Emotional Support Inks
It’s hard to deny that a favorite pen or pens is a grounding experience. It’s a tangible object that also holds endless possibilities. You can write with it, draw with it, admire it, be inspired, etc. Sometimes, it just makes you feel better by having it around. My roommate jokingly calls my Kaweco liliputs that are always in my pockets as my “emotional support pens”. She’s not wrong, just knowing that they are there helps out when I’m having a rough day at work or need to take a break to dream about stories or write journal entries. We probably all have that pen that we reach for when we are feeling down.
Another thing I like to do is to play with my ink stash. Sometimes just flipping through my swatchbook can be a lot of fun, or planning what inks I am going to use next. I realized that sometimes I swap certain inks into my “comfort pens” since I know I love both pen and ink. This makes for a really enjoyable writing experience. I have a few inks that fit this bill that I reach for again and again.
Coloverse Brunch Date (left) and Ferris Wheel Press Velvet Ballet (right)
Colorverse Brunch Date - This earthy pink just goes with everything, and it has some really nice shading in a broad nib.
Ferris Wheel Press Velvet Ballet - this was one of my first FWP inks and I am really fond of what a soft red this is. It’s themed after theater curtains and it invokes that for me. It makes me think of heading to the ballet, a play, or, more than likely, the orchestra. It’s a well-behaved shimmer with the soft silver shimmer giving it a fund secondary quality.
Colorverse Golden Record (left) and Diamine Best Wishes (right).
Colorverse Golden Record - Voyager 1 limited edition box set - This ink was one of my first “big spender” ink purchases because of the limited edition nature of the box set. Colorverse usually hits it out of the park with the box sets, and this orange is no exception. It’s got a burnt orange feel with sheen. Always makes me think of hiking in the southwest US.
Diamine Best Wishes - an ink I never thought I would like. It’s the final ink from the 2022 Green edition Diamine Inkvent. It’s a dark black-green with green shimmer and sheen. It’s absolutely stunning and it just makes me want to pick up whatever pen it is in and write it dry.
Colorverse Apollo 11 (left) and Sailor Ink Studio 280 (right)
Colorverse Apollo 11 - First Moon Landing limited edition box set - This is simply one of my favorite blue inks of all time. It’s a navy blue with shading and it’s impossible for me to not love it every time I ink it up. It’s a great first ink for some pens because I know this ink so well.
Sailor Ink Studio 280 - This chroma-shader just feels like a hug to me sometimes. It’s a brown-green with pink shading and it reminds me of being outside. It’s a really unique shade and I always love it when I break it out.
Colorverse Pale Blue Dot (left) and Colorverse Office Blue (right)
Colorverse Pale Blue Dot - Voyager 1 limited edition box set - As mentioned with Golden Record, this ink holds a special spot in my collection and ink collecting story. This ink is just stunning. It’s a brighter ocean blue with a red sheen.
Colorverse Office Blue - I wrote an entire ode to this color, so I won’t go too into how much I love it. This ink is just the perfect classic blue to me. It is perfect for any occasion. It also gives me BIC ballpoint blue vibes that I was obsessed with in high school and college. With this ink I can have that in my beloved fountain pens.
Diamine Arctic Blast (left) and Ferris Wheel Press Storied Blue (right)
Diamine Arctic Blast - from the Green edition Diamine Inkvent calendar - This ink is just straight up awesome. It’s a bold blue with red sheen and bright blue shimmer. It’s a feast for the eyes and makes me want to write pages and pages just to see it unfurl across the paper.
Ferris Wheel Press Storied Blue - this ink has some of the best vintage vibes (along with FWP Madam Mulberry). I don’t know how to describe it, but this ink just feels like an old-fashioned blue of vintage fabrics and old fine china.
Papier Plume Iron Lace - I don’t know what it is about this black ink in particular, but it is my go-to for when I’m feeling a black ink. It’s a complex shading black with a green undertone. It’s probably the imagery that it provokes of wrought iron fixtures on historic buildings.
Diamine Pick Me Up - from the Green edition Diamine Inkvent calendar - The color, the sheen, and even the funky smell just works for me. This is the closest I’ve come to finishing off one of the 12 mL inkvent bottles… this one will probably need a full bottle eventually.
Colorverse Milky Lavender
Colorverse Milky Lavender - I love, love this color. It’s bright and cheerful. It’s well-behaved and is always ready to go.
Inks that aren’t on this list yet, but will probably get there once I’ve owned them a little longer:
Wearingeul Othello (left) and Anderillium Luna Moth Green (right)
Wearingeul Othello - Wow, do I love this brown-gray with silver shimmer. It surprised me in the best way and it is just a delight to write with. Being a gray it can also fit in to almost any color palette that may otherwise be hanging out in my pens.
Anderillium Luna Moth Green - this is probably one of the most unique greens that I own. It’s soft, pastel, and yet still readable. It was living in my pens in the spring this year and I always found myself reaching for it.
Papier Plume Rougarou (left) and Ferris Wheel Press Crystal Blue Legacy (right).
Papier Plume Rougarou - Halloween limited edition 2022 (I think?) - This is one of my all-time favorite gray inks. It’s a complex, swampy gray. The inspiration for the color (werewolf legends) also just makes it that much better.
Ferris Wheel Press Crystal Blue Legacy - this one is similar to Diamine Best Wishes, except blue. It’s a stealth fun ink with it’s dark blue shimmer hidden in a dark blue ink. It only shows its dazzle when it catches the light. A great one for when I’m feeling a little rebellious, but need to have a “serious” ink for what I am doing.
Diamine Rainbow's End
Diamine Rainbow’s End - from Purple Edition Diamine Inkvent - I never would have thought I would like this ink as much as I do. It’s a purple base with pink shimmer. It’s just fun. It invokes a playfulness whenever I am using it. It also gives me childhood sparkly pen vibes.
Do you have any inks that you reach for again and again?
Currently Inked
Left to Right: Colorverse Redshift, Diamine Arctic Blast, Ferris Wheel Press Roaring Patina Black, and Robert Oster Muddy Dragon.
Coloverse Redshift - Kaweco Art Sport Terrazzo B ‘imperial’ - This ink sample had been sitting around for quite a while. Trying every shade of Colorverse ink was an obsession of mine at one point in time, so I had (and still have) quite a few samples laying around. This is an ink that, to me, appears to be a really dark hot pink in most lights, but pinkish red in others. It works really well, no flow issues, but I’m not really sure if this color is one that will stick around in the collection.
Diamine Arctic Blast - Kaweco liliput fireblue 14K ‘journaler’ - The ink that prompted this blog post. This ink is just the perfect sheen/shimmer ink to me. I love the way it looks on any paper. It’s dark enough to be legible and the sheen shows up great on so many papers. Blue sheening inks are my happy place.
Ferris Wheel Press Roaring Patina Black - Kaweco Art Sport Tiger’s Eye 14K BB CSI - This ink was a special edition ink from 2022. It is a top 3 release from Ferris Wheel Press. It’s essentially a super dark blue-black which has a red sheen and then gold shimmer. It was inspired by a 1920’s art deco theme and I just adore it. It’s an extremely unique ink in my collection. Serious at first, but so pretty when it catches the light.
Robert Oster Muddy Dragon - Kaweco liliput copper M stub - I am really liking this red. It’s in that sweet spot of dark red without being burgundy. This ink is going on the wishlist after I work through my sample.
While I didn't have enough pens to make a rainbow... I certainly have enough inks! In light of some of the things coming to light in the pen community I want to state that this is an inclusive space and I support LGBTQ+ rights. As a member of that demographic myself, I really appreciate and feel empowered by all of the outpouring of love and support that people have shown. I am really grateful to be a part of the stationery community.