News
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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
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Blink Lettering
A guest post from Milly of Blink Lettering - how she got started with calligraphy, and how it became more than just a hobby. How it all started I’m a graphic designer by day, which I absolutely love, I feel so lucky that I get to be ......Read More
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Castelli - Meet The Brand
Aren't these beautiful? They're a work of art, but in notebook form, a truly pleasurable way to keep track of your thoughts and things to do. Little touches, like the printed page edges and the elegant black endpapers, turn what's essentially a fairly mundane everyday ......Read More
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The Sharp End - from Dave's Mechanical Pencils
A guest post from the much-loved Dave's Mechanical Pencils, all about the sharp end of your pencils. Mechanical pencils can be divided into two main groups – the general writing pencils and the technical pencils. Many people like to use a technical pencil, sometimes because they ......Read More
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Caran d'Ache 888 Infinite - an Affordable Swiss Mechanical Pencil - from Bleistift
A guest post from Matthias of the wonderfully geeky pencil blog Bleistift. It's time to celebrate Mechanical Pencil Day again! Last year I tried to focus on unusual mechanical pencils. For this year's mechanical pencil day, I want to take a closer look at affordable mechanical pencils ......Read More
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Platinum's 100th Anniversary
It's Platinum's 100th anniversary, so we thought it was a good time to tell you more about this successful Japanese pen maker, and their history of innovation. Much of the information here comes from the "100-Year Timeline Platinum Fountain Pen" book which they have complied ......Read More
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Manga Artist Interview - Inko
Manga - in simple terms - is story-telling by way of pictures: comics, if you like. Astonishingly, it's been around for over 800 years which knocks the 80-year-old Beano into a cocked hat. A series of works known as the 'Handscrolls of Frolicking Animals' was ......Read More
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STABILO Sensor
We're all taught to write in pretty much the same way, and shown the optimum way to hold a pen or pencil. However, we're human, and over time we develop our own style of handwriting, and preferred way of wielding a pen. We write big, ......Read More
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Cheryl Holland Willis - Artist of the Month
Cheryl Holland Willis is the talent behind the fabulous picture of Herbie, created using Pentel's Pointliner drawing pens. These contain water- and fade-resistant pigment ink and are perfect for all types of writing, sketching and drawing. We wanted to know a little more about Cheryl, ......Read More
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FIRE, HOT WAX AND KNIVES - Or How to Run a Wax Seals Workshop
What is it about wax? Come on - admit it - who hasn't picked up a lit candle and angled it so the wax drips down, just for the pleasure of watching it pool on - let's say - the coffee table? I'm not alone, ......Read More
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Pilot Capless - Retractable Fountain Pens
Those who love fountain pens usually know the Pilot Capless pretty well. It's one of the most famous fountain pens in the world, for many good reasons. Newcomers can be tempted to assume it's a bit of a gimmick, but it wouldn't still be this ......Read More
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Uni Emott Review by Journal With Purpose
As soon as I received this pack of 40 Uni Emott pens, I was immediately impressed by the look and feel of the packaging. The white box is sturdy and gives the feel of a high-quality product. The design of the box allows for easy ......Read More
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3 Ways with Tombow by Journal With Purpose
Tombow's ABT pens are dual-tipped brush pens with water-soluble ink, which makes them perfect for a multitude of uses. Take a look here for three different projects. You'll need paper, a brush, mt tape and some clingfilm. Project 1 1. Use some washi tape to act ......Read More
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Journal Comparison - Helen Colebrook
Rhodia Goalbook My favourite and most used notebook for bullet journaling. They come in a range of beautiful colours and as a lucky coincidence, the lilac cover matches with lots of my favourite stationery. The 224 dotted pages mean this journal lasts me a long time. The ......Read More