Ink Samples: What do I even have?
I was thinking about my ink collection lately. On a whim I started on a project for my downtime over the weekend. I was revisiting my ink passport and realized that there were quite a few inks I still haven’t touched this year. From the two pen shows I traveled to, I’ve also gathered quite a bit more inks and am not sure where many of them ended up around my desk. Some of them also might have made their way into my destash box (I’m hoping to giveaway/trade some inks at the upcoming Pelikan Hub).
And to be honest, I just wanted to play with some inks.
I decided to start with my samples since they were in need of the most organization. The sample vials were spread out amongst multiple locations so step one was to gather. Step two was to sort the pile by color. This is my preferred method of sorting at the collection level. There’s just something about a color spectrum that is so pleasing to look at.
So, once the samples were sorted and how I wanted to swatch them, now I needed the tools. I decided on using my Odyssey Notebook with Tomoe River paper (I’ve been enjoying playing in that notebook lately), an ink collection stamp from Everyday Explorers Co, and a Sailor Hocoro with a fude nib. I picked up this dip pen in San Francisco from Flax Pen to Paper and it is very fun to swatch with. I pulled out one of my Ranger Distress Oxide ink pads and went to town on the page - filling it up with boxes.
I had some fun with the arrangement and then started on the swatching. Here are the results:
I have 121 ink samples. 21 Red, 5 Pink, 11 Orange, 2 Yellow, 11 Green, 27 Blue, 6 Purple, 12 Brown, 13 Gray, and 13 Black. I also discovered that a few of my samples had dried out over time or gone off (use your inks people!). Seeing them spread out along the pages has given me some inspiration to start using them up. I bought them to experience some different colors, so I should experience them.
I usually do an update to my ink log towards the end of the year and I’d like to compare my sample stack to my bottle stack (I’ve gone a little wild this year). While I am looking forward to the Inkvent purple edition in December, I do want to keep working through what I already have. That’s why I’m in this hobby, to enjoy creating and being inspired by my tools to keep writing. We’ll see how I survive the holiday season FOMO.
Currently Inked
Recently did a re-inking so no thoughts yet, just taking a moment to enjoy my currently inked.