Adding new blood to the dark side
With my students transitioning into working on their final projects this week, I expect far more meetings than prepared lessons.
Teaching is what motivates me. So my daily drivers need to help keep me interested. I chose both of my new pens as daily drivers: one a Japanese F and the other a European F. They’ll keep me wanting to write and make progress on what small projects remain.
Two grey inks, both with purple undertones, will ensure I always have a fun option for taking detailed notes.
Aonibi and Vert Empire are both unsaturated colors. Mellow hues are great for accent notes during meetings and while reading. They set writing apart without distraction.
The remainder are heavy sheen or are bright colors — excellent for accent notes and marking projects as they begin to roll in later in the week.
Grey/Black
Platinum 3776 Century Star Wars Kylo Ren (F). Sailor Shikiori Chushu. Daily driver. My primary writer for the week – for sentimental reasons. That means: because Star Wars. The narrow F line is great for the small, detailed notes I keep in my weekly spread. The grey also works well for methodical detailed notetaking. Task management, lesson plans (structure), reading notes.
KACO Edge Black (F). Diamine Earl Grey. The European Faber-Castell F nib is far broader than the Platinum’s F. Earl Grey’s purple undertones are more noticeable than from EF nibs. The round F nib makes this combo great for quicker notetaking, like in meetings. The price point makes this an anxiety-free pocket carry. Meeting notes, lesson plans, journaling, scratch notes.
Blue/Teal
Montblanc 146 Le Petit Prince And Fox (EF). Kyo-no-oto Aonibi. Aonibi is my all-time favorite unsaturated blue — largely because of its prominent shading. The mellow color works well as an accent color during meetings. It also works well for notetaking that doesn’t need to be quickly searched later. Aonibi is too muted to be easily spied on a page. Reading notes (accent), meeting notes (details), journaling.
Earth Tones
TWSBI 580-AL Lava (M Predator Hybrid, by Nibgrinder). Krishna Vaikhari. My go-to combo for meeting notes. The EF side writes a mid-toned brown. The M side writes a sheeny green. The excellent predator nib provides green headings and brown details. Journaling works best with the M side. Meeting notes, lesson plans, journaling.
Sailor Pro Gear Slate (Z Architect, by Custom Nib Studio). J. Herbin Vert Empire. The Z feed is generous. Dark pools of Vert Empire sit up on my paper for 15-20 seconds before drying to dusty-green lines. Focused on using this combo for journaling and for lists. The EF side works well for detailed notes, if a bit sharp on the page. Journaling, lists, meeting notes (accent), reading notes (accent).
Wild Cards
Pilot Prera Clear Black (CM). Monteverde Birthday Cake. I rarely reach for the short and slim Prera. The snap capped petit offers a lovely break from my parade of large pens. My partner chose Birthday Cake for me. I journaled with with pair Sunday night and had a blast. Wide, slow writing tasks for the CM nib. Well-behaved combo. Journaling, reading notes.
