Product Review: Tomoe River Paper

10/9/14 various fountain pen inks, Tomoe River paper

If you’re a fountain pen geek like I am, you’ve been reading bloggers and social media users going on and on about Tomoe River paper. I first heard about this paper in connection with the Hobonichi Techo planner, which is apparently wildly popular in Japan and quickly gaining ground in the U.S., at least among stationery and planner geeks. Tomoe River paper is not only joyfully smooth to write on with a fountain pen, reviewers say; it’s also so unbelievably thin that a year’s worth of daily planner pages can fit in a thin, pocket-size book. What’s more, despite its thinness, fountain pen and most other inks do not bleed through. Not unlike some other overpriced but exquisitely beautiful Japanese products, such as my favorite Pilot Iroshizuku inks, Tomoe River paper is expensive.

I then discovered that the paper could be purchased in the form of small and large notebooks as well as in bulk, which brings the price down a bit. My DIY light bulb lit up over my head: If the paper turned out to be usable for sketching, maybe I could hand-bind it into a small sketchbooklet with a relatively large number of pages while still remaining thin and light – perhaps even thin and lightweight enough for a travel journal. Hmmm. . . I decided I had to see for myself. For a dollar, I could get three small sheets of Tomoe River at JetPens.com – enough to test the various media I use.

Reverse side of washed fountain pen ink.

Since I rarely use anything more than fountain pen ink washed lightly with water in a sketchbooklet/travel journal, my first test was just that (above). Indeed, as the reviewers had gushed about, the paper is sheer pleasure to write on. I tried several fountain pens, and their nibs skated along effortlessly on its glassy surface. With the addition of a light wash from a waterbrush, the thin paper buckled a little as I expected, but the wash itself was easy to control and didn’t puddle. The reverse side of the paper (right), however, shows bleed-through where water was applied.

Interestingly, the thinness of Tomoe River paper reminded me of the rice paper that my mom, a sumi-e painter, used to use, so I started wondering how it would fare with India ink. Below is a detail from a sketch I made at the University of Washington, which you already saw a few days ago. India ink fared remarkably well; the ink is dry enough when applied with a twig that I saw very little buckling. On the reverse side, the only spot that showed bleed-through was where I had made multiple strokes with the twig rather roughly and apparently tore the paper a bit. (I didn’t test markers on the paper, but I’m guessing they would fare as well as India ink did, since markers are relatively dry also.)

10/10/14 India ink, twig, Tomoe River paper

My last test was the full Monty: fountain pen ink applied with both a pen and a waterbrush; watercolor; water-soluble colored pencils (bottom of page). Water pooled dreadfully and took forever to dry, and you can see how badly the paper buckled wherever water was applied. The reverse side is just as bad, with lots of bleed-through in all the wettest areas. Well, I didn’t expect it to hold up to water media, so I’m not surprised.

The circled area is the only spot
where the India ink bled through.
There's almost no buckling.

I don’t think I need expensive Japanese paper (especially when I can use only one side) when I already like less-expensive French paper (Rhodiarama) for my travel journal. Although I admit Tomoe River is a dream to write on with a fountain pen and would be an extravagant indulgence for my writing journal, I already have a favorite German paper (Leuchtturm) for that. I guess I can’t rationalize running out to get a ream.

Whew – I’m saved from leaping into the Tomoe River!

10/12/14 various inks, watercolor, water-soluble colored
pencils, Tomoe River paper

Reverse side of various media shows bleeding in most
areas where water was applied.

Bridges Are Like Sketching

10/11/14 Diamine Chocolate Brown ink, Caran d'Ache Museum water-soluble
colored pencils, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Gabi Campanario launched his new book last night at the University Book Store. Published by the Seattle Times, the book is a collection of sketches from Gabi’s weekly Seattle Sketcher column. Mentioning his penchant for sketching bridges, he said, “a bridge is a metaphor for sketching – it’s a way to make a connection.” Showing images of sketches that appear in the book, Gabi told several stories about how sketching a building, person or event has helped him make a connection with his community.

His goal with his column is “not to make perfect sketches but to report what I’m doing,” Gabi said. After he finishes a sketch, he photographs it with the sketch subject in the background in what is called a “trophy shot.” At that point, he considers the sketch done; he doesn’t alter it digitally afterwards, and he always completes the sketch on location, never working from photos.

That said, Gabi also showed an image of an example of a sketch of a tall crane that he had started and then ran out of space on the page. He completed the top of the crane on another sheet of paper, and pasted that part of the sketch over the original later. So even the Seattle Sketcher has tricks up his sleeve!

Here's my "trophy shot" of last night's book-
signing event.

In response to an audience member’s question, Gabi said he has never changed his plans to go out for a sketch simply because of weather. Showing a few photos of sketches spattered with raindrops, he has worked in all kinds of cold, wind and rain conditions, sometimes holding an umbrella to keep his sketchbook dry. He also showed slides of other hazards of his occupation – being “attacked” by a goat and flipping over in a kayak!

During the past couple of years, I’ve heard the Seattle Sketcher give several presentations in connection with his first book, the groundbreaking Art of Urban Sketching, and his MOHAI exhibition last year. I always enjoy hearing Gabi talk about his sketching process because it reminds me of all that I love myself about urban sketching.

By the way, I don’t have my copy of the book yet. I preordered it online, and it didn’t come in time for last night’s signing! L Stay tuned for the full book review later. In the meantime, you can order a copy for yourself online.

Star Wars Reads at Museum of Flight

10/11/14 various inks, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

When Kate invited Natalie and me to sketch at the Museum of Flight, which was hosting a Star Wars Reads event, I jumped at the chance! After all, how often does one have the opportunity to sketch historic planes and Darth Vader at the same time? Possibly in the same sketch??

It turned out to be a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. The planes stay still, of course, and I’ve had other opportunities to sketch them at the museum during previous visits. But Darth Vader and the other characters kept walking around, and the kids surrounding them at all times would pose for photos for no more than a second or two. Challenging sketching, indeed!

10/11/14 various inks

I did manage to capture Princess Leia cutting out Yoda ears for the kids, a few young Jedis practicing their light saber techniques, a Tusken Raider hamming next to the Wright brothers’ plane, and a most impressive R2-D2. “The man behind the curtain,” who built the amazingly realistic ‘droid, would stand at a distance, his hands behind his back discreetly operating R2 with a radio control.

Alas, I never did get a sketch of the elusive Darth Vader, whom I also missed at a previous opportunity. Ah, well – one must have goals.

10/11/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi ink, Caran d'Ache Museum water-soluble
colored pencil

10/11/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi ink

Jedi librarian Jocasta Nu (AKA urban sketcher Kate Buike) at left, along with
Leia, R2 and other Jedi and Imperial representatives.

The ever-popular Darth was everywhere, yet somehow managed to elude my sketchbook.

Cold Mad Campus

10/10/14 water-soluble ink, colored pencils, Canson
XL 140 lb. paper

Maybe I was just grumpy about the cold, damp fog that enveloped me in chilliness. For whatever reason, most of the art I saw this morning on the University of Washington campus – part of Mad Art Seattle’s Mad Campus sculpture exhibit – wasn’t very inspiring. If truth be told, I’d have to admit it was probably me who wasn’t inspired, since the other Friday sketchers certainly came away with inspired sketches!

My first sketch was of something that I did find inspiring, but it wasn’t part of the exhibit. Walking through the Sylvan Grove Theater, it’s hard not to be moved by the classical beauty of the four Ionic columns. Of course, I wasn’t so moved that I sketched all four – the capital of one was enough.

After wandering the campus to see most of the 12 pieces in the exhibit, I somewhat half-heartedly settled on Burnt in Time, by Brian Widmaier (below). According to the flier description, a group of 12-foot obelisks “showcases the surrounding surfaces and reveals the steady progression of time.” Hmmm.

10/10/14 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor
(Burnt in Time)

Still uninspired, I sat on a bench to munch a protein bar, and the crinkle of my wrapper attracted numerous geese. I took advantage of their attention to sketch a few.

Chilled, I decided to get coffee at Suzzallo Library. Out on Suzzallo’s steps, I looked up at Gerberding Hall’s tower, which mocked me with its formidable gothic self. Normally, I would run the other way, screaming. But fortified with caffeine, I pulled out KK’s bag of tricks: a few sticks and India ink. No, the sticks and ink don’t give me KK’s superpower, but they somehow make me fearless enough to take on something like that gothic tower (so I guess they give me a different superpower!).

In fact, I felt so cocky that I did one more twig and ink sketch, this time of The Legend of Jerry Roundtree, a sculptural work by Seth Friedman (the pyramids and cubes next to the trees, below). You can probably tell I was more inspired by the trees than the sculpture, but that’s OK. By then the others showed up to share sketches, and that improved my mood.

10/10/14 Diamine Chocolate Brown ink

10/10/14 India ink, twig (Gerberding Hall)

10/10/14 India ink, twig, colored pencil, Tomoe River paper (The Legend of Jerry Roundtree)

Recycling Day

10/9/14 Platinum Carbon and other inks, Caran d'Ache
Museum water-soluble colored pencils, Zig marker,
watercolor, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

After another meeting in Shoreline this morning, I took the long way home and drove through the neighborhood again, where these two mutilated trees caught my eye. The earlier fog was starting to thin, but the sky was still a thick white. 

Most residential streets in this part of town have no sidewalks. The recycling and garbage bins were guarded by trees and utility poles. Right on cue, just as I was thinking how nice it would be to put a recycling truck in the sketch, one showed up.

Shelter Lounge Construction

10/8/14 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Zig markers, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

A shabby, outdated Baskin-Robbins stood for years on East Green Lake Drive North with a mostly empty parking lot each day. It finally came down a while ago, and we wondered what would be filling the vacated space next to Starbucks. When I went by today, I noticed a distinctive architectural structure going up in front: two angled, asymmetrical beams. A promotional sign on the beams showed what the building would look like when complete, as well as the name of the business: Shelter Lounge.

With one location already in Ballard, Shelter Lounge is a restaurant with an emphasis on beer, “with 16 - 20 beers on tap featuring local breweries,” according to the Seattle Greenlaker blog. I’m not too excited about the additional parking congestion a place like that will probably bring to the already parked-up neighborhood, but progress marches on. In any case, the restaurant plans to open by the end of the year, so I hope to sketch its construction another time or two.

Foggy Shoreline

10/7/14 watercolor, Platinum Carbon ink, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

10/7/14 India ink, twig, Platinum Carbon ink,
Sailor fountain pen

It was foggy this morning in Shoreline, where I took a detour through the neighborhood on my way home from a meeting. These two views of trees – one in the distance, one nearby – were ideal for heavily diluted watercolors (above) and India ink and twigs (with a little help from my trusty Sailor pen on the finer branches, left). Oddly (or perhaps predictably), twigs are the ideal drawing tool for sketching tree branches.