Shutter to Ink

pixels & pigments

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Salty Sailboats

I have a special (black) notebook dedicated to drawings of the many different kinds of licorice I encounter here in Europe. I actually quite like licorice, the saltier the better, although licorice is a very divisive topic.

My notes on this entry were penned with a simple dip pen in Windsor & Newton black ink. Nothing really special, although this is my favorite handle. I rarely use dip pens because I find them finicky and messy and you have to, well, keep dipping! Plus, my handwriting is actually really shitty and I couldn’t aesthetically lay out a page to save my life.

However, because I am really into fountain pens, people automatically assume I’m into calligraphy and dip pens, too. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Aside from the price point, there isn’t much that prefer about dip pens over fountain pens.

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Travel Log: Indonesia

No matter where I go, the notebook follows! A glimpse into one of the pages of my notes from a journey to Indonesia, where I chased a photo essay on the hard-working and invisible female spiritual leaders and women laborers in Balinese society. 

The only pen I brought with me was a Kaweco Dia2 with Kaweco Pearl Black ink. I’d actually lost this pen for a good long time before this trip, but for fast writing I prefer stiffer nail nibs so I don’t damage them in my frenzied mashing. I’m so glad I found it because things were moving way too fast for me to remember. 

Although the shiny black finish looks good, I find the grip on this pen a bit on the slippery side. But it’s extremely reliable, so no complaints about performance.

A note about the Notebook

This is actually the last trip I took with my Midori Traveler’s Notebook (more on this later). I love the customization options and my PanAm blue leather has a nice patina on it, but wasn’t a fan of the strange rectangular size and how the elastics and rubber bands stretch out and need to be replaced. 

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Have not been spending time with my pens lately, except to jot down a quick grocery list. This morning was different.

This is all filled in by now, although not well....

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In the Old World

I moved to Germany, where pens aren't that weird and Rohrer & Klingner iron gall ink is only 4,50€! ($12 in the USA)

However, it's a two-sided coin. I busted the threading on my Noodler's Ahab but forget about replacing it: Noodler's is considered a "luxury brand" and my $20 pen runs about 100€ here.

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Old is New

I’ve finally entered the world of vintage flex nib pens. This so so far away from the experience of using a Noodler’s Ahab, I can’t even….

1930s Osmia Progress with #3 flex nib, and De Atramentis ink in “Pilsner.”

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The Hummus Amongus

Packing and emptying my shelves, I found the watercolor notebook I brought with me to Berlin last March. How quickly we forget! I had experimented a lot with watercolors on this trip because I actually had time and table space to do it. Lots of mistakes, but I remember attempting to document the controlled decay in this super-trendy hummus joint in Prenzlauer Berg. The plaster was stained and chipped, the ceilings had a beautiful old patina over once-lovely architecture.

As an American it is difficult to stomach the idea of spider egg sacs waving in the breeze behind your head as you’re enjoying lunch, but the food was good and nobody died.

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So Meta

Oddly, things are getting easier. I still open the page to a blank sheet and freeze, think it’s not possible, it’s not doable in the time I have, maybe I’ll just drink my tea and enjoy and then I can leave. But then I put lead to paper and make mistakes – make many mistakes – that are easily redrawn and then somehow all on its own it comes together.

The last few pages of my Moleskine watercolor landscape notebook, with my Traveler’s Notebook in PanAm blue in the background, Pelikan Stresemann M805 stuck in between.

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Yellow Vic

I didn’t realize I’d had a draft for the filled version of my sketch. Here’s that yellow Victorian house, classic San Francisco. On a hill.

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Brause, Why U Hate Me?

I don’t understand why that no matter what I do or what ink I’ve tried, this nib – touted to be a fail-free beginner dip nib – fails me every time. I’ve seen videos of this nib doing amazing things. What am I doing wrong?

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Vintage, Here We Come

I sort of kind of maybe ordered my first vintage flex nib pen. I’m so confused about all the different options – vintage is a huge, separate world from modern pens – so I started small with a pocket-sized pen by an unknown maker, but 14k flex nib, restored. Well under $100.

We’ll see how it goes.

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Red Wine

A quick sketch of a dark and juicy Merlot gifted from a friend. Having a little difficulty getting my watercolors saturated enough. Do I have to go liquid?

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Stop Here

I don’t draw scenery or architecture as much as I should. It’s intimidating because I haven’t ventured much farther than spot coloring, so adding watercolors to a full scene has always ended up looking like a bunch of kindergarteners forced to paint the same sketch.

I picked this San Francisco Victorian because it was beautiful, but not so ornate as to cause trouble. 

But now I like it so much I’m afraid to ruin it with my goofy coloring. 

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Now That's How You Brunch

I finally got my OMAS Ogiva Bloody Mary in the same room as an actual bloody mary.

This local favorite Mexican joint does incredibly spicy ones that burn allllllll the way through.

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The Star Girl

There’s a beautiful, white marble courtyard in the middle of downtown SF, an oasis with the zen babbling of a fountain and lush green palm trees. 

It’s the perfect place to grab a hot tea and sketch the PPIE statue in between your meetings. 

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Red Rocket

I’m super disappointed in myself with this photo. It is more than a little frustrating because with the exception of custom stock photos, I feel like the only thing I’m shooting lately are small things. I keep putting off an investment into specialized lenses like macro lenses, even for my iPhone.

This here is my OMAS Ogiva Bloody Mary lying on the cover of my beat-up blue leather Midori Traveler’s Notebook.

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Zazie

Detail of the two-page spread I doodled while my huevos were cooling. 

I used to try and draw as detailed images as possible and keep the text to a minimum, but I’ve decided I rather like not sweating the small stuff and filling all available space with text. 

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The Morning After

Spending $10 on a real ceramic paint mixing tray/bowl thing = totally worth it.