We left with suitcases full of souvenirs, our heads full of memories and my TN was full of memorabilia, stories and drawings.
Before leaving, I had bought a new regular sized TN from Lady Falcon (link to the left). This was totally an impulse buy and I have to say that I was absolutely not disappointed. The colour, the size, the material were all perfect and I have fallen in love with the regular size. I had had my doubts from the beginning (since I discovered Midori's TNs) and I am completely loving that size. Of course, I probably wouldn't use a broad tipped pen but with a regular or fine nib, it works like a charm.
I also decided to test a Micron pen. I had discovered that they were being sold in one of the few arts and crafts shops in my area and I felt it my duty to at least try them. And I love them... Now I hope and pray that they will continue to stock them. I got a 0.1 in black and I did many of my drawings free hand (as in not using the pencil first before inking). It was both scary and exhilarating. When I came back, I started painting my drawings with watercolour and there was no smudging!...
Without further ado, here are a few pictures of my travelling companion:
These two pictures were taken when my TN was freshly receive. On the second picture, you can see the TN next to its best friend, the Pencil Case. This is probably the most perfect accessory to a busy TN. It holds enough pens for on-the-go missions and it's not too big that you need to bring every single pen/pencil you own. So you basically take just the bare minimum and it doesn't weigh you down. The most exciting feature about the case is that it opens completely flat so no need to rummage around it to find that particular pen that always seems to be hidden at the bottom. Here everything is simultaneously on show so no more wasting time going on search parties!
Back from holiday looking all chubby!
As you can see, my TN is definitely not as pretty and as well decorated as most TNs. For many years, I've admired beautifully decorated and washi taped TNs (and Hobos) that I found on many sites. I kept wanting to learn to do the same on my own TNs but I never really got the hang of it. I felt frustrated because I didn't seem to have an eye for detail. Then this holiday, I just went back to basics and let my instincts rule and I love what I came up with. I managed to make it mine.
I still have quite a lot of pictures to paint and I'm probably going to post more pictures as I go along, so watch this space!
