Shifting towards pens and inks that get me excited
I can’t always explain why a set of currently inked pens drives me back to the page. This week’s seven are doing just that.
I added four new pens to the weekly kit. Pens I haven’t used in a while — the Ondoro and Pelikan, especially. All paired with old favorite inks. Spicy.
Three nibs sport round, forgiving tipping: an EF, M and Zoom — a healthy spectrum of line widths. Perfect for the two full days of diversity and equity workshops on my calendar this week. Quick jottings and large-lettered meeting notes will be a breeze. I really enjoy helping folks to expand their “us.”
The penvelope also sports two grey inks. Diamine Grey is in an EF — old faithful in a new nib. The other is 223 in a wet-and-wide Pelikan F cursive italic.
I rarely double up on grey inks. This week, though, I anticipate a lot of meetings and reading notes. Entire days of back-to-back meetings.
Having two options for grey ink — which is the staple of my workflow — will, at the very least, keep me interested. A more tailored intention is that the EF is for detailed marginalia. And the F is for detailed notes in my Musubi Cosmo Air Light. Excited.
Definitely excited.
Grey/Black
Monteverde Giant Sequoia Brown (EF). Diamine Earl Grey. I swapped my new branded EF nib into the Giant Sequoia. The result is my daily driver for the week. The Sequoia’s section is a great diameter for long writing sessions — for me. My untraditional grip is most comfortable with a wide section and body. Earl Grey remains its fantastic self: a quick drying, cool-toned grey with prominent shading. Task management, scratch notes, reading notes, lesson plans, miscellaneous spreads, and meeting notes.
Pelikan m805 Stresemann Anthracite (F CI, by Custom Nib Studio). Sailor Ink Studio 223. I am unused to seeing grey inks in nibs wider than EF. The subdued silver and black colors, combined with the straight Stresemann lines, make this Pelikan a great choice for serious meetings. Gena’s excellent CI grind is forgiving enough that wet inks like 223 produce reliable, and enjoyable, meeting notes. Additionally: headings, lecture notes, and journaling.
Blue/Teal
Franklin-Christoph 31 Omnis Smoke & Ice (M SIG, by Franklin-Christoph). Taccia Ukiyo-e Hokusai Sabimidori. As with the Giant Sequoia, the 31’s section is comfortable in my hands. Even during long writing sessions. Sabimidori’s multiple colors make this combo an exciting journaling and reading notes pen. The sharp SIG grind relegates this pair to deliberative tasks — which adds lesson plan outlines to the mix.
TWSBI 580-ALR Prussian Blue (Predator Hybrid, by Nibgrinder). Jacques Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Népal. The best shimmer ink and pen combo I’ve had trucks on with continued reliable, consistent writing. The EF side of this grind has been my most frequented writer, especially for non-parent meetings. Bright blue serves as an excellent accent color. And the silver shimmer keeps lines easily readable at distance. Lecture notes, lesson plan outlines, meeting notes, reading notes, some marking, and some journaling. Oh, and the TWSBI remains my go-to pocket carry due to the multi-tasker nib grind.
Earth Tones
Faber-Castell Ondoro White (M). Organics Studio Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass. I have been unfairly hard on my Ondoro. I’ve challenged the pen with a procession of shimmer-heavy inks. The result has been unreliable writing and frequent clogs. Instead, I’m asking the Ondoro to carry a strong shader with moderate flow: Walt Whitman. The round B nib is smooth and consistent. Whitman charts the middle ground between brightness and darkness. This combo makes for an inviting accent notetaker, journaler, and reading note maker.
Sailor Pro Gear Graphite Lighthouse (Z). Diamine Ancient Copper. The round, generous Zoom nib produces wide lines. Ancient Copper is moderately wet in this Sailor feed. Combined, This pair is well-suited to jotting accent notes during meetings and making teaching notes while working with students. Copper’s fun shading also brings joy to journaling, letter writing, and marking papers. A cool combo.
Wild Cards
Conklin Mark Twain Crescent Rose Gold (F CI, by Mike Masuyama). Paper Plume Bootlegger’s Sacrament. The frankenpen itself keeps me coming back. Nothing matches — not ink, pen colorway, or nib color. Yipee. Sacrament is dark enough to camouflage against grey inks; so no accent work. Further, the crisp CI relegates this pairing to slower (and seated) writing tasks. That leaves journaling, letter writing, and reading notes.
All in the family
Yep. Definitely spicy.
