WalknTalk Infinity Pad: A New Twist on an Old Favorite

WalknTalk’s Infinity Pad Swivels on a Pin and is Refillable.

Tired of the traditional notebook? If so, check out this innovative notebook design by WalknTalk, the Infinity Pad.

Rather than opening on the long side with a typical binding, the Infinity Pad cover pages spin on a post mounted on the short side of the journal giving this journal a completely different feel than what you are used to. You have quick access to your pages by using a simple turning motion and is functional for both left and right handers. Rather than opening flat to a two-page spread, this journal spins flat to a single page.

The Infinity Pad Spirals Open and Can be Used by Left and Right-handers. The pages are refillable with either plain or a musicians paper.

The paper is an eco-friendly, unlined cardstock which is very thick and handled my basic pen test better than anything I have tested to date. Even permanent markers performed well and did NOT bleed through the backside. Yes, that’s right, my Copic and Sharpie markers did NOT bleed through so you will likely be able to use both sides of this paper with just  about any pen you choose. Since the ivory pages twirl rather than open like a standard notebook, the most convenient way to write on the backside of the paper is to do so after you have filled up the front pages, flip the journal over and start using the back side of the pages. Once you are finished with your pad, you can order refills for just $4.50 at Walkntalk.com.

The Musician’s Edition has 2 staves per page on one side and can also be used as a ruled pad if needed.

The Infinity Pad utilizes high grade materials that are sure to please even the pickiest journalers. The leather used on these journals is thick and luxurious and it smells wonderful. The texture is smooth on the outside and suede on the inside. The richly-colored covers seem like they will hold up well to the twisting and turning you will be doing. The cardstock pages have just the right amount of tooth and seem to handle just about anything.

The 3″ x 5″ pads fit easily into the back pocket of your jeans, pants and into some shirt pockets. A 5″ x 7″ size is also available for those of you who need more space. There is even a Musicians version of the infinity pad which  has 2 staves per page, but you could also use this as a ruled version if you need lines. The Infinity Pads are available in a variety of luscious colors at WalknTalk.com.

The thick cardstock pages handled my inks with ease. Even the permanent Copic and Sharpie markers did not bleed through the backside.

Review of Stillman & Birn’s Zeta Paper

Image copyrighted by Sandra Kay Strait.

Sandra Strait puts Stillman & Birn’s Zeta, multi media sketchbook paper through its paces. Checkout her thorough review and beautiful illustrations at Life Imitates Doodles.

 

March Carnival of Pen, Pencil & Paper

This month’s carnival has some great posts featuring some of our favorite things. Visit the following blogs for great reviews and more. Art Journaling

• Never tried art journaling, but you’d like to give it a go? Checkout this post by Daisy Yellow, Art Journaling 101.
• Watch the creation of an Art Journal Page : Follow your dreams from beginning to end at Clips-n-Cuts.
• Using an ink drop technique you can easily create textural backgrounds or interesting abstract art. See how it’s done using Quinn’s Ink Technique at Quinn Creative.

Notebooks & Journals

• Check out the Write-Now notebook by Poppin Notebook reviewed at The Rants of the Archer. Is this notebook fountain pen friendly, or not?
• Discover the advantages of using a pocket notebook and a few stand-out notebooks from Jet Pen’s Pocket Notebook Selection Guide.
• Do you like writing or sketching on loose leaf paper? If so,the Daycraft Envelope Folder might be a good alternative to using permanently bound notebooks.

Pens & Markers

• Wondering which alcohol-based marker to buy? Read this review at Natto Soup which compares Copic vs. Prismacolor markers.
• After reading this post, you’ll be green with pen envy over the Ken Cavers Green Swirl Acrylic Cigar Fountain pen.
• If luxurious fountains pen appeal to you, visit Gourmet Pens for a thorough look at Graf Von Faber-Castell Anello Titanium Fountain Pen.
• Check out this video review of the Monteverde Invincia Grand Prix Pen with a racing inspired design at Goldspot Pens.

Inks & Other Reviews

• Would you love to write or sketch with rich, red ink? If so, read this review of Sailor Jentle Grenade ink. 
• Find out which 10 art and writing products Tina loves to hate and why in her review, Tina’s Bottom 10.
• Take a look at Conway Stewart by Diamine Kingsand Ink, an exclusive fountain pen ink bottles that just arrived on US shores in January 2013.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

WalknTalk Journals: Unique Design and Luxury Materials Create a Beautiful Journal

WalknTalk’s Tom Sawyer Journal in a rich brown leather.

WalknTalk journals are uniquely designed journals crafted in an old world style. They are handmade in the US with sumptuous high-quality leathers and eco-friendly paper. Their designs make a bold statement and are unexpected in the world of journals. If you are looking for a beautiful, unique journal, read on.

The edges of the pages extend beyond the cover forming a soft point.

I have had the opportunity to use WalknTalk’s Tom Sawyer journal for a while and this is what I have discovered. There are a few interesting features with the most obvious being the simple binding. Forty five sheets of unlined paper have been hole punched and sewn into a thick leather cover using a Roman Numeral stitch pattern. This yields ninety pages or 180 sides to write or draw on. When the journal is folded closed, the pages protrude from the cover into a soft point. While this makes it easy to find a page in the first half of the journal, it does leave the page edges susceptible to dirt and damage. It also makes it difficult to tuck into a pocket or bag as this edge tends to get hung up on things. This type of binding does not allow the journal to lie flat when opened unless you are on the center spread, and even then you will need to manipulate it a bit to convince it to flatten out.

The binding system does not allow the journal pages to lie flat when opened.

The center spread almost lays flat when opened.

I did find the paper lovely to write on and found it compatible will all but my most difficult pens. The paper is a thick, eco-friendly vellum, smooth for drawing and writing. It is Rainforest alliance approved (http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/) and meets the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard (SFI) (http://www.sfiprogram.org/). In my pen test, I found that all of my pens performed beautifully with minimal feathering and no bleed through with the exception of a Copic permanent marker, which bled through the back as expected.

The paper accepted all inks from the ballpoint, rollerball and fountain pens with ease. There was no feathering or bleedthrough. The Tombow watercolor marker performed beautifully, too, but the Copic permanent marker bled through and feathered as expected.

The only ink that bled through was from the Copic permanent marker, which was expected.

The leather used to make the journal is simply beautiful. It is thick, soft and fragrant. This is my favorite part of the journal. The two-toned, rustic stitching is a nice compliment to the design and seems to be very sturdy. There is a built in pen holder on the back cover of the journal is a nice touch, but I had trouble finding a pen or pencil to use with it because the diameter of the opening would only hold the thinnest pen I own, the Tombow 707 Zoom. Perhaps this would stretch out over time with use, but it is quite tight to begin with.

Two-toned stitching contrasts well with the rustic leather.

This is a very nice journal with beautiful materials and high-quality construction. Is it my dream journal? Almost, but with a few small changes this would be as functional as it is beautiful. WalknTalk also make other fine journals and pads, including the refillable Infinity Pads which are bound with a nickel-plated screw in the top of the journal which pivots to reveal the pages below. Please visit WalknTalk for more information. You can order WalknTalk journals directly from their site and at other fine retailers.

The Sketchbook Project 2013: Textures of Central Kentucky Throughout the Year.

I recently submitted a sketchbook to The Sketchbook Project. The Sketchbook Project is a global, crowd-sourced art project where participants from all walks of life are sent a sketchbook to fill the pages and return it for inclusion in a traveling exhibition and permanent collection at The Brooklyn Art Library. Anyone – from anywhere in the world – can participate in the project. This year the tour will head to Brooklyn, Austin, Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, Portland, SF and LA!

My submission included modified, digital photos I had taken around central Kentucky. I created twelve two-page spreads, each representing a month of out of the year. Each photo was printed on an Epson Ink Jet printer onto watercolor paper, and modified using pens, markers, oil pastels, gels and other artist mediums. Once complete, the pages were bound into a book a wrapped with a modified cover photo of beautiful Cave Run Lake in Daniel Boone National Forest, Morehead, Kentucky. These are the pages in the book, starting with the cover, January, February and so on.

To see the massive collection of sketchbooks at The Brooklyn Art Library, here is a link to the details: Brooklyn Art Library. If you want to get a closer look at my journal once you are there, the call number of my book is 194.12-9.

Paper Notebooks vs. Smartphones

This fun video highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each format. Which do you prefer?

Review: Platinum Carbon Desk Fountain Pen from JetPens

The pen comes packaged with one carbon ink cartridge refill.

I received a review sample of JetPens‘ Platinum Carbon Desk Fountain Pen several months ago. I didn’t review it immediately because I wanted to let the pen sit for a while with ink inside to see if it would clog over time. Since I tend to rotate my pens and ignore many for long periods of times, my biggest pen problem is clogged, dried out nibs. I was pleasantly surprised that the pen laid down a smooth, consistent line without any clogs or stopping, even after being unused for eight weeks.

The Platinum Carbon Fountain Pen has a sleek, elegant shape, a roll resistant cap and is incredibly light in weight.

The Platinum Carbon Pen In Use
The Carbon Pen feels weightless. It weighs just 0.3 ounces without the cap, 0.4 ounces with the cap. I am used to heavier pens, so it took a while for me to adjust to the feel, but after a while I found it to be quite comfortable.  I did a quick sketch of my cat and found it capable of producing the type of line I like to use for fur, whiskers and hair. I was able to create varied line thicknesses that taper nicely when lifting the pen and the fine nib was capable of minute detail. Since this pen uses an ink cartridge, it was more convenient to use on a long sketch than my refillable, old-school croquill pen. The waterproof ink worked well with my alcohol-based Copic markers and I was able to color on top of the lines without the ink smearing or smudging.

I was able to create tapered lines easily with this nib. The waterproof ink did not smudge or smear when I applied my Copic alcohol-based markers over top.

The ink seems to be compatible with a variety of papers and I was able to write on the thin pages of a Moleskine squared journal without any bleedthrough and minimal feathering. I was able to write quickly without skipping.

The fine nib creates a thin line that dried quickly with minimal feathering.

There was no bleedthrough on the back of the paper, even on the thin paper in the Moleskine squared notebook.

The Details

• Gold-plated, stainless steel nib
• Elongated resin body
• Lightweight, weighs just 0.4 ounces including cap
• Measures 7 inches or 18 cm long
• Uses waterproof Platinum Carbon Ink Cartridge
• Watercolor or alcohol markers compatible without smudging
• Cap has flat sides to prevent rolling

The Verdict
I would highly recommend this pen for line art and sketching. If you work in pen and ink, you will be surprised by how capable this pen is of fine detail and consistent line work. It is reasonably priced, $13.50 at Jetpens.com.

Free 2013 Calendar Inserts Are Available for Download at JournalingArts.com

I love pocket planners, but most don’t include a usable monthly calender along with the current week. This has always frustrated me, so I created a set of small Monthly Calendars that are available as a free download at www.journalingarts.com.

The Monthly Calendars measure 4¾” x 3¼” and were designed to fit into Moleskine, Ciak, Cartesio, and Rhodia planners and will also fit into the back envelope for storage. Use one as a bookmark and you’ll always have your month to view where you need it.

Each season is designated by a color and design. The free downloads are in color, but will print beautifully in black & white on your laser printer. A download of matching photos is also available that you can use on the back of your calendars or alone for a colorful pop.

The free download of lined Notecards was designed to fit on the back of the calendars, but can be used alone for adding Notecards to your planning. You can print these out on the backside of your calendars by printing on both sides of your paper. The Notecards, Photos and Calendars were designed to line up properly when printed on both sides.

100 Amazing Photos of the Mercedes Pens.

Wondering what to do with all of those empty pens in your desk drawer? Checkout this great recycling project by Costa Schuler, The Pen Guy.

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