Three Questions With David Sparks

There are Mac users, and there are Mac Power Users. David Sparks is certainly the latter, but he also finds the time to integrate analog tools into his daily routine. My thanks to David for answering Three Questions.

1. What role do analog tools such as pens, pencils, and paper play in your day to day life?

I have to admit it's funny, given the fact that I am the guy that wrote a book on going paperless, but I still find plenty of uses for pen and paper. Digital storage is great but there are moments when a pen (or pencil) and paper are simply the right tools for the job.

On my desk I keep a stack of Aaron Mahnke's Frictionless Index cards. I know I could buy index cards cheaper but I like the thickness of the paper and I like the small grids. They help me release my inner doodler and sketchnote artist.

As for pens, I've been using the Pilot Vanishing Point pens for several years. I accidentally destroyed the first one and bought a second one about a year ago. That one is doing swimmingly. I've been using the extra fine nib but a friend sent me a a wider nib and I really like that for writing note cards. As for ink, I go the lazy route and use cartridge refills. One of these days I'll get into ink. I'm actually looking forward to that as a future obsession.

For disposable pens, I like the blue-black Zebra Sarasa .4 gel ink pens. I've got a drawer full of them along with a few red ones I use when proofreading hard copies.

I also have a few Kuro Toga .5mm mechanical pencils for noodling. I like the way the lead rotates so it stays sharp in the center.

2. What are your favorite products you are currently using?

I'm still in the honeymoon phase with my Apple Watch. Is it a "must have"? No. Is it a lot of fun? Absolutely. I can also make a case for its productivity use but in truth, I just love fiddling with new technology.

3. What post are you the most proud of on your blog?

Occasionally, I get a bit hippy-dippy. I don't know what my readers think of those posts but I am proud of them. Here's one about spending 20 years practicing law and a related post about me quitting my day job. Finally, here's one about my dad.

Sailor Bung Box Hatsukoi "First Love" Sapphire Ink Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I can't remember where I first saw a photograph of Bung Box Sapphire–Twitter or Instagram or a Web site–but I immediately fell in love with it, apparently a common experience with this ink. The minute I got the email from Vanness Pens that a box had arrived I ordered some. It's a good thing, too, since their entire stock of Sapphire sold out the same day.

A little history about Bung Box Sapphire: apparently, the owner of the Bung Box store fell in love with Parker Penman Sapphire, so she tried to recreate the color. She called it Hatsukoi, which means "first love" (Bung Box Facebook Page), since that is the emotion the color evoked in her. I think most fountain pen lovers can relate to this experience, whether we fall in love with a particular ink color or a specific pen (or several).

An insert included with the ink tells the story of its name

The Bung Box Sapphire ink bottle is a work of art. Compared to the usual Sailor Jentle ink bottles, these glass bottles are like miniature vases or containers for fancy perfume. I know I won't throw mine away when I've used up all the ink.

One of the best characteristics of Bung Box Sapphire is its excellent shading. As always with inks like this, the shading is most visible with wider nibs. I used my widest nibs (Pilot Parallel 2.4 and 1.5), my Nakaya music nib, an italic, a couple of flex nibs, and one fine nib to write samples.

The shading is fabulous, ranging from deep blue to a lighter, almost turquoise blue. If you look closely, you can even see shading with the fine nib.

Although the ink sparkles, I only detected sheen in my splash samples not in my writing samples. You can see a bit of magenta along the edges.

I compared Bung Box Sapphire with some of my other blue inks. All of them have distinctive characteristics. I would say Sapphire and Asa-Gao are the closest in terms of chromatography. Both have a little bit of magenta in them. But I think Bung Box Sapphire stands out (along with Akkerman Shocking Blue) as the most vivid color.

Bung Box Sapphire is an exquisite ink. It flows well and its dry times are in the normal range, at least with a fine nib on a Rhodia dot pad. With wider nibs, the dry time is longer. The ink is not waterproof.

One thing I've noticed about all my Sailor inks is that they have a distinctive odor. Apparently, they contain the chemical phenol to prevent mold or other contaminants from growing. In his glossary, Richard Binder says, "Phenol is an effective fungicide, acting as a protoplasmic poison, and was used for this purpose in ink until prohibited by law. (It is also toxic to forms of life other than fungi and is regulated as a Class B poison.) Phenol has a sweet, tar-like odor that is readily detected in inks containing it." I need to do more research on this ingredient as it can be rather caustic. I wonder if it can damage vintage pens, especially celluloid ones? Just in case, I'm not planning on using Sailor inks in any of my celluloid pens until I know more.

Sailor Bung Box Hatsukoi Sapphire is a unique, vibrant blue with excellent shading and some sheen. You can purchase this ink at Vanness Pens for $35.65 plus shipping, but only if you're really fast and lucky.

Pentel Aquash Water Brush Review

(This is a guest post by Nick Folz. You can find more of Nick and his work on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.)

As opposed to constantly asking for more brush and art posts I thought I would just crank one out about my new favorite tool: JetPens. Disclaimer - I am not using this pen as the recommended (with water), but I have not modified it in any way. Any who, lets dive in to the dirty details.

This is a product from Pentel. Those of you who are ArtSnacks subscribers should have received one in your April snack box, I bought mine at an art store for a cool $5. It is marketed by Pentel as a water brush to create washes over watercolor pencil work, but I load it up with ink and have found it to be the best brush in my arsenal. It is an empty plastic reservoir body with removable (twist threaded screw top) brush tip, a plastic cap fits snuggly over the plastic bristles. The model I have is the medium, and that size is perfect for my use. It can swing from barely visible fine lines to thick area fills. I guess I should mention that it is empty when purchased. I have mine filled with Liquitex carbon black ink, but have also used a variety of india inks that all behaved comparably.

The Good

-- The action on the brush tip is tight and predictable, with a ton of variance that makes it a joy to use.

-- Filling it is easy (so long as your ink has a dropper in the cap, most do.)

-- The ink reservoir has just the right amount of "give" that the brush doesn't run dry or flood the bristles.

-- If you are inking a large area you can give the barrel a squeeze to get more ink to the tip. -- Reservoir is big enough that you can draw everyday for a month and not run dry. (obviously has some variance to how much of your page gets inked.)

-- It is remarkable that at this price point to have such a high level tool.

The Bad

-- While it is portable, I would avoid tossing it into a bag or pocket unguarded. The cap only snaps on, and while it hasn't popped off on me yet, I still take precaution. (I have an old zippered eyeglass case I keep it and the ink in).

-- If you are a sticker for aesthetics, look elsewhere. It is plastic by function (so you can squeeze the barrel for more ink), so I have no idea how a higher end one would look or function.

I have been down nearly every brush road: Pilot pocket brushes, Faber-Castell art brush pens, Variety brush packs from big box stores and Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable to name a few. My favorites were the Series 7, but I hated having to get out all the accoutrements (ink well, cup of water, endless paper towels, etc.) every time I laid down some ink. I kept veering down the brush pen roads in an attempt to find a more portable option, but found they all lacked the snap of an actual brush and would run dry after a week of use. I bought the Pentel Aquash Water Brush on a whim and boy and I glad I did! I am very tempted to get four more to fill with different colors to have on hand, and at this price point I could do so without breaking a sweat (or the bank.)

They can be purchased at JetPens or your local art supply store.