When I look at Sweet Tater Pie, I can smell the pie spices (it’s not scented, they are phantom smells.). Maybe it should have been scented? nah.. I’d rather imagine the smells. The color though reminds me of pumpkin pie for sure. OR sweet tater pie, if you prefer that as a holiday treat. Either way its a bright orange that’s not too garish, there’s a nice warm undertone that keeps it from searing the retinas. Depending on the tool you are using the ink with shade from a bright orangey to a deeper baked orange color.

When compared with some other russet oranges in my stash, I would say the closest similar ink color is Callifolio Inti which may be ever-so-slightly more brownish. Robert Oster Campfire is close as well and since that was a Phidon Pens exclusive, Sweet Tater Pie might be a good alternative for those of us south of the Canadian border. Lamy Bronze isn’t even in the ballpark colorwise.

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), James Finniss Serendipity nib holder ($79AUD)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Silverwhite 1500s  Round #2

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Inkmas Day 12: Vanness Inc Sweet Tater Pie appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Scribo Vert Prato is a bright yellowish green ink that makes me smile.

Scribo inks come in huge, heavy glass bottles that could break a toe but also stack nicely on top of one another, making a beautiful and eye-catching centerpiece. The bottles are hand blown glass and contain a full 90mL of ink. I love how they look in the sunlight.

Bright green ink isn’t terribly common in the ink world. One popular bright green is Akkerman #28 Hofkwartier Groen. Pen Chalet also has a store-exclusive Robert Oster ink, Paulo Verde, that is close to Vert Prato, but more of an olive tone.

As you can see below, Vert Prato is very close to Hofkwartier Groen, but a bit less of a yellow undertone. To me, Vert Prato wins because it just looks a bit more cheerful.

This is an ink that has been in a pen since I discovered it – a matching pen that also glows in the dark (the pen, not the ink). I’ve had this Benu filled with Vert Prato for about a year now – I might not ever change this duo.

Which bright green ink do you prefer? Why aren’t there more bright green inks around?

The post Inkmas Day 11: Scribo Vert Prato appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

(I must paws — pun! —  here to admit that these inks are already sold out but it took awhile for me to get them all the way from Canada! So I apologize for tempting you with feline-inspired inks that are no longer available. I couldn’t, however, let an opportunity to talk about ink and cats pass me by.)

Dominant Industry Ginger Chicken ($17 for a 25ml bottle) was inspired by the first cat to wander into the Wonder Pens world. The ginger tabby, named Chicken, has been a loyal companion for the family and shop since 2016. Since the Desk HQ also has a loyal ginger tabby, I have been a follower of Chicken’s adventures and a lover of that particular shade of orange that is the classic ginger cat.

In writing, I find that the Ginger Chicken ink is a bit darker than I expected. It reminds me more of ground ginger spices, or nutmeg. Maybe the spices blended for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. And there’s nothing wrong with that toasted orange color at all. But it’s not the color of a ginger cat, IMHO. Maybe in a finer nib pen, the ink will look a little lighter but in my wider stub nib, the ink is not what I was hoping for.

In comparison, Ginger Chicken is in the same family as J. Herbin Cafe des Iles, Monarca Tierra Colorada and Diamine Roasted Chestnut. Since these other inks are readily available, maybe you won’t be so sad that Ginger Chicken is sold out?

Dominant Industry Tuna Grey ($17 for 25ml), was inspired by a stray tabby named Tuna that arrived at Wonder Pens in 2021. Once Tuna worked his way into Chicken’s heart, the Chans had another family member. And we get the chance at a beautiful grey ink. Tuna is similar in color to several of the furballs that take up residence here at Desk HQ so I knew it would be a color I loved. Not to mention a general penchant for grey ink. Who knew grey inks would be one of my favorite colors?

Tuna Grey leans neutral with subtle hints of both purple and a hint of brown — it can almost appear multi-chromatic depending on the paper. Where some popular grey inks are clearly warm or cool (Nick Stewart Twilight Black is warm, Diamine Earl Grey is purply cool grey, Organic Studio Arsenic Grey is blue grey and Kaweco Smokey Grey leans slighty greenish). Isn’t it crazy how unique each grey is?

While I would never play favorites between the two cats, I will have to say that I prefer Tuna Grey ink to the Ginger Chicken color only because I had a preconceived idea about what color Ginger Chicken should be.

I am jealous I didn’t think of creating inks inspired by the shop interns here at the Desk too. If anything, I feel like the revenue generated might help to pay their epic food and litter bills! Maybe next year? Pepper Black? Ollie Orange? Lucy Moonbeam? Zoey Stardust? Hey, Robert Oster, Colorverse or Dominant Industry, give me holler! Let’s make this happen!

For more adventures of Wonder Pens shop cats, check out their Instagram. Maybe they will even announce a re-release of the inks?

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), James Finniss Serendipity nib holder ($79AUD)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Silverwhite 1500s  Round #2

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Inkmas Day 10: Dominant Industry for Wonder Pens (Tuna Grey & Ginger Chicken) appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I have to say, this is the first ink from Diamine that I’m sort of underwhelmed by. It is a gorgeous dark blue, and in certain lights I get the reddish pink sheen. However, I shook my bottle well and there was nary any shimmer to be seen?

In terms of color, this one is quite like Dromgoole’s special Colorverse NASA Blue ink, right down to the red sheen. The blue is also similar, though not quite as dark as, Diamine’s 150th Anniversary Blue Velvet.

I’m having a hard time with this one. In the sample swatches it looks to be a gorgeous shimmery, sheeny blue, perfect for my non-denominational holiday needs. But the real ink just isn’t as exciting, and so given the bottle I got, I’d give this one a pass.

• Paper: Crossfield Journal ($24)
• Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
• Swatches: Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Inks: Diamine Blue Edition Happy Holidays Shimmer & Sheen ink (50mL for $22)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Inkmas Day 9: Diamine Blue Edition Happy Holidays Shimmer & Sheen appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I had a lengthy discussion with Carol at Luxury Brands about good permanent black inks. As the distributor for both Platinum (known for my beloved Carbon Black ink) and Colorverse, she recommended I try Colorverse Permanent Black ($15 for a 30ml bottle) from the Colorverse Office Series. This collection of inks features those everyday staple inks like standard water soluble blue, black, brown and green as well as a few permanent inks.

While Platinum Carbon Black ($30) comes in an epic 60ml bottle, Colorverse Permanent Black comes in a bottle half the size and half the price. While the ink costs the same per milliliter, not everyone needs 60ml of permanent black ink. Also, over the last few years, Platinum inks have been harder to get than one would expect. So, it’s nice to have a comparable alternative, should you need it.

In writing tests, the Colorverse Permanent Black ink appears to be a good solid black. I had no issues using it in short term tests. I have not been able to fully test the wash-out-ability of Colorverse Permanent Black compared to Platinum Carbon Black (which I’ve had no issues washing out of a pen, even after its dried) but the Colorverse Permanent Black easily washed out of my tester tools and brushes.

As for the water resistance, after allowing the ink to dry for 10 minutes, I doused it in water. As you can see in the sample above, the ink didn’t budge.

When compared to other permanent black inks, the Colorverse Permanent Black does not appear as shiny in the large swatch. Both R&K Sketch Ink Lotte and Platinum Carbon Black appear slightly glossy where the Colorverse looks matte. The tone of the black is also very neutral where the R&K looks a bit greenish in tint.

Overall, I think the Colorverse Permanent Black is a strong contender as one of the best permanent black inks currently available. I stand by my belief that everyone should have a pen with permanent black ink — whether for drawing and mixed media, addressing envelopes or signing documents. Even if you load the ink into a Preppy or other inexpensive pen, having a permanent ink is a must for all fountain pen enthusiasts.

*** all smudges in this review were the result of obnoxious cats and not the fault of the inks. Cats just don’t understand personal space or ink dry times.****

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), James Finniss Serendipity nib holder ($79AUD)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Silverwhite 1500s  Round #2

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Luxury Brands for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Inkmas Day 8: Colorverse Permanent Black appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Two of my favorite things: Colorverse ink and anything featuring my hometown: Chicago… how could I resist? If I were to guess what color someone might create for an ink that embodies Chicago, I am not sure I would guess a dark purple/brown with shimmer particles. I might have thought of the sky blue from the stripes on the city flag, or red to emulate the Fire/fire. Green for the St. Patrick’s Day river dye? Charcoal grey for the color of some of the more recognizable skyscrapers (Sears/Willis Tower, the Hancock building, or the Lake Point Tower)? Once I started playing with the ink, I was more convinced that Colorverse made an interesting choice for a color to embody Chicago.

The shimmer particles in the Chi-Town ink ($12.50 for a 15ml) are more iridescent than gold or silver which is more commonly found in shimmer inks. The particles look blue or green depending on the light, paper or angle.

In the close-up above the ink looks more purply than it did in person which, because of the gold/brown sheen looks more brown in person, at least to me. YMMV.

You can ssee in the close-up above how the ink can look sheen-y brown-black rather than purple.

My initial ink comparisons aligned CHi-Town with dark brown inks but on second look, I tried purple and more predominately black inks. I think its safe to say that Chi-Town is more of a purple/black with an emphasis on the BLACK.

Pent Kotobo No Iro Black Lizard and Diamine Winter Miracle are more purply when compared to Chi-Town. Birmingham Pen Co’s Philadelphia Friend Circuit and Coking Coal are closer though Coking Coal is a cooler blue grey undertone and Fried Circuit has a warmer, almost brownish undertone.

So, like the city of Chicago itself, this ink is a conundrum. Some people see Chicago as “the second city” some city it as the jewel of the midwest. The ink is similar. You see what you want to see. Some will see shimmer like taillights on wet pavement, others will see muddy waters or the dark sky of a crowded city. How do you see Chicago? Both the ink and the city?

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), James Finniss Serendipity nib holder ($79AUD)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Silverwhite 1500s  Round #2

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items in this review were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Inkmas Day 7: Colorverse Chi-Town appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Colorverse From Cali ($12.50 for a 15ml bottle) is a light, dusty lavender on the cool side of the spectrum. It shades like crazy and is too light for an EF nib but if you like rockin’ a stub nib or a big juicy BB nib, this ink will help to brighten your cold, wintry days like a hothouse orchid. The powdery quality of From Cali reminds me of a flower petal.

When compared with many of the other powdery lavender inks in my collection, there is a clear division between the warm colors (like Troublemaker Foxglove, Kobe #57 and Ferris Wheel Little Robinia) and the cooler lavenders like Vinta Tabaum (Engima Blanks Exclusive), Papier Plume Violet, and Sailor Fuki-Musume. Tabuam and Papier PLume Violet are much more violet and Fuji-Musume is much more saturated so From Cali really does sit in a unique place being a more pastel lavender while still remaining a cooler color.

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), James Finniss Serendipity Nib Holder ($79 AUD) with Franklin-Christoph SIG Fine nib
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Silverwhite 1500s Round #2

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Inkmas Day 5: Colorverse From Cali appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

What I can tell you is that it is another in a long line of inks I’ve purchased in an attempt to find my signature yellow-green ink. Jesi will often hand me ink samples and ask, “What about this one?” and I have to be very specific “too yellow”, “too bright”, “too muddy” or “too light”, for example.

Taepyeong Seongdae is a close contender as  the ink is a darker yellow-green without edging into a pine or forest green (too blue) hue. In a wider nib, Taepyeong Seongdae is a bit darker than I would like but in a fine or extra fine nib the color does not become too light to be useable. It has real potential though its a hair muddier than I would hope for. Overall it meets many of my ridiculously specific requests for a yellow-green ink.

It shades a good deal but does not show any sheening.

The closest ink color in my collection was the similarly named Kingdom Note Olive.Penlux Pine and Sailor Rikyu-Cha both lean a bit more brownish but are closer than the dozens of other yellow-green inks in my collection which tend to go more grassy or lime in color.

I’d say its a tie between Taepyeong Seongdae and Kingdom Note Olive. I reall ythink I need to make my own yellow-green ink at some point but I think I’m the only one who would want it.

Tools:

• Paper: Elia Note with Tomoe River 52gsm with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), James Finniss Serendipity Nib Holder ($79 AUD) with Franklin-Christoph SIG fine nib
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Silverwhite 1500S Round #2

DISCLAIMER:  Some items in this review were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Inkmas Day 3: Colorverse Kingdom Series Taepyeong Seongdae appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The color is solidly richly cranberry reddish pink with a red wine undertone. While the ink does not appear to sheen, it is a good shader showing a range of tones from red wine to pinky, saucy cranberry jelly.

Surprisingly, I was able to find many similar colors in my ink collection but many are discontinued or pricey. Colorverse Conjecture was part of the Johannes Kelper set, Birmingham Pen Company’s Gerbera Pink is from their previous ink-carnation, Montblans’ Antoine de Saint-Exupery is, well, a limited edition Montblanc ink. Oster Dusty Pink is a bit more purple-y and Ferris Wheel Press Royal Rhubarb is a little more brick reddish. So, if you’re looking for a sweet, tangy cranberry color, Vanness Cranberry Sauce will have you craving seconds.

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), James Finniss Serendipity Nib Holder ($79 AUD) with Franklin-Christoph SIG fine nib
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Silverwhite 1500S Round #2

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Inkmas Day 2: Vanness Exclusive Cranberry Sauce appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Review by Tina Koyama

Although the Caran d’Ache Chromatics ink series has been around for a while, I’m still tickled by its unique and funky bottle. It raises eyebrows and receives double-takes when it casually sits on a desktop. Some even find its Pisa lean a bit disconcerting, but it’s especially appropriate in a world that has been trying to right itself after nearly two years of being askew. 

My favorite in the line is Delicate Green, which I received a few years ago as a Christmas gift. I don’t think of it as delicate; it’s a fresh, bold green that evokes early spring foliage. 

Since I tend to favor greens on the warm side, I found several in my Col-o-ring book that are similar; TWSBE 1791 Prairie Green is probably closest.

The fine nib dip pen I used on the Col-o-ring card makes the green a bit too pale for writing. I prefer to use it with a big, fat nib, like my Franklin-Christoph Model 20 Marietta with a fude nib, which reveals no sheening but a little shading. I made a sketch of the bottle, which turned out even wonkier than the real thing!

At $37 a bottle, the Chromatics are on the pricey side (as most Caran d’Ache products are). As a unique and distinctive desk piece, though, it’s a good reminder to keep a cockeyed view of life.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

The post A Very Special Inkpiphany: Caran d’Ache Chromatics Delicate Green appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.