Leigh Reyes. My Life As a Verb.

I couldn’t buy everything. Damn.

I tried to describe what I wanted in a brush – as if I knew – to the helpful lady in Man Luen Choon. I said, “Bouncy.” And “I’m just starting.” She said, “Wolf.” So I got wolf. In small, medium and large. I also decided to get an auspicious dragon wolf (because it was auspicious) and a large mixed-hair brush whose other end was pointed bamboo, to mark outlines on paper before painting.

Here’s the pointy end. It even has a breathing hole! I don’t know why.

This is a suspension of some sort. It makes special effects when mixed with sumi ink.

It can be applied directly onto paper, or mixed with ink before application.

I also bought a notebook.

It has rectangles inside. I assume they’re for quatrains. I can’t use them properly, so I intend to play with them in my own way.

These are very thin, delicate sheets.

When held up to the light, it is clearly watermarked.

I tried to use the watermark as a guide, but I need x-ray vision to make it work.

So far, the bigger brushes seem to make the finer lines. Go figure.

I’m not good at this! Gah. The chop is a gift from my friend and ex-accomplice in advertising, Trisha.

I pretended to make a dragon. Here’s a much better one (video).

There’s so much to learn. Dear universe, please lighten my hand, steady my shoulder, and unfog my glasses.

I went to Hong Kong for work. I came back with too many notebooks, too many Uni Style + Fit refills, too many linen tops from Muji, and not enough booty from Man Luen Choon, Chinese Cultural and Artist Supplies.

Man Luen Choon is online, and has an English sitemap, which is not comprehensive but is still helpful. I and my poor sense of direction got on the MTR at Causeway Bay, and got off at Sheung Wan. I knew I was on the right track when I saw the Unicorn Trade Centre. Of course there were unicorns where I was going. How could there not be?

I crossed the street and almost missed the right turn into Wing Kut street. Note to those who wish to go: turn right into Wing Kut before Mannings. And after you take two steps, look up. Otherwise you’ll miss the only sign.

Take the elevator to the second floor. Avoid all surly people exiting. And as soon as the elevator door opens, you will be greeted with a very happy sight.

The shop is packed with books and art supplies, all of which made me wish that I knew Chinese. Every surface has something on it. I had to pause to make sure I wasn’t drooling on the parquet floor. That tower to the left is liquid ink, from super cheap to super expensive; brushes; palettes in plastic and porcelain. To the right is paper, and books, books, books.

There is another tower of brushes, and more brushes to the left and right of the tower. You want horse, rabbit, goat, wolf, chicken, mixed?  You want vegetables? Tea? (Okay, no vegetables, unless bamboo handles count.) (No tea either.)

There is a brush for everyone. Everyone.

I was lucky there was a lady who could explain to me what the different brushes were for, and who gave me advice on which ones to get. She believes in experimentation, though, and says that’s why they stock so many different kinds of brushes, because everyone has their own way of using the brush which they must discover.

She told me not to get a large brush if I was only going to use the tip for fine lines, as it would be a waste.

There is a bewildering assortment of paper, bound or loose, big rolls, small rolls, colored, handmade, gilt, plain.  There are even fans ready to be painted.

Color abounds, in cakes, ready-to-use palettes, Japanese, Chinese, pigments in tubes waiting to be crushed and mixed with your choice of binder.

You can learn to carve your own chop. There are sets for beginners, and blank chops and carving tools for the more learned.

There are many cinnabar pastes to choose from. Ink sticks, ink in bottles, ink in tubes – I suspect if you asked for charcoal, binder, and a mortar and pestle, they’d have those in stock too.

I left the shop with paper, brushes, ink, and an additive which is supposed to produce cloud-like effects. I do wish I’d gotten pigment to experiment with, and the beginners’ chop carving set. Then again, I now have more to look forward to when I return.

OMG, YAGWP: cosmetic bags, yet another free (but not too useful) blush brush, drawstring pouches – you name it, if it’s a gift with purchase I have it moldering in a drawer somewhere.

This is when it helps to have a NBT (Natural Born Tinkerer) in your life. He repurposed my freebie box (free with a Thierry Mugler fragrance purchase) into an ink box.

Ink box

Inside, elastic holds cartridges and ink bottles in place.

Inside the ink box

There’s space for converters too, and for refilling eyedropper pens, a tiny syringe.

Unnecessary shot of ink bottles

Here’s a shot of the ink bottles, just because they look good: Diamine Light Green (DLG) and J. Herbin Bouquet d’Antan (JHBd’A). Rain rain go away, it’s acronym day.

Cannes

Next door to Puyricard, purveyors of Provençal chocolate on Rue Belges, in between the Croisette and Rue d’Antibes, is Maison Franco, a well-stocked art supplies shop. Of interest to aspiring calligraphers would be an assortment of nibs, nib holders, notebooks with fine-grade paper (such as the Essential Notebook by L’Atelier du Papier), and Talens’ Ecoline liquid watercolors. I bought a Winsor & Newton traveling set with a built-in water container. Failing to produce anything that could remotely be called art, I can at least fill it with single-malt Scotch and behave like an artist.

A couple of minutes’ walk from Maison Franco is a French bookstore, with notebooks and pens on the upper floor. They have a selection of Moleskines, Habana, and Paperblanks, plus Rhodia and Clairefontaine pads and notebooks. There’s an itty-bitty Parker and Waterman booth. In the back of the same floor is art supplies (including calligraphy brushes), G. Lalo correspondence paper, and the last dregs of tester ink in three J. Herbin bottles.

Monoprix, my savior (they were open until 7:30!), had the Forever Forest line of recycled paper notebooks and pads, in addition to the Clairefontaine Triomphe line. I found a cute Pilot Pluminix, which is like a Pilot calligraphy pen made stubbier to appeal to a younger market.

Cannes is not a place to buy pens.

Unless you really really really want a Lamy or an Omas Briarwood. Then head to Graphein. It’s one of Les Boutiques de Gray Street, a row of indoor shops beside the Gray d’Albion hotel, where I spent two weeks of my life. It’s a good thing I only found it on my second to the last day in Cannes. Otherwise the salesperson and I would have been great friends. I bought three bottles of ink (branded Bethge, but manufactured by J. Herbin) and a leather-covered notebook.

Paris

Styl’Honoré is on Rue du Marché Saint-Honoré. They have a wide merchandise mix, from school ballpoints to Taccia. What I really wanted to buy was their Cocktail ink. I chose Noir diamant, Coucher de Soleil, Poudre d’Iris and Velours Blue. They come in 75 ml bottles, and can be diluted with water.

Mora Stylos is on Rue de Tournon, which is a short walk from the Odeon Metro stop. (For people with blisters, it’s closer to a death march.) When I went in, I almost stumbled on a huge vacuum cleaner in the middle of the shop. I was that early. The Oldwins were to my left, and I didn’t even bother to look at the other modern pens they had in stock. I spared long looks for the vintage pen selection. They had a delicious Waterman safety. And a pre-owned Sailor Susutake Ito Maki, which used to be my holy grail pen but has fallen from its pedestal because it is simply too huge for my hand. But self-discipline carried the day.

I tried several Oldwin models, picked the Classic in red ebonite, and paid for it with a gulp and a prayer.

On the way back to the Metro stop I passed by Duriez and came away with even more notebooks. So the night before I left Paris, I jettisoned two pairs of shoes, two pairs of jeans and a lot of tops to stay under the 30 kg baggage allowance. Notebooks and ink are more important than silly old clothes.

Oh, and just in case you think I’m insane, there are other people like me in Manila. In fact, we’re having a pen meet this Saturday. Do email me for details if you want to come along.