The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 509 - All Over the Nib Map

I’m often hesitant to go outside of my comfort zone with stationery products, so buying a stacked nib for experimentation purposes is not something I would normally do. The Atlanta Pen Show offered me an opportunity to pick one up, and I discuss it, and other new nibs, in this episode.

Show Notes & Download Links

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Posted on April 14, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.

Maruman Croquis Pocket Series Notebook Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Brad's been raving about Maruman Croquis paper, and I've been dying to try it, so I was stoked when this small gem came my way. This is the Pocket Sketchbook version, with 55 dual-spiral-bound sheets of 96.4 gsm cream cotton paper. It has a soft woven surface that works well with artist's pencils, but also behaves beautifully with any pen you want to use.

The paper has a slight texture to it, which lends control to your drawing or writing, but it does not bleed or feather at all. Even the sharpie barely dots through, so this paper is up for your wildest artistic adventures. The pages are not perforated, so they do not tear out easily. Instead you get the dreaded spiral-bound confetti. The dual coil does keep the pages secure, though, so they won't tear out unless you really want them to.

The cover is thick cardstock designed to keep the coils inside the spine of the notebook, rather than sticking out where they might snag or be crushed. It makes for a great compact sketchbook. At 4.2 x 6" I'd consider it a bit larger than what we usually consider pocket size, despite its "pocket series" name. I dunno, mayhaps it fits in dude pockets, but I've never had a pocket this big. Still, it's compact for a sketchbook and perfect for travel or a daily sketch. It's also great as a notepad for writing, though this thicker paper really does beg for art to be made with it.

Best of all, this is some fabulous paper for only $4.45. Yes, under five bucks for 55 sheets of goodness. I highly recommend you give it a try. Toss one in your JetPens cart next time you need a boost to free shipping. I'll be doing the same, as the one pictured has already been stolen by a young artist in my home.

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

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Posted on April 14, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Maruman, Notebook Reviews.

Bungubox L'Amant Fountain Pen Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

It's been quite a long time since I've tried a new Bungubox ink, so this is long overdue. L'Amant is a lovely purple ink with plenty of vibrant character and a few surprises. Since Bungubox can be a little difficult to find in the US, I don't have a large collection. But, I expect quite a bit from based on my past experience with it. Luckily, L'Amant doesn't disappoint.

On the surface, L'Amant is a cheery purple ink with a good deal of shading between dark tones. It's dark enough to blend in with a professional setting, but bright enough to stick out. What surprised me is the gold/green sheen that appears in some spots. The edges of ink pools is where I see the most of this sheening behavior, and I can't get enough of it. It totally surprised me.

L'Amant is a dye-based ink, and it dries extremely fast. In my testing in a medium cursive-italic nib, most of my writing was dry to the touch in 10 to 12 seconds. Wetter areas were dry by 15 seconds. Again, pretty impressive.

Performance is definitely on par with what I've seen with other Bungubox inks. There's zero feathering and bleed on good paper, it flows extremely well, and finds the perfect balance of lubrication and wetness.

The ability for this ink to deliver a consistently vibrant and calm purple on the page is stellar. The surprise green/gold sheen around larger pools of ink is simply delightful. Unfortunately, this sheen doesn't come out much in smaller nibs. You need to use a large nib to see this in action.

The marketing for this ink makes a big deal out of the bottle shape and the box it comes in. The heel shape of the bottle is unique and easy to use, and I really appreciate the big ink swatch on top of the cap to show you what's inside. The box is designed in a way so that the top third flips open to act as a kick stand for the ink bottle. The idea is that you use the box to prop the ink bottle at a good angle for getting at the last few milliliters of ink in the bottom. This is nifty and certainly a well-thought-out design consideration, but I'd probably just use a syringe to get out the last bit of ink. Using this setup requires you keep the box around — which is fine in my case — but not everyone wants to keep the ink packaging around. Pro tip to those that toss out the ink boxes: ink is much easier to store and move when you keep them in their box. Boxes are easy to stack, whereas oddly shaped ink bottles are not!

At $44.50 for 30 ml, this ink definitely comes at a premium price. Bungubox has an excellent reputation and I can whole-heartedly recommend paying the premium price for any of their inks that tickle your fancy. If you haven't had the opportunity of trying out any Bungubox inks, definitely add them to your list.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!