Art, creativity, Links, Other People's Notebooks, Sketchbook

Sketchbooks and Studios

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An interesting look at assorted artists’ sketchbooks, from a website about studio visits with West Coast artists:

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“Now, when Nikki and I visit artists in their studios I find myself curious, even prying about what’s tucked away in the pages of their sketchbooks. Visiting someone’s studio is already permission to enter into a private space and an artist’s sketchbook feels like a room within a room, it’s where the secrets are, the strategies, failures, future schemes and sometimes self-reflection.”

 

Read and see more at Sketchbook Round-up | In The Make | Studio visits with West Coast artists.

creativity, Fun & Weird, Links, Other People's Notebooks, record-keeping, Scientific

Marie Curie’s Radioactive Notebook

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Here’s a beautiful notebook that I’d rather not see up close:

 

“Marie Curie made some of the most significant contributions to science in the 20th century. And as most people already know, she did so at a great cost to her own health. What most people probably don’t know, however, is that the radiation levels she was exposed to were so powerful that her notebooks must now be kept in lead-lined boxes.

It’s true. And it’s not just Curie’s manuscripts that are too dangerous to touch, either. If you visit the Pierre and Marie Curie collection at the Bibliotheque Nationale in France, many of her personal possessions—from her furniture to her cookbooks—require protective clothing to be safely handled. You’ll also have to sign a liability waiver, just in case.”

Read more at Marie Curie’s century-old radioactive notebook still requires lead box.

Journal, Notebook Addict of the Week, Other People's Notebooks

Notebook Addict of the Week: Melissa

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Melissa emailed these photos of her collection and writes,

“I have been a fan of your notebook web site for quite sometime now.
It is really good to know I am not alone in my obsession!!
Heres a couple of photos of my collection. I do have a few. I have got to
to stop buying them!!”

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I think she’s allowed to buy some more if she wants, don’t you?
Thanks for sharing your addiction, Melissa!

Diary, Journal, Links, record-keeping, Rossi 1931, Writing Notebooks

A Brief History of the Journal

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An interesting post about the history of journaling from Rossi 1931‘s Italian Stationery Blog, accompanied by a photo of one of their beautiful notebooks:

Journaling is not a modern phenomenon; there are recordings traced back to 55AD China. During the Renaissance period, the Western world began journaling regularly and the diary, began to have some literary value as the importance of the individual began to come to the fore. Ladies of the court in tenth century Japan used pillow books to record their dreams and thoughts with images and poetry. Throughout history, travel logs were also used as journals in both the Eastern and Western worlds. They were used to record details of places, people, navigational insights, botanical and other information. Since then it has often been used by the historian, not only as a supply of factual information, but as a picture of the daily life and personality of its writer.

Read more at A Brief History of the Journal.

creativity, Grandluxe, Journal, new products, Places to Buy Notebooks, Sketchbook

Some Notebooks on Kickstarter

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Here’s a few recent and in some cases still active Kickstarter notebook projects you might want to check out:

 

Stateside Co. Notebooks

Attractive design, but those intricate cut-outs on the cover will be trashed the first time you put the notebook in a bag or pocket. Deadline for funding is August 14, 2014. They’re already past their goal.

 

The Perfect Sketchbook for Travel Artists and Art Enthusiasts

“Perfect” is a big word to live up to, but this looks interesting. High quality paper and a few extra features not seen in other notebooks, such as a value chart. Grandluxe, whose notebooks I’ve reviewed before, will be a partner in manufacturing. I was intrigued enough to pledge $20. Deadline for funding is Thursday August 21, 2014. As of this writing, they’re at about $15,000 pledged towards a $50,000 goal.

The Sketchy Notebook

This was already successfully funded, well exceeding the initial goal. Nice concept– a notebook with plain paper that comes with a set of templates for different line and grid patterns. You slide them behind the page you’re using and the pattern shows through as a guideline. Does that mean the paper is too thin for a lot of pens? Perhaps, but this should appeal to a lot of people anyway.

 

Other past notebook projects I’ve funded:

LatLon Notebooks

Furrow Books

Both of these successfully exceeded their funding goals, but I haven’t yet received any notebooks to actually review. I hope they’ll be shipping soon!

 

Moleskine, new products, Places to Buy Notebooks

Moleskine Monday: Spotted at Target

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I stopped into a Target store the other day to see if there were any exciting notebooks to be found among all the back to school displays. Unfortunately, there was nothing all that enticing, but I did notice these unusual Moleskines, which must be made specially for Target. It’s not the first time I’ve seen or heard reports of Target-exclusive Moleskines…
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The patterns are cute, but they only seem to come with lined paper. And they don’t look any better in terms of quality than other current Moleskines– clunky looking covers… Oh well!

creativity, Links, Notebook Addict of the Week, Other People's Notebooks

Notebook Addict of the Week: Bee

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This week’s addict blogs about creativity, and declares that she is “addicted to pretty notebooks.”

“So I was extremely excited to learn that I am not the only gal who has an overwhelming addiction to fancy diaries, journals, and notebooks. They can be plain, they can have beautiful covers, there can be lined, plain, and paper with monograms within. I enjoy both the bound books and the spiral kind. I have had this desire for fancy little books since a very young age. However the sickest part about this addiction is, they are all left blank! I’m serious, I buy and buy with great intention, and huge plans for these awesome little books. I just can not bring myself to write in the books.”

Read more at Addicted to pretty notebooks | beecreativelyou.com.

creativity, Field Notes, Links, Midori, Moleskine, Other People's Notebooks, Ryman

DIY Hybrid Notebook

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Here’s a cool notebook hacking project. Inspired by the Midori Traveler’s Notebook, Kate Smith decided to make something similar. She took a Ryman hardcover notebook and swapped the inside pages out for some elastic bands to hold inserts, either Midori ones or Moleskine Cahiers. Should work with Field Notes and many others too. I really want to try making something like this…

Read more at studio-sweepings: I like the Midori Traveler’s Notebook so much I decided to make a small one….

Found via Casetteancira on Pinterest.

Notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, diaries: in search of the perfect page…