I got a lovely bunch of paper samples from Renaissance Art as well as a very nice leather sample. Here they are, from worst to best avec comments:
Pens and ink used:
a) CdA Ecridor F nib, PR DC Supershow Blue
Visconti Van Gogh M nib, MB Season's Greetings c) MB 149 M nib, Old Manhattan
d) Lamy Al-Star M nib, PR Avocado
e) Lamy Safari Flame, PR Orange Crush
f) Bexley Americana Stub nib, Lexington Gray
g) CdA Ecridor pencil
#12: Rives Heavyweight Creme 175gsm
- It didn't exactly feather, so much as suck the ink out of the pen. This would make fine blotter paper. My pencil liked it, however.
0/10
#11: Rives Lightweight White 115gsm
- The colour of the paper was very pretty and it was very soft to the touch. Sadly, it was almost as thirsty as the heavyweight version.
2/10
#10: Arches Text Wove White 120gsm
- I really wanted to love this paper, but I couldn't. My pencil loved it, but the fountain pens just skipped along the surface and didn't get the job done. With the exception of the Bexley, no pen was able to lay down a complete line and everything looked very very fine. I gave it a decent score, though, because I would buy one just to use with my pencil.
6/10
#9: Sommerset Book White 115gsm
- The other Sommerset papers I really liked, but this one seemed reluctant to accept my ink. I almost had to press hard to make the ink wick out onto the paper. I really loved the texture and colour, though. A little bit of tooth and a lovely almost white creamy colour. Very pleasant to look at.
6/10
#8: Frankfurt White 120gsm
-This was in my top 3 before my pencil met it and hated it because the lead skipped across the paper and didn't draw a complete line. The paper accepted the ink very well and was a joy to write on. The paper has a very nice, tight texture and brought out the colour of the ink nicely.
7/10
#7: Nideggen Sand 120gsm
-Definitely the darkest of the bunch. It is the colour of the sand and some of the ink got lost in it. Having said that, some of the ink performed dreamily, particularly the Avocado. This paper has some darker fibers embedded (think the cover of a 6A10 Apica journal) and I think this would be very nice to write zen stuff on. I don't know why, it just drew me in and I wanted to keep writing with it. Not very scientific, I know, so sue me. All of the pens and all of the inks behaved well. Not a feather in sight.
8/10
#6: Zerkall Book White/Vellum 145gsm
- Now things start to get close. This is the only paper that my extremely picky MB 149 liked. Toothy enough that I don't get carried away and sometimes slide right off the page like I can do with Rhodia and smooth enough that I don't notice the tooth, it just happens. Beautiful fresh creamy white colour and zero feathering.
8/10
#5: Sommerset Text Laid White 120gsm
-I don’t know what it is about this paper and ink colour, but, wow. Does it ever darken things up. Those who know me know that I detest blue ink, but on this paper, it actually looks good! All of the inks looked good on this paper. Much more vibrant than on the others. Feathers a bit, but not badly and the paper is thin enough to see a lined sheet beneath it. A big plus for those of us who write like drunken sailors.
8/10
#4: Arturo Book Soft White 115gsm
-I found that my pens wrote a tad dry on this, but my Bexley stub liked the paper very much. Lightly textured, more cream than white, just an all round nice paper. No feathering and very nice to write on.
8/10
#3: Frankfurt Creme 120gsm
-Oh, my. Very calming yellowy colour. A very nice fall journal, methinks. My Van Gogh with MB Seasons Greetings ink fell madly in love with it. I have never seen this pen perform better on any other paper. This is a delightful, slightly textured paper that is easy on the eyes. No feathering at all.
9/10
#2: Sommerset Book Soft White 115gsm
-These last three are really just a matter of mood as to which wins. They are all spectacular papers. This one I like very much because it does the same thing to ink that the other Sommerset paper did; it makes the ink look more vibrant to me. This one, however, doesn’t feather. It is also easier on the eyes in bright sunlight. I would totally take a book of this over pretty much anything else, but again, the top three are all very good.
9/10
#1. Zerkall Book White/Smooth 145gsm
-This is a good choice for a special book. Maybe like a wedding book or baby book or something. The paper is very smooth, but not too smooth, if you know what I mean. All of the pens loved it, drying time was a bit slow, but not unreasonable. It is a heavy paper, so I am not sure how practical it is for everyday musings. I am assuming it is rather pricey, so again, grocery lists would be a waste. It is lovely.
9/10
I have said it before, but it is worth saying again that any of the top 3 (maybe even 6) would make lovely journals. Renaissance Art is a wonderful company to deal with. Because of the leather sample they sent with this paper packet, I ordered and received a Folder Holder and I couldn’t be more pleased. Anywho, if anyone would like scans of the papers, let me know and I can email them.
Kathryn