18 Sep

Doodle Challenge

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In support of this year’s National Doodle Day and to help raise awareness for a good cause, we’ve challenged our staff to doodle. How is this a challenge you ask? Well, we gave them 1 min, no preparation time and had a video camera trained on

them at all times. No time for thinking, just doodle! Here’s the results: Our engraver, Aneta, was the first to take on the challenge. She chose to use a Kaweco AL Sport Push Pencil. We asked her what she drew and how she found the challenge: "I…

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This entry was posted in Stationery Addicts, Promotions, Artist's Studio and tagged doodle, art, competition, epilepsy awareness, challenge, National Doodle Day on September 18, 2017 by Gemma Plumbridge.

19 Aug

Interview with Pen & Ink Fashion Illustrator: Adriana Deco

What drew you into Fashion Illustration? When I first came across fashion illustration it was a very innovative form of art to me. I intuitively started to draw inspirations from fashion magazines while I was an exchange student in United States.

Only later i found out there is actually a genre for it. I started practicing fashion illustration because I was so inspired by fashion editorials and I loved the magic and narrative. It was and still is a form of storytelling to me through commercial…

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This entry was posted in Stationery Addicts, Artist's Studio and tagged pen and ink on August 19, 2016 by David Cole.

18 May

Interview with Alison Carmichael - Handlettering Artist

There's a Good Girl Exhibition Piece The art of handlettering is still alive and well. In fact, it has been going through a bit of a resurgence following the prepoderance of digital typography. Even the big brands are approaching the handlettering artist

to bring more personality and warmth to their branding. We have been following this trend for a while, and have discovered a wonderful artist called Alison Carmichael who we were very lucky to interview about her work and career. Alison has been…

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This entry was posted in Handwriting, Artist's Studio on May 18, 2015 by David Cole.

05 May

Love your Workstation?

How do you arrange your workspace? Do you work best in your very own blend of organised chaos, or are you a bit of a neat freak (a la Monica from Friends)? We asked eight bloggers to take a photograph of their own workstation, in our ‘Where do you Blog

from’ competition. Whilst most agreed on the absolute essentials, a cup of coffee and notebook, the rest was up for grabs. Winner: Satchels and Pearls  We are delighted to announce Michelle at Satchels & Pearls as our deserved winner. We…

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This entry was posted in Stationery Addicts, Authors' Corner, Artist's Studio on May 5, 2015 by David Cole.

11 Feb

Love Poetry: How to Write Haikus

Poetry and Valentine’s Day go hand in hand. What better way to express all of your passion and romance than to write a poem for a loved one? Rather than giving in to a Hallmark card, get creative and write a Valentine’s Day haiku. Few forms can boast

the potency and succinctness of haikus. We look at what they are exactly and how to go about writing one. A Haiku Is… Haikus slowly evolved from other forms of Japanese poetry, stemming as far back as the 1100s. At this time, short form poetry…

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This entry was posted in Handwriting, Artist's Studio on February 11, 2015 by Przemek.

22 Dec

An Interview with Conor Collins - Winner of #InkToWin Competition

Conor's winning entry Conor Collins won our #InkToWin competition with a wonderfully creative and personal artwork. Conor described his entry as, ‘a word painting created using thousands of journal entries marking from the day my heart broke to

the day I recovered. Some entries are funny, some sad but all are honest entries about what I thought and felt.’   Conor has developed a unique and engaging approach to portraiture, receiving interest in his work through the power of social media…

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This entry was posted in Artist's Studio on December 22, 2014 by David Cole.

15 Dec

Christmas Craft Tips: Send A Handmade Card This Year!

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Christmas time is here once again, which means it’s time to get in touch with your friends and family to wish them all the best for the festive season. Why not make things extra special by adding a personal touch and sending them a handmade card? It’s

easier than you think and you don’t need to splash out too much cash to put a new twist on an annual tradition. To help you out with some ideas we asked some of the best craft bloggers around for their tips and tricks to create great cards this…

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This entry was posted in Stationery Addicts, Artist's Studio on December 15, 2014 by David Cole.

26 Nov

The Results: #InktoWin Art Competition

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On the 15th October 2014 we launched an art competition, inviting you to create a piece of artwork using ink. Just over 1 month later the competition closed, and we were delighted to receive 73 wonderful and diverse entries Illustrators James Mayhew and

Jackie Morris have selected a winner and 2 runners up, on the basis of creativity and innovation with the medium of ink, from a shortlist of ten.  The Winner Conor Collins - A word painting created using thousands of journal entries marking from…

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This entry was posted in Promotions, Artist's Studio on November 26, 2014 by David Cole.

15 Oct

Art Competition: #InkToWin a Platinum Fountain Pen worth £2,000!

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   To mark the launch of Platinum Mix Free Inks, Pen Heaven is hosting an art competition. Simply create a piece of artwork in ink, upload a photo and you're in with a chance to win a handmade Platinum fountain pen worth £2,000! Seeking inspiration?

Scroll down to find a example entries from some of our bloggers... // Seeking Inspiration?  James Mayhew will be co-judging the competition, and came up with this inspirational piece to help get your creative cogs whirring. We sent some Platinum…

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This entry was posted in Stationery Addicts, Promotions, Artist's Studio on October 15, 2014 by Paul Tomlinson.

01 Oct

Illustration: An Interview with Catherine Rayner

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Here at Pen Heaven, we're fascinated by the relationship between images and words - so who  better for us to speak to than Catherine Rayner. She's a successful children's author and illustrator, and her lively, emotive images of animals are shown

in galleries all over the world.  We spoke to her to find out more about her techniques, her inspiration and her career. How did you first get into illustration? I’ve been illustrating since the age of four, apparently! I grew up in a house full…

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This entry was posted in Authors' Corner, Artist's Studio on October 1, 2014 by Paul Tomlinson.