(drumroll please...)
Kevin from Austin, TX! Congratulations, Kevin! The pen will be on its way to its new home by Tuesday!
Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing and participated in the voting. I had fun with my first giveaway, and I hope you did too!
And by the way - we decided we liked the pen so well, Joe has purchased another Jinhao! Might be worth checking them out for yourself!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Review and Giveaway: The Jinhao is here! The Jinhao is here!
(title with apologies to Steve Martin)
The Jinhao arrived the other day! I must say, for a rather inexpensive pen, it's a solid one. The finish was described as "sand" but it's really tiny holographic glitter on a black background - pretty flashy, though it may not be to everyone's taste.
The nib is steel and quite firm; it was described as medium, but it's a rather fine medium, not nearly as broad as an American M. I like the line it writes. In fact, I like the pen, and would be happy to have it - which means it's giveaway time!
Here's a brief video I shot (first time doing this, please have mercy on the videographer...not to mention: a hand model I am not!) going over the pen.
Hi res version:
(Added the lower res version as the higher res version doesn't appear to work well on tablets or portable devices)
Here's the writing sample for you:
And now for the giveaway:
If you're interested in entering the random drawing for the pen, please complete the form below. Entries will be accepted until Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 12 midnight PST (GMT-8). At that time, I'll randomly select a winner and be in contact with that person.
Good luck!
(Joe in Seattle, you are NOT eligible for this...sorry dear!)
The Jinhao arrived the other day! I must say, for a rather inexpensive pen, it's a solid one. The finish was described as "sand" but it's really tiny holographic glitter on a black background - pretty flashy, though it may not be to everyone's taste.
The nib is steel and quite firm; it was described as medium, but it's a rather fine medium, not nearly as broad as an American M. I like the line it writes. In fact, I like the pen, and would be happy to have it - which means it's giveaway time!
Here's a brief video I shot (first time doing this, please have mercy on the videographer...not to mention: a hand model I am not!) going over the pen.
Hi res version:
Lower res version:
(Added the lower res version as the higher res version doesn't appear to work well on tablets or portable devices)
Here's the writing sample for you:
And now for the giveaway:
If you're interested in entering the random drawing for the pen, please complete the form below. Entries will be accepted until Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 12 midnight PST (GMT-8). At that time, I'll randomly select a winner and be in contact with that person.
Good luck!
(Joe in Seattle, you are NOT eligible for this...sorry dear!)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
It's Carnival Time!
February's Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper is hosted by OfficeSupplyGeek. Be sure to check it out if you're into those things - and you wouldn't be here if you weren't! He was also kind enough to include my Study in Blues post. Here is a link to the fun!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The Sunday Post: February 5, 2012
What constitutes success?
In my business life, I am fairly well-versed in working on projects, knowing the goal and the steps to get there, the timeline I am allotted, and milestone checkpoints along the way.
The growth of this blog has been more organic. I simply began one day. And as I've gone along, I have observed things I like and don't like about other blogs I see, and made a few tweaks along the way. One early tweak was working to improve the image quality. It's so true that pictures convey more than words can in some cases.
So when can I call this blog a success?
It's a puzzling question to me. I really have no defined goal, other than launching my thoughts and ideas out into the world to see if I connect with someone else. There are enough subscribers that I think I'm not just talking to those of my family and friends gracious enough to listen to my ramblings. My page hit count per day has increased steadily during the year or so I've been doing this. Some other bloggers, all of whom I respect, have listed me in blogrolls; a few things I've written have been featured by others.
I think the difference here is that it's not about the destination - it's about the journey. In writing the blog, I have learned things myself, researching where my knowledge is short to try to provide a fuller picture for you. I am pleased to see that what I have done is found interesting by others.
And I've made some friends along the way - people I would never have met in any other circumstance.
Thanks for coming along on the trip with me.
In my business life, I am fairly well-versed in working on projects, knowing the goal and the steps to get there, the timeline I am allotted, and milestone checkpoints along the way.
The growth of this blog has been more organic. I simply began one day. And as I've gone along, I have observed things I like and don't like about other blogs I see, and made a few tweaks along the way. One early tweak was working to improve the image quality. It's so true that pictures convey more than words can in some cases.
So when can I call this blog a success?
It's a puzzling question to me. I really have no defined goal, other than launching my thoughts and ideas out into the world to see if I connect with someone else. There are enough subscribers that I think I'm not just talking to those of my family and friends gracious enough to listen to my ramblings. My page hit count per day has increased steadily during the year or so I've been doing this. Some other bloggers, all of whom I respect, have listed me in blogrolls; a few things I've written have been featured by others.
I think the difference here is that it's not about the destination - it's about the journey. In writing the blog, I have learned things myself, researching where my knowledge is short to try to provide a fuller picture for you. I am pleased to see that what I have done is found interesting by others.
And I've made some friends along the way - people I would never have met in any other circumstance.
Thanks for coming along on the trip with me.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
And the Results Are In!
The poll for which pen to buy ended last night. The pen you chose is the Jinhao! I've ordered the pen and will post a review once it comes in. And, if the pen passes muster, I will happily host a giveaway for it! Stay tuned!
 |
| Hopefully the seller won't mind that I borrowed an image, since I just bought the pen! |
Saturday, January 28, 2012
A Study in Blues
I hate blue.
Let me rephrase: I, who should know better than to deal in generalizations, hate blue.
I have always said I dislike blue ink. That, in fact, I'm not overly fond of the color blue at all.
While rooting through the cabinet which holds all of our inks, I realized that we have a goodly number of inks that arguably fall within the spectrum of "blue." Given the supply of blue ink in the house, I thought it would behoove me to become further acquainted with blue ink.
So, I gathered them all up, booted up the PC, and put together a quick list of each color. I spaced the ink names to allow for swabbing and printed it on our usual printer paper - HP 32 lb bright white.
I then grabbed a handful of cotton swabs and commenced swabbing.
And I was quickly fascinated by the variation that was almost immediately apparent in our blue inks.
I thought briefly of rearranging swabs in color order, but I like having them alphabetical by manufacturer and then color name. In fact I'm finding this so useful I will probably do the same for the other basic colorways we have - reds, oranges, browns, greys and blacks.
I've done some work with color in fiber arts, notably spinning, weaving and knitting; I've never really translated that knowledge and experience into viewing inks before though. This was an interesting eye-opener for me.
Here are a couple of color-corrected shots of the various blues. First, a photograph:
I've done my best to represent colors accurately, but of course Your Monitor May Vary. If you've got your heart set on a particular color, I highly recommend you purchase a sample from a dealer before investing in an entire bottle to avoid possible disappointment.
This was a great exercise for me; it made me acknowledge what I should already know: "blue" isn't just blue, there are myriad shades involved, each of which carries its own appeal. Even Waterman Florida Blue - an ink that I always use for testing, not for its color but because of its performance properties - draws the eye nicely.
And in conclusion, let me just show you this photograph:
Let me rephrase: I, who should know better than to deal in generalizations, hate blue.
I have always said I dislike blue ink. That, in fact, I'm not overly fond of the color blue at all.
While rooting through the cabinet which holds all of our inks, I realized that we have a goodly number of inks that arguably fall within the spectrum of "blue." Given the supply of blue ink in the house, I thought it would behoove me to become further acquainted with blue ink.
So, I gathered them all up, booted up the PC, and put together a quick list of each color. I spaced the ink names to allow for swabbing and printed it on our usual printer paper - HP 32 lb bright white.
I then grabbed a handful of cotton swabs and commenced swabbing.
And I was quickly fascinated by the variation that was almost immediately apparent in our blue inks.
I thought briefly of rearranging swabs in color order, but I like having them alphabetical by manufacturer and then color name. In fact I'm finding this so useful I will probably do the same for the other basic colorways we have - reds, oranges, browns, greys and blacks.
I've done some work with color in fiber arts, notably spinning, weaving and knitting; I've never really translated that knowledge and experience into viewing inks before though. This was an interesting eye-opener for me.
Here are a couple of color-corrected shots of the various blues. First, a photograph:
Then, a scan:
I've done my best to represent colors accurately, but of course Your Monitor May Vary. If you've got your heart set on a particular color, I highly recommend you purchase a sample from a dealer before investing in an entire bottle to avoid possible disappointment.
This was a great exercise for me; it made me acknowledge what I should already know: "blue" isn't just blue, there are myriad shades involved, each of which carries its own appeal. Even Waterman Florida Blue - an ink that I always use for testing, not for its color but because of its performance properties - draws the eye nicely.
And in conclusion, let me just show you this photograph:
Kindly note the color of the coffee cup.
Not to mention the wall.
Ahem.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Help Me Decide Which Pen to Buy!
Hello all -
Here's the scoop: I have a few dollars' credit in my PayPal account. In keeping with my ongoing pursuit of reviewing inexpensive pens, I'd like to review either a Jinhao or Baoer, since I've never dealt with one of either maker. I went through eBay and selected a couple that I like the looks of. They are here: the Jinhao, and the Baoer.
I thought I'd try something a little different, and ask you to help me choose which pen to buy and review.
The poll is in the upper-right-hand corner of the blog. Please take a moment to vote for your favorite! (Or at least the one you'd prefer of the two!)
Voting will go through January 31, 2012, and I'll then purchase the pen and share the fun! (Hopefully it will be fun!)
And, a bonus: if the pen is something I'd call worth writing with, I'll have a giveaway for it too! I don't want to promise, in case the pen doesn't work well or something; I don't want to give you something that's not worth having! Stay tuned...
Here's the scoop: I have a few dollars' credit in my PayPal account. In keeping with my ongoing pursuit of reviewing inexpensive pens, I'd like to review either a Jinhao or Baoer, since I've never dealt with one of either maker. I went through eBay and selected a couple that I like the looks of. They are here: the Jinhao, and the Baoer.
I thought I'd try something a little different, and ask you to help me choose which pen to buy and review.
The poll is in the upper-right-hand corner of the blog. Please take a moment to vote for your favorite! (Or at least the one you'd prefer of the two!)
Voting will go through January 31, 2012, and I'll then purchase the pen and share the fun! (Hopefully it will be fun!)
And, a bonus: if the pen is something I'd call worth writing with, I'll have a giveaway for it too! I don't want to promise, in case the pen doesn't work well or something; I don't want to give you something that's not worth having! Stay tuned...
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