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Buying and using stationary has been a lifelong hobby of mine. Well, mostly the buying. I'd get Paperblank notebooks and use it with a pilot metro for work notes, really nice and I filled a few over the years. A year or two ago, with the pandemic in full swing, I needed an outlet for my discontent and decided to get it all out of my system by just writing it all down. I had a few blank notebooks around and bought some more fountain pens and ink that needed use in one way or the other. That is when my journaling really started. Small fact: I use almost exclusively A5 sized books and love fountain pens. When I say book it can mean lined or unlined notebooks or sketchbooks. I don't like bullets. At first I would write multiple pages per day but my hand and arm did not like that very much so I went to one page a day, filled at least two paperblank books that way. My daughters gifted me a Peter Pauper press book and that one was filled as well. It is slightly smaller than a5 and the lines are widely spaces so where I would otherwise fill one page now I needed two. It is a fine book, good paper quality for FP. During my summer holiday 2021 I tried to fill a watercolor sketchbook with something like 40 pages with a visual journal, it worked mostly. Because I tend to doodle during meetings and for stress relief, I did a comparison of various books and papers that can be found on my blog catropy.com under Sketchbook Selections. During and since then, my appreciation of all ink specific books made by Hahnemuhle has grown a ton. Sturdy books with top quality paper, especially the Nostalgie line is amazing. Anyway, all that writing was basically getting me into a rut and I found I wrote more or less the same every day but I kept at it for just not really knowing what else to do. Last month I finished the book The Creative Licence by Danny Gregory and it basically encourages people to keep a visual journal in ink, to ditch perfectionism and just draw with small notes. While at first I wanted to completely fill my previous book, it had some 35 pages left, my wife convinced me to just write minor entries in that book while starting a new one. Visual journaling is rather fun. I use a Hahnenmuhle nostalgie book in A5 landscape and am rather curious about how things will develop over the coming weeks to be honest. I draw with a TWSBI 580 rose gold F filled with Platinum Carbon Ink, if anyone cares, I can post some examples.
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Mar 7, 2022 23:34
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Siivola posted:Hey cool thread! I bought a fountain pen and a Leuchtturm softcover notebook in January and I've been jotting down stream of consciousness shitposts almost daily since, just from the joy of writing by hand. It's like twitter, but I don't have to put up with assholes! You eloquently put in words how I feel about journaling. My opinion on blackwings is that they are nice and a bit like Bentleys, similar luxury can be acquired for less but then you won't have a Bentley.
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Mar 16, 2022 09:21
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Recently I made a book for a collaboration project as I wanted as many pages as possible using high quality water color paper while keeping the weight below 300gr total for the book, whipping would become very expensive over 350gr (so 300 for the book, 50 left for packaging). It also needs to be able to open and lay flat. So I went with a coptic stitch from pearfleur without covers, each page a score. Due to the lack of covers, when using the outmost pages, for sure you need to support it but that is a price you sometimes have to pay. 
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Mar 16, 2022 21:44
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:That paper looks really nice to write or draw on also I love looking at other peoples notebooks I got something for you: https://catropy.com/2022/03/22/weekend-to-brussels/ Very pleased with those journal pages. Funny thing, if you know how to do perspective but you go loose about it, it looks better than perfect perspective. Anyway, it is a Hahnemuhle Nostalgie A5 landscape book with a fountainpen (TWSBI 580 rose gold F) filled with Platinum Carbon ink, paired with Faber-Castell PITT artist Pen brush warm greys I, III & V and the terracotta set I got while in Brussels. Keetron fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Mar 23, 2022 |
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Mar 23, 2022 21:19
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HopperUK posted:Keetron - you're right about perspective! You have to know how to do it, but once you know, you can relax and it will still come out looking nice! Love your sketches, these are inspirational to me. Those Faber Castell Pitt pens are super nice, aren't they? I only have black ones and I think one sepia. Once upon a time, over a decade ago, I bought the 48 box and my daughters loved them and then used them so much, they destroyed them but with love. A few weeks ago I got the greys pack and last week the terracotta. I think that last purchase was pointless and just kept it to the greys, that really is enough.
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Mar 24, 2022 09:49
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dervinosdoom posted:Maybe? I'm a book hoarding gremlin with too money and not enough sense. I threw them all on my phone to read. That will teach me to judge people watching their phone in the bus. They are not doomscrolling insta, they are reading profound books!
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Apr 12, 2022 21:22
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Mercury Hat posted:Only about a month's worth of pages left in my current behemoth, thinking I might downsize again from an A5 to a B6. This one's taken almost an entire year to complete and I'll never get through my stack of empties at that rate (because I keep buying more). Five pages from filling a sketch journal and now I am so much in doubt what to do next. * I can go for a Rhodia webnotebook that is very fountain pen friendly but has relatively thin pages so no washes or watercolor, maybe some markers. * Moleskine sketchbook (160gsm paper) or a watercolor sketchbook (200gsm) will take washes well, not sure about fountainpen * Nebula notebook, very nice for fountainpen, not at all for any wet medium * another Hahnemuhle Nostalgie book, with 190gsm pages, takes all mediums I want to use well but this is the book I am finishing and I like change * A Letterpress Letterwish journal with 130gsm paper and this last has my preference somewhat Of course ya'll can not look in my art supply closet but the above is only a small peek into the problem I have with buying notebooks.
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Apr 16, 2022 12:17
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Heath posted:I'd like to get into integrating sketches into my journaling for the sake of filling out my entries a bit and going beyond just being like "went to class today, ate a good dinner, haven't gotten that package yet" There is a few books about this such as "Draw you Day" and "Every day matters" where especially the second one is more like a motivational speech to just do it. It also mentions to go straight to ink to just own your mistakes and that resonates with me, you just do you if you like pencil more. Downsides to pencil for me: - in a carried book, the pages always rub off on each other - once I get erasing, I never stop - my hand gets black on one side My preference is fountain pen with Platinum Carbon black as it is waterproof (watercolor and washes) and a really nice, shiny black.
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Apr 16, 2022 19:58
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Keetron posted:
In the end I went with the Moleskine as I heard so much rave about it and while I really dislike the 8gsm paged "notebooks" for the thin, see through pages, the 160gsm sketchbook is rather nice, it takes light washes well and can handle fountain pen ok to well. Markers (Faber Castell PITT) and colored pencils work pretty decent. I can see why people rave about this book, it is decent bound and the pages are solid. My biggest gripe I have so far is that it just doesn't stand out in any of these categories. While it might be the best all-rounder I have seen so far, I just love specialized books so I am basically forced into a medium for a while. This book will last me another two or three months but I realized a few days back that I can go for a thin paged book and... only use it one sided!
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May 4, 2022 14:46
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about journal selection
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Notebook update: As a keeper of multiple books for multiple purposes, I switch out books regularly where I try to match the purpose to the book. For the most recent filled book, I was looking at a fountain pen friendly book with blank pages so that I have a place to gather up my doodles during meetings. The main contestants were a Rhodia rhodiarama and a Nebula Notebook, I went with the Nebula in the end. Today, after a few pages, I tossed it in the bin. The paper handles fountain pens well, no feathering, but it has a scratchy, textured surface that really grated on me. I can imagine fans of ASMR be all over that, I am not one of those people. So out it went and in came the Rhodia book. And a small piece of QA check paper fell out, from Clairefontaine??? I thought Rhodia was an independent brand.
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May 20, 2022 13:38
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The Electronaut posted:https://www.exacomptaclairefontaine.fr/en/professions-and-brands/ Interesting, they even own Herbin inks. Good to know, I have a soft spot for Clairefontaine and it is very affordable here. edit: Ah, wait, the Rhodia papermills are actually in my tiny country as well. Keetron fucked around with this message at 16:18 on May 20, 2022 |
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May 20, 2022 16:15
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The moleskine I mentioned earlier is filled and I started using a Dingbats Bee Book and it is pretty amazing in every way. If you ever come across one, grab it.
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Jun 30, 2022 12:07
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HopperUK posted:It's really pretty but that's quite a price tag! Do you mind elaborating on what's so good about it? I love the little bee logo. As you said, it is pretty and well made, it is B5 which is between A5 and A4 basically giving you a lot of room for art. The 160gsm paper is a good to perfect texture for both pen, pencil and the PITT brush markers I use. The paper feels sturdy as well. Rounded corners, so it can take a beating without looking beat up right away. Everything about it says: Take me with you where you go. I think the hefty price tag is part size, part quality and part Eco-promise. Also I like it because I spend €25 on it and that makes be biased as hell.
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Jul 3, 2022 12:15
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Update on the Dingbats Bee book, I took it with me on my summer holiday campsite trip to France. For reasons beyond my control (I am loving lazy), I never really left the campsite for more than groceries so all drawings are of the same place. It is a beautiful little campground including a lake and with a bunch of rental trailers and spots for people to put up a tent or their caravan / mobile home. Drawings are straight to pen (TWSBI 580 F with Platinum Carbon Black ink) filled in using the soft brush set from Faber Castell PITT and some assorted PITT brush pens I had lying around. The markers and this book are a really good combination, if you are fast you can do some blending which also means there is no real streaks when filling an area. But when it is dry you can do some solid layering / glazing with various colors on top of each other. The Carbon Black takes it's sweet time to dry, up to a minute or more but when dry is rock solid and marker proof. I have been experimenting a bit with watercolors and very light washes as I want to try some shading with diluted india ink, it seems to handle that okeeish, more tests are needed. Recently I discovered the work of Steven Reddy, I am totally in love with the style and would like to emulate it / be inspired by it. In his book Everyday Sketching and Drawing he talks about shading using dilated India ink in brush pens so I ordered some brush pens and will try it.               
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Aug 2, 2022 13:55
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coolusername posted:I buy sampler sets so I have 50-ish washi patterns and lots and lots of stickers, but they only come out to about $2 here or there. two things that stand out to me, aside from the thrill of peeking in ones notebook / journal: 1. Sorry to see even your Saturday raids cancelled 2. Where do you get those stickers for that price?
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Aug 31, 2022 06:44
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Heh, sounds similar to the ali express sticker bundles I ordered in the past, that was 50% trash tho, some were really nice.
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Aug 31, 2022 19:47
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sb hermit posted:Nice! This remains the single biggest draw for me to learn how to draw or doodle so that I can fill up my notebooks. Have you considered drawing in your notebook to learn? Drawing is very much a learned skill that improves with practice so the only way to get good enough to draw in your notebook is do the work of drawing in your notebook. Daily 15 mins is enough.
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Dec 5, 2022 07:33
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When did the Leuchterm 120g came out? I ran into it last month in Switzerland, not having seen it locally before and now I see it all over the place even in my local postoffice / stationary store. Also, does anyone has experience with the Midori MD books for journaling? I have a few pages left in the letterwish journal and am very much in doubt if I should got for the Midori MD or the Leuchterm 120.
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Jan 2, 2023 20:25
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The Leuchterm 120 got rather raving reviews for fountain pen in more places so I guess I'll go with that. I have an old Paperblanks lying about with blank paper, maybe that is from before the lovely paper period but I need to be happy with a notebook and would like to prevent being disappointed but then again who doesn't and life sucks yadiya. After filling a B5 notebook I would advise against it, I found it unwieldy to use on the road and there was so much room for stuff it basically never got filled up, I had to force myself to wrap it up. Of course, if you want more room: go for it.
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Jan 3, 2023 20:08
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froglet posted:* I may still get the pastels. I tell myself this is a cheaper hobby than drugs or alcohol.
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Jan 4, 2023 09:33
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Not mentioning my imagination going wild with the censored out bits but that is goons for you (sorry). After some consideration I grabbed the blank (unlined) paperblank book I had shelved for years and as expected, this was the old paper! Rejoice! My pens work well on it, or as well as can be expected. It is 144 pages so it will take me some three or four months to fill and _then_ I'll use the Leuchterm 120.
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Jan 8, 2023 23:53
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froglet posted:Hahah. Ahahaha. Haaaah. I need those notebooks in my life, how does the paper handle fountain pen ink? edit: nvm, they don't sell in the EU Keetron fucked around with this message at 15:15 on Jan 16, 2023 |
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Jan 16, 2023 13:45
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DurianGray posted:If you mean Archer and Olive, there's another company called Odyssey Notebooks https://odysseynotebooks.com/ that uses the exact same paper for their 160 gsm journals. It looks like there are a few retailers in the EU that sell them, including one in Germany that ships within the EU. It handles fountain pen ink very well! It's so thick it almost feels like overkill sometimes, but it takes markers and some paints really great too. (Translucent watercolor is the one thing it can't handle super well, but most multimedia papers can't so it's not surprising.) That German reseller has an amazing selection. But I have enough notebooks already! What to do thread, help me out?
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Jan 16, 2023 17:35
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sb hermit posted:Do what your heart tells you. Well, I checked out the entire website and they do not carry the 160gsm blank books, only a small selection is 68gsm tomoe river blank and everything else is lined or dotted. Can't blame them for keeping a reasonable inventory and it saves me some money.
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Jan 16, 2023 21:09
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Crocobile posted:(One of my 2023 resolutions is to fill all my sketchbooks)
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Feb 3, 2023 23:55
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HopperUK posted:Using up stickers is a big motivation for my journal stuff. For using stickers, I send letters that I put stickers in and on the envelope. Some time back I went to London and visited https://www.londongraphics.co.uk/ and they seemed to have a decent selection.
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Mar 7, 2023 08:43
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sb hermit posted:I really want to buy the USPS field notes sets but I need to fill my existing notebooks first... who told you that vapid lie?
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Apr 18, 2023 18:32
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Minor update: the Leuchtturm1917 120 is amazing for journalling, scrapbook and sketching with pen & ink. Really good purchase all around. With 200 pages a bit on the fat side but 
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Aug 15, 2023 16:08
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Pixelante posted:Wonderpens has some great Midori stamps, but they're in Canada. If you find one you like you can probably search around and find a local seller. Oh my, good thing they are in Canada and in not local to Europe. My friend recently said there is a chain in this country with craft supplies that I never heard of, I bet they carry those types of stamps as well. Now what was the name again...
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Nov 4, 2023 21:05
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Going back to paper color conversation, Hahnemuhle has two sketchbooks with tinted paper: Cappucino Book and the Grey Book and both are amazing for journalling and of course sketching. They are rather affordable. Unlike this other book I saw on their site: https://www.hahnemuehle.shop/en/iconic-notebook/18300100 drat, I am not scared to spend on a great journal but this is a bit too much.
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Dec 10, 2023 21:29
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froglet posted:Good grief yeah while I frequently tell myself I unthinkingly spend comparable amounts of money on eating out without thinking twice, so why beat myself up over some pens or a journal, that kind of money is probably the point where my brain spiders would start menacing me. This one took me a while but you have a very good point. Cooking two meals will offset the purchase of a nice notebook. Yesterday I force filled the last 20 pages of the fat Leuchterm 120 with a ton of scraps I had lying about, the book now looks overfed and chunky on the shelve. So what is next? I like doing a sketch journal but then people want to leaf through the sketches and scattered amongst that are many brain worms and farts that I'd rather keep to myself. In fact, I instructed my daughters to burn all my journals without reading them when I die, I hope they make it a party with unhealthy amounts of alcohol. Anyway. The next journal will no longer be combined, I'll keep a written journal and a sketchbook separate from each other again. As the journal I'll use a midori MD A5 blank notebook. There is no information on the paper weight or amount of pages in the book, we'll see. No decision has been made on the sketch book, I am leaning towards a moleskine art book, they are rather versatile and have a pleasant size.
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Jan 14, 2024 10:36
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Oh that 10yr journal is something else, not sure how I’d feel about such a commitment.
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Jan 20, 2024 09:55
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