While we're talking about favorite supplies...

...this is what I posted on my Cathy Johnson Art page on Facebook yesterday.  Guess we're all thinking about this!

This is my vintage Waterman 52 nib I took out of a beater that was just good for parts, and put into a Noodler's Creaper body...fun, and a new favorite!

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Even at my age, this late in the game, I'm still searching for tools that let me do what I want with my art.

Granted, there IS no magic brush (though I found one that came close, once, and wore it OUT!), but have you noticed how often we find something that just feels GOOD? That works for us?

My favorite travel palette is my old re-purposed Prang box...I carry one in my bag and one lives at the shed/studio. I seem to reach for it over any of my others, and I believe in part it's BECAUSE it's fun. It reminds me of creating for the sake of creating. Not for sale, not to illustrate anything, but simply because I love doing it.

My favorite fountain pens need to be dependable, smooth, and have some flex. Some have all those attributes, some only two, but I keep trying out new and vintage ones--the ones you see on my eBay listings are good pens, but may either duplicate one I have, or just don't flex enough for me!

I prefer real watercolor brushes (currently, Loew-Cornell and--yes!--Utrecht's inexpensive sets are my favorites), but since I DO work in my journal 90% of the time, and work on the spot frequently, I use waterbrushes a lot. At this writing, a couple of Aquash ones in the largest size are what I usually reach for.

After exploring MANY brands of colored pencils, I'm back to Prismacolors...I normally use a single dark pencil, with watercolor washes, and Prismacolors do the job for me. They don't smear, they don't lift under washes, but they're soft enough to put down a good dark value without hurting my hands! I've tried several of the newer oil-based pencils that many artists just love...but they're not for me, or the way I work.

I still love Fabriano watercolor paper, though I try to find the soft press now...they changed the surface of the CP and it's just too bumpy for me. Despite the fact that Arches has to be THE most popular watercolor paper among the artists I know, it's not for me. (Except the HP version, which is fine. Go figure.)

I have to admit, though, that exploring and continuing to experiment is a never-ending joy to me. It's exciting when I find something that just fits the way I work. Doesn't mean it's Right, or right for everyone, only that it suits me...at the time!

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We've had lots of interesting comments on this Facebook thread...feel free to join us there!  It's a highlighted post from yesterday.  You can find me here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathy-Johnson-Art/119899574740563?ref=br_rs

Favorite Tools for Journaling—We All Have Them

At the May 20, 2013 meeting of the MCBA Visual Journal Collective we had our yearly "tools" meeting. During that meeting each member is encouraged to bring 3 tools that he/she loves to use for visual journaling and share them with the group—say a couple sentences about them and show work that was made with the tool.

This year, necessity made me smart and I taped the members who brought items to share. I split the presentations into two parts because it was getting to be a long video. You can see

Favorite Art Tools from the Members of the MCBA Visual Journal Collective—Part One here

and

Favorite Art Tools from the Members of the MCBA Visual Journal Collective—Part Two here

After I posted the videos on my blog earlier today one correspondent wrote in saying that she was surprised no one talked about his/her favorite journals as paper is an important part of journaling.

The members of the group couldn't agree more (and at least two members did talk about paper on May 20). But we've been having this meeting topic every year for at least the last 4 years and so most of us, who make our own books, have already talked about our favorite papers. Those who use commercially bound books have talked about their favorites in those categories. We are all as paper crazed as the next bunch of visual journal artists, but we are also always trying to bring something that no one has talked about before. We may just have to do a favorite papers video.

If you are in the Twin Cities area on the Third Monday of any month please stop by MCBA at 7 to 9 p.m. and join us. Most meetings are free (sometimes we are doing a project and there is a slight supply fee that is typically $5 or less) and open to all adult journal keepers of ANY skill level. We have people who are just starting out all the way through to professional artists. It's a great group: supportive, and always ready to have fun and share a laugh and share great ideas. (And our January meeting is a wild portrait party at which we all sketch each other and make an editioned book of all the sketches in 2 hours and 30 minutes!)

You can find out more about this group at the MCBA Visual Journal Collective Page on my blog Roz Wound Up. (Also on that page you'll find out if there are any time changes because for the Portrait Party and some other meetings we sometimes have to start earlier or go until 9:30.)

Since it isn't always possible to visit the places we would all like to go I thought that these videos (part 1 and 2) would give you a taste of the group, and some great ideas for tools you may not have used yet. I hope you'll visit with us "virtually."

Noodler's Flex Pen

I got mine today, and I am VERY pleased.  It's amazingly versatile, with a wide range of line widths.  Interestingly, when you fill it with their Lexington Grey ink, the lines vary in value too...thinner lines put down less ink, so are grayer.  Press on the nib to flex for a wider line, and you get quite dark ones!  (You do need to wait a bit for those dark ones to dry...)

The pen is lightweight, which I like, and it writes and draws smoothly, particularly on this paper--Fabriano Hot Press.  No feathering or sinking in in blobs...

It has a screw cap, which I like and my husband doesn't--I LIKE it to stay put.  It has a built in piston so you don't need a separate converter or a cartridge to fill it, and little translucent "windows" so you can see how much ink you have left.

All in all, I am well pleased...it was worth the wait!  For $14, I am in LOVE.

I got mine from Goulet Pen Company, who were very nice to work with, but I understand there are a few other places that sell them, like ISellPens.com.  They go fast, though...looks like Goulet's mostly out again!

For this price, they can't be beat...and I'm delighted that they flex as much as my beloved antique Waterman 152, which wants to leak all over the place!

*Note:  There have been some negative reviews too, please read the comments below...

And nope, I don't get a cut from Noodler's, I don't work for them, I just trust Nina's judgement and had to try one.  As I said, for the price I am delighted!

Testing Tools...more ink pens!

As always, I'm looking for good sketching tools, both those with a fine, crisp line and those that offer some variety...

Here's one I tried on a whim, the Platinum Pocket Brush, which has a fiber tip rather than the brush, like Pentel's Pocket Brush (which I also love!)  The Platinum comes with a cartridge of  Platinum's waterproof Carbon Black ink, which I enjoy in my fountain pens, though in bottle form I believe you need to shake it occasionally (The cartridges come with a little roller ball inside that keeps the ink stirred!).

At first I had problems getting the cartridge to fit in place, but the good people at Jet Pens told me how (basically, PUSH!)

I do like the line variety, from very fine to thunderously black...these are inexpensive and versatile, and well worth the $3.00 it cost and then some!  (Yes, you read that right.  THREE DOLLARS.  With cartridge!)
You can see more here.

Like the Pentel Pocket Brush, the ink stays put when you wash over it...FUN for sketching in our journals.  The fiber nib of the Platinum is stiffer, of course, but it's also nicely controllable.

And by the way, I was delighted to find that the Pentel Pocket Brush is now available at my longtime favorite brick-and-mortar art supply store, Creative Coldsnow in Kansas City!  It's a wonderful warren of rooms in an old building in the Westport area...I love to explore there.

Correspondent Laure Ferlita recently tempted us with her video on the 17th, Using One Pen in Place of Three --she was using a Duke Pen, which you can find on eBay; one of our readers recommended the Sailor DE Brush Stroke Style Calligraphy Fountain Pen, which was also available from JetPens--since I was making an order anyway, who could resist??

As you can see, the nib is very similar to the Duke Pen Laure demonstrated.   It will take quite a bit of practice for me to actually use it for calligraphy, but I LOVE the variety for sketching.  (Check out the sample of writing  on JetPens page--it IS lovely, so I guess I need to practice!)

 

And nope, I don't get a kickback from anyone or any company mentioned here--no free pens, no cut, I just like to make journaling and creativity the pleasure for you that it is for me!

(That said, I still need a pen that's a pleasure to write with, as well...so I still carry my Lamy, Waterman, or the  slightly-too-heavy-for-me TWSBI fountain pen I found on eBay, by chance.  It's smooth and nice, AND has a built in converter with a larger than usual capacity, so I've just filled it with Platinum Sepia ink...)

Pen Tests...favorite tools

Many of us are on a never-ending hunt for the Perfect Drawing Tool...and for some of us that means a fountain pen, with it's ready supply of ink.

A lot of us use a Lamy Safari or Vista (which is clear but the same pen!)--with the charcoal nib rather than the steel one, they're smooth and dependable.  (If you want to replace the nib, it's EASY, and you can get replacement nibs from several sources, including JetPens.  Here's one of the many tutorials for replacing the nib.)

 
This one's a favorite of mine, a Waterman Phileas--it's dependable and sturdy, and almost never skips--when it does, it's usually the paper's fault, not the pen's!  I've gotten these for a reasonable amount on eBay, and one was a STEAL, complete with a converter.  They also come in cobalt blue, red marble, and other colors...

NICE pen.  Interestingly, the Lexington Gray ink looks almost black with the Phileas, much grayer with the Lamy--a difference in how they deliver the ink or how the nib is designed, I believe.

Here, I've tested a variety of nibs--click on the image if you want to see them better!    I've tested out the Lamy Joy nib, too, which you can also find at JetPens--if you already have a Lamy, this may be the way to go, just replace the nib.  New Joy pens can be found for a reasonable amount, though--try Googling!

Our friends and blog correspondents Liz Steel (Interview # 2 on this blog) Alissa Duke (Interview #7) have both had good success with the Joy nib, thank you for the recommendations!

I have a lovely, flexible antique waterman pen which unfortunately likes to leak and clog...you can see that the Joy nib somewhat approximates the thick and thin lines though with a bit more if a mechanical effect.  (Now if I could just get hold of one of Noodler's new Flex pens correspondent Nina Johansson--our Interview # 10!-- mentioned on her blog--but they're out of stock till mid-May.)

Finally, you can see a quick sketch done with the Joy nib, Noodler's Lexington Gray ink, and watercolor washes...FUN.

Let us know what YOUR favorite pen is...

Favorite materials and supplies page

I updated this page with more of my favorites--you can find it HERE, or just look at the top of the blog!

(And incidentally, turns out I'm not wild about that bottom waterbrush.  Doesn't hold much water, and I find it awkward to use.  NICE point though...)

Correspondents, feel free to chime in and do a post on YOUR favorites--I can add it to the page so it will be handy.