New earth tone inks and finding efficiency in spring
Some weeks call for a mental reset. This week is one.
Changes to the kind of work I take up in the final weeks of a school year — far more editing and comments than lesson planning. Changes to my ability to get out of the house and journal or read in nice weather. Changes to my writing schedule as my teaching load lightens up. Channeling Bowie here.
So: the plan is to plant my feet on new ground. An earthy color palette seems fitting. Three earth tones: one each of brown (Pumpkin Cake), green (Watermark) and orange (Koiame). A deep sheeny teal for readable lecture notes on stakeholdership. And a moody burgundy. Rocky.
Detailed notes aplenty this week. Narrow nib sizes will be key. I selected three narrow nib widths: one EF and two Japanese-width F nibs. The Zoom Architect grind also offers a bright EF line. Total bonus.
Broader nibs suit headings and quick writing. I rounded this week’s kit out with four wide, round writing options. The two architects, a 1.1 mm stub, and my new Lamy Cursive nib.
And all in only seven pen/ink pairings. Efficient.
Grey/Black
Mythic Pens Aeschylus Black & Red (mnml EF). KOBE Kaigan Stone Gray. Daily driver. Plenty of small-letters ahead this week. I opted for comfort in the large Aeschylus. The custom EF nib makes me smile. And the round EF nib is smooth and no-nonsense. Fun without distraction. Task management, presentation notes, lesson plans, reading notes, and scratch notes.
Blue/Teal
Pilot Custom Heritage 912 (SF). Diamine Enchanted Ocean. I filled this pair without shaking my bottle of Enchanted Ocean. Sheen and a lovely deep-ocean teal, all sans shimmer. Again, the goal this week is fun without distracting clogs from shinies. The 912’s section is wide enough to remain comfortable during 2-hour long student research panels. The SF nib is soft and fun. Bull, meet eye. Presentation notes, reading notes, lesson plans, journaling.
Sailor Pro Gear Slate (Z Architect, by Custom Nib Studio). KOBE Rokko Island Sky Blue. Rokko Island is one of two pops of accent color this week. The Zoom side of the nib is excellent for long writing sessions and fast writing: journaling, manuscript drafting, presentation notes, and meeting notes. The EF side of the nib is excellent for detailed comments in the margins of students’ papers.
Earth Tones
Platinum 3776 Nice Pur (SF). Taccia Ukiyo-e Sharaku-Koiame. I chose the Pur colorway so I can see Koiame’s orange sloshing around in the converter. Pat-on-back duly earned. This is my first time putting the SF nib through its paces. The narrow line-width is well-suited for this week’s detailed notes: presentation notes, reading notes, marginalia, comments on student papers and, perhaps, journaling.
Jinhao 9035 Walnut (M Architect, by Kaigelu). Birmingham Lichen Watermark. This pairing brings out Lichen Watermark’s awesomeness. A lovely pale green with strong shading. The Kaigelu grind offers healthy line variation and a smooth ride. The lovely walnut body makes this combo a sophisticated choice for headings and accent notes during meetings and presentations. Also: journaling, letter writing, manuscript editing, and lesson plans.
Lamy Safari Petrol (Cursive). Monteverde Pumpkin Cake. Lamy’s new Cursive nib and I are going to be fast friends. A wet B-ish line width that still allows for noticeable shading from Pumpkin Cake. Round enough to welcome odd writing angles. My meeting note go-to this week. Additionally: presentation notes, journaling, lesson plans, lecture notes, and some pocket notes.
Wild Cards
TWSBI 580-AL Lava (1.1 mm Stub). Robert Oster Cities of America Napa. My inaugural fill of my Napa sample. The 1.1 mm stub is fun for journaling — wide lines leads to filling more pages. Apology free. Napa’s dark, earthy burgundy offers a pretty compliment to the three other earth tone inks in this week’s palette. The wide line is best suited for headings in lecture notes and presentation notes. The excellent 580 ensures comfortable writing both during short bursts like reading notes and over longform reflections while journaling.
