The pens that write together stay together
This week sports seven inked writers. Each of which is a survivor from last week’s currently inked. Six black nibs, and one steel.
Considering line widths, five nibs produce a European fine line, or narrower. The remainder are a wide M and narrow B.
My school is running a professional development day on Thursday. I anticipate a healthy amount of fast writing at odd angles (thank you, auditorium seating) and jottings this week. So keeping five of this week’s inked pairings equipped with round nibs is reasonable.
I also have a gander of parent meetings this week. Somber-toned and/or black pens should present an air of professionalism. Three of this week’s seven fit that bill.
The heavy metal band stays together.
Grey/Black
Platinum 3776 Star Wars Kylo Ren (F). Montblanc Oyster Grey. Moderately wet and quick drying. A great combination for tasks management. The Platinum F nib lays down a European EF line. And Oyster Grey shades noticeably, even with the narrow line width. A near-perfect daily driver. Task management, lesson plans, meeting notes, scratch notes, and dark side.
Blue/Teal
Franklin-Christoph 31 Smoke & Ice (M SIG, by Franklin-Christoph). Colorverse Extra Dimension. This pair lays down a relatively broad M line. Has started to air out during longer writing sessions. Requires a flooded feed after half an A5 page. Well-suited to short writing tasks like headings, accent notes in meetings and lesson plans.
Kaweco Frosted Sport Light Blueberry (EF, Premium). Colorverse Warped Passages. Pairs beautifully against Extra Dimension — no wonder Colorverse distributed them as a duo. Light, denim blue with a smooth true-to-size EF line. The muted blue and bright blue pen makes for a fun pocket carry. Journaling (when paired with the 31), accent reading notes, pocket notes, lesson plans.
Earth Tones
Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri (B). Organics Studio Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass. My primary journaling and drafting pen this week. The Neostandard is girthy enough to stay comfortable in the hand during long writing sessions. And the urushi is pleasurable enough to hold that I look for excuses to start writing. So: manuscript drafting, long form journaling, and lesson reflections for this pair.
Kaweco Skyline Sport Fox (EF). Monteverde Gemstone Fireopal. Lovely shading, even in the Kaweco’s disciplined EF nib. The burnt orange ink suits marking papers and accent notes. The orange is noticeable in-between types lines. The EF line writes without disquieting feathering on copy paper. I also have designs on using this pair for accent margin notes given how dry Fireopal is in this pen. Lesson plans and journaling, too.
Wild Cards
Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black (H-F). Sailor Shikiori Yozakura. This week’s staple meeting notes pen; holstered alongside the Platinum. Yozakura is an easily scanned, readable, and enjoyable accent writer. Helps key areas of lesson plan outlines stand out — but reads clearest when juxtaposed against a dark ink color. Meeting notes, task accents, reading notes, and journaling.
Franklin-Christoph 46 Philly ‘20 Diamondcast Blue (EF SIG, by Franklin-Christoph). Ferris Wheel Press Candy Marsala. The narrow italic grind is, like me, picky. Slow, careful, methodical writing helps me to keep the nib grind at the proper angle to the page. I rotate my pen subconsciously when writing quickly. This week’s slow writing: journaling, two thank you letters, and lesson planning.
