watercolors Available at Blick | Da Vinci Website Made by a family-owned company in California Most colors are lightfast; refer to Kim Crick's problem pigment lists to cross-reference your selections Set up nicely in pans with very little shrinking Re-wet easily Wonderfully pigmented colors which are not "inky" at all Excellent, moderately priced, artist quality paints, especially for those living in the US
Da Vinci 12 Full Pans Available only on Da Vinci's website Typically under $60 Made by a family-owned company in California Most colors are lightfast; refer to Kim Crick's problem pigment lists to cross-reference your selections Hand-poured full pans in standard size Tin provided Color selection is excellent, including a Quin Rose and Sap Green, but there is no grey so you'll need to mix that when needed 92% single pigment 100% lightfast (I or II) Re-wet easily Wonderfully pigmented colors which are not "inky" at all Excellent, moderately priced, artist quality paints, especially for those living in the US
Van Gogh 12+3 Watercolors Available on Amazon | Jackson's
Typically under $30 Manufactured in The Netherlands Extruded half pans in a traditional size Box includes thoughtful lift-out mixing tray Included pocket brush is serviceable to start, but you'll want to collect other brushes for everyday use Color selection is fantastic, including a nice Quinacridone Rose and Sap Green along with cools and warms of all primaries and helpful earth tones 60% single pigment 93% lightfast (the only color which is possibly not lightfast is Prussian Blue which can shift in any brand) Zero colors ping on my UV fluorescent brightener test (most likely to fade quickly) Disperse very well in water Re-wet extremely easily Vibrant, highly pigmented colors Can run on the more opaque side when painting on journaling notebooks and planners, but seem much more transparent on actual watercolor paper Van Gogh bridges the gap between cheap student grade paints and ridiculously expensive artist quality watercolors; it sits somewhere in the middle and is an ideal starting point for beginners; there may be better values at $100 or $200, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better, more complete set from a reliable brand for under $30
Leuchtturm1917 Available at Amazon 251 pages Available in dot grid, plain, 6mm rule, and square grid Hard cover 80gsm paper which resists bleeding and has very little ghosting Can go without a cover but will easily slip into popular leather options Ink dries faster than on Tomoe River Paper used in the Hobonichi and Nanami lines Takes most watercolor (especially paints with good quality pigment rather than dye-based wet media) Elastic closure, rounded corners, numbered pages, two bookmarks, and back pocket Acid free and FSC Certified Made in Germany Paper Sunday Personalized scripture journals and planners Dozens of cover choices Kids' styles offered as well Coil bound, soft cover, and hard cover formats English and Spanish options Thoughtful gift, as your recipient's initials are placed on the front cover and their name is incorporated in every verse Made in the USA Use coupon code KEYLIME22 for a 10% discount Stalogy 365 Available at Amazon 368 pages Best all-around bullet journal with square grid pages Sturdy, water-resistant soft cover Bible-thin paper which resists bleeding and ghosting Can go without a cover but will easily slip into popular leather options Ink dries faster than on Tomoe River Paper used in the Hobonichi and Nanami lines Takes most watercolor (especially paints with good quality pigment rather than dye-based wet media) Rounded corners Acid free Made in Japan Wanderings Available at Amazon | Etsy Traveler’s notebook inserts available in passport, standard, A5, and larger sizes Cardstock softcover Choice of dot grid, plain, 8mm rule, and square grid Takes everything except juicy Sharpie markers I’m able to work extensively with ink and wash watercolor; there’s absolutely zero bleed-through on the other side of the page Rounded corners Acid free, tree free paper made of recycled cotton journal covers Apple Pig Available on Etsy Many stock sizes available Custom design ideas and sizes welcomed Leather Made in Taiwan by a master craftsman named Ting All projects are made to order; worth the wait Elizo Available on Amazon Journal covers in Large (for Moleskine Large size), A5 (generously cut), and XL (for composition books) Leather (I like Chestnut the best) Usually in-stock and ready to ship September Leather / Newestor Available on Amazon A5, Standard, and Passport size traveler's notebooks Card pockets and folio pockets Reinforced spine Four elastic bands Leather Economical Usually in-stock and ready to ship Wanderings Available on Amazon Standard size traveler's notebook Card pockets and folio pockets Leather Economical Usually in-stock and ready to ship resources for writers Grammarly Free accounts: correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation Premium accounts: scan your work for tone, readability, confidence, and inclusive language and check for inadvertent plagiarism
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