Thursday, August 26, 2010

Rhodia Webnotebook version 3: even better than before + Giveaway!

(please note: the giveaway was drawn Sept 5 and the Webbie has been sent on to the winner)

I've already shown pictures of how beautifully this third version of the Rhodia webnotebook lies flat, and the gloriously clean and fresh look of the blank pages, devoid either of lines or logos.  I've now had the chance to test different pens, inks, and other pigmented items, and conclude that this newest version of the Webbie is equal to or better than its immediate predecessor, unless you really want or need lines.

Because this was a blank version, I wanted to test it for potential as an illustrated journal, and see what kind of media would work well in it. Given what we've seen from previous reviews, it works beautifully with fountain pen ink, providing crisp lines with no hint of feathering or bleedthrough. I couldn't resist adding my own logo to the bottom corner with a pigment marker, though.

webreview-1
verse from a translation by Diana Gilliland Wright, who blogs at the fascinating Surprised by Time - I am not sufficiently erudite to have known this verse on my own!


I'm less enamored of its use with colored pencil, however. I really like using watersoluble pencil, usually Derwent Inktense or some such, and the smooth crisp quality of the Webbie paper that makes it so wonderful for pen and ink makes it difficult to lay down layers of pencil.

webreview-2

More fountain pen ink, this time Iroshizuku Kon-Peki. Even tracing lines over a few times resulted in no bleeding. Sakura gelly rolls for color went on smoothly and beautifully.

webreview-3

Pencil for line drawing goes much better than colored pencil, and actually works very well. As long as you don't have to do a lot of shading or any other technique where you want a toothy paper to hold the graphite, all is well. The only problem I had is that it was somewhat difficult to erase unwanted lines.

Pigment pen ink (Sakura micron in this case) dries very quickly and you can put a watercolor wash on it fairly soon after the drawing.

Here are my two dogs - I do plan to enter text in here, thus all the white space. If I hadn't placed a sheet of paper under the right page, the faux manga drawings on the next page would have shown through. Despite being 90 g paper, there is still the possibility of some showthrough - the paper has a certain translucency to it. This is by no means an issue, just something I was a little surprised to see given the paper weight.

webreview-4

Pentel pocket brush pen, with Faber Castell brush pens for color. Again, everything goes down smoothly and easily. This paper is absolutely made for almost any kind of pen and ink.

webreview-5

Mandala in Sakura micron pigment pen - I haven't decided whether to colour this or not - I kind of like the starkness against the creamy ivory paper.

webreview-6

Neocolor ll crayons. I love these for their bright colors, which don't really resemble anything in nature but are a whole lot of fun, and easier to use on this particular paper than colored pencil.

webreview-7

I gave pencils another try. I did not really enjoy this. It seemed to be a lot of trouble getting layers of colour on, and I felt I had to press really hard, which embossed the page - and the next - more than I really liked.

black cherries

But all in all - unless you really, really want to use colored pencil - this would be a great notebook to use as an illustrated journal, or any kind of journal or project book. The pocket in the back is perfect for collecting ephemera or reference pictures or anything you might want to paste into the pages (fortunes from cookies? ticket stubs?) and the paper works beautifully with all sorts of pen, ink, and light watercolor washes - you wouldn't expect to do true watercolor techniques on this type of paper, but you can certainly add a splash of colour.

And now - if you've made it this far, thank you! as previously mentioned, I have a shrinkwrapped, brand new version 3 webbie to give away. Just leave a comment telling me why you would like one, and a random winner will be drawn an announced on Labour Day, Sept 6. I'll give you a week to get back to me with your snail address, and if I don't hear from you, I'll assume you've changed your mind and I'll draw another winner. Good luck!

also, if you've reviewed this v3 Webbie too, please let me know so I can add a link to your post. So far, the only one I know about for sure are Julie and Heather's - but I know there are more!

Other reviews:
Whatever - Julie/Okami
A Penchant for Paper - Heather

31 comments:

Miles said...

Excellent write-up and thorough review. Well done!

I'd like to participate in your V.3 webbie giveaway, too. The reason being that I've not yet used a webbie of any sort despite the many good things I've read. It will accompany me through my days at school, reminding me to take art breaks in between all of the science.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for such a beautiful review, Sophie! I especially liked your drawings of your dogs. I have two of my own :)

May I please enter your draw for a webbie to try?

Thank you!

Irrelevant said...

Thanks for the research! Your work is appreciated. I'd love to enter the drawing, if I may. Cheers!

Professor Estevez said...

I'm dying to try the new Webbie out. I want to see how well it holds up to the kind of inks I use in my fountain pens!

Marco said...

I would love to win the webbie. Having never tried a Rhodia I would love to chance to be able to win one before I make the transfer from Moleskins.

David Maliniak said...

Great review (and great drawings). I'd like a chance to win a Webbie 3.0... why? Because your review made me want it!

Christina said...

Wonderfully thorough review! I love your drawings.

I would love a Webbie 3.0 too, since I have been lusting over it for ages now. The iconic orange cover is to-die-for, the pages and crisp and clean, and it is perfect for my fountain pen usage. I can go on and on...

Wilson Hines said...

Fantastic post and yes I'd need a weby! I need the power of the Weby! I love my Rhodia stuff, but not a Weby yet!

ginigin said...

I love your artful review - sweet dogs. I would very much love to win a Webbie because I think it would be perfect for visual journaling and I just haven't found a good journal for this purpose. I'm thinking this would fit the bill. Thanks so much!

David said...

I'd like one because I have been thinking about getting a blank journal as opposed to a line journal. Please pick me!

indigo said...

I never get tired of cherries, myself... unless I've eaten too many all at once! Nice drawings!

I want to try the webbie because I've never tried one before (in fact never seen one live & in person), & am constantly in search of the Perfect Journal. I especially have a strong preference for unlined pages, which seem to be less common than lined.

Besides, it's always fun to win things ;)

Surfbits said...

Thanks for the chance to win one of these. I am tired of my Moleskine and ready for a change, I would love to get my Parker 51 on these pages.

Anonymous said...

Great review and drawings! I would love the chance to try the Rhodia Webnotebook, but on a teacher's salary you are my only chance!!

Unknown said...

Would love to win a webbie if it's still possible :) Seems like something I would love to try.

Sophie_vf said...

Thank you everyone for your comments so far!

I will be doing the draw next weekend (day before Labour Day) so I wish you all luck. Just a reminder that I can only accept a single entry from each person, so won't be publishing any duplicate comments. Thanks again for your interest, and once more, good luck!

Kim said...

Great review-this has all the features in a journal I would love. Count me in.
kmsjanes(at)cox.net

Unknown said...

I am addicted to notebooks, heck, to paper in general. Please enable my addiction!!

Sam H said...

rhodias are great

lowkster said...

I used to do a lot of mind maps and looking at your sample journal pages has inspired me to merge my long dormant doodling into my daily journal writing. Would really make it look great! Thanks for that ... it would help too if I win the webbies :).

Pensive said...

I'd like to try the blank Webbie. My preference is for notebooks that lie flat and pages that are unlined, but haven't seen the book in stores around here. How great it would be to be sure of consistent paper quality.

Brett said...

I would love to be able to scibble in a webbie with my pens and pencils.
Thanks for the great giveaway.

KC Dockal said...

I'm am forever in search of the perfect journal. But I'm chea...frugal. I would love to try the webbie. I love Rhodia paper and the cream shade looks luscious. Pick me, O' random number generator, pick me.

stacy m said...

I would love a new webbie! I am just about finished filling up my current notebook and really really need a new one. Thanks for the chance!

Guned said...

Great review!

I'm new to owning fountain pens but have noticed that looseleaf just doesn't stand up to fountain pens and thus would love to win this notebook!

MicheleB on FPN said...

Hi Julie!

I would love to try the new Webbie and win the giveaway! I would love for you to be able to hand deliver it to me when I visit Tampa in a few weeks and maybe we can do a meetup. I would like to use this as a journal to record our many foster dogs while we have them. right now I am using an Apica and it is nearing the end. I am a Clairfontaine fan so let's see how this can compete!

Sophie_vf said...

Hi Michelle!
I think you are confusing me with Julie/Okami from FPN - I did provide a link to her review and giveaway at the end of my post - sorry for any confusion. Anyway, although I would not be able to hand deliver it should you win, I'll still consider you entered in the giveaway :)

YC in Seattle / kirianth@FPN said...

The new webbie looks beautful! I admit I checked out your blog from your Flickr (from your FPN brown ink review) because I love your handwriting and the way it's laid out on the page. But hey, I'm in for a giveaway!

Anonymous said...

Lovely drawings! I'd love to try this new webbie with blank pages - it would be great to be free from the lines! :)

Lady Tortoise said...

I'd love to have fresh & clean blank Webbie. There's no such thing as too many notebooks.

Anonymous said...

Fabulous review. If you ever cut out the cherry sketch, I would love to have it.

Please toss my name in the hat for the Webbie drawing.

Thanks,

Bearcat

Sophie_vf said...

thanks for the nice comment, Bearcat! Unfortunately the winner was drawn on Labour Day and the webbie is now on its way to the winner. I think there are still some giveaways out there, though, so hopefully everyone has another chance!