Fountain Pen (ink) Friendly Fabriano Classic Artist's Journal

[biffybeans]

 

------ An artist I admire on FLickr, Jessica Doyle, recommended the Fabriano Artist's Journal to me. It's a pricey book - from Blick, it was $20 for the 5x7 book. (I had a 30% off coupon)

 

To make it simple, let's just say that NOT ONE of the above used inks bled even a little bit in this book. It's an acid free sketching paper, and it has a little bit of tooth. Every single pen with every single ink wrote butter smooth on this paper. EVERY ONE. I did a quick drawing on the reverse side of the paper, and unless you really look for it, you can't see the opposing side through the paper.

 

What a glorious little book. While it doesn't exactly lie flat, you can crease the spine and force it relatively flat.

 

It comes with a ribbon bookmark ala Moleskine. The signatures seem securely sewn together.

 

The only thing that makes me really like this book vs LOVE it, is that the cover is a heavy cardboard, which seems to me could get pretty beat up, pretty easily.

 

192 pages, alternating between white & cream in color.

 

From the Blick site: "The paper is a great paper for ink, pencil, or pastels. It's mouldmade, acid-free, and lightfast."

 

 

Purchased 06/22/08 Blick

On my adventures with Rita (Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen)

 

We went to Perkins & ate eggs and talked about Reptillian Alien Agendas (Lamy Safari M Noodler's Black)

 

We talked about how every possible decision creates an alternative universe, that it's all infinite. (Lamy Safari w/ .07 Cursive Italic nib custom ground by Pendemonium. Diamine Imperial Purple Ink)

 

But I sometimes think there are an infinite number of souls. (Lamy AL Star 1.1 Stub. Waterman Blue-Black probably mixed with the residue of Noodler's Black)

 

She said that every country but Israel & the USA have declassified their UFO files. (Lamy 2000 EF Noodler's LeColour Royale)

 

That the TV show the X-FIles was the way that the government was introducing the concepts to us of alien existences. (Lamy Safari EF Noodler's Aircorp Blue-Black)

 

She gave me Reiki on a wooden bridge near a circular pond that had trout in it. (Esterbrook J 9556 nib Diamine Imperial Purple)

 

She said that we were Native American sisters in another lifetime.

I petted a lot of dogs on the nature trail. (Pelikan M200 F Noodler's Red-Black)

 

[hardyb]

Good find. Enchanting review! It made my brain roll over and wag its stem.

[biffybeans]

Yea, I hadn't intended it to be a review. I just started writing in the book and trying my pens (as I always do) and I was shocked at how great it was.

 

And trust me - my brain was spinning a bit yesterday as well. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole Reptilian Alien Agenda thing...

 

Good find. Enchanting review! It made my brain roll over and wag its stem.

 

[biffybeans]

Quick update - the reverse of these pages isn't as smooth for writing as the front.

[xena]

As a dry media artist, biffy, that's good for me to know. what is the page count on these? My strathmores are getting pretty full... (sketch in graphites/ charcoals, not fp's)

Edited July 24, 2008 by xena

[antigone]

I've had two of these journals and loved them. The cardbord cover is kind of flimsy and will show wear quickly, but I always thought this adds to its charakter....

 

The paper is called 'ingres' I think. It's a hand made paper for pastells and other dry media you can also buy in sheets. I went over to binding this paper into my own books as the Fabriano's won't lie flat and is much too fat to carry around all the time.