Three Questions With Ana From The Well-Appointed Desk

The Best. That's how I refer to Ana Reinert from The Well-Appointed Desk. Her blog is an amazing resource, her reviews are spectacular, and she is one of the nicest people on the planet. Like I said, The Best. My thanks to Ana for answering Three Questions.

1. What role do analog tools such as pens, pencils, and paper play in your day to day life?

Since I've been writing The Well-Appointed Desk for over four years, pens, pencils and paper ARE my life. That said, I often pick out my pens and pencils in the morning with the same considerations most people reserve for their wardrobe. When I get up to go to a meeting, I select pens or pencils based on my mood. Is this a doodle-necessary meeting? If so, I'll pack a multi-pen for multiple color options. Is it a serious meeting where I'll be doing a lot of writing? A good notebook and a fountain pen will be carried. Will there be handouts? Then I pack an extra fine fountain pen or a good gel pen like my Karas Kustoms Render K G2.

2. What are your favorite products you are currently using?

I just met and fell in love with a Kaweco Dia2. Its got a medium nib which is not usually my preferred nib size but it feels so classic I just love it. I'm hoping to upgrade the nib to a 14K gold as soon as they are readily available.

3. What post are you the most proud of on your blog?

Its a tie between the Epic Refill Guide and the Guide Sheets. I worked closely with Dan at Karas Kustoms to pull together the Refill Guide and I keep trying to update and add to it as new options come to light. And the Guide Sheets was an involved project that has gotten a lot of enthusiasm from readers. If you find the perfect notebook but the pages are blank, guide sheets can help turn that book into lined or graph paper. I'm inclined to buy blank paper notebooks now because I can use a guide sheet to make the line widths exactly what I prefer. I've recently updated the Guide Sheets to include graph paper and more size options.

Art Snacks

Are you planning on bringing out your inner artist in 2015? Let ArtSnacks help you out with a curated box of art supplies delivered right to your doorstep each month. The surprise when you open the box and dive in can't help but motivate you to get creative!

My thanks to ArtSnacks for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Caran d'Ache Chromatics Magnetic Blue Ink Review

Being a fan of blue black inks, there is a lot to like about Caran d'Ache Chromatics Magnetic Blue. But regardless of if I like the color or not, there is one big, BIG hangup with this ink.

The Chromatics line was created to mimic the color spectrum found in a prism, and the 12 colors represent a very nice range. The Magnetic Blue I chose is a nice cloudy blue with hints of grey and a hint of purple. The shading is average, with a narrow range of color found in my lines. You can see it, but the shading is not necessarily a standout. The smoothness and lubrication of the ink is a highlight, flowing true and easily form the nib. It is a long-drying ink though, one of the longest I recall testing. When using it in my Midori Travelers notebook I actually had it transfer to the previous page when shutting the book.

Ranking it against only the other blue black inks I use frequently, it's not top 5 material on color alone. It's just not special enough to stand out from the crowd, and therein lies the major problem. It will cost you $38 dollars to try out an average ink.

This is easily the most expensive bottle of ink on my shelf and it will be rarely used. Looking at the swatches on JetPens I think I would have been happier with one of the brighter colors like Electric Orange or Hypnotic Turquoise. I use so many blue black inks I am very sure of where this ranks, so picking a different color may have left me more impressed. Still, for a premium ink it doesn't do enough for me to justify the price. Pilot Iroshizuku has nothing to worry about.

Have you used any of the Caran d'Ache Chromatics inks? I've love to get some feedback and comments if you have. Let me know what I am missing!

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)