Best Journal You've Ever Owned?

[theverdictis]

Hi,

 

Was just wondering what the best journal; you have owned was? What was the paper quality like? Where did you purchase it from? What made it the best?

 

Kind Regards

 

Ben

[dcpritch]

I've had a fair number of journals over the years and the best ones by a long shot have been made by fellow FPNer TMLee. I prefer Tomoe River paper and he has made a couple for me using that paper. He sells his journals on the FPN Classifieds and he can also make one for you exactly to your specs. Take a look at his handmade journal thread, which has been a study of his techniques since 2007.

[pen2paper]

Easy ditto on TMLee's journals, as well as his shared journey developing his skills.

 

After viewing the process of your journal from design details discussion, final photos, then actually holding the very fine piece in your hand is simply a joy.

 

And, he readily shares with others so they may develop their own skills. How often do you see such a spirit of generosity? Do take leisure time to explore the thread via the link above.

 

side note: peeked at your profile page and with your noted nature interest.. are you acquainted with the UK Barn Owl Trust?

[migo984]

Design Y http://design-y.near-mint.com/product.html

[theverdictis]

Easy ditto on TMLee's journals, as well as his shared journey developing his skills.

 

After viewing the process of your journal from design details discussion, final photos, then actually holding the very fine piece in your hand is simply a joy.

 

And, he readily shares with others so they may develop their own skills. How often do you see such a spirit of generosity? Do take leisure time to explore the thread via the link above.

 

side note: peeked at your profile page and with your noted nature interest.. are you acquainted with the UK Barn Owl Trust?

I know of the trust, but i'm not currently a member. I do like going to Bird sanctuaries, although don't go to many these days. What about yourself?

 

Ben

[LeonardoDV]

TMLee, without any doubt or second thought! His are works of art!

[pen2paper]

I know of the trust, but i'm not currently a member. I do like going to Bird sanctuaries, although don't go to many these days. What about yourself?

 

Ben

Until last year when a poisoned barn owl was discovered in an agricultural area not far from where I live, there had been zero sightings since the late 1970's. The poisoned owl was saved, but per federal regulations released back to where he was poisoned, so you know what that means... the team that treated him, then secured an unreleasable barn owl for their raptor education center to teach about its natural benefits over poison usage. So, I did get to see her, and many of the typical barn owl behaviors.. beautiful creature! Only minimally involved otherwise. Past live cam mod for students observing cams in class. Areas of the US west coast vintner and ag communities have signed agreements to house barn owls and not use poisons, which has seen success. Know little about the UK other than they're aware and trying. UK photographers have advantage since the owls there fly in some light. Excellent videos too!

 

back on thread: Migo984 that's a very nice looking journal too.. do you have a preference?

 

oops edited speelling

Edited October 2, 2014 by pen2paper

[inkypete]

No doubt for me. The original Quo Vadis Habana with white Clairefontaine paper. The perfect notebook for me until they changed the paper. Luckily I have about 12 in my cupboard but I am too scared to use them as I know they are the last in captivity (for me). So I have the joy of looking at them every day and thinking how lucky I am to have them. Anyone know a good notebook counsellor?

[Bronze]

No doubt for me. The original Quo Vadis Habana with white Clairefontaine paper. The perfect notebook for me until they changed the paper.

 

I agree, it was pretty much perfect, white paper - 8mm ruling. I still have a couple left.

[Davros]

Nanami Paper's Seven Seas Writer. *happy sigh*

[sarahfar]

Design-y has no peer.

[I like mango cheesecake]

Well I haven't owned many but I can say the Rhodia webbie is pretty darn good.

[Newjelan]

Nanami Paper's Seven Seas Writer. *happy sigh*

+1

[sandy101]

The Leuchtteurm A5 journal has been rather robust, and has managed to take the inks I've used on it.

[TeaHive]

Miquel Rius "leather-like" graph notebooks. They have well over 300 pages, I like my journals to be either graph paper or blank, rather than lined, the paper is fairly smooth and generally takes ink from all my fountain pens. Flex pens not so much, or really wet areas. They tend to bleed through. But for regular writing and light sketching, this is my book. I first found them at Barnes & Noble book stores. It's cheaper to buy from B&N than to buy from the Miquel Rius website.. their shipping is astronomical. For the US, B&N shipping is free if you spend $25, so I get three of the books at a time. Not sure how it cheap or expensive it would be for other countries.

[Polanova]

18 months or so ago I`ve been looking for a notebook because I wanted to get away from cahiers.

It took me quite a bit of research until i found the right thing.

Inbetween I got a Rhodia WebNotebook, cause this pen/knives/guns collecting professor dude on youtube said that those would lie flat.

Off I went & ordered one. Papers been nice but no way did that stay flat - uh uh.

 

Finally happy with:

_MIDORI MD A5 blank notebook - 175 pages, sewn binding AND: It stays flat when open Paper is super smooth & cream or off white.

 

Oh, and the paper bears the wettest, most flexible FP without bleeding or feathering!

Edited October 6, 2014 by Polanova

[cjseibold]

Anything with Tomoe river paper. Just can't get over how perfect it is.

[inkstainedruth]

Miquel Rius "leather-like" graph notebooks. They have well over 300 pages, I like my journals to be either graph paper or blank, rather than lined, the paper is fairly smooth and generally takes ink from all my fountain pens. Flex pens not so much, or really wet areas. They tend to bleed through. But for regular writing and light sketching, this is my book. I first found them at Barnes & Noble book stores. It's cheaper to buy from B&N than to buy from the Miquel Rius website.. their shipping is astronomical. For the US, B&N shipping is free if you spend $25, so I get three of the books at a time. Not sure how it cheap or expensive it would be for other countries.

I've looked at these. But the trouble is that B&N only carries the graph paper page ones, AFAIK. I may end up ordering one of the blank or lined ones directly from Miquelrius-USA at some point, though, because my husband likes their large spiral notebooks (the ones that have color coded page sections -- graph paper, lined paper, etc).

I used to really like (and tout) the CR Gibson Markings ones that you could get at places like Staples and Target, because they were inexpensive and the paper was pretty FP friendly. Unfortunately, the nice 252 page ones seem to have largely vanished. And so I tried one of their "fancier" journals (fake leather with the magnetic closing strap). But those I fnd are NOT as FP friendly -- they have more pages (256) but the paper is not as heavy. So I'm getting a fair amount of show through problems. Plus, the strap will make them harder to stack and store.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos

Edited October 7, 2014 by inkstainedruth

[Strombomboli]

When talking of paper only, Tomoe River is hard to beat, if at all. I am using it as my go-to paper now.

 

When it comes to journals, though, I like Allan's Journals best. The India paper is as thin as Tomoe River and as fountain pen friendly. The drawback, of course, are the journal's very narrow lines (4 mm), which makes me use only every second one (my handwriting is large, my pens have OBB nibs), but in compensation, you have the lovely leather in which it's bound and the even more lovely two-colored edges of the journal (gold AND red, I had never seen anything like it before).

[TeaHive]

I've looked at these. But the trouble is that B&N only carries the graph paper page ones, AFAIK. I may end up ordering one of the blank or lined ones directly from Miquelrius-USA at some point, though, because my husband likes their large spiral notebooks (the ones that have color coded page sections -- graph paper, lined paper, etc).

I used to really like (and tout) the CR Gibson Markings ones that you could get at places like Staples and Target, because they were inexpensive and the paper was pretty FP friendly. Unfortunately, the nice 252 page ones seem to have largely vanished. And so I tried one of their "fancier" journals (fake leather with the magnetic closing strap). But those I fnd are NOT as FP friendly -- they have more pages (256) but the paper is not as heavy. So I'm getting a fair amount of show through problems. Plus, the strap will make them harder to stack and store.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos

 

The B&N website doesn't seem to have any other Miquel Rius except the graph ones (which are the ones I'm in looooove with), but I've seen many other options inside actual B&N stores. I've personally never had any problems with the MR graph ones, other than checking out flex nibs which did bleed through pages.. Just regular writing displays "ghosting," or show-through, but no bleed-through with plain ol' writing.