Commitment week for my currently inked seven
Scanning my penvelope unveiled an a-ha moment: I’m digging all seven of my pen-and-ink pairings. The coming week is therefore dubbed a commitment week. A week for writing my already-inked pens down to empty.
My productivity mindset skews towards selecting dynamic rotations of pens and inks that feel new. That novelty makes starting projects fun and interesting. I’ll happily finish a project after I dig in for 20-30 minutes. Novelty pulls me in for those initial 20-30 minutes. And last week’s currently inked continue pulling attention for that initial working block. I’m eager to lean into what’s working well.
So I’m in for a repeat this week, with slight tweaks.
A M (with EF on reverse) in a playful purple-green-grey ink for my daily driver. A three-width spectrum of EF nibs for detailed and otherwise deliberative scribbling. Two custom-ground middling line widths for longform writing sessions and notes that need legibility from a distance. The F Architect for slow-to-moderate speed writing. The M Naginata-togi for faster pacing. And a lone B nib for mindless scrawling, reflecting, and teaching.
A nib for every purpose. A purpose for every nib.
I hope.
Grey/Black
Esterbrook Estie Raven (M). Troublemaker Petrichor. I’m doubling down on using the M nib for driving my daily writing. Wide forgiving lines for quick-moving curriculum meetings. Petrichor lays down a murky green on my Kokuyo paper — drying to a demure silver-grey. Party in the back, business up front for use in lesson plans. And the reverse EF is excellent for small writing like page numbers, margin notes, and task tracking.
Blue/Teal
Mr. Cypress Cone Micarta (EF). Papier Plume The Blues. I underused this combo last week. Deep denim hues with infrequent hints of red sheen. All in true-to-size EF lines. Deliberate notetaking seems an obvious choice: slow meetings, curricular brainstorms, and scratch notes. Small letterforms will be legible and dark blue ink encourage focus. Plus, the EF will fit within my Kleid’s tiny grid for analytic journaling.
Pelikan m805 Stresemann Anthracite (F Architect, by Custom Nib Studio). Franklin-Christoph Spanish Blue. A superstar ink pairing for this Pelikan architect combo. The smoothest this grind has written, which opens the pair to creative writing sessions wherein my writing angle is prone to wandering. Spanish Blue’s bright coloring suggests creative writing, loose reflections on teaching and in my journal, and reading notes.
Franklin-Christoph 03 Ghost (B). Papier Plume Lake Michigan Winter. This week’s lone B nib. Moderate flow keeps the lines true to size and prevents Winter from feathering on most papers. The light coloring works well for accenting notes — to highlight tasks in need of migration and my own responses to the content in my notes. The B lines are easily readable when writing large letters and drawing concept maps when working one-on-one with students. And perhaps journaling.
Earth Tones
Nakaya Neostandard Heki-tamenuri (M Naginata-togi, by Tokyo Station Pens). Diamine Meadow. Meadow is an ink of multiple personalities, depending on the paper I use. A grass green on the OK Fools paper in my journal. A popping bright green on Kokuyo and Stalogy papers. I’m entering the week without a definitive plan for this pairing. I’m going to play with accent notes in my work Kokuyo and D&D Stalogy alongside longform writing in my journal and see where that plan takes me.
Kaweco Skyline Sport Fox (EF). Sailor Jentle Rikyu-cha. A triple crown of favorites in this pairing. Rikyu-cha is a top-five ink for me. The Kaweco Sport is a go-to model design for carrying between classrooms, school buildings, and administrative offices — all securely in my pocket. And the dry EF nib ensures crisp hairline writing that dries rapidly on even absorbent copy papers. Excellent for scratch notes, collaborative brainstorming, and margin notes.
Able Snail Classic Powder Blue (EF). Pennonia Gesztenyebarna. A shading powerhouse in wide EF/F lines. The tooth from the titanium Bock nib reminds me that I’m writing. Excellent stimulus for retaining my attention, especially over extended sessions of targeted, analytical thinking. My go-to teaching reflection and lesson planning combo. Also: analytic journaling, D&D notes, and reading notes.
Wild Cards
No purples, pinks/reds, or undertones-only inks rattling around in my pen case this week.
