Author: ian

Off Lines Notepads Review

10 December 2018 By ian

Off Lines is a German company that makes little notepads with easily removable pages. Size: 9cm by 13cm (small version); 7.4cm by 10.5cm (medium version) Price: €8 (small); €10 (medium); add €7 for a pen; a pack of small refills costs €6 for 100 sheets Pages: 64 sheets Cover: denim tag in black or ‘sahara’ […]

Benu Chameleon Fountain Pen Review

28 September 2018 By ian

Benu is a Russian company that makes fountain pens with wonderful names, with interesting shapes, and with beautiful patterns and colours. I’ve been wanting to try one for a while so was very happy when Scribble lent me his to look at. This review will form part of a meta-review over at United Inkdom sometime […]

RNLB Ernest and Mabel (sketch)

21 September 2018 By ian

Here’s the latest picture in my Dorset series. It’s the larger of Weymouth’s two lifeboats, the RNLB Ernest and Mabel. Drawn with Mitsubishi Hi-Uni pencils on Bristol board. The Bristol board is ultra-smooth and helps me to get smooth textures and fine detail (but lacks the character you get from cartridge or watercolour paper). This […]

Bird Project (sketches)

5 September 2018 By ian

When I was young I really enjoyed learning the names of all the birds and identifying and watching the ones I saw. Like so many things, over the years I’ve forgotten pretty much all of what I once knew. It’s knowledge I’m keen to regain, especially since moving to Weymouth, which has two bird reserves, […]

Edison Pen Co. Pearlette Fountain Pen Review

29 August 2018 By ian

I reviewed the Edison Pen Co Collier a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. It felt like a pen that was designed by someone who really enjoyed using pens and it had a great old-school charm combined with modern nibs and materials. When Goldspot pens offered to send me a Pearlette to review […]