(photos by Maja ~ please click on images to enlarge)
(Fun fact: 2021 marks the 80th anniversary of the very first appearance of Wonder Woman and the 60th anniversary of Batgirl's debut).
I got this cute superhero-themed pen roll from a Canadian
seller on etsy. Actually, that's not 100% true--it was advertised as a crayon roll. The roll isn't really made for longer writing
instruments--they stick out and the roll lacks a flap to protect them from
accidentally sliding out. It can work for shorter (<5 inches) pens or pencils, though, and if you slide a piece of fabric behind the items and fold it over, it'll cushion them and help prevent them from falling out. So why did I buy this roll if it wasn't really made for fountain pens? Well, I liked the design of the material, and it only cost $7 CAD including shipping! The seller still has some for sale here.
The white fountain pen in the photo above is part of Sheaffer's 'Calligraphy' line, the descendants of the popular Sheaffer 'No Nonsense' pens which first came out in 1969. This pen came as part of a "Mini Kit" with three different italic nib-section units (in 1.0mm, 1.5mm and 2.0mm nib widths) and four Sheaffer ink cartridges (in blue, black, red & green). The pens are ultra-light (12 grams, without a cartridge) and come in an assortment of attractive colours. They can be bought individually without spare nib unit(s), or in a three-pen "Maxi Kit". Their steel nibs lay down very crisp italic lines, so they're not the best nibs to use if you write quickly as their sharp edges might catch on or dig into the writing surface. The barrel's inkview window is very useful in letting you know if you're running low on ink, but it's actually a cutout, so you can't use the pen as an eyedropper-filler. Still, at $14.99 CAD (from a local Staples store), it's a good deal for a pen that'll instantly improve your handwriting.
The bottom pen needs no introduction---it's a Parker 'Jotter' ballpoint, a new addition to my ever-growing 'Jotter' collection. This white example came via Amazon.ca and isn't part of any special edition series. It writes well, it looks good... and it fits in the crayon roll (yay!)
The middle item is a lead holder made by Art Alternatives that I purchased at Sublime (a small local art supply shop) on closeout for $9.99. It holds 2.0mm leads using a three-pronged drop clutch mechanism and is comfortable to hold, thanks to its knurled metal grip section. The barrel's material (described by the company as "heavy-weight plastic") seems quite sturdy, too. I hadn't heard of Art Alternatives before, but Opus stores are currently carrying a lot of their products. I noticed that the lead holder's packaging mentioned that Art Alternatives is "an employee-owned company", and on their website it says: "Our mission is to make artistic expression affordable for anyone who feels inspired to do it!". I think both of those things are pretty cool :)
~Photos & write up by Maja ~
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