The currently inked Inkvent challenge, week one
The start of December brings with it the return of Diamine’s wonderful inkvent calendar. 25 custom inks, each themed to capture aspects of the holiday spirit. Fun times.
I’ve decided to craft my own inkvent challenge to commemorate my first year celebrating Diamine’s fun ink collection. And in a way that avoids spoilers for those who wish to patiently await daily reveals. Like I do!
Here’s the plan: I am challenging myself to craft a workable sextet of pen and ink pairings this week out, using only the first six Inkvent inks. The inks for days 7 to 12 are my challenge for next week; and so on for four weeks. A system which will take me through 24 inks (four weeks of six inks each).
So Diamine is choosing my ink selections throughout December. I will use my pen and nib choices to ensure each ink has a useful function within each currently inked. I dig a challenge.
This week encompasses Inkvent inks 1 to 6. Thankfully, I have both a green-grey (Ash) and a blue-black (Tempest) ink to lean on for my daily driver. Half are shimmer inks. Oof. I’m turning to broad nibs and wet feeds to show off the shimmer in Tempest, Garland and Winter Spice — and to avoid clogs come week’s end.
Lastly, a note of appreciation. I’ve fielded a handful of emails and messages from lovely folks these past two weeks. They shared their concerns and offered support given my less-than-regular posting schedule of late.
In short: my school year has ramped up with work responsibilities, on top of our already overloaded COVID-era teaching schedules. This is an unfortunately common burden for teachers in the US right now. The result is that my blogging time has dwindled. I’ll post as time and energy allow as I love sharing with you all.
I do want to highlight how touched I am with the support folks are showing. Thanks, all!
Grey/Black
Narwhal Schuylkill Chromis Teal (F, Platinum). Diamine Ash (Inkvent 2021, Day 3). Ash is a fun multi-shading ink. It writes a dusty green and dries to a graphite grey. The grey color makes Ash my obvious choice for a daily driver ink. I swapped a Platinum F nib into my Narwhal as it darkens lines while keeping to a disciplined narrow F line. Plus, the Chromis Teal colorway gives me matchy-matchy vibes. Good vibes are a plus for one’s daily driver. Task management, planner management, meeting notes, lesson plans, reading notes, scratch notes.
Blue/Teal
Sailor Pro Gear Graphite Lighthouse (Z). Diamine Tempest (Inkvent 2021, Day 4). Tempest is a blue-black with sheen and gold shimmer. The shimmer leads me to a nib and feed unit that is easily pulled for deep cleaning. As Tempest is the darkest of the week’s inks, I also want a nib that offers a narrow line than can serve as a backup daily driver. Enter Sailor’s friction fit Zoom nib unit. Wet, easy to remove, and a fun multi-taster grind. Meeting notes, paper marking, conference notes, lesson plans, reading notes.
Earth Tones
Franklin-Christoph 45 in Philly ‘20 Pen Show Blue (B SIG, by Franklin-Christoph). Diamine Garland (Inkvent 2021, Day 2). Garland is a wet green-blue with ample blue shimmer and pink sheen. The amount of shimmer screams for a broad, generous nib and feed. I can think of no better than my B-SIG from Franklin-Christoph. The crisp italic grind suits slow writing tasks like lesson plan outlines and journaling best. Also: this is my holiday card combo.
Platinum 3776 Laurel Green (B). Diamine Winter Spice (Inkvent 2021, Day 6). Winter Spice is easily an early leader for favorite Inkvent color. A medium brown with strong green sheen and purple shimmer. This is an ink that suggests hitting karaoke after your meeting ends. The purple shimmer lends excellent readability at odd angles and so is well-suited to notes that I reference while teaching: paper marking, lesson plan outlines, lecture outlines, and teaching notes. Also journaling.
Wild Cards
Sailor Pro Gear Slate (Z Architect, by Custom Nib Studio). Diamine Seize the Night (Inkvent 2021, Day 1). Seize the Night is a moody purple with subtle gold sheen. Prince on a visit to meet your parents. I like this color so much that I chose a nib with a multi-tanker grind — to ensure I can use the combo for a wide variety of writing. The EF reverse grind is perfect for detailed notes, supplementing my weekly task tracking, and even the odd pocket note. The architect side is lays down an excellent, if sharp, line that is well suited to meeting notes, journaling, lesson plans, and teaching notes.
Monteverde Rode Drive Polaris (1.1 mm). Diamine Harmony (Inkvent 2021, Day 5). Harmony is the other contender for my favorite Inkvent color — so far. It’s a dusky purple with prominent, dark shading. The hue sits in-between Kyo-no-oto’s Sakuranezumi and Sailor’s Yozakura to my eye. The 1.1 mm stub nib ensures I get to see shading continuously. The stub limits me to writing that can accommodate large letters and slow, careful strokes: journaling, lesson plans, reading notes, and some holiday cards.
