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. 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 Product Review: C. Ching Stationery Rubber Date Stamp appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Some lovely friends sent me an even lovelier gift this holiday season: the new Franklin Christoph Penvelope 3 ($25) in Cranberry.

This natural wood fiber (NWF) 3-pen case is a perfect fit in my handbag and will hold 3-5 of my favorite pens. (if you don’t mind them touching!) The NWF makes the pen case vegan, but with the durability and feel of leather. The cloth insert is removable making it easy to get your pens in and out. Each slot will hold a pen up to .75″ thick and 6″ tall, so this geared towards smaller and medium size pens.

Dimensions when the case is closed: 6″ x 2.5″ x 1.”

The post Eye Candy: Franklin Christoph New Penvelope 3 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.