Rhodia in Oprah Magazine!
In this month’s edition of Oprah magazine, swimwear designer Malia Mills lists small sketch pads as an essential tool to the trade and specifically mentions the Rhodia pad she picked up while in Paris. Dear Malia: Rhodia is available at shops like Art Brown and Fountain Pen Hospital not far from your NYC studio.
Crok Book Winners!
These are our 20 winners from our Clairefontaine Crok Book giveaway – did you win? Stay tuned for more Summer Giveaways – including my SPECIAL Anniversary Contest here on Rhodia Drive!
range
Caitlin Livingston
Jennie S. from Sunderland
Michele S. from Ridgefield Park
StanF from Toronto
Johnny Gamber
Sarah LG.
C Tyler From Beaverton
Sarah from Chicago
Elliot M. from Herndon
Karan A. from Buffalo Grove
KAH
Fehim
Gordon Huang
JoniB from Phoenix
Rhonda Pena
xtica
Melissa K. from Tulsa
Seth Barber
Bodah
Art Making is Accessible to Everyone
If I may, if like to share a little something with you about art that might make it more accessible to you. Children are able to create art without fear. Put any variety of art supplies in front of the average child and they will have a blast. Put those same supplies in front of the average adult and your likely to hear something like, “No thank you, I don’t draw because I’m not an artist.”
Here’s a few things that might help you warm up to the idea of making art. Continue Readering »
Pushing Pencils
As a long time doodler, I’ve mostly preferred the use of pens and markers but more recently, I’ve started to enjoy working with pencils for both writing and drawing. I like smooth, dark leads and working with grades B, 2B and 4B. I haven’t chosen a favorite brand, so my pencil case includes Rhodia, Staedtler, California Palomino, and the Palomino Blackwing. I also have mechanical pencils filled with .07 2B leads and recently purchased a drafting pencil from our friends at JetPens. Some day I’d like to try the Tombow Mono 100 and the Blackwing 602 but I can’t find anyone who sells them individually.
What are your favorite pencils? Do you use them for writing, drawing, or both?
May Giveaway: Clairefontaine Crok’ Book Sketchbooks Enter now for your chance to win 1 of 20
Handy sizes and ultra-flexible, colorful covers make the Clairefontaine’s Crok’ Books a unique tool for personal sketches, notes and drawings.
- Stapled sketch notebooks (on the side or on top for larger formats)
- 24 sheets (48 pages) of 90g white acid-free paper sketch paper
- 270g cover with embossed logo (assorted colors)
- 4 available sizes: 6 3⁄4 x 8 3⁄4″, 8 x 12,” 12 x 17,” and the landscape sketch notebook 6 3⁄4 x 4 1⁄4″
Would you like to try one? We are giving away 20 of the 6 3⁄4 x 8 3⁄4″ Crok’ Books!
The contest will be remain open until midnight EST on Sunday June 9th. The winners will be chosen at random and announced on the blog on Thursday June 11th. One entry per household please. If you are viewing this post via e-mail or on a mobile device, you may need to visit Rhodia Drive directly to see the entry form.
Help us to get the word out? Please feel free to Tweet, blog or share this post via Facebook.
Keeping Your Pens Under Wrap
How do you protect your precious pens when traveling? Some people prefer a wrap style case like the one above while others (like me) tend to clumsily jam them into a pencil case. I once tried using a five sectioned leather cigar case which held my pens quite nicely, but I can’t remember why I abandoned its use. Perhaps a case that could only hold five writing instruments was too limiting for me.
PS: Keep your eyes on the blog – another big giveaway this week!
Image courtesy of jensdecember on Instagram
Dip Nibs
The first steel nibbed pens are historically noted as having been produced in 1803 but they may have been in use as early as 1725. Unlike a fountain pen, dip pens have no ink reservoir which means that they must be charged by continuously dipping the nibs in ink. Per Wiki: “Some illustrators and cartoonists (who are the main current users of such pens) are more likely to charge the pen with an eyedropper or a syringe, which gives them more control over the amount of ink applied.”
Did you know that Exaclair is the American distributor of Brause nibs? Brause manufactures steel nibs for writing, drawing and decorating. Since 1850, Brause has been crafting a complete set of nibs considered to be one of the best on the market by calligraphers. With over 100 years of manufacturing experience, Brause is one of the rare companies to guarantee an essential quality for its nibs: a subtle balance between relative elasticity for easier writing, and necessary resistance for clear strokes.
Top nib image courtesy of bakanekosan on Instagram.
Designing a workspace on a dotPad
”Thinking about a workplace transformation” Image courtesy of ac3y on Instagram.
I have a large #38 dotPad that I think I will use to design my new garden beds. Have you used a #38′s or any of our dotPads to lay out a new workspace? Any tips to offer?
Keeping Things Sharp
I finally bit the bullet and bought myself an electric pencil sharpener. I didn’t really “need” one, but when you have piles of colored pencils to sharpen, it can sure come in handy. I’d been working with a battery operated unit that even when loaded with fresh batteries always sounded like it was about to up and die.
I like that this one can sharpen pencils of varying thicknesses as I’ve always struggled to get a good point on my favorite Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils which are slightly thicker than a regular pencil.
This beast will live in my studio, while the 5 miscellaneous pocket sharpeners I know I own will remain at large.
How do you keep your pencils sharp? Do you have a preferred sharpener?
Rhodia, Pencil Drawings, and Zombies
What’s up with all the zombies? I mean, they’re everywhere. On tv’s The Walking Dead, in the Resident Evil movie series, in books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and games such as Left 4 Dead. I first took real notice of them in George Romero’s 1978 classic Continue Readering »
Your Input Needed: If We Made a Sketchbook…
We need your input!
Exaclair, (The US distributors of Clairefontaine, Quo Vadis, Rhodia, etc.) is contemplating the creation of an American made sketchbook. A book that would lend itself more towards artistic creation than writing – though I’m certain such a book could be used for either form of expression. The book would contain paper from Clairefontaine’s Schut Mill, (located in the Netherlands) and would be assembled at the Hamburg, NY plant where the Habana notebooks and other Quo Vadis products are currently being made. This sketchbook would be a bound book, (as opposed to a spiral) and we would love your input on how this book should be created.
(See how to submit your feedback at the end of this post.)
In the meantime, Karen sent me a batch of paper samples to test and I chose 4:
If I am going to work in a bound book, it’s got to lay flat. For me, there are no exceptions to that rule. I’d like the book to be about the same size as a large Webbie – 5×8″ish with a firm cover so if I was working with the book propped on my knee, there would still be a good amount of support.
To me, the most important feature of the paper in any sketchbook Continue Readering »
2013 Los Angeles Pen Show – Were you there?
The 25th annual Los Angeles Pen show was last week – were you there? I was there in spirit, watching Pendemonium’s status updates on Facebook. (Image above via Pendimonium on Twitter.) I’ve yet to go to a pen show and I’m somewhat afraid to do so that my head might explode (Scanners style) at all the available inky goodness. Continue Readering »
Friday Link Share!
For a Reader of Harper Books at Contrapuntalism
How does writing on good paper make you feel? at Quo Vadis Blog
Journal Writing: Stop Multitasking and Start Focusing at Personal Growth Journaling Blog
Writing Tips: Abolish the Adverbs at Writing Forward
Journaling Techniques: Writing on the Stream of Consciousness at Writing Through Life
Do You Know the 3 Steps to Journal Your Way through Difficult Situations? at Journal in a Box
Walter Cronkite Imagines the Home of the 21st Century … Back in 1967 at Open Culture
Planner Pad Insta-Pocket at Plannerisms
The World’s Coolest Pen at Office Supply Geek (I want one!)
Platinum Preppy Highlighter at A Penchant for Paper
Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki Ink Review at The Pen Addict
TWSBI Diamond 50 Inkwells at Ink Nouveau
Eric’s 2013 LA Pen Show Take-Aways at FP Geeks
My new Folded Ruling Pen and Friday Favorites at Quilt or Dye
Crayola Crayon Tower as a storage solution for Caran D’Ache Neocolor II crayons at Lung Sketching Scrolls
Pens with Names at Paper in Hand
Three Noodler’s Inks – Beaver, Purple Martin, Tiananmen at Inkophile
10 Uses for the Pencil at This Old House
How Small is Your Sketchbook at Notebook Stories
Namaqua Rain Frog at Real Monstrosities
A Kindergartener’s #dailyarsenal: Rhodia Reverse and a Red Crayon
What young child doesn’t like to draw? Especially with a red crayon in a special notebook like a Rhodia Reverse. When is the last time you picked up a crayon? The smell alone reminds me of childhood. If you have access to a few crayons, I think you should take the time to pull them out and let your inner child have some fun.
Image courtesy of Fr. Matthew Thurman. Follow gmatthewthurman on Instagram.
Help Support the David Wasting Paper 2013 Young Cartoonist Contest
The David Wasting Paper Young Cartoonist Contest was created to pique the interest of junior artists who aspire to one day make their career in the captivating world that is cartooning.
The contest is open to artists between the ages of 13 and 16 who have an interest in cartooning and/or animation. The contest runs from November 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013. The Winner will be awarded an impressive cartooning starter kit which includes several great books by renowned artists, drawing supplies from leading art vendors and a Wacom Drawing Tablet! One Honorable Mention winner will also be chosen.
Please visit David Wasting Paper for further entry details and a list of the prizes to be awarded.
