A new targeted search tool making the work of searching multiple pen, pencil, and paper blogs (including this one) from one place far easier.
Visual Notes
Thoughts on visual note taking, graphic recording, visual harvesting, concept drawing, model drawing and visual thinking. From favorite markers to facilitation challenges.
An instant follow for me.
The Handwriting of Type Designers
The Handwriting of Type Designers
A type designer’s handwriting is intriguing in the sense of several things like: Do they exert extraordinary pen control compared to a layperson? Did their handwriting somehow influenced the typefaces they created? Is handwriting no longer needed or useful given the rise of digital communications?
OK, this is fascinating. I definitely see the similarities in may of the cases presented.
This Week’s Pens — 08.04.2014 – 08.08.2014
And, by “this week’s pens” I mean “last week’s pens” since I was away for the weekend and did not get a chance to post this on Saturday as I normally would…
- Monday: Morning Glory Mach 3 Roller Ball Pen – 0.38 mm – Blue Black — This is my daily driver so it is not “new” to me. That said, it was a busy enough day that I did not have the time to think about what else to grab. I had this. I love it. I used it. Done.
- Tuesday: Levenger True Writer Obsidian Rollerball Pen — I’ve had this pen for a few years and it has never disappointed me. I had not picked it up in a while and came upon it while digging around for another pen in my tray. This is a very nice pen. It feels solid and expensive (yet, the price is quite reasonable considering the quality) and has a nice weight to it. I don’t feel like Levenger gets enough credit for their brand name pens but I have several and love every one.
- Wednesday: Pilot Metropolitan — Another exceptionally busy day. I grabbed the Pilot Metropolitan that I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. I’ve kind of fallen for it.
- Thursday: Morning Glory Mach 3 Roller Ball Pen (0.38 mm) Brown — I’m head over heels about the blue-black version of this pen so I thought I would try some other colors. Since I liked the browns on previous experiments in colored pens I thought it natural to try this one. As this particular brand and model of pen is a normal go-to for me, so you know I love it as a pen, I’ll just discuss the color. It’s a good brown. I don’t like it nearly as much as the Pilot Juice Coffee Brown that I used a couple of weeks back. But, it’s nice enough and, well, I like the pen it comes in more than the Juice.
- Friday: Parker Jotter 60th Anniversary Ballpoint Pen – Gray Green Body — Made in celebration of the anniversary of Parker’s iconic ballpoint pen. I’m not normally a ballpoint guy. But, if you are going to use one, might as well use one that makes you feel like Roger Sterling on Mad Men. I can say it was fun to use just for the visual appeal alone.
Remember, I usually post what I’m using each day on my personal Twitter account and use the hashtag [#todayspen]7. I welcome all of you to join in. I love seeing what other people are using (and check that tag every day). Who knows, if I see something I’m curious about I might reach out to you and ask you to write a guest review. Fame and fortune await (well, not really).
Muji Fountain Pen Review — Modern Stationer
Muji Fountain Pen Review — Modern Stationer
I’ve long wondered about these. Now, I know. Good review from Doug. Looks like a decent pen for the money.
Blackwing Slate Review — Woodclinched
Andy Welfle for Woodclinched:
Man. I love, love this paper. It boasts a 100gsm paper, compared to the Palomino luxury notebook’s 90gsm and Rhodia’s 80gsm paper. It’s so thick and plush, you guys.
It’s available in both lined and plain. Since the guys at Pencils.com know I am not an artist, they sent me a lines one to try out. The grey lines are set apart 0.25” on an off-white paper. The paper is smooth, but not as smooth as Rhodia paper. It has a little tooth on it, specifically engineered — I hope — for pencil. It’s the perfect amount to grab your graphite but still feel smooth.
It appears that fountain pen users may see some feathering due to the fibrous nature of the paper, but then again, this notebook was made for pencils.
“Going Analog” and Finding the Balance – Sanspoint. – Essays on Technology and Culture by Richard J. Anderson
When we pick up a pen and a notebook to write, or we play the “Phone Stack” game at dinner, we make a conscious choice to define the terms on which we use our technology. Even something as simple as “no computers or smartphones” in the bedroom is a powerful dividing line in establishing a limit in our technological relationships.
The Power of the Doodle: Improve Your Focus and Memory – WSJ
The Power of the Doodle: Improve Your Focus and Memory – WSJ
Recent research in neuroscience, psychology and design shows that doodling can help people stay focused, grasp new concepts and retain information. A blank page also can serve as an extended playing field for the brain, allowing people to revise and improve on creative thoughts and ideas.
stevenberlinjohnson.com: The Glass Box And The Commonplace Book
stevenberlinjohnson.com: The Glass Box And The Commonplace Book
Unlike modern readers, who follow the flow of a narrative from beginning to end, early modern Englishmen read in fits and starts and jumped from book to book. They broke texts into fragments and assembled them into new patterns by transcribing them in different sections of their notebooks. Then they reread the copies and rearranged the patterns while adding more excerpts. Reading and writing were therefore inseparable activities. They belonged to a continuous effort to make sense of things, for the world was full of signs: you could read your way through it; and by keeping an account of your readings, you made a book of your own, one stamped with your personality.
Really good article on the history, practice, and purpose of the Commonplace book. A subject I have long been fascinated by (I wrote about them on my personal site in 2005)
Journaling Feels Juvenile | James Shelley
Journaling Feels Juvenile | James Shelley
Maybe this is exactly why journaling is important. It is a glimpse (or whisper) of your future perspective penetrating the present.
And, this is exactly why I find it so important.