Today, I felt like a kid in a toy shop at Tokyu Hands. It’s a Japanese store that sell all kind of house ware, cosmetics, traveller, decoration, and hundreds of cool “useless stuff”. They have just opened, and I discovered a huge corner for pens and notebook (30% of the whole shop was shelves filled with thousands of pens !).


I think I stayed there about 2 hours playing with the pens…
where I decorated quite a good number of these sketch pad and note book.


TRY ME ! You won’t ask me twice :).  I started with a Mechanical pencil on a nice Japanese note book.
A young boy came to see me drawing. I could feel how interested he is into learning how to sketch. Just saying that I believe the difference between people who succeed at knowing how to draw, and others, is the determination. It is truly not the initial skill or the number of sophisticated art supplies you have, but the energy that I believe the young boy has inside. Sketching is not a hobby, it’s a passion.


Sometime I think I should train my handwriting… I usually don’t dare to sign, as it mess up everything at the very end ! Kind of shame… :)


The most “weirdo” pen I have ever met. And I really enjoyed it. It’s the PILOT PARELLEL, for calligraphy. You can find it in multiple variation of width for the metal nip. If you look closer, you may notice the “small teeth”. It allows the ink to spread well on paper. I like the subtle scratching sound it makes.

See also  How to attract success for your designer career


Awesome calligraphy from Ewa Landowska. You can see more of her work here at Behance.net. She’s impressive.


The way I use is totally different. Anyway, nobody said it was not allowed.

Snkeakers-adidas-pilot-parallel-calligraphy-theDesignSketchbook

Here is the widest pen of the series. Whatever stroke I did, there was a nice feel of Zen coming out of it.


How about ending with a bit of Concept thumbnails ?

I left the shop without buying it despite of having it in my basket for half an hour. I think I should have get it. I already miss it.

After a quick post on Instagram of one of above picture, Scott saw the unusual concept of pen. Very enthusiast, he made an impulsive buying getting the whole series of Parallel pen from Amazon. Scott, if you read me, I am curious to see your next creation with it ! :).

If you too is a fan of art supplies and know some “weirdo pens”, tell us in the comments !

11 comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hello! I'm Chou-Tac, a Product Designer from France.

If the sketching methods I’ve acquired aid me in my life and in my industrial design career, I believe that they can also help you reach your dream goal as a student or professional designer.

Leave a comment in the blog or send me an email at choutac@thedesignsketchbook.com : )

Chou-Tac

Trending

Last comments

  • kimme: “hello! Kimme, 54 from Taiwan. Now living in Los Angeles. I would like to learn to sketch my product design…Aug 29, 05:24
  • Sérgio Menezes: “1. Olá, sou o Sérgio Menezes. 2. Venho de Fortaleza – ceará. 3. Quero melhorar no desenho. Buscando informações na…Aug 28, 20:35
  • Kate Andrews: “Hello! From CA, 53 and want to learn to draw for personal enjoyment. Glad I discovered you while searching for…Aug 28, 12:17
  • Christina Mackay: “Scotland, Uk (42) to have a career as a designer Google whilst searching information on understanding cubes rotation in 3D…Aug 27, 01:51
  • Chau: “i’m from vietnam, i’m 13 years old, i want to learn to become a deginer, i knew this blog from…Aug 15, 12:03
  • jans: “from the Netherlands; 45; because I like drawing; from a friend; a lack of experience; to sketch betterAug 14, 15:09
  • Marijke Mahler: “I am 71 years old I live in the Netherlands And I teach people to drawAug 13, 05:00
  • Pinar Sencandan: “Hi, I’m from Turkey. I am 32 years old. I am a product designer, and I would like to improve…Aug 12, 20:23
  • C.N.: “A man from Scandinavia. Not exactly from the “boomer” generation. One of my elder brothers was good at drawing, even…Aug 11, 05:17
  • Antor Halder: “I’m antor a 20 years old bpy from Bangladesh. I sketch because i enjoy it.now I’m an engineering student but…Aug 8, 08:55
  • Antor Halder: “I have started learning product design.Aug 8, 08:48
  • Disha: “My name is disha 19 yrs old , I am from India and I want to learn draw because I…Aug 7, 02:02
  • Maxime: “Hi, Max here, 41, male, size 10.5, no banana for scale… I’m always looking to improve my techniques as a…Aug 6, 23:48
  • Daniel Angbas: “I’m from Nigeria. I’m 25 years old I want to be an industrial & product designer Google researchAug 4, 22:14
  • Daniel Angbas: “I’m from Nigeria. I’m 25 years old I want to be an industrial & product designer Google researchAug 4, 22:14
  • Md Ashraful islam: “More than just athletic footwear, Nike shoes are symbols of style, innovation, and culture. Whether you’re a sneakerhead, want to…Aug 4, 18:56
  • Oleg: “Hi ! 1. I’m in Russia. 2. I’m 40 years old. 3. I’m interested in drawing. I was looking for…Aug 4, 02:51
  • Oleg: “Hi ! 1. I’m in Russia. 2. I’m 40 years old. 3. I’m interested in drawing. I was looking for…Aug 4, 02:18
  • Mananpreet: “Hey, mananpreet t iwant to upscale and improve my skills in sketching, be it perspective, product or general sketching. I…Aug 3, 17:50
  • Chou-Tac: “Co len Pham ! :)) Anh rat vui em muon hoc ve. (Trying to practice my vietnamese :) )Aug 3, 06:58
  • Chou-Tac: “What is “Dim” Mark?Aug 3, 06:57
  • Chou-Tac: “Glad it helps you Johnson during your learning journey!Aug 3, 06:56
  • Chou-Tac: “Hey Nancy, please thanks him/her for the recommendation :))Aug 3, 06:55
  • Nancy: “I am from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. A fellow watercolorist told us about your website.Aug 2, 23:42
  • Manoj Singh: “I am 52 keen to learn sketching.Aug 2, 00:14
close-link
Start Sketching Today Step-by-step!

GET YOUR DESIGNER STARTER KIT NOW!

The
close-link
The
YES! I NEED THE BOOK!
Send me The Book
close-image