Deep diving into newly gifted inks

I am blessed with wonderful friends and a generous partner. Coming into this week, I elected to use only inks that have been gifted to me this holiday season. Gratitude for those who support me (read: pen-enable me) is easy with friends like mine.

This week’s currently inked landed at nine combinations. One grey – with shimmer – and a very dark blue-black for my daily drivers. Three blues, two light accent colors and one dark teal, will serve as themed accent colors. Two burnt oranges will work great for marking manuscript drafts and editing. A dusty pink and dark purple round out the weekly palette’s accents. I’m unsure how I’ll use these colors. Altogether, this week offers a well-rounded palette.

Seven come to me via a generous holiday giveaway within my local pen group. I’ve noted inks from the giveaway with LPG; short for “local pen group.” Two more codes adorn this week’s currently inked update: one for an inked gifted to me from a separate pen group friend (PGF) and a second from my partner (CRF).

Grey/Black

Pilot Custom Heritage 912 (SF). Jacques Herbin 1670 Gris Orage. I chose a Pilot SF nib to better accommodate Gris Orage’s gold shimmer. The feed is a bit wet for this line width, and so shading is less prominent that it was in a broader nib. But the combo is well-behaved and subtly-shimmery. It’s a great alternative to the Sailor (below) for task management and as a daily driver. (CRF)

Blue/Teal

Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black (F). Ink Institute Cat Daily, Cat at Midnight. This week’s daily driver combination. I find myself grabbing this pen for scratch notes quite often. A well-behaved and moody blue-black. Task management, and bullet journal organization. (LPG)

Faber-Castell Ondoro White (F). L’Artisan Pastillier Gris de Payne. The Ondoro’s nib and feed are stingy with LP’s ink. The result is a dusty, dry cobalt. However, coated paper does bring out a smidgen of shading. Thank you notes (especially on poor quality paper), journaling, accent color in notes. (LPG)

TWSBI Vac700R Iris (F-CSI, by Pen Realm). Ink Institute Cat Daily, Cat at Dusk. A whispy light blue-grey ink in a narrow nib makes for writing that can be challenging to read. Fantastic, if dusty, shading when the feed is flooded. Journaling and accent reading notes in my commonplace notebook. (LPG)

TWSBI 580-ALR Prussian Blue (EF/M Predator Hybrid, by Nibgrinder). Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris. This combo puts a lot of ink on the page, even on the EF side. The result is a lot of sheen on the right paper. This is definitely a journaling duo. Perhaps some reading notes, too. (PGF)

Earth Tones

Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri (B). Taccia Ukiyo-e Sharaku-Koiame. I may have found my dream orange ink: orange in the light areas, coppery-brown in the darker areas. The Nakaya brings out the best of both worlds. Journaling; lot’s of journaling. And marking manuscripts. (LPG)

Visconti Homo Sapiens Silver Age (F). Kyo-iro Higashiyama Moonlight (#4). The writing experience is much more well-behaved with my F nib than with my F-CI nib. A lovely, well-behaved combination. Journaling, thank you notes, editing and marking manuscripts, and outlining. (LPG)

Wild Cards

Sailor Pro Gear Slate (Z Architect, by Custom Nib Studio). Ferris Wheel Press Lady Rose. Lady Rose is a fun dusty pink color. As I write, I ask it to shade more, but it’s resigned to haloing only. The ink is wet enough to keep the EF reverse writing grind smooth and enjoyable. Journaling, pocket carry on sedentary days, and thank you notes. (LPG)

Kaweco Skyline Sport Mint (F). Robert Oster Summer Storm. The F nib is the clear standout with this combination: it writes like a toothy EF. Stormy Grey is just dark enough to be read clearly in a pocket notebook. The Sport is compact and sturdy, which makes it a perfect pocket carry pen. Pocket notes. (LPG)

All in the family

My friends know me well. Their ink gifts are all well within my color preferences. This week’s palette is a wonderful way to transition into 2021.