In Link Love

Link Love: Yule Be Glad It’s Link Love

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment

Today is Winter Solstice, AKA Yule, which means it is the shortest day of the year. It’s a good time to embrace the dark and prepare for longer days, even if, for many of us, we will be facing many more cold, dark days as January will bring snow and cold.

We wish you a Meowy Christmas

I plan to light ALL THE CANDLES today, turn on my electric fireplace (concessions to my asthmatic self) and make something warm to drink and reflect on a year that was not without its ups and downs. I am thankful for all my good friends and will be thinking of those who are no longer with us. May there be love and light wherever they are now.

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In Ink Review

Inkmas Day 10: Dominant Industry for Wonder Pens (Tuna Grey & Ginger Chicken)

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Inkmas Day 10: Dominant Industry for Wonder Pens (Tuna Grey & Ginger Chicken)

If there’s one thing I love more than fountain pens, it would have to be cats. So, when I heard about the Wonder Pens signature ink collaboration with Dominant Industry to immortalize their beloved cats with ink, I could not resist.

(I must paws — pun! —  here to admit that these inks are already sold out but it took awhile for me to get them all the way from Canada! So I apologize for tempting you with feline-inspired inks that are no longer available. I couldn’t, however, let an opportunity to talk about ink and cats pass me by.)

Dominant Industry Ginger Chicken ($17 for a 25ml bottle) was inspired by the first cat to wander into the Wonder Pens world. The ginger tabby, named Chicken, has been a loyal companion for the family and shop since 2016. Since the Desk HQ also has a loyal ginger tabby, I have been a follower of Chicken’s adventures and a lover of that particular shade of orange that is the classic ginger cat.

In writing, I find that the Ginger Chicken ink is a bit darker than I expected. It reminds me more of ground ginger spices, or nutmeg. Maybe the spices blended for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. And there’s nothing wrong with that toasted orange color at all. But it’s not the color of a ginger cat, IMHO. Maybe in a finer nib pen, the ink will look a little lighter but in my wider stub nib, the ink is not what I was hoping for.

In comparison, Ginger Chicken is in the same family as J. Herbin Cafe des Iles, Monarca Tierra Colorada and Diamine Roasted Chestnut. Since these other inks are readily available, maybe you won’t be so sad that Ginger Chicken is sold out?

Dominant Industry Tuna Grey ($17 for 25ml), was inspired by a stray tabby named Tuna that arrived at Wonder Pens in 2021. Once Tuna worked his way into Chicken’s heart, the Chans had another family member. And we get the chance at a beautiful grey ink. Tuna is similar in color to several of the furballs that take up residence here at Desk HQ so I knew it would be a color I loved. Not to mention a general penchant for grey ink. Who knew grey inks would be one of my favorite colors?

Tuna Grey leans neutral with subtle hints of both purple and a hint of brown — it can almost appear multi-chromatic depending on the paper. Where some popular grey inks are clearly warm or cool (Nick Stewart Twilight Black is warm, Diamine Earl Grey is purply cool grey, Organic Studio Arsenic Grey is blue grey and Kaweco Smokey Grey leans slighty greenish). Isn’t it crazy how unique each grey is?

While I would never play favorites between the two cats, I will have to say that I prefer Tuna Grey ink to the Ginger Chicken color only because I had a preconceived idea about what color Ginger Chicken should be.

I am jealous I didn’t think of creating inks inspired by the shop interns here at the Desk too. If anything, I feel like the revenue generated might help to pay their epic food and litter bills! Maybe next year? Pepper Black? Ollie Orange? Lucy Moonbeam? Zoey Stardust? Hey, Robert Oster, Colorverse or Dominant Industry, give me holler! Let’s make this happen!

Chicken & Tuna photo borrowed from the announcement post on Wonder Pens’ blog.

For more adventures of Wonder Pens shop cats, check out their Instagram. Maybe they will even announce a re-release of the inks?

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DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

In Ink Review

Inkmas Day 9: Diamine Blue Edition Happy Holidays Shimmer & Sheen

Author AnaPosted on 4 Comments

When I was perusing inks for potential holiday card candidates this year, I came across Diamine Blue Edition Happy Holidays Shimmer & Sheen ink. (50mL for $22) Originally developed for Diamine’s 2019 Inkvent, this color was popular enough to join the permanent collection. The ink is supposed be a “medium velvety blue fountain pen ink with medium shading, high red sheen and aqua blue-green shimmer.”

I have to say, this is the first ink from Diamine that I’m sort of underwhelmed by. It is a gorgeous dark blue, and in certain lights I get the reddish pink sheen. However, I shook my bottle well and there was nary any shimmer to be seen?

In terms of color, this one is quite like Dromgoole’s special Colorverse NASA Blue ink, right down to the red sheen. The blue is also similar, though not quite as dark as, Diamine’s 150th Anniversary Blue Velvet.

I’m having a hard time with this one. In the sample swatches it looks to be a gorgeous shimmery, sheeny blue, perfect for my non-denominational holiday needs. But the real ink just isn’t as exciting, and so given the bottle I got, I’d give this one a pass.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Ink Review

Inkmas Day 8: Colorverse Permanent Black

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I had a lengthy discussion with Carol at Luxury Brands about good permanent black inks. As the distributor for both Platinum (known for my beloved Carbon Black ink) and Colorverse, she recommended I try Colorverse Permanent Black ($15 for a 30ml bottle) from the Colorverse Office Series. This collection of inks features those everyday staple inks like standard water soluble blue, black, brown and green as well as a few permanent inks.

While Platinum Carbon Black ($30) comes in an epic 60ml bottle, Colorverse Permanent Black comes in a bottle half the size and half the price. While the ink costs the same per milliliter, not everyone needs 60ml of permanent black ink. Also, over the last few years, Platinum inks have been harder to get than one would expect. So, it’s nice to have a comparable alternative, should you need it.

In writing tests, the Colorverse Permanent Black ink appears to be a good solid black. I had no issues using it in short term tests. I have not been able to fully test the wash-out-ability of Colorverse Permanent Black compared to Platinum Carbon Black (which I’ve had no issues washing out of a pen, even after its dried) but the Colorverse Permanent Black easily washed out of my tester tools and brushes.

As for the water resistance, after allowing the ink to dry for 10 minutes, I doused it in water. As you can see in the sample above, the ink didn’t budge.

When compared to other permanent black inks, the Colorverse Permanent Black does not appear as shiny in the large swatch. Both R&K Sketch Ink Lotte and Platinum Carbon Black appear slightly glossy where the Colorverse looks matte. The tone of the black is also very neutral where the R&K looks a bit greenish in tint.

Overall, I think the Colorverse Permanent Black is a strong contender as one of the best permanent black inks currently available. I stand by my belief that everyone should have a pen with permanent black ink — whether for drawing and mixed media, addressing envelopes or signing documents. Even if you load the ink into a Preppy or other inexpensive pen, having a permanent ink is a must for all fountain pen enthusiasts.

*** all smudges in this review were the result of obnoxious cats and not the fault of the inks. Cats just don’t understand personal space or ink dry times.****

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DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Luxury Brands for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Ink Review

Inkmas Day 7: Colorverse Chi-Town

Author AnaPosted on 10 Comments
Inkmas Day 7: Colorverse Chi-Town

Two of my favorite things: Colorverse ink and anything featuring my hometown: Chicago… how could I resist? If I were to guess what color someone might create for an ink that embodies Chicago, I am not sure I would guess a dark purple/brown with shimmer particles. I might have thought of the sky blue from the stripes on the city flag, or red to emulate the Fire/fire. Green for the St. Patrick’s Day river dye? Charcoal grey for the color of some of the more recognizable skyscrapers (Sears/Willis Tower, the Hancock building, or the Lake Point Tower)? Once I started playing with the ink, I was more convinced that Colorverse made an interesting choice for a color to embody Chicago.

The shimmer particles in the Chi-Town ink ($12.50 for a 15ml) are more iridescent than gold or silver which is more commonly found in shimmer inks. The particles look blue or green depending on the light, paper or angle.

In the close-up above the ink looks more purply than it did in person which, because of the gold/brown sheen looks more brown in person, at least to me. YMMV.

You can ssee in the close-up above how the ink can look sheen-y brown-black rather than purple.

My initial ink comparisons aligned CHi-Town with dark brown inks but on second look, I tried purple and more predominately black inks. I think its safe to say that Chi-Town is more of a purple/black with an emphasis on the BLACK.

Pent Kotobo No Iro Black Lizard and Diamine Winter Miracle are more purply when compared to Chi-Town. Birmingham Pen Co’s Philadelphia Friend Circuit and Coking Coal are closer though Coking Coal is a cooler blue grey undertone and Fried Circuit has a warmer, almost brownish undertone.

So, like the city of Chicago itself, this ink is a conundrum. Some people see Chicago as “the second city” some city it as the jewel of the midwest. The ink is similar. You see what you want to see. Some will see shimmer like taillights on wet pavement, others will see muddy waters or the dark sky of a crowded city. How do you see Chicago? Both the ink and the city?

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DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items in this review were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

Inkmas Day 6: Diamine Blue Peppermint

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Happy sixth day of Inkmas! I’m bringing back an ink from the Inkvent past – Diamine Blue Peppermint.

This was the first ink of the first Inkvent calendar – way back in 2019. Remember that time?

Blue Peppermint is a marine blue ink with a bright blue shimmer – every once in a while I  see a touch of red or pink sheen on the edges. The sheen tinges the shimmer a bit purple.

I first inked up a pen with Blue Peppermint that first day of December, 2019 and have had at least one pen inked with it ever since. I’ve never seen the ink clog with too much shimmer in the feed and I’ve never had the pen write without the shimmer being present in the ink. However, I do always use the ink with a broad or stub nib.

I also use TWSBI Eco pens for shimmer inks – the nib and feed can be removed from the pen when cleaning it out. Plus the body of the Eco pens is clear, so I can see the shimmer and watch it swirl.

Because Blue Peppermint is associated with Christmas in my mind, I tend to use it more during this time of year, but I do use it the rest of the year occasionally. Every time I do, it makes me smile!

In Ink Review

Inkmas Day 5: Colorverse From Cali

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Inkmas Day 5: Colorverse From Cali

One of the first ink colors I chased when I started collecting fountain pens was dusky purples. At the time, there were no multichromatic inks or the array of shading and shimmer inks that are available today. It’s a good time to be a fountain pen ink connoisseur.

Colorverse From Cali ($12.50 for a 15ml bottle) is a light, dusty lavender on the cool side of the spectrum. It shades like crazy and is too light for an EF nib but if you like rockin’ a stub nib or a big juicy BB nib, this ink will help to brighten your cold, wintry days like a hothouse orchid. The powdery quality of From Cali reminds me of a flower petal.

When compared with many of the other powdery lavender inks in my collection, there is a clear division between the warm colors (like Troublemaker Foxglove, Kobe #57 and Ferris Wheel Little Robinia) and the cooler lavenders like Vinta Tabaum (Engima Blanks Exclusive), Papier Plume Violet, and Sailor Fuki-Musume. Tabuam and Papier PLume Violet are much more violet and Fuji-Musume is much more saturated so From Cali really does sit in a unique place being a more pastel lavender while still remaining a cooler color.

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DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.