Closer look at the Rhodia Pad#11 Leatherette Holder and the Prismacolor Illustration Markers Manga Set

While I got a few Rhodia pads orange and black covers to use as gifts, I picked the black Rhodia Pad#11 Leatherette Holder for myself for its understated sober look. Though the orange version would certainly be easier to spot when digging for it inside a black backpack.
The holder folds neatly behind the #11 pad and works just like an elegant old-fashioned reporter style notepad.
The inside of the cover features a small pocket for storing stray bits of paper like notes or business cards.
I am so convinced of the value and usefulness of the Rhodia pad #11 for artists and field work, than getting a few holders and spare pads for some of my own holiday presents was a no-brainer. They are quite portable given their pocket size, the paper performs flawlessly with many graphite and ink tools, feature easy tear-sheets, and they are solidly built. With the added protection of the holder, they should remain in fairly pristine condition during their useful life. Recommended.
Now let's have a look at one of the newer Manga drawing sets in the market: the Prismacolor Premier Archival Illustration Markers set of 005, 03, 05, 08, chisel, and brush black pens; and 005 and brush sepia pens. Considering their manga designation, these fine line markers were appropriately made in Japan.
I really like the clear plastic box used to package this set. It offers adequate protection while keeping the pens neatly organized and clearly visible. The plastic material has enough rigidity to maintain its sturdy boxy shape while empty or full and ensures the repeated functionality of the cleverly designed reclosable flap.
Initially the marks drawn with the black and sepia brush pens looked almost identical in hue, so I thought that the sepia pen had been mislabeled and mistakenly loaded with black ink at the factory. Yet the following morning its marks grew lighter and came across more like a "dark brown".
Thus it would definitely be a good idea to draw your own reference color chart when getting a new set, for the sepia brush pen from the Manga set turned out to be a darker brown than the sepia brush pen included in a 8-color brush pen set that I got a while back. So you might also encounter some variation between production batches.
Setting that hiccup aside, the pens worked quite smoothly on the Strathmore 300 smooth bristol. This sample chart shows the range of different line widths and specialty chisel and brush nibs marks that could be accomplished independently with each pen. By working gradually in succession starting with the smaller pen nib and going through the larger nibs, it is quite simple to create lively sketches with fluid lines of varying thicknesses. Their pigmented inks are waterproof, so the drawn outlines could easily be colored with watercolor media.
The Manga Set of Prismacolor Premier Archival Illustration Markers is a nice versatile sketching kit. Particularly a good value if purchased at discounted online prices. When shopping for them locally at arts and crafts retail shops, you might want to get the discount coupons often published on the Sunday paper flyers. Worth trying.