Collateral shopping damage, that’s what this is. I went to National Bookstore to buy envelopes (I owe several of you artwork, you know who you are) and drifted towards the notebook section. I picked up a Venzi Copelle dot-grid notebook for P289.
It has a hard cover, an exaggeratedly wide elastic band and smooth dot-grid sheets. The last 48 pages are blank, perforated and detachable.
The back has a suitably subtle “Copelle” logo.
The thick elastic is stylish and sturdy, but has to be folded neatly in the back so the notebook is level.
Based on this Office 1 listing, the paper is 120 gsm and wood-free.
Here are the perforated pages in the back.
So how does the paper fare with the usual suspects?
It’s very, very smooth. The sizing is minimal so ink behaves itself on the surface. This is a 6mm Parallel Pen with (somewhat diluted) Platinum Carbon Black. Parallel Pens tend to work even on not-so-good paper because they don’t have scratchy edges that snag and lift the paper fibers.
This is a Pilot 742 FA nib in an eyedropper, with Platinum Carbon Black.
The back of the paper shows traces of ink. I expected this.
Vintage music nib, Diamine Oxblood. Feathering, finally – likely due to this pen having very generous flow.
Here’s a 2.4mm Parallel Pen.
I like dot-grid paper for calligraphy and handwriting practice. It’s less intrusive than lines, lines, lines. This notebook works for that, and also for watercolor if you are so inclined.
I used a squirrel mop brush and a student Winsor & Newton set. Not bad. As a general-purpose journal, the Venzi Copelle works. I am not too fond of the name, but at least it’s not stamped in bright pink and Comic Sans all over the front cover.
