Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Art Works

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Green Journal.

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I've found myself preferring soft-cover "recycled" look journals to the deluxe, hardcover versions. I find that the cheaper journals have the fun writing paper that is thinner and less ostentatious and doesn't scream "You'd better write something glorious and meaningful and not ruin my fancy pages!." In the soft-cover journals, the binding tends to be simple staples or basic stitching in the middle of the soft spine, which means if falls open flat and is easier to write in. Plus, they are easier to cram into a purse or backpack. They just flex more and say "Hey, it's all good. Write whatever you want, roll us up, and toss us in your bag."

I'm not at all enamored with journals that are printed all over inside with all kinds of gimmicky graphics and crap. That's my job; I'll fill it up inside!

So, the Moleskine kraft-paper covered journals are nice (but pricey). And (gasp!), I'm not actually a fan of the paper Moleskine uses; my art pens bleed on it, and it's terrible for watercolor and pencils. Recently, though, I found the perfect journal, and promptly bought three. I know how it goes (and how it has since gone): you find one you like, it's gone, and you never find it again. It's like the notebooks from the movie The Interpreter: everyone is looking for them, yet no one can find those elusive Marcel Schurman notebooks.

The journal in question is a simple recycled-brown soft-cover, made of "Italian ecological paper" (i.e. made in Italy of recycled paper), with the words "Green Journal" stamped on the cover. There's a green elastic cord to keep it closed. The paper inside is a fun-to-write-on, thin, lined off-white sheet. The inside of the journal gives a web address of: alfabet.it.

And that's it.

I can't find them anymore. Haven't seen them in any stores. And I'm certainly not going to order them from Italy, though they are listed on the site.

If you happen to run across them, you ought to buy them. Unless you're into the deluxe-look of a journal. These won't make you happy. Otherwise, buy them. As many as you can. They aren't expensive, and they are a forgiving journal; you can spill coffee on them and it only increases their charm (try that in a leather-covered gold-edged-paged journal). They're all recycled and soft-covery and pliable and a sort of haphazard on-a-whim joy to write in. I don't feel guilty about writing in all directions on the page and filling it with crazy drawings or taping stuff inside (which is problematic if you do it too much to a hardcover journal with a fixed spine). And so, I love them.

Buy me one, too, and I'll pay you back. ;-)

Labels: journals, supplies

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Handmade and sarcastic stationery.

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I'm always on the look for stationery. Letters, and the writing/sending/receiving of them, is an obsession of mine. Regular readers of this site know I frequently blog about writing letters, sending them, when I get them, and all the paraphernalia involved in making paper mail happen.

I recently stumbled across two web sites that offer some really great stationery. One is an Etsy site, which I've talked about before, and the other is called 16 Sparrows.

YourSecretAdmiral is the Etsy shop which features really cool, handmade creations. There are lots of fun notebooks and paperback books made out of envelopes and more. Etsy is filled with artists doing something similar, as far as creating really unique journals and stationery, so by all means, check out the whole site and find some cool stuff.

16 Sparrows (see their blog here) has stationery that appeals to me on many levels. For example, if I weren't doing most of my bill paying online, I would absolutely love to use the "blood money" envelopes that they have. Now, some of the designs are going to probably offend people (particularly the f**ing card series, or the Paddingken set which I like the looks of), but what kills me most is the use of graphics and design that are so staid while using words that throw it all off kilter. For example, in the mood for fake Private Detective stationery? Yep, they have it. There's even a set of sarcastic "from the desk of" stationery.

My favorite design, though, is the telegram stationery. I am also extremely appreciative of the "letter writer's alliance" stationery set (there's also a gift pack), which has a purpose that I fully agree with. I may just have to join the Letter Writers Alliance; they have a wonderful mission statement and lots of cool stuff.

To top it all off, they have free things for you right now.

Labels: links, stationery, supplies

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Calling cards.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

My first real use of a "calling card" came in the form of my high school graduation announcements. In that far bygone era (ha ha), people were still ordering and using the high-level professionally printed and embossed graduation announcements (rather than the photo-postcards that people are making today). These cards came with corner brackets cut inside to my name card inside, with a senior photo tucked behind that.

That name card was very similar to the calling cards I later found of my grandparent's and others of their generation, though I wasn't sure how those little name cards were used. It was while watching a movie that I understood how a calling card used to function. In the film, a man, who had stopped by to visit the family but found they were not at home, left a calling card with the maid so that when the family came home, they could review the cards of all those who had stopped by.

I thought that was really cool.

(And not just because a man came for a visit.)

Of course, people don't just stop by much like that anymore, and email and the telephone and answering machines have made a calling card seem a little ridiculous. And, if people leave a card now, it tends to be a business card.

I have had a gazillion business cards over the years, finally getting a new design that matches the branded look I'm going for here on this website.

But I got to thinking -- what about all the times I find myself saying "do you have a pen and paper? I'll write my email address down for you" -- times when it wasn't about business and I didn't want to seem like I was one of those perpetual networking people who were always shoving business cards and business up into every possible moment. Essentially, I wanted some kind of modern take on the calling card. Something to give the person my name and how to contact me, and not leave them with a niggling wonder if I was just trying to hit them up as a possible customer in the future instead of just being friendly.

My friend Corrine once gave me a set of The Bad Girl's Calling Cards with me promising to use them if she gave them to me (with the intention of helping me meet people, which I don't do well on my own, I admit). I do keep my word, and did use them (sort of), but some of the, messages on them made me blush, and I found myself scribbling out some of the options the card allowed the giftee to redeem. (Here's a tame sample of the calling cards.)

I decided to head on over to the website I frequent when it comes time to get business cards printed, and I chose to only put my name, email, and website address on the card. I didn't talk about what I did. I didn't put my phone number on it because I would rather give out my email address instead.

I made myself a calling card.

It's not quite as traditional as they used to be, where just the name on a piece of high-grade cardstock sufficed, but it serves the purpose I was looking for.

Links:

Get your calling cards printed for free (pay shipping only)
Hire me to design your custom calling card or business card

Labels: links, promotions, supplies

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Cheap art supplies from the Orient.

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Oriental Trading Company, that grand purveyor of cheap junk used by educators and Sunday Schools and camps everywhere, has begun selling art supplies. I have weird feelings about Oriental Trading Company, generally tied up in the "great, more cheap stuff made in China -- should I be supporting that trend even further?" Still, for those of you interested, you might want to take a look and compare prices. They seem to have a blog where they offer art ideas, projects, and tips. So that's something.

I still prefer to buy my paper (BFK Rives is my favorite) from Daniel Smith. I use Dick Blick for a lot of stuff, especially when I'm teaching a class. They have supplies that range from fine art to educator quality, as well as items not typically thought of as an "art supply" but useful in crafts or other projects. I get some items pertaining to shipping from Uline. I get my clear bags that I package cards, prints, and all other items that I ship from ClearBags. I get my frames from Westfall Framing (usually the cheaper poplar wood, which I order unfinished and unassembled to save myself money -- they're easy to assemble and stain or paint).

If you have a supplier that you'd recommend, be sure to list them in the comments section.

Labels: art, supplies

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Pens and stationery.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 3 comments link this post

I was asked, in the comments section of an earlier post, what I might recommend for stationery and pens. Since this sounds like the beginnings of a serious letter writer, I decided to do a quick blog post and throw out a few links.

Pens
I do enjoy an old-fashioned ink-dip pen with a good nib. The key is, of course, the nib. If the nib is cheap or rough, it cuts into the paper and sprays ink. I'm less worried about the look of the barrel as long as the nib is good.

Fountain pens are the next best thing. They do save you the trouble of the constant dipping into the ink well. My first fountain pen was in high school, a cheap plastic pink and purple A&W SizzleStix. It had ink cartridges and wrote very nicely, considering the price. I had a handful of pens that were my grandfathers, the older kind with a rubber ink bladder inside that filled with ink using a suction-draw method. Most of these, however, had aged to a point where the ink bladder was cracked.

During college, I picked up a few other fountain-type pens that were around the same low-price range. I like the Pilot Varsity, though I found the tip created a little wider line than I cared for. However, the ink flow was smooth. This pen, once the ink is gone, is thrown away. It is not refillable. I graduated up to the Berol Fontaine pen, and preferred it to the Pilot Varsity. The Fontaine had an extremely smooth writing quality about it -- very nice. It seems, though, that Berol has stopped making them despite the pen being very popular. I might be wrong, but I stopped seeing them in stores. It came in a number of great colors. It, too, was a disposable fountain pen. I only have a few left and am loathe to use them up. The Pilot Varsity is readily available online and in most stores that carry pens. It is still a good pen.

My first "serious" pen was a Lamy, compliments of an exchange student from Germany. She had one, I fell in love with it, so she sent me one and included a refillable cartridge that worked on a similar suction action but used a hard, plastic tube instead. I often use Pelikan ink with this pen. Lamy pens are a little more expensive than the SizzleStix, but very affordable once you start seeing the price of serious fountain pens, which start to hit the hundreds of dollars mark. Pelikan also makes some very nice pens of various price ranges.

I also have a Parker fountain pen that I picked up at WalMart. It's a good pen, though I always feel like either the pen or tip is just slightly bulky and I don't get the fine control I want. This pen uses ink cartridges.

When I'm not using a fountain pen, the pen I use -- and I have a well-stocked supply of them on hand as I use them up, so I must be serious about this pen -- is the fairly cheap but fine-writing Pentel Needle Tip Energel Liquid Gel Rollerball Pen (.5 mm tip). Might seem boring...but I've tried a lot of different pens off the rack and this is the one I keep coming back to. No complaints whatsoever. Fine line, smooth writing, fast-dry ink. All around good. I often use it for sketching when I don't want to drag around a lot of art materials.

My only suggestion with fountain pens is to use them often, or the ink will dry and clog in the tips. If you have a simple ink-dip pen, the tip is easily removed and cleaned. More extensive tips are a bit more challenging. I find that it's best if I store my pens (which are of the cheaper variety and not the $100+ type) tip-down in a vertical pen holder. Then the ink is ready to go. This would be a bad idea, though, if you have a faulty pen which leaks or pools ink. Writing with a fountain pen is a bit different than a ballpoint pen. (It's much better.)

Where to find pens:

Find on Ebay
A Pen Lover's Paradise
Lamy pens (USA)
Fahrney's Pens
Bittner Fine Pens (for serious pen lovers with money to burn)
Pilot Pens
Colorado Pens
Gold Spot
Parker Pens and Pencils

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Great journals and sketchbooks.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 4 comments link this post

I've added two new sites to the blogroll, Moleskinerie and Notebookism. All I can say is that you should really visit these sites, but only when you have a large open block of time on your schedule. Because, if you're like me and are an obsessive hoarder and collector of journals, notebooks, paper, and pens/pencils, you'll find yourself completely drawn in.

And, speaking of journals and notebooks...

Moleskines
I have to admit that though I love Moleskine notebooks and sketchbooks, there are two things that I have a mild problem with:

The price tag is a little prohibitive. I only have a few of the books, and I mostly lean towards the soft cover versions (brown or black) because they are more affordable.
The paper. Moleskines have wonderful paper for ink, but for some other methods of sketching, such as watercolors or something that requires a little tooth to the paper, the pages are too smooth. My watercolor sketches tend to pool and not be absorbed well.

Finding a good journal or sketchbook
There are few things worse than a cheap journal or sketchbook that you have to fight to keep open. One of my policies (if there is such a thing in this case) when I buy a journal or sketchbook is to be sure I can open it in the store to see if it has a binding that literally falls open, as well as feel the paper to see what kind of tooth it has. So, the things I look for when shopping for a journal or sketchbook are:

That it opens easily to all pages (front, middle, back) and that it lays open on its own without a fight.
That the paper isn't too thin so that ink bleeds through to the pages behind it. Also, I like a stronger page that can take a little abuse in the form of scribbling, erasing, or water-based media.
That the paper has a surface quality that feels good against my hand. This is highly subjective, and that's why I won't buy a journal that I can't open and touch in the store.
That the journal isn't bound in such a way that it is tightly filled with pages. I often glue things like tickets or post cards or other items that are visually interesting, and journals that are so packed with pages end up not closing well or, worse, with a broken spine or binding. They don't close without me tearing out pages every so often to free up space for the addition of glued items.
I don't like journals that have pre-printed writing prompts, quotes, or images on the pages, generally. There are a few journals in my collection that have interesting art printed on the pages that I find fun to work with, but in general, I don't like a lot of canned "prompts" from some publisher.

Other great brands
A few of my other favorite journal brands are Rhodia (with its bright, orange cover) and Claire Fontaine (often seen in plaid or block-color covers). Both are French brands, oddly. They have the most amazingly smooth, plate finish paper that makes your pen seem to fly over the paper. Really, writing in them is a lovely experience. The feel of the paper against your hand is one that paper lovers like myself can really appreciate.

Videos
I have a few videos (somewhat grainy videos, so I apologize) over at YouTube of me flipping through a few of my journal/sketchbooks. You can get an idea of what I use them for if you are so inclined.

You
What are your favorite journal or sketchbook brands? Why? What do you look for in a journal or sketchbook?

Links:

Kikkerland: The American distributor of Moleskine, and other extremely cool stuff. Period.
Moleskine
Exaclair, Inc.: This site offers both Rhodia and Clair Fontaine, as well as a number of other favorite stationery/pen brands of mine.
Basic French Online: This site offers a variety of "French" products, and in the stationery section, you can find a decent selection of notebooks and stationery.
Paper Blanks: Decent journals that kind of mimic Moleskine. The plus is that they fall open easily and are a pleasure to write in. I'm not always keen on the printed covers, but they are a nice journal.
Chronicle Books: This publisher puts out a large variety of books and products. They have a number of great stationery and journals that are fun and unusual.
Exaclair, Inc.'s "where to purchase" list is a fabulous collection of great web sites offering pens, paper, journals, stationery and all things wonderful.
Papyrus has a lot of nice stuff. My favorites are the simple Marcel Schurman notebooks on this page, which look like something from many decades ago. I have a few in tan, though they only show red and blue now. The look like the notebooks from the movie "The Interpreter" (notebooks that I wish I could find and have been trying to figure out the brand -- anyone out there know?)

Labels: art, journals, links, stationery, supplies, writing

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Green Journal.

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Handmade and sarcastic stationery.

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Calling cards.

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Cheap art supplies from the Orient.

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Pens and stationery.

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Great journals and sketchbooks.

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