I had an interesting journey with the Staedtler Noris 120 pencils. I decided that they are strange beasts, and nothing like the Staedtler Tradition 110 pencils I reviewed previously.  When I took them out of the packet they felt heavier than other pencils. This could be because, according to Staedtler, they are made from upcycled wood chips from   PEFC-certified, sustainably managed forests. They felt nice to hold so I was pretty hopeful that I would like them to draw with. I was even more hopeful when I realised that they literally glide across the paper. Initially, this felt uncontrollable, like gliding on ice. The first drawing I started on Langton Prestige hot pressed watercolour paper I gave up on. I just couldn't get it to work. I just didn't have any control over what I was drawing due to a lack of resistance from the pencils. The second drawing, in a sketchbook with smooth heavyweight paper, I initially gave up on too, but later went back and finished it.  I ...

Staedtler Tradition Drawing Pencils.   Staedtler's Mars Lumograph are their premium quality pencils aimed at artists, but I was curious to see what the Staedtler Tradition 110 pencils were like to draw with. I came across a pack of six pencils for drawing for £3.99 and thought I would give them a try.  The box was supposed to contain a 6B, 4B, 2B, B, HB and 2H, but the box I bought contained two 2H's and no 2B which was a bit odd. Ferreting around for my Faber-Castell 9000's to do a comparison with, I found another packet of these pencils and a 2B. How long I have had those I don't know. Staedtler Tradition Drawing Pencils. When I think of pencils I always think of this design with the red and black stripes or the Staedtler Noris pencils with the yellow and black stripes. I think they remind me of school, that may be why I have never tried them. I started off using the B grade pencil and was quite impressed. It was very smooth to draw with. I then tried one of the 2H pe...

Another of my favourite papers to draw on is Saunders Waterford hot pressed watercolour paper. It is cylinder mould made, 100% cotton paper made by St. Cuthbert's Mill. It is gelatine surface sized which means it is not vegan. It is also buffered with calcium carbonate to defend work from discolouration caused by acids in pollution. This makes it archival.  Saunders Waterford HP is a softer paper than the Arches Aquarelle HP watercolour paper. It also provides a smooth drawing surface. That is the only issue I have with this paper, that my drawings often turn out ghostly. This is probably because there is not much tooth to catch the graphite particles.  If you like high contrast in your drawings or deep blacks, then this may not be the paper for you. A better option could be Langton Prestige hot pressed watercolour paper as this has a bit more texture. It is also 100% cotton. My solution to this issue is to use darker pencils than my favourite Faber-Castell 9000's. I find the ...

  Why did I buy a journal covered in mushrooms? In my head I am a minimalist but the things I buy tend to be maximalist. I also like mushrooms and this is a nice design by Merlin Sheldrake. The real reason I bought the journal was that I opened it and felt the paper. The paper is smooth with a little bit of texture and is a dream to write on. I have been using it to write my Artists Way morning pages which consist of three pages of anything, without fail, every day. The more I use the journal the more I like it. I always used to write in softback notebooks as I found them easier to write in. This has a lay flat binding which is holding up well.  I can't say if it is any good with fountain pens. My writing slopes backwards and most fountain pens can't cope with that. Instead I use Oxford Helix ballpoint pens. The journal has 160 lined pages, an elastic band to keep the journal shut, inside back cover pocket and 120gsm acid free paper. The journal was £9.99 in Waterstones. Mushr...

This is a review of Choosing Keeping's black watercolour paper, Aquarello Nero. It costs £20 for twenty sheets of 270g, 100% cotton, acid free Dutch paper. The size of the pad is 17 by 24cm.  "Aquarello Nero" watercolour pad, black paper – Choosing Keeping There is no information on Choosing Keeping's web site to say whether the paper is hot pressed, cold pressed or rough, so I had to wait and see. Once the paper arrived I was pleased to see that it was hot pressed, with a nice, smooth surface that makes it suitable for drawing as well as for watercolours. I did one sketch with a Faber-Castell medium Pitt pastel pencil which worked really well on this paper. I often find pastel pencils scratchy, but in this case it was really smooth to draw with. For the second sketch I used Nassau metallic pencils which have an oily or waxy texture and I liked how these worked on this paper, although the contrast was a bit low. I decided to do a watercolour using pearlescent watercol...

I have to say that I love these pencils. For a start, they look good. I like the contrast between the dark green body and gold lettering. More importantly, they are really smooth to draw with. A lot of pencils are gritty, but since using these I have not had a single instance where I have come across a harder bit of graphite that scratches the paper. The graphite cores don't break either. Evidently the graphite core is bonded with the wood surround which makes them very break resistant.  They don't produce dust when you draw with them so the drawing remains clean. They also erase well with a putty rubber and are easy to sharpen. They are great for fine detail and also blend well which makes them my go to pencils. When I use other pencils, then use these, the difference is marked. I just love them. Compared to the Conte a Paris they run lighter. In the comparison above the Faber-Castell 9000 are on the left and the Conte a Paris are on the right. This is the only disadvantage of...