I made a few new pen clips and added a new double pencil clip to the mix. You can get them on my etsy shop.
Author Archives: leslie
Review: Forest Choice Pencil
My least favorite of the pencils in the Pencils.com Palomino pencil pack is the Forest Choice. This “least favorite” business must be qualified with the fact it’s my least favorite of a group of spectacular pencils.
This is a very good looking pencil. It’s incense cedar case is lightly finished with a clear finish. the green imprint is crisp and includes the logo and website. The ferrule is a nice evergreen color and holds a pink eraser. The ferrule is fixed securely. Even after repeated use it doesn’t loosen.
The cedar sharpens with ease in any sharpener. The core holds a nice point with the KUM long point sharpener or a wedge. It’s labeled an HB and performs as such when compared to normal type pencils. In the Palomino world this would be rated an H as it’s the hardest of the group of pencils. As such it’s pretty good for underdrawings or taking notes, as the harder core holds a point better than a softer core. It will not give a range of shades nor a deep dark.
I like the look of this pencil very much, but wish it came with the standard Palomino core. This is a nice core but for my preferences not soft and smooth enough. Honestly though, if you are looking for an ecologically minded pencil for note taking or writing this is a great pencil. Even for basic sketching this is a great pencil.
Technique Today: Color Theory
Color is often discussed but understanding the theory of it can helpful for mixing paint, layering markers, and color choices. Like composition we talk about it, some understand it intuitively, and other study color theory. Like anything some understanding of the theory is helpful.
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Tools I Use: Erasers
I’ve been having a lively discussion about pencils and erasers with Joyce of EraserGirl. Which really got me to thinking about the erasers that I use regularly and those that I hate.I’ve written on here before about how much I dislike the Paper-Mate TuffStuff. In this recent discussion, I suggested that I might be better off attempting to erase with a hotdog. I continue to stand by that sentiment. The TuffStuff came out in the 90s and hasn’t changed since. Sometimes you might think, “Keep it classic.” But other times you look at a snazzy eraser like the Tombow Mono Zero and wonder why Papermate hasn’t slimmed down the case of the TuffStuff so it’s more sleek and portable. This is one of my main gripes about the TuffStuff, it is huge when compared to other click erasers, especially when you look at the size of the actual eraser cased in the mountain of plastic. The eraser itself is a mere 4mm in diameter encased in 10mm of plastic. It’s too big when I’m grabbing stuff to go sketch, I’m just not reaching for it. Also, the eraser inside is a gritty mess of eraser that just smears pencil around. It takes more time to clean the page after it’s use than it should.
That brings me to the click erasers I do use and like. I’ve already mentioned it, but the Tombow Mono Zero has been my go to for the last few months. It’s easy to use, the eraser does a fine job, and best of all it’s sleek. the plastic and metal case is pared down to just the essentials and it’s not much bigger than a regular pencil in diameter. I’m not using it to clear giant swaths of paper, but to remove writing in my Field Notes and details in my sketchbook. For this, it does very well. The width of the rectangular eraser is perfect for cleaning a line in a Field Notes. The edges and corners make detail work a breeze. This is why it’s my go to eraser for any sketching moment.
The next click eraser I use often is one I have yet to write a review for. Why I’ve neglected to put up a review is beyond me, but let’s just say it’s a great eraser with a few issues. The Milan TriJet is a budget friendly triangular stick eraser housed in a black and white plastic body. The eraser itself is firm and well suited toward cleaning pencil from paper. It makes short work of most pencils. The 3 triangular points allow for detailed erasing while the flat edges can clear a page in my BanditApple Carnet in no time. Because refills are inexpensive and I was able to get 6 of them for $1 I don’t mind cutting off chunks of it to use a fresh clean edge. The plastic housing is okay. It grips the eraser pretty tightly and occasionally shavings from the eraser will clog the feed mechanism and the eraser won’t advance. This is easily solved by removing the eraser and blowing through the tube to clear out the pieces. I occasionally throw this into my pencil wrap, but generally it stays on the desk.
Another old favorite that i don’t use any more is the MagicRub eraser. I stopped using it when I was doing a lot of pen and ink work and found that it lifted a great deal of ink off the page. Removal of ink it was it was designed for. When doing detailed ink drawings it’s not a good idea to use the MagicRub. However, it’s a great eraser. (I do have a great deal of hand carved stamps made out of majicrub erasers. they have stood up really well.)
The Staedtler MARS plastic eraseris another old standby. I use both the click and block version of this eraser. The click housing hasn’t changed much since the mid-90s but unlike the TuffStuff this housing isn’t ridiculously huge for the size of the eraser contained within. Rather, it’s simplicity itself. It’s easy to use and works time after time. And it’s not cludgy. The eraser is soft plastic with crumbs that roll together, making clean up easy. The click eraser and the block eraser are the same inside and work equally as well. The great thing with the block eraser is that it can be cut to any size and shape you want. I must’ve had dozens of these in school that i cut into smaller more manageable pieces. Back in the 90s these were the Mercedes of erasers. Another eraser that I reach for, in block form, is the Pentel Hi-Polymer. I consider it to be an equal to the Staedtler Mars eraser for art erasing. It handles pencil, chalk, charcoal, and everything else I’ve ever thrown at it with ease. It is soft and white, the dust clumps together, making clean up easier. A 3-pack can be found at any Staples and most other office supply stores very inexpensively. I found my first 3-pack at K-Mart in 1994. Prices have gone down since then. they have also introduced them in triangular cap style! (I need to find some of those!)
Keep in mind that I’m generally erasing pencil with these erasers. If I was erasing other things I’d use other erasers, like the art gum or kneaded eraser. Well, maybe not the art gum. I hate those.
Shelterwood Backpocket Stress Test Part 3
I’ve been carrying around my Shelterwood in my back pocket for 40 days. This is much longer than I normally carry a Field Notes. More than twice my typical carry time. In my opinion, it has fared just as well as any other Field Notes. Any FN carried naked in a back pocket while walking on hot subway lines, through Cambridge, and while gardening would be battered and damaged.
The damage is mostly contained to where the creases initially occurred. Those creases at the spine have developed into moderately sized chips of the cherry veneer. There area few splinters of wood at the spine and corners. The spine shows the most wear and the largest splinters. There is a lot of transfer of indigo from my jeans.
Over the last 9 days I’ve been working in my garden occasionally. I’ve been shoving various stuff in and out of my pocket. One of the things that has gone in and out of my pocket is a knife and a spool of cord.
With all of this going on you might think that this notebook isn’t durable, but the fact is that it’s been in my pocket for 40 days. I’d be surprised if other notebooks lasted this well. You can take a look at the pictures and decide for yourself.
Future Reviews and the Summer of Pencils
I placed an order with JetPens and it contained 5 different types of pencils. Part of the order was my first full box of a Palomino Blackwings. The Pearl stole my heart and it’s the first Blackwing that I’ve wanted to write, draw, and doodle on everything. It’s an awesome pencil. I have a full review of that coming up soon.
I picked up the following:
- Rhodia Pencil
- MitsuBishi Hi-Uni in B and HB
- MisuBishi Matured 9800 For General Writing HB
- MitsuBishi NanoDia in B
All were nice. But one was meh and one is a pencil I reach for over and over as I write, sketch, and doodle.
Review: Palomino HB Pencil
In my next to last review of the individual pencils in the Palomino mixed pencil pack from pencils.com I’m looking at the Palomino premium HB eraser topped pencil. It’s features a perfect bright orange finish with a gold imprint. The ferrule is a matching gold colored ferrule holding a white eraser. The ferrule is well fitted to the pencil and stays strong even after repeated use. The eraser is, like most Palomino erasers, disappointing. For writing and general use it cleans most of the pencil off the page but to really clean the page you’ll need a stick or block eraser.
The pencil is made of incense cedar, smells great, and sharpens easily. The core holds a point really well from any of the sharpeners I’ve used. It is especially good with the KUM long point sharpener. The Palomino HB rating is similar to a 2B in most other brands of pencils. That makes this pencil super smooth in use. The point also wears down pretty quickly for class notes. But for drawing, this is a great pencil. It gives a nice gradation of shades, and decent darks.
These are not extreme value pencils. A 12-pack will cost around $13. Compared to other art pencils this isn’t a bad deal. Palomino sells the HB pencil in 12-packs. It’s unfortunately that Palomino doesn’t sell the 2B- 6B pencils in mixed drawing pencil pack in individual packages of 6 or 12. It’s a fantastic pencil for writing or drawing.
Complete!
I’m very happy to report that I’ve finally been able to migrate my writing and images from Typepad to a self-hosted WordPress site. There are drawbacks to this, but so far so good. I’ll be updating the “look” of the site over the next few weeks. I need to make a new banner and determine color choices and what not.
The good thing about all of this is that all of you who read or subscribe shouldn’t need to update your links or anything, it’s still just ComfortableShoesStudio.com 🙂
I could go on and on about what a pain in the arse this transfer has been, but I’ll digress for now. I have many opinions on typepad. I’m saddened to leave what was once a great platform, but the new ownership has not made any great strides and has, in my opinion, driven a once great company into the ground.
If you want to take a look at some of my older posts, they are available arranged by month and year to your left, for now. The archives may move. I’m not sure how all of this will be set up when I finally decide on a look.
Technique Today: Ink
I love ink. It's a great thing to fiddle around within art journals. It also goes well with last weekk's topic, lettering.
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Back up
I’m in the process of moving everything from typepad to WordPress. This has been a pretty easy transition, except for the images, which have been a bit of a pain in the arse.
I’m happy to report that WordPress has a few of the features I’ve been looking for in Typepad- first, I can use my browser’s spell check. Secondly, Android apps for photo sharing AND posting! I’m still able to use Disqus for comments (thought it lost a few of the more recent comments in the transfer.) Images are looking to be a problem. I might lose a great deal of them. I’ve got over 1600 posts, most WITH multiple hi-res images and, as of right now, all those images are linked to Typepad and didn’t import over. So, I’m looking for a way to import all those images before I cancel my Typepad pro account. My blog will remain on Typepad’s mini format, but I’m unclear how that will look and work. Right now Typepad mini looks like they have ripped off the code for Tumblr, so it might not work well.
Anyway,