Niji Pearlescent Watercolor Palette

When I first got this assuming palette more than a year ago, the almost no-name palette is marked as something else (there was a labeled at the base but I peeled it off right away) and since then, Micheal's has been putting out the exact same thing (inner/outter packaging and the palette itself) and the brand is called Niji by Yasumoto. I am assuming the previous company was merged?

Anyway, the new ones (the two are slightly different, probably due to quality control) has the same light and flimsy (I already broke mine) clear lid but now there is a huge Yasumoto relief is part of the black base. Don't let the flimsy packaging and "Made in China" fool you: These are a lot more sophisticated than the price suggests.

Unlike the condensed paint/cream gel consistency I have seen from standard watercolor,  the Niji pearlescent watercolor has a thick spongy/rubbery texture that doesn't dissolve as quickly when dipped. The sheer-at-first (it's meant to be used alone or mixed with normal watercolor) color pay off means that I (the impatient watercolor newbie) don't have to spend time testing and diluting, making sure I don't get a big and uneven patch.

 Of course, there is also the option of build it up: If you  making a small pool on the paint's surface and wait for 30 seconds, the color becomes much more vibrant. Some of these shades are a little garish (I wish they are all nature-inspired but oh well...) while other are just dreamy and quite versicle. My favorite ones are the slightly cool brown (brown taupe), gold,  more turquoise one of the two blues, beige and the white.

I like how the shimmers are subtly pearly (without being frosty so I can using) and multidimensional. I have not yet tried it as layering piece (I still can't get normal water color to look even) but thinks this would makes a nice liner to accent calligraphy and drawing.

 Overall: Amazing deal for the price. I would be nice if the plastic is a little tougher.

Rhodia No.11 Notepad

 

So...I won an Quo Vadis Blog giveaway again. This time, I received a Rhodia No.11 Notepad and a tin of green ink cartridges (Thank you! Sunny at Exaclair! Does it mean that I have used up all my karma for the year already?). It was a very nice pick-me-up after a two-week-long cold and it turns out to be an even better list-keeper than the Clairefontaine mini notebook I won back in February. 

Basic info - The no.11 notepad is 7.4 by 10.5 cm and contains 80 sheets. The paper is slightly lighter (at 80 instead of 90g/m^2 ) compared to the Clairefontaine so it feels a little thinner but I get no bleed through with fountain pen, the traction it provides actually makes writing more convenient (Clairefontaine is too slippery when I use a  soft and broad nib) and comfortable.

 
The notebook is single stapled bound at the top and has some fold-lines to be flipped around and the hard cardboard cover fairs well with all the tossing actions.

I mainly use the graph paper to keep lists (here is just a "Things to Take Photo Of/Review" for the two blogs I have) and the ruling is perfect for that.

I did a little watercolor test and it passed : Not only it didn't crimple much, the surface is smooth so I have have a long while to move the water/pigment around. I hate it when my uneven blotch of color just got sucked right in (I am still a rookie).  By the way, my ever-changing (still trying find my "style") cartoon figure now looks really different since I chopped off my hair...

Overall: I like the paper (even though still prefer Clairefontaine 1951 collection for the appearance) and I guess if the paper is the same as their webbie, I would totally cave in (I just need to decide which color I want).

Wing Sung 612 Fountain Pen with Burgundy Body

Many Chinese fountain pens are modeled after the much coveted Parker 51, Wing Sung 612 is one of them. I am not too familiar with the Shanghai-based brand (why do they use Wade Giles romanization, which made the brand sound Cantonese?) it's supposed to be one of the "Big Three" , alongside Hero and Jin Xing (never heard people talking about it in FPN but it's actually pretty popular in China).

 
The pen, despite its slim, plastic body, it actually feels quite solid on the hand. The friction-fitted cap closes securely and doesn't make the pen off-balanced when posted. The body is relatively scratch resistant consider it was an used pen from the mid-90s (it's gift from a family friend).

The pen has a build-in aerometric converter that's big and efficient (it's not difficult to get it all filled up) but I would prefer other filling mechanisms, ones that make switching inks less of a pain in the rear. When I first received the pen, there are quite a bit residual inks inside (I had problem making it write even after a few flushes) but after several additional flushes, soaking and drying, the pen now writes perfectly.

The nib of Wing Sung 612 is hooded, just like the 51 and seems to be an Asian fine (same width as Lamy Safari extra fine). The steel nib is stiff, a little toothy (less so than Lamy) and lay down an even line without any width variation. The writing I get is smooth, not too dry or wet which means it could work nicely as a drawing pen.

Close up of the Wing Sung 612 Fountain Pen writing sample - I think my handwriting likes this nib

 Overall: For a few dollars (well, it's probably a little over a dollar if you were to buy it in China), this is a reliable writer and drawing tool. I personally am not crazy about the appearance (more like I never like how Parker 51 looks to start with) but I suppose I would pick up more of these if I have a chance.

Pilot Frixion Light Erasable Highlighter in Yellow

Picked up during my Target stationery clearance haul (in a set, along with three gel pen, for around a $1.5) Pilot Frixion Light is the highlighter version of their famed erasable gel pen. For what I have read in blogs, the Frixion ink are designed in a way that they go away when it undergoes high temperature (either with steam or friction) and can go back when the temperature drops.

As with most highlighter, the pen is lightweight yet it feels solid and well-balanced. There is an inner black sleeve in the cap and the pen body is tapered and has some flame pattern going on, the pattern reminds me of that MTV show Pimp My Ride (aka. Renovate My Car so Looks Like it Belongs to a Gangster) and I am not sure how I feel about it.

The tip of the pen is slanted like most highlighter and the flow is nice and not too wet. I can't tell how it performs in the long run simply because I don't use highlighter (See, there are so many things in the text book that I need to understand so I might just end up highlighting the parts I don't need...) but it does what a normal highlighter does with the bonus of being erasable...While the feature is cool in gel pen because my hand can just go on its own, I am not sure why people need an erasable highlighter? Maybe get carried away using that as well?

Writing sample with Diamine Ink - No smearing and a completely clean removal! Overall: It's cool but I don't really see the point (as least that's coming from a person who rarely uses highlighter to start with).

Target Sighting - New Notebooks from Paper Chase, Hello Kitty and Green Inspired

Since Target has a pretty big (or wide) clearance a while back (I managed to stocked up a few items 50% - 80% off!) It's natural that now the empty spaces are now filled with new products! I didn't see any interesting pens but there are some really cute notebooks around!

First there are some Paperchase (the label says the brand is from UK) pens, pouches, bag and notebook with spring-like prints.

Binder, paper pad and box (there are also binder/box at the bottom)

New Green Inspired Composition Book with simple Eiffel Tower print (if they are like the Green Inspired notebook I have tried, the paper is probably not fountain pen friendly). 

 

Chronicle Books journals -  Forgot the price in Target but they are around 13 in Amazon

 
Listography-list making notebook (sounds like my kind of thing) Gotta like the hand-drawn illustration!

Hello Kitty Journal (they are pink and with some print inside. It's cute but a little juvenile. 

The stitching and quilt pattern look well-done though.

Golden polka dot notebook from Greenroom - From my experience, most of these
"environmental" are not fountain pen friendly (which is kind of ironic since the only take disposable pens?）

More Binders - I think I prefer the navy-gold combo, since it reminds me of night sky.  Anyway, since the sun is finally back (and my cold is gone...kind of) , I can finally get back into the glamour-shot and reviewing (You know, Sony camera don't work unless there is a full blast of natural light...When there is, the result is pretty glorious).