Standing out, fitting in, and the pursuit of balance
The core of my currently inked remains consistent for a third week. I believe I’ve stumbled onto to two axes of balance. One is a balanced color palette — and one that is afield from my normal color combinations. The other is the balance of pen sizes and cap styles. Let’s unpack that.
The color palette needs to stand out, and fit in. My ink palettes typically skew blue and grey. In contrast, I leaned far more heavily on earth tones beginning three weeks ago. And I haven’t looked back.
An unsaturated brown and dark green suit a diversity of work scenarios, and are still lively enough for journaling. But still a tad sterile — until I added Yoseka’s Origin last week. Bingo.
Shape and function matter. This week’s currently inked is split down the middle by pen size. Three large pens serve as the the primary drivers. The large Homo Sapiens holds grey ink and serves as my daily driver. It has a hand in nearly every writing task throughout the week. The round nib and snap cap make for quick and easy notetaking. Score.
The TWSBI ALR has a textured section that is tactile to hold. It stands out against the smooth sections of the week’s other five pens. The TWSBI Vac stands out. Every part of it.
Bonus: the fun factor. All six pens are fun and/or new designs. I can’t help but smirk when I reach for my penvelope. From lava rock to iridescent coloring to see-through pen parts to stealthy green resins, my currently inked keeps me interested.
And an interested mnmlscholar is a productive mnmlscholar. That, friends, is a definite victory.
Grey/Black
Visconti Homo Sapiens Blizzard (EF). Birmingham Slag Grey. Soldiers on as my daily driver for a third week. The combination has settled in now, after some initial inconsistent writing (which was dry ad stingy at times). I dig the magnetic cap for my daily driver. It uncaps quickly for quick notes and rapid updates to my task lists. No complaints here. Task management, meeting notes, lesson plans, assignment calendaring.
Blue/Teal
TWSBI 580-ALR Prussian Blue (EF/M Predator Hybrid, by Nibgrinder). Kyo-no-oto Aonibi. The Predator feed has grown wetter in the month since this pair was initially inked. That’s a good thing! Aonibi writes smoothly and shades generously. The hue is a tad dark to suit accent notes outside of lesson planning, so this pair sees infrequent use outside of pocket notes. Pocket notes, scratch notes, lesson plans, marking papers.
Earth Tones
Platinum 3776 Laurel Green (B). Robert Oster Toffee. The only new pairing this week. An old ink from a sample generously loaned to me by my pen friend April. Toffee sports beastly shading. The pair suits journaling and lesson plan outlines as it easily stands out against Slag Grey. The B nib offers a medium wetness, which works well on both Rhodia and Cosmo Air Light paper — which makes it great for teaching notes and for regular work.
Sailor Pro Gear Graphite Lighthouse (Z). Monteverde Gemstone Moomstone. The combination of a round, pear-shaped nib grind, a generous feed, and a mid-toned brown ink make for a wonderful meeting notetaker. The Zoom nib accommodates many writing angles. The generous feed keeps up with me when I jot multiple lines down rapidly. This is my primary meeting combo for the week. Meeting notes, lesson plans, journaling, teaching notes.
Visconti Homo Sapiens Silver Age (F CI, by Nibsmith). Yoseka Origin No. 01. Origin offers a pop of green that, like Toffee, is easily read off the page. As such, this is my second accenting pair. Reading notes, lesson plans, and journaling. Plenty of journaling.
Wild Cards
TWSBI Vac700R Iris (F CSI, by Pen Realm). Birmingham Cranberry Twinkle. While I’ve read mixed reviews about the Vac, it’s well-shaped for my writing grip. The step-up from the pen’s section sits right where my thumb rests. Comfy. Cranberry’s dark purple works surprisingly well as a marking color. It’s different from my students’ ink choices and still reads legibly when scrawled in the margins of their papers. Marking papers, journaling, lesson plans, meeting notes.
