Archive for User Reviews
Guest Blogger Alex Thornber and his New Everyday Notebook
Answering our call for guest bloggers, Alex Thornber sent me a message to tell me about how he recently bought his new Bloc Rhodia No. 11 pad at one of the giant Paperchase stores in London, and how it quickly became his new everyday notebook . Continue Readering »
User Review: Clickthing’s Portable Plotting Device
Clickthing is one of the several amazingly interesting blogs that I read where the posts are first written on a manual typewriter. I sometimes wonder how many people in this younger generation who are used to communicating via their Palm Pilots, iPhones, Blackberrys and Netbooks have ever even seen a manual typewriter in action. Continue Readering »
User Review: Alberto and the Rhodia Block #16 Uni-Blank
Images and content courtesy of Alberto at Lung Sketching Scrolls.
“…I was quite excited to try this blank sketch pad with the high quality vellum paper surface that I have grown to appreciate in such a short time. The pad itself features the solid construction, easy-to-tear micro-perforated sheets, and signature orange fold-over cover of this iconic brand.” Continue Readering »
User Review: Gail Young on the Exacompta Exafolio
Elegant and intelligent, Exacompta products follow a French philosophy that even simple tools should be good quality and a pleasure to use. Recently, Gail Young took the time to review her new Exafolio, a “green” product whose design provides features for organizing, filing, and storage. Continue Readering »
User Review: CopyGuru on the New Rhodia Planner
Image of pocket Rhodia Planner courtesy of Biffybeans © All Rights Reserved
CopyGuru from the Fountain Pen Network recently reviewed the new Rhodia Planner. Continue Readering »
Webnotebook Review from Cynthia of JournalingArts
Image courtesy of Beautiful Living © All Rights Reserved
Cynthia, from our December Spotlight Retailer JournalingArts.com, recently wrote a comparison review that included the small version of the Webnotebook on her JournalingArts blog:
Pros
- Clear, sharp text with no apparent feathering, even when using a fountain pen and markers Continue Readering »
Users Review The Exacompta Sketchbook – Is it THE Ultimate Art Journal?
Image courtesy of Sophie @ All Rights Reserved
As Karen mentioned in Thursday’s blog post, Exaclair imports a number of products under the Clairefontaine umbrella – including the Exacompta Sketchbook shown above. Also known as the Livres d’Or “Basics” line of journals, they contain a 100g laid paper made at the 400 year old Schut Mill (owned by Clairefontaine) in the Netherlands. Continue Readering »
User Review: CopyGuru and the Large Webbie
CopyGuru from The Fountain Pen Network reviews his new Rhodia Webbie: Continue Readering »
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
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 »
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 »
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 »
User Review: Biffybeans on J. Herbin Orange Indien
I used to be the kind of person that preferred writing with traditional colors such as blue and black. Once I started writing with a fountain pen, I found that I enjoyed trying colors that were well outside my realm of what I thought was “normal.” J. Herbin inks come in some fascinating colors, including this Orange Indien, which is not necessarily a bright Halloween type of orange but more of a reserved rust color.
I like using this ink for both writing and drawing and in this case, it was used in a medium nibbed Lamy Safari fountain pen.
Visit my blog Spiritual Evolution of the Bean for my original review of this ink.
User Review: Bill from the FPN compares the Webbie to several similar journals
Gratuitous photo of packaging, pages, and Visconti Van Gogh Cappuccino.
Bill was gracious in allowing us to use his review of the small Webnotebook and images he had posted to the Fountain Pen Network. Thank you Bill for your detailed review and most excellent photos of the Webnotebook and its peers. We always appreciate honest reviews of our products and we want you to know that they are reviewed by the powers that be.
1. The paper is not a disappointment. A light ivory color, it is smooth and resistant to bleed-through, certainly better than all the notebooks shown here. No surprise if you have used Clairefontaine and Rhodia papers before. Black ‘n Red will give it a run, Continue Readering »
User Reviews: J. Herbin ink art with a Squirrel
I really think I just might pack up all my inks and send them to Gentian from the blog “Drawing with a Squirrel” just to see what she will do with them. Not only is her art amazing, but so is her calligraphy, as you can see below.
Close up of design drawn with Herbin’s Rose Cyclamen in a hardbound Clairefontaine journal.
Bleu Nuit with Calligraphy examples.
All images courtesy of Gentian Osman – Thank YOU for sharing your gorgeous art!
