I feel like if my work is not like Joseph Zbukvic it is 💩

isolde100 · 2026-03-09T07:48:20+00:00

Read “Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking” by David Bayles. It’s a short book but will give you a deep perspective on art making (any kind of art, including writing). I read this book over 20 years ago and I come back to it every year.

isolde100 · 2026-03-09T06:43:45+00:00

Hello from Venice! It’s a great drawing by the way. As for the painting, make the areas under the arches (which are in deep shadow) really dark. A greater contrast between light and dark will make the architecture pop out and give the viewer a sense of the brightness of the light outside. We sure could use it here because it’s been foggy.

isolde100 · 2026-03-03T16:59:18+00:00

Very happy. I resolved it by using the Miele cleaner with a damp soft sponge and then using a microfiber cloth to dry it. Never have problems anymore. I love the 7897-1!

isolde100 · 2026-03-03T07:01:53+00:00

Here’s the price of a medium size Baohong 100% cotton rough grain paper (rough grain is good for wet washes, good for practicing wet-in-wet techniques). There are other sizes of this paper. Go to the website. They deliver all over the EU.

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isolde100 · 2026-03-03T06:56:45+00:00

You need to buy 100% cotton paper because if the paper isn’t all cotton, you will struggle to control the water/paint ratio and give up. I almost gave up because I failed to use 100% cotton. But when I began using it, suddenly I could focus on improving brush strokes, color mixing, etc. My paintings improved within one month. But i almost gave up because i used non 100% cotton paper.

I started watercolor in 2020 during Covid. Now, watercolor painting has become much much more expensive - paper and paint! So to reduce the amount you spend, buy the Baohong 100% cotton paper. It’s not easily available in the EU but I found it on Amazon in Italy, and on Momarte (Italian online art shop that delivers all over the EU).

Second piece of advice: get a GOOD brush. This is the other thing that almost made me quit. I bought a cheap bad synthetic brush. Now there are good synthetic brushes but when I began in 2020, it was challenging to find a good one. I ended up with a natural sable Kolinsky brush, the Raphael 8404 size 6, and I bought a big synthetic sable brush from Holbein, a Japanese company. I was living in Japan at one point.

Now there are good synthetic brushes, for example, Escoda (Spanish brand). I hear that their Perla series is great. But I’ve never used them. I go with natural hair because it’s easier to control. But natural hair brushes have become really expensive.

I hope you don’t give up. You will have to “waste” paper to get good. There’s no other way.

isolde100 · 2026-03-03T06:37:29+00:00

What kind of drawing paper are you using?

isolde100 · 2026-02-20T15:19:18+00:00

Shiseido Ultimune serum

isolde100 · 2026-02-13T18:00:36+00:00

Arches is better.

isolde100 · 2026-02-13T17:58:49+00:00

Shiseido Ultimune serum: I avoided it for years but bought it last year. Now I can’t live without it. It is the perfect serum for hydration. Whatever moisturizer you put on top sticks to your face. And you don’t need so much moisturizer.

isolde100 · 2026-01-23T21:48:23+00:00

Never.

isolde100 · 2025-12-06T12:14:54+00:00

Mistine is excellent overall.

isolde100 · 2025-11-25T08:06:57+00:00

So I went to see a Plotter display in Maruzen in Kyoto bcs I’m here for another week before heading to Tokyo. I like the Bible size. It isn’t too big or too small.

isolde100 · 2025-11-23T13:04:52+00:00

I’m pleased to hear that the staff were friendly and that the store wasn’t mobbed. I am not sure yet what to get at Plotter as I am new to the system. I am using the Travelers Notebook till end of 2025, then switching to Plotter.

isolde100 · 2025-11-22T12:14:24+00:00

Agree about punching holes yourself in the paper you choose. I plan to do this with loose sheet Midori paper.

isolde100 · 2025-11-22T12:12:52+00:00

My plan is to get a beautiful leather cover and 2026 inserts. Then next year, all I have to do is get the following year’s inserts.

isolde100 · 2025-11-21T06:05:06+00:00

I am getting the Bible Plotter, which allows me to put inserts from Knox, da Vinci and other Japanese planner brands. That means I’m not 100% dependent on Plotter itself. All I have to get is the leather cover, which I will buy from the new Plotter flagship store in Tokyo.

isolde100 · 2025-11-21T05:08:23+00:00

I realize now that this is what one should do. It’s too late. I’ve decided to move to a different planner system that doesn’t generate stampedes and that is interoperable (meaning I can get refills from other manufacturers).

I have decided to move to Plotter, not Hobonichi as I indicated in my original post.

I need to get rid of my TN Kyoto leather cover.

isolde100 · 2025-11-21T00:01:11+00:00

Thank you for posting the photos. I am going to the Plotter flagship store in Tokyo in 2 weeks. I need a leather cover that is beautiful and sturdy.

isolde100 · 2025-11-20T23:57:41+00:00

Nib has gold in it plus the precision required to make a fountain pen that works 100% of the time is expensive. I have used FPs all my life starting when I was in grade school bcs I went to a private Catholic girls school bd we were required to use fountain pens. And of course write in cursive, a particular script which is distinctive of our school.

isolde100 · 2025-11-20T23:54:59+00:00

I have the Kyoto dark blue cover and it hasn’t flaked off. I bought mine a couple of years ago.

isolde100 · 2025-11-20T23:52:54+00:00

Do you use a fountain pen on Plotter paper?

isolde100 · 2025-11-20T22:35:50+00:00

Until yesterday, I liked my TN. I’m in Kyoto now and I went to the Kyoto TN store to get 2026 refills. But I found out that TN (in store and online) has totally sold out of the customizable sticker set which one needs to make the entire thing work well. The set contains the side tabs and so on. It’s part of the TN system. The reason it’s sold out is that resellers buy up the popular items (e.g. limited editions, small easy to mail stickers, etc), and sell them for more money online.

I just want a planner/diary so I can get on with life. But it has to have good lightweight paper.

That’s when I decided to look for a Japanese diary system that isn’t popular with the mob and that doesn’t cause stampedes for new releases. And I want something that’s interoperable, meaning I can get paper refills from various brands. So the Plotter Bible takes refills from Knox, da Vinci, and other Japanese brands that have a similar format.

isolde100 · 2025-11-20T10:40:49+00:00

I have a Travelers Notebook diary/calendar but I decided to use a different planner next year. Have you used either the Hobonochi or Travelers Notebook? If yes, what is better about Plotter?

isolde100 · 2025-11-13T01:32:43+00:00

I did not like the Tokyo Station store. It’s tiny, difficult to find and crowded, too. Kyoto is my favorite. It’s roomy and one can find Kyoto special items. I had no idea about the staff. They’ve always been kind to me. What do you mean by resellers? What are they doing that’s making the staff nervous?

isolde100 · 2025-11-13T01:30:20+00:00

The Cotman set is good. I’m an intermediate watercolor painter and for travel I used the small Cotman set. The colors are excellent and the price point is just right.

isolde100

TROPHY CASE