Archive for October, 2009
Rhodia Halloween Webnotebook Giveaway – Win one of 15 Webbies!
Image courtesy of Cooking With Anne
In the spirit of handing out treats for Halloween, we have 15 large 90g Orange and Black Webbies to randomly give away to 15 lucky readers. Fill out the form below to enter to win! The contest ends at midnight EST on Wednesday 11/04 and the winners will be announced on Friday 11/06. Please feel free to pass this post along to your family and friends, but only one entry per person please.
This contest is now closed – thank you for entering! Winners to be announced on the blog Friday November 6th, 2009
User Review: Artist Richard McKinley on Pastelmat
Pastel field sketch painted on Pastelmat paper.
Image courtesy of Richard McKinley, article excerpt from Pastel Pointers Blog
One of Clairefontaine’s newest fine-art products is Pastelmat, which is a premium card surface (360gsm / 170lb) specially developed for pastelists. Its unique velvety surface, made from a fine coating of cellulose fibers, has the ability to grab and hold multiple layers of even the softest pastels.
“As pastel was placed to the surface, it was like magic. It grabbed the pastel, retaining a heavy bold indication of the stroke. Multiple applications of pastel could be added without any indication of the tooth being compromised. Trying to smudge the pastel produced no effect. The marks stayed in place. The feel of the paper was like a cross between velour and fine sandpaper… Pastelmat is surely one I would recommend giving a chance. It has quickly become part of my favorites list.” – Richard McKinley.
PASTELMAT® significantly reduces the need for fixative, which means that colors remain vibrant and fresh once applied. It has the added bonus of being gentle on both fingers and blending tools. It is acid free and lightfast.
PASTELMAT® is ideal for use with all dry media – pastel sticks, PanPastel, pencils and charcoal. It is also water resistant which means that it can be used with wet media – such as acrylics and watercolor for washes and mixed media techniques.
Visit the Pastelmat website for retail locations.
PASTELMAT® significantly reduces the need for fixative, which means that colors remain vibrant and fresh once applied. It has the added bonus of being gentle on both fingers and blending tools. It is acid free and lightfast.
PASTELMAT® is ideal for use with all dry media – pastel sticks, PanPastel, pencils and charcoal. It is also water resistant which means that it can be used with wet media – such as acrylics and watercolor for washes and mixed media techniques.
* Unique velvety surface with excellent grabbing power
* Holds many layers of pastel
* Reduces the need for fixative
* Gentle on fingers & tools
* Premium card weight (360gsm/170lbs)
* Use with wet and dry media
* Available in 8 colors
Buy in Bulk?
In the last week we have received emails from two people asking us if they could buy writing pads in bulk. Here’s a quote from one of them:
“Hello. I am employed as a judicial law clerk in the federal judiciary. As such, I spend my day researching the law while writing and typing notes. I use fountain pens for all of my research notes. The paper provided by my employer is not well suited to this purpose. I have, therefore, decided to contact your firm for suggestions…Presently I am using approximately 50 – 60 pages of 8.5 x 11 paper a week. I am looking for pads similar in size with excellent paper.”
Of course, we would be happy to suggest Rhodia or Clairefontaine!
These emails are not isolated inquiries–we seem to be getting more of them, largely from people who cannot buy Rhodia in an area store and want to stock up.
Here’s my question: would you take the opportunity to buy Rhodia pads in bulk? If so, how many would you order?
I would like to gather information from Rhodia customers before we approach some retailers around the country to see if they would be willing to implement bulk purchases with a break on price and/or shipping charges.
Thank you for any ideas and suggetions you can give us.
I want the flowers back…
Image courtesy of Nanakorn Photography © All rights reserved
Living in the Northeast part of the US, we definitely experience all four seasons, though some seem to move by quicker than others. This summer was milder than in past years and winter seems to be pushing fall by the wayside with the exception of the odd occasional Indian summer day. (Snow last week, 75° yesterday.) Continue Readering »
User Review: Inkophile tests Webbie vs. Mole
Margana from the Inkophile blog recently did a head to head to review between a Moleskine journal and a Rhodia Webnotebook. Knowing that Margana prefers to write using a fountain pen, I was eager to read her thoughts on the Webbie’s paper – because not all paper is created equal when it comes to writing with water based fountain pen inks. Continue Readering »
Online Retailer Spotlight: JetPens
JetPens founders: Adrian Mak, Lily Kim, and Shu Yao, in front of Stanford University’s main quad arch.
I’d like to take a moment to welcome JetPens into the Rhodia Drive Retailer Spotlight. JetPens specializes in hard to find Japanese pens and stationery supplies. (They also carry products from Exacompta, J. Herbin and Rhodia- including the new Webnotebook.) I, like many of my friends, have spent plenty of drool time (and cash!) poring over their glorious selections of brush pens, fountain pens, and gel pens- oh my!
When we selected JetPens for the latest Retailer Spotlight, I had a few questions for Shu Yao, one of the founders of JetPens: Continue Readering »
Does Online Social Networking Influence your Buying Habits?
Because it sure does for me. Where else can you get instant feedback from people you trust about what movie to watch, car to buy, the best vacation spots… This is called “Peervertising” – marketing influenced by your peers. As a long time contributor to the Fountain Pen Network, I know that forum in particular has been extremely helpful in my finding products to feed my art supply/paper/pen addiction. I mean hobby.
As specialty stores are becoming harder and harder to come by, many people like me are having to shop online to find new and replacement products. As the cost of postage continues to rise, it’s not uncommon to have to add $10 to the cost of a $8 item to have the luxury of being able to buy that item at all. (If it’s not something you can buy locally.) The ability to quickly receive feedback on any given item from my peers on sites like Facebook and Twitter is priceless. I can’t tell you how many times someone saved me time or money because I posted a comment along the lines of, “What do you think of…”
What say you? Do you share your own buying experiences online and in turn, rely on your friends and family for help in finding products or services that are right for you?
Blank Rhodia Pads
Someone in the office mentioned to me that we had received an inquiry asking if we offered blank Rhodia pads. That question was a prompt for this post.
A few years ago we started to import these pads for people who prefer a blank sheet for writing, sketching or both together. While graph paper is still the overwhelming favorite, Rhodia does offer pads with ruled or blank sheets.
Blank Rhodia pads are available in three of the larger sizes: No.16 – 6 x 8 1/4″; No.18 – 8 1/4 x 11 3/4″; No. 19 - 8 1/4 x 12 1/2″. 
Rhodia in the Rain: User Reports Near Disaster Averted!
Gail Young sent me an e-mail to tell me about her Rhodia near disaster: Continue Readering »
Clairefontaine’s Commitment to the Environment: New Natural Inks
Image courtesy of Biffybeans © All rights reserved.
The ink used in all Clairefontaine and Rhodia products has been changed to abide by the most stringent European environmental standards. Continue Readering »
User Requested: Bloc Rhodia Pad list of Numbers and Sizes
One of our Rhodia Drive Readers had asked us if there was a list of Rhodia Pad No°s along with their measurements for the ones that Exaclair imports into the US. For your convenience I present: Continue Readering »
User Review: Compact Sketching with Alberto and the Rhodia Pad No. 11
Image courtesy of Alberto Lung.
As an avid pen/paper/art supply reviewer, the one site that always blows my mind in terms of product variety and quality in-depth (read, lots & lots of pictures!) reviews, is Lung Sketching Scrolls. It’s been on more than one occasion that I’ve set off looking to buy a new product because of one of Alberto’s reviews. Continue Readering »
Rhodia Pencils
Fall is new product presentation time in France, so it was 2-3 years ago I saw a Rhodia pencil for the first time. We (Exaclair) had started to import other Rhodia products besides the classic top stapled pads, and thought pencils would be a good addition. 
Rhodia pencils are made from Linden wood and sold in a box of 25. I assume most retailers sell them separately. The coating on the pencil is orange and very smooth to the touch. The wood, eraser and tip are all black. The lead goes down on white paper as a dark grey. Rhodia pencils have an HB lead grade.
What is most unique about them is their triangular shape. Finally, a pencil that will never roll off the table and break it’s point! However, because of that, it takes a bit of effort to get used to, especially if you have grown up like me using Dixon Ticonderoga pencils. (Which are still my favorites–I’ll be honest!)
A down side with Rhodia pencils is trying to sharpen them in a standard office pencil sharpener. They twirl around. It took me awhile to get the hang of it.
A number of people of commented on them: Michelle Krell Kydd of Glass Petal Smoke - “Rhodia: A Pencil for the Senses,” Tejal of All My Hues – Rhodia Pencil Review, and Kass Speerly from GrannyKass also sent in a review she published on October 5th.
Have you tried a Rhodia pencil? We would appreciate your impressions or feedback. Doodles and sketches are always welcome, too!
Don at Pencil Things is a great resource for pencils.
Sakiori Memo Pad Holder for Rhodia Pad #11
Image courtesy of Etsy Member Usagiuma
I found the above hand woven Rhodia Pad cover on Etsy – a website to buy & sell all things handmade.
From the website SRI Threads I learned more about Sakiori:
“Sakiori weaving uses a rag weft against a warp of either bast fiber or cotton. Continue Readering »
“Portable Desk” #45 of 101 Practical Uses for a Webnotebook
Image courtesy of Deidre Saoirse Moen – Flickr & FPN member
“Another use for a Rhodia web notebook: emergency portable postcard desk.” I happened upon this comment by Deidre in my Twitter stream with a link to the above image. Deidre was writing this postcard while standing in line, (a 45-60 min wait) at Risotteria, a gluten-free restaurant in New York City. She was in the city to visit the NYC Pen Show, because like me, Deidre is a fan of wrting with a fountain pen. I wonder what pen & ink combination she was using on the above postcard?
