Lately I have been writing immensely in my Traveler's Notebook. I have a lot on my mind (like most of us I’m sure) so I was beyond elated when we received the BK x TRC Grid notebook in the TRP. I was immediately drawn to the minimalistic cover in the beautiful grey along with the thoughtful and calm details printed in soft white which are both easy on the eyes. Opening up the notebook, I smiled when I saw the all too familiar “frame” on first page which is a lovely trademark in all TRC inserts. I knew this would be my “journaling” insert in my TN moving forward the minute I felt the paper. It’s creamy yet “crispy” if I could put it into words to describe it. One of my favorite features of the paper is the perfect ratio of the grid opacity and size as some are too harsh and big for my seemingly petite handwriting. On the flip-side the shade of the grid is light enough to use as a guide for those who have larger handwriting.
I am sure by now you can tell how much I love the aesthetics of the notebook, but I wondered how the paper’s temperament would hold up to a variety of common journaling/planning mediums.
Here are all the different types of tools I tested:
Fountain Pen
Gel Pen
Ballpoint pen - Oil Based
Brush Pen
Watercolor
Highlighters (Mild colors)
Rubber Stamp Ink
- All of the “pens” glided on effortlessly on the smooth paper. There was no bleed-through or feathering with very little ghosting (which is expected of Tomoe River paper). Out of all of the mediums I was surprised that the brush pen had zero bleed-through as it is quite juicy. I have been writing strictly with fountain pens for journaling lately and found the writing experience so lovely and enjoyable on this beautiful TRP.
- Watercolor paint was also fun to use on this paper. Certain types of paper while great for pens can react unpleasantly with papers that are coated or toothy. The coated ones don’t allow the watercolor to absorb onto the paper whereas the toothy ones can tend to feather and bleed through. This TRP provided that perfect balance of absorbing the color onto the page while providing a protective barrier to keep it from bleeding through to the other side. Due to the paper’s light weight it will cause slight wrinkling depending on how much water you use, however the “crunchy sound” the paper makes when the paint is dry is music to any analogue lover’s ears.
- The highlighters (I use Mildliners as they are easy on the eyes) and rubber stamp ink took to the paper well and provided no feathering or bleed-through. One point I would like to mention here especially for these mediums is that a light hand is key. For the rubber stamp ink you want to make sure not to drench your rubber stamp in too much ink and lightly press down when you are ready to stamp.
I am really looking forward to filling my BK x TRC Grid Notebook pages with my all thoughts, hopes, and dreams using my favorite fountain pens and inks. I love my Traveler’s Notebook and Baum-kuchen so much and the two collaborating together to produce this amazing notebook is like a dream come true coming from an old time TRC fan and once passionate BK customer (now team member). I am sure I will write about it in my new insert! ;)
- We hope you also enjoy this video highlighting the notebook's paper and texture in motion!
- Text by: Eunice
BK Artifacts featured:
BK x TN Grid Notebook
TRC Traveler’s Notebook Regular - Brown
TSL Leather Carrier - Dark Brown
Lamy AL-star fountain pen -graphite
Stalogy 4 Functions Pen
Cocoiro Pen Body
Cocoiro Refill
Zebra Mildliner
Trust the Process Rubber Stamp
Soramame Ink Pad
TRC Brass Clip
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