Pilot Croquis 6B leadholder spotlight and other Jet Pens' goodness

300th post, wo-hoo! What better way to celebrate it than by covering some of the neat X-mas loot I recently ordered. I can always count on my friends at Jet Pens to deliver the goods within 3 business days of placing an order. Love ya guys! So let's start with Pilot Croquis 6B 4 mm leadholder.
Doodle Video #1. Plastic body construction. Twist-advance mechanism. Refillable with 3.8 mm leads. Ergonomic design: triangular grips on both ends and circular section in the center allows for different holding positions for sketching effectively and easily rotating the barrel to maintain the point on the lead.Leads are currently available in H, B, and 6B and come packaged 2 refills to a tube that features an anti-roll design. This Japanese site also displayed 2B, 3B, and 4B versions of the leadholders and refills, so hopefully the Croquis line up might be further extended with these newer graphite grades.

The Pilot Croquis 6B plastic body compared to the longer Caran D'Ache Museum Fixpencil 44 metallic leadholder feels noticeably lighter. Which should translate into longer drawing sessions without fatigue. The Croquis is also much more affordable and easier to replace making it the better choice for field use.

Doodle Video #2. While the 3.8 mm graphite lead wears down keeping its conical shape so long as the barrel is rotated, it can also be sharpened with a miniature pencil sharpener. The Croquis plastic clip can also hold the Caran D'Ache Museum watercolor leads shown above.
Doodle Video #3 and a few of the speed sketches drawn at the mall food court.
Bottom line: The Pilot Croquis 6B leadholder would be a great choice for sketching on the go under any weather conditions because of its ergonomic shape, light weight, full plastic construction (its waterproof mechanism won't rust and is reportedly often used by divers), and slow-wearing and super smooth 6B dark graphite lead. Its versatility could be further increased with the Caran D'Ache Museum watercolor leads (available in 18 colors including 6 monopigmentary tints) and the Technalo watersoluble grahite leads (available in B and 3B). 2 Croquis lead refills equal the length of a Technalo lead refill: just under 5".
I gave my last tube of B refills to my dad, so I took the opportunity to try this new Pentel Ain Stein 0.5 mm leads in my Pentel Graph 1000 mechanical pencil: Doodle Video #4.
Couldn't really tell you with certainty that this Ain Stein version is any stronger than the original Ain, but it did not snap nor break during the doodle test while yielding nice dark consistent lines. Thus if you need 0.5 mm B refills, I would not hesitate to pick them up. Kawaii score! Yup this things are awesomely cute. The lil' girls (including the girls at heart) in your gift list will not be able to help themselves but squeal in delight when receiving this neat set of Iwako Zoo animal erasers. Yet that might also doomed them to remain forever in their blister card since many recipients might not want to dirty them or use them for actual erasing duty. Glad I had the foresight to get two, for they sold out quickly at Jet Pens. Same as the Rotring 600 drafting pencils which I missed out on (couldn't decide if I wanted the black or silver version before they ran out), but I will be watching for their re-stock status. As I understand it, if you like mechanical pencils (check out Dave's review) you just owe it to yourself to try one of this. Back in the college years, I remember seeing the Rotring 600 pencils packaged in distinct plastic boxes that prominently featured their trademark red circle. Pity that the brand is pretty much dead in the USA, and they are no longer available at retail. Wow that was one big detour, but at least got something new to look forward next year. Happy Holidays gang!

HP Color Glossy Presentation 130 gsm Laser Paper suitability for sketching and doodle test videos

Found this package of 300 letter-size sheets of HP Glossy Presentation Laser Paper (made in Germany) on the clearance end cap of the local Staples for $2.50. So I just had to try it for doodling with pens and markers.
Quick doodle tests using a chisel tip Sharpie, Prismacolor double ended markers, Sakura Pigma Sensei 1.0 mm pen, Faber Castell Pitt Artist pen, Pentel Pocket rush pen, and Copic Multiliner Color SP pens.
Minimal see-through the back of the page. This laser paper worked fairly well with a variety of markers, and would make an adequate support for speed sketching practice. Care must be taken to allow ink to dry fully to avoid smears. The pen and marker nibs glided effortlessly on its smooth glossy surface.Sakura Pigma Sensei 1.0 mm pen doodle test video.Sharpie chisel tip doodle test video.Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen Big Brush doodle test video. Original Pitt Artist Pen doodle test video.

BEZT Drawing 17 HB Pencil from the STMT Colombia Kit

Thanks Hen! the replacement pencil for the STMT X Colombia kit arrived yesterday. I am just going to test the doodling and erasability performance of this blue BEZT Drawing 17 HB Pencil. For a detailed look at all the possible pencils that could be randomly packaged in this kit, go check out Andy's comprehensive review at Woodclinched.BEZT Drawing 17 HB Pencil close up - unsharpened.
It sharpened easily with the Alvin bullet sharpener.
The BEZT Drawing 17 HB Pencil performed quite well (specially considering that it is reportedly an economy pencil) yielding results similar to that of the smoother Mitsubishi Uni HB pencil.
I found that I needed to exert more pressure to get the darkest values out of the BEZT HB pencil, and that its graphite lead seemed to contain a few harder bits that gave a rougher feeling from time to time on the TSA and bond papers. Not a deal breaker and still fairly smooth and dark, but the Uni HB lead point glided more smoothly on the same test papers.
Monster doodle on the back of a Rad and Hungry lowdown postcard. The BEZT pencil glided very smoothly on this card stock.
2-minute video: doodle and erasability test on Mohawk Superfine 80 lb ultrawhite smooth paper. The eraser at the end of the pencil worked well enough with some firm pressure leaving light debris behind, but the softer stick eraser could remove the same amount of graphite in less time.
Thus if you ever need to pick up a sketching pencil in a hurry while traveling through Colombia, the BEZT Drawing 17 HB Pencil should work just fine for taking some notes and doodling a few sketches.

My Newest Art Supplies Cart - the Stanley Fat Max Mobile Work Station

Just when I was shopping for a sturdier way to haul art supplies to class, I got the coolest early Christmas gift from Mariela and Casey: the Stanley Fat Max Mobile Work Station.
The workstation opens smoothly after stepping on its foothold, lifting the front tab mechanism, and sliding the whole unit back.Keeping this random art supplies organized and easy to reach in three separate compartments and removable tray. The middle compartment can be customized with the yellow dividers to hold small items in 8 separate bins.
"Have Art Supplies, will travel" could be very well be its motto. Fat Max riding shotgun to the school.
On location at school cafeteria with pulling handle extended.
The Fat Max being originally designed for carrying construction tools, accessories, and nails should be plenty strong to haul around art supplies and some paper. My current roller crates were pretty much ready to get retired.
Neither of my foldable roller crates survived the year without breaking. The front panel opposite to the wheeled end have torn in both of them. The design or plastic used on them can not endure the slightest pressure increase. The Fat Max looks like it can take more abuse while keeping the supplies organized and readily accessible without having to empty the entire crate contents to reach the items in the bottom.
Thanks again guys, this Stanley Fat Max mobile workstation will certainly make it easier to carry plenty of art supplies to class and cartooning events in a very efficient and professional manner. The lesson to keep in mind boys and girls: sometime it pays to look beyond art supplies shops and catalogs when shopping for sturdy art carriers which are often more cost-effective. Had forgotten myself how some of my art bin carriers are actually tool boxes that were more reasonably priced at hardware stores. Leave it to my savvy brother-in-law to remind us of yet another potential source of art supplies: your local Home Depot.

Souvenir MOXA museum wirebound notepads and notebook spotlight

Finally got around photographing some of notebooks I picked up on my last trip to Peru. While I found these MOXA wirebound notebooks at the gift shop of the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan, you are bound to come across them at any museum gift shop and specialty library while traveling through the archeological sites and visiting museums in Peru.
Notepad covers.
A few interior pages.
Mochica and Nasca bird motives side by side.

Postcards set.
Picked this MOXA Moche Notebook at the museum shop of the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú.
Brief historical summary of the Moche culture on the introductory page.
A few interior pages.
Would make a wonderful creative sketchbook.
I prefer to keep it in pristine condition to keep using it as reference, but the bond paper certainly feels quite smooth and should work well with high quality smooth graphite pencils and gel pens. Probably wouldn't use fountain pens on it since the pages are quite thin and would likely bleed through.
Video of the Nasca and Moche Notebook contents.

Just received the STMT X Colombia Kit by Rad and Hungry giveaway prize

Thanks Brad, Sam and Hen. The giveaway prize box arrived Friday morning. While it was nice to be able to open the package without having to cut it open, perhaps a bit of tape on the flap lid might hold the contents more securely. Looks like the yellow HB pencil must have fallen out during transit. No biggie for a prize recipient that has tons of pencils on hand, but others might be disappointed if their kits arrived incomplete.
The goods arrived nicely wrapped in kraft paper and packed in a sturdy cardboard box.
The kit unpacked: those oversize postcards with the neon pink design are printed on nice sturdy card stock that has been left blank on the back and would make a nice support for a quick drawing or collage art project.
These Wingo Mariposa Gigante clips (Giant butterfly paper clips) were new to me, though you are bound to find many hits for them on a Google search. Looks like they will come in handy for holding large bulky bundles of class handouts and reference sheets. Funny how different countries tend to have their own preferences for fastening loose papers. The Supaclip for example is popular in the UK, but rather rare in the USA and Canada.
"Made in Colombia". It is always refreshing and reassuring to find countries that still continue to manufacture some of their stationery goods.
The red pencil sharpened smoothly and had a distinct look with its silver metal ferrule with green and blue decorative bands. The white eraser looked nice, but was ineffective in removing the red strokes. Had to resort to my electric eraser to make minor corrections.
Compared to the bold Dixon Custom Color Red pencil, the Control Colombia Pencil produced rather pale marks suggesting that they have a lower pigment load and larger proportion of waxy binder.
The included paper goods: a half letter-size pad of 50 sheets of newsprint from Productos Boston.
While one can usually find large newsprint pads for drawing in the USA, I do not recall ever seeing them in this scale for general note-taking. Guess we rely more on Post-It pads.
Both pencils (Control Colombia red pencil and the HB pencil) wrote rather faintly on the newsprint, but the Uniball Signo bit 0.7 mm gel ink pen laid down bold dark strokes.
The Mohawk Superfine, 80 lb text, Ultrawhite smooth paper was a fine choice for the "TSA Screening" sheets included in the kit. The Mitsubishi Uni HB wrote crisp clean lines that remained fairly smudge-resistant on this support. It was certainly fun to try and test the contents of the STMT X Colombia Kit. Sam and Hen came up with quite an original concept by assembling these kits with basic local stationery items from the countries they visit. Might have to keep it in mind for my next trip and assemble some sketching kits with inexpensive locally sourced materials. Actually I already have the habit of shopping the stationary aisles of the convenience/grocery and museum stores wherever I travel to blog about them later (still might have to put together a dedicated post featuring the paper pads and pencils obtained during my last trips to Peru and China). It just never occurred to me to get extras before. Thus if you enjoy trying out office supplies from around the world and can not fit some travel plans in the near future, you might want to subscribe to the services of Rad and Hungry.