News
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Starting Calligraphy
Now that some of you might be finding that you have more spare time on your hands than usual, you may have thought of calligraphy or hand-lettering as something to try or get back into if you’ve dabbled before. It’s a great option; all ......Read More
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Touch Base with a Rhodia Touch
What makes a notebook stand out is its paper. Yes, the cover's sort of important, but it's what's sandwiched in between them that really cuts the mustard. And that's why Rhodia notebooks are so loved. The paper is, quite simply, superb. There's a Rhodia notebook ......Read More
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Coronavirus
We’re still delivering fairly normally, but orders may take a day or two longer to send than usual. We're doing our best, but we can't have as many people picking and packing orders together as usual. Within the UK, Royal Mail are operating fairly normally ......Read More
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Hurray For Coloured Pencils!
Cult Pens Sponsors the U.K. Coloured Pencil Society's 'Botanical' Competition Coloured pencils are brilliant. Well, we know that, and you probably know that, but not everybody knows that, and so the UK Coloured Pencil Society was formed in 2001 to put the word out that yes, ......Read More
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Esterbrook
The Esterbrook Pen Company is a true American original brand which was revived in 2018 by Kenro Industries. English innovator and industrial visionary Richard Esterbrook established the Esterbrook Pen Company in 1858. Little did he know at the time that the company would soon flourish into ......Read More
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From Cabbages to Kingcups - Interview with Ann Swan, Botanical Artist
There's something strangely compelling about botanical art. It has an almost old-fashioned air about it, which is understandable given that in days of yore the likes of Charles Darwin could hardly whip out an iPhone to take a quick pic of a hitherto-unknown plant, and ......Read More
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Journaling into Spring with Helen Colebrook
Journaling is not going away. Not that we want it to..! Far from being a flash in the pan, it has fast become an intrinsic part of many people's lives; it's become a habit, a bit like brushing teeth or putting the bins out on ......Read More
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'Hola!' to ola!
In the year that marks the fifth anniversary of their signature Layflat Notebook, we say 'Hola!' to ola! Unsurprisingly, ola founder Katy Goutefangea is a great fan of the humble notebook. Well, you wouldn’t go to the trouble of creating an object if you didn't really ......Read More
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Pentel Energel - Mission Impossible
Tom Cruise has nothing to do with this - I should just point that out now. And no, Simon Pegg doesn't feature either. Sorry. But it felt like Mission Impossible when Pentel innovators were asked, in the late 1990s, to develop an entirely new ink. ......Read More
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Dotty About Paper
Lisa Forde was so dotty about paper she decided to start selling some. And she named her company… The Card Gallery! Oh. So where did Dotty About Paper come from? Good question. When Lisa was preparing to get married in 2002, she realised there really wasn't ......Read More
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ST Dupont
In 1872, innovator and photographer Simon Tissot Dupont founded S.T. Dupont, a Parisian maison dedicated to producing 'exceptional goods for exceptional people'. Initially offering leather briefcases to businessmen, he progressed to luxury travel trunks and cases coveted by the European elite, and he supplied no ......Read More
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How to Draw in 3D - with Mark Wemyss-Holden and IsoSketch
Think you can't draw? Well, maybe you can. Contrary to popular belief, drawing is actually a skill you can learn, at least the mechanics anyway. What you produce may not win any prizes and will probably not render you famous after you have shuffled off ......Read More
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Journaling for Financial Planning
Look - nobody likes talking about money. It's like that advert for a high street bank where ordinary people sit around looking uncomfortable and saying 'um…' and 'well…' Maybe it's because we don't have enough (or think we don't). Or because our upbringing taught us ......Read More
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Becoming: A Guided Journal to Discovering Your Voice - Review by Amanda
Whilst enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon reading the papers a couple of weeks ago, I learnt that former First Lady Michelle Obama had released a 'guided journal' and immediately ordered it. Why? Because I'm a journaler myself (I'm also a First Lady - sort ......Read More
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Woody Windows
Who would have thought that what amounts to a child's stubby colouring pencil could be capable of so much? At first glance, the STABILO Woody is a short, chunky pencil that's perfectly suited to small people who need something they can grab hold of and ......Read More
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Get to Grips With a Grip
It all began with a pencil - one of the oldest, simplest and some would say best, writing instruments in the world. At the request of Dr Gerhard Lugert, Faber-Castell's Head of R&D, innovators Roland Boch and Udo Beck fashioned a triangular barrel and put some ......Read More
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The STABILO Pen 68
STABILO's Pen 68. It's a pretty good colouring pen, isn't it? Well there's actually more to it than meets the eye, and it wasn't until Paula and Vanya from STABILO came along for a visit that we found out that it was a bit more ......Read More
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Fountain Pentel
It's the sort of pen that flies under the radar a bit, unless you've experienced one. It's not a known pen, if you see what I mean. You don't? That's OK. I'll attempt to explain. The Fountain Pentel, also known as the JM20 Stylo, is a… ......Read More
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Artist of the Month - Carrie Dennison
Carrie Dennison, using Faber-Castell PITT artist pens, is the talent behind the banner for the November 2019 issue of Penorama. As usual, we were nosy, and asked her for a bit of background. Tell us a bit more about yourself… I’m Carrie Dennison and I’m a self-employed ......Read More
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Eight Interesting Fountain Pens You Might Not Know About
That title is a bit click-bait, isn't it? Sorry about that. Don't worry, number seven won't blow your mind. Number four might a little, but it can't be helped. And we're not saying you definitely won't have heard of these pens, but unless you're an ......Read More
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Winsor & Newton Drawing Inks
Drawing inks. What are they? And what makes them different to, say, watercolour paint? Well, we had a vague idea, but we thought it best to consult someone who knows, and that someone was artist and lecturer Stuart Edmundson, who we've previously consulted on Winsor ......Read More
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Journal with Purpose - the Book!
I've always wanted to do an author interview! And now I can, because Journal with Purpose's Helen Colebrook is an author as well as a journaler supremo. Up until now, Helen has been a pretty straightforward kind of gal, but now that she's an author ......Read More
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Guest Post: Brad Dowdy - Shimmer Ink: Don't be Shy!
Will they damage my pens? Will they clog the nib? Will they be hard to clean? I watched from the sidelines as shimmer inks gained in popularity, yet I still couldn’t get past these questions for my own personal use. We live in a digital world, ......Read More
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What's New in Ink in 2019?
It's Inktober, and things always feel pretty inky around this time of year, but this has felt like quite an inky year all round. A lot of new ink has arrived here at Cult Pens, including a couple of new brands, and there have been ......Read More
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Guest Post: Doodle Me This
A guest post from Doodle Me This, who makes lots of lovely simple drawing tutorials on Instagram and YouTube. Why do I doodle? I work full time as a marketing manager in London, and although I love it, there are times when it is utterly mad. In ......Read More
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Winsor & Newton Inks and Studio Gill
We recently introduced you to Stephanie Gill in the World Calligraphy Day issue of Penorama, and we promised we'd elaborate. Well, this is us, elaborating! Stephanie is a calligrapher and botanical illustrator who runs Studio Gill in London. She was introduced to us via one of ......Read More
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Artist of the Month: Baz Furnell
Baz Furnell is the incredible talent behind the astonishing banner for the September issue of Penorama, which he created using Uni-ball's PIN drawing pens. By day he's a mild-mannered prison officer, but by night he works on highly intricate mandala art that fairly jumps off ......Read More
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Plastics, a Four-Letter Word
Sir David Attenborough is a bit of a crusader. At an age when many people have succumbed to tartan slippers and mobility scooters - or worse, the ultimate bed-rest - he's still out there, bringing the natural world into our living rooms. And despite being ......Read More
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Artsynibs - One Year On
A guest post by Artsynibs, who we were lucky enough to learn a lot from back when she taught a calligraphy workshop here at Cult Pens. About this time last year, I shared the beginnings of the Artsynibs journey as part of Cult Pens' World Calligraphy ......Read More
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The History of Calligraphy
At the risk of being assaulted by a sharpened nib, may I just say that we don't need to do calligraphy these days. Word (other word processors are available!) has a pretty comprehensive list of different typefaces to choose from, and scanners and photocopiers make ......Read More