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Review: Yoobi Composition Book

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I previously review the Yoobi HB pencils. Like their pencils, the composition books are available in 4 bright cheerful colors. these colors all work together and look great. I enjoy the bright colors but they are not for everyone.yoobicompyoobicomp

The composition books feature medium weight card covers with the Yoobi toucan logo, the phrase “compose yourself”, and a standard information area for writing. The information areas has a “scribbled” border that I find cute. The weight of the covers is about the same of almost every currently produced comp book. Lighter than they used to be, and flexible. *

There are 100 sheets (200 pages) of standard weight smooth notebook paper. The paper has blue ruling, mine is college ruled. I did not see wide ruled notebooks on the shelf. The margins are marked off in red. In other words this is a very standard composition book. I found the ruling to be slightly darker than my go to Staples brand composition notebooks. It’s not so dark as to be distracting or horrible, just darker.yoobicomp

The paper does well with pencils, being toothy enough to coax dark lines out of many pencils but smooth enough it’s not like I’m writing on sandpaper. With fountain pens the paper does well, with a little more than expected bleed through. I tested it with a couple of inks and most did well, with little feathering, and all with some bleed through. I wouldn’t use a double broad nib on this paper, but it does well enough with a medium I wouldn’t hesitate in it’s use.yoobicomp yoobicompThe binding is very sturdy and stitched well. There were no loose stitches or ends. The taped spine is secure without any separation of the glue from the covers. It’s a well made composition notebook.

I’ve been using mine for about a month now as I write up group therapy ideas for my internship. Most of this work has been done at my patio table, outside and at coffee shops. The book has survived being in and out of my bags and thrown onto the rough surface of my patio table. There are scuffs and dings in the cover with some wear around the edges, but given that I’ve not been gentle with this notebook it still looks good.yoobicomp

The price of the Yoobi composition book is on the higher side. Ringing in at $2.50 (or around that) it’s priced like a premium composition notebook. While it holds it’s own in sturdiness and being constructed well, it’s only slightly better made than a Staples comp book. This made in Vietnam composition notebook it’s bad, and when you factor in that they give supplies to schools in need, it’s a pretty good deal for a sturdy fun notebook.

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Review: Tombow IPPO!

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The Tombow IPPO! is a Japanese pencil targeted toward kids for working on their handwriting. The pencils have bright attractive colors with one of their six sides white. It makes for a really neat looking pencil. The end is capped  off and neatly banded with a bright silver foil. The grade of the pencil is marked on  2 sides with the company name and dragonfly image on a third. I find these to be tidy and sharp (heh) looking pencils. That single white stripe reminds me of wide racing stripes on cars. Tough and serviceable but bright and fun. There are three different colors in each 12-pack. Mine had a bright lime green, a light blue, and dark blue. The pencils arrive in a nice hard plastic case that is reusable as a pencil case. It doesn’t clasp shut but overlap, so would need a rubber band to hold it shut, but is a great way to protect your pencils on the go.IPPO!Inside, the soft B core is well centered in an unknown wood that sharpens with ease. I tested out a variety of sharpeners and was happy with all results, from long points to stubby points. Point retention with this B pencil was good but not great. It is a B pencil, so it is soft, but it’s also not the softest B pencils I’ve tried. It’s delightfully dark without using undue pressure, and is smooth. It’s not the silky smooth experience of a Pearl but has a touch more feedback. It’s fantastic.IPPO!IPPO!

I really enjoy this pencil for written journaling. My words are nice and dark, and it doesn’t smudge too much, but will. For sketching it does well, but for deep dark areas another pencil in a softer grade will be needed.

These were purchased from Jetpens. They ring in around $1 each. The bright colors are fantastic and are eye catching. I can’t help but to have one of each color sharpened and ready for use.

Review: Yoobi Pencils

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A few weeks ago I was browsing the stationary section at Target, don’t pretend you don’t do the exact same thing, and happened upon the new display for Yoobi. It’s a nifty brand that donates a pack of what you bought to a school in need. Cool.

I picked up a few notebooks and a pack of pencils. I selected the mixed color 24-pack and received bright magenta, purple, blue and yellow green pencils that perfectly match their notebooks, journals, pens, highlighters, glue sticks, and other desk items. They are very brightly colored, which I like a lot.IMAG2045The pencils are standard #2 HB graphite cores. The core is well centered and whatever wood it is made of, sharpens well in all my sharpeners, from the KUM Ellipse, Long Point and wedge. Easy as could be. The core is nice and dark for an HB and is good for writing. it does okay for basic sketching but for anything resembling deep dark shadows a 4B or 6B pencil will need to be used. Point retention is decent but with pencils this cheap you can have a dozen sharp and ready to go without being worried about cost. Written journalers will be happy with these pencils.yoobiSpeaking of price, a 24-pack was a mere $2.29! They give a package to a school in need so it becomes an even better deal. The fact that these pencils  are super brightly colored and give to charity is great thing. They also coordinate with their notebooks really well. Even if you aren’t using a matching color, all of the colors work really well together.yoobi yoobi yoobi yoobi yoobi

 

Review: Faber-Castell Grip 2001 B

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I’d heard good things about the Grip 2001, plus it is a neat looking pencil, so I picked one up at Artist and Craftsman for a cool 81 cents.

First, let’s talk about the looks of this pencil. It’s metallic silver gray with a black imprint and raised black dots along the triangular grip.  the silver gray paint has a few runs and imperfections, that are noticeable, particularly at the imprint end of the pencil. I didn’t look at a whole lot of these on the rack of open stock pencils, but I did notice some imperfections on the other pencils as well. The back end, where the ferrule would usually go is capped with a shiny cap of sorts. When I first pulled this pencil off the rack I thought the raised nubs along the grip were purely for looks, but they are functional and create a nice tactile feel. If you are a “worrier” or rub your pencil or pen when you are thinking this is a great tactile feel. The pencil itself is very light feeling. I didn’t think to weigh it but after using other pencils it feels very light. The rounded triangular shape is very comfortable to hold and use. It settles into my hand like it was designed for my grip. It’s a great feeling pencil.Grip 2001I picked out a B grade. They had a full range of grades at Artist and Craftsman but I decided that the best bet for my review purposes was to continue with HB or B. It’s also a good entry level for pencil drawing and from a B grade you can tell what the rest of the grades will act like. At first use I was not impressed. This B grade is much more like an HB or F than a B. It’s not possible to get a whole lot of tonal range with this pencil. I got no more dark out of this than I would with a standard HB or #2 pencil. It is very hard for a B grade pencil. The mark it makes is lighter than I’d expect of a B  pencil.  Again the darkness of the pencil is in line with an HB of even an F, not what I’d expect of a B pencil marketed towards artists.Grip 2001However, it is not scratchy, in fact it’s a nice smooth pencil. I didn’t notice any grit as I used it. It holds it’s point remarkably well for a B graded pencil, again, I’d mark this an HB rather than a B, but even when compared to an HB it really holds it’s point well. For sketching this isn’t a great pencil but for writing it’s great. I find myself reaching for it pretty often to use in my Field Notes.Grip 2001How does it sharpen? Well, okay. I haven’t tried it in my KUM long point sharpener but in my KUM ellipse and Staedtler pocket Jelly Bean* it does OK. The wood peels off well enough, but the lead does lean towards chipping and cracking off the core. The core is narrow but well centered so does sharpen to a good point, the sharpener must be sharp.  As I learned, a dull sharpened will just chip the lead off into blunt nasty points.Grip 2001While these pencils are directed at artists, I find it odd that they only offer  from grades 2H to 2B. Artist grades, for regular drawing generally go up to at least a 6B and down to a 2H in hardness. If they are directed at artists, why so little in variation? Rather, I think the market for these is the “gift to artists” and “people who appreciate a nice pencil” rather than professional artists. While up to 2B is adequate for sketching IF you can get a nice range of tone from the softest pencil, it’s far less useful if the pencils are hard and not able to give a nice darkness. Like the mixed Palomino set, these are for writing and doodling, not for serious sketching or drawing where you need deep dark areas.GRIP2001

Overall, if you are looking for a solid pencil for writing this is a great pencil, I just can’t suggest it for drawing. Perhaps a higher grade, maybe 2B or 4B would give a nice dark tone for sketching.

Most of the other reviews of this pencil are older and much more favorable than I’m being here. Of course the majority of the reviewers are not artists and use them solely for writing, and that is where these pencils truly excel. Treat yourself to a great pencil for writing but get yourself something else for drawing or sketching.

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Wanted: Technique Today Ideas

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I’ve done a TON of Technique Today posts and I’ve gotten to the point where I think of something and then realize, I’ve done it already.  I’m looking for ideas for Technique Today. Leave me a comment about a Technique you’re interested in and would like to know more about. I’ll do the research, separate the bunk for the gold and post ’em.

If you have trouble leaving me a comment here on the blog, hit me up on Twitter or Facebook!

Tools I Use: Pencils

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That discussion I had with Eraser Girl about erasers also got me to thinking about the OTHER tools I use, so today I’m going to explore pencils.

For years, through out high school, college and a few years after, I used Staedtler MARS Lumograph 100 HB- 6B for sketching. Back in the 90s they were available just about everywhere for a decent price, these bright blue pencils capped with black, screamed artist. I was able to get them in the campus bookstore and Staples. For holidays and my birthday my family always knew they could buy me a tin of them and I’d be happy.

Sometime in college I found a few boxes of vintage Venus 4B drawing pencils in a salvage store, for $2 each. I bought a half dozen boxes of 12. Of course, now I wish I’d bought everything on the shelf. These have been my go to drawing pencil since my last year of college. 4B is a great grade for good shade and tone while being able to hold a point well. The core on these was nothing short of divine. I have just a few of these  vintage pencils left. I did buy a half dozen boxes of the new version, now owned by Faber Castell… And they were just not as nice.*

For years, if I was writing in pencil it was with, gasp, a mechanical pencil. I’ve had a nice Koh-I-Nor Rapidomatic since my second year of high school. I’ve never been shy about using BIC mechanical pencils, though their disposable nature bugged me. However the soft dark lead in them was really nice.Recent

Lately, I’ve been very fond of testing out all kinds of pencils. Partially because  I like to see and feel what they are like but also because I’m really enjoying writing with pencil. It’s really interesting to test out each pencil to feel and see the difference in the core as i write and draw. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of sketching, no finished drawings. But the pencils I’ve been reaching for (are of course pencils that don’t have reviews up on the site, but will soon):

These three pencils are all distinguished by being soft and dark. With minimal pressure I get a strong dark line, with light pressure I can get lighter lines.  Because they don’t need a great deal of pressure to make a dark mark they are also well suited to writing. A downside to writing with these pencils is that they all tend to smudge. A side effect of their smudginess is that when you write on the reverse of a written page, that writing tends to transfer to the facing page. Because I’m sketching and not doing complete drawings I don’t need softer or darker pencils.

Of course this list will change in the next day…

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New Field Notes Covers

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I’ve been working on some prototypes of recycled sign vinyl covers for Field Notes. I’ve made a number of prototypes and have listed a few of them are for sale on my etsy shop. I’ve priced them below what the final design will sell. While they are perfectly serviceable there are little things that I want to change to make the covers better. However, you can get these for a good price. Mostly because they don’t make me perfectly happy. I’ve got some that hold 1 notebook, others that hold 3 and one that holds 4.

I’ve been toting around one that holds three for the last few weeks. The vinyl is a perfect for making a  cover for these notebooks, it’s sturdy and survives abuse. They are perfect for a vegetarian or vegan. Also the covers are recycled, so are ecologically minded.

Vinyl Notebook Covers Vinyl Notebook Covers Vinyl Notebook Covers Vinyl Notebook Covers Vinyl Notebook Covers Vinyl Notebook Covers Vinyl Notebook Covers

Tools I Use: Erasers

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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.AssortmentI’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. TuffCrap and Tombow, oppositesThat 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.AssortmentThe 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.Pretty good wtih SlickAnother 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. BlocksAnother 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.

Future Reviews and the Summer of Pencils

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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. The Group of Pencils