Inks Stuck in My Head

I love that moment of going back over old notebooks or journals and stopping in my tracks to go, what ink is that?! Luckily, if it was inked in the last two years I can probably cross-reference it with my Project Enjoy Collection lists to figure it out. Others are just so distinct that I remember what they are immediately. I am currently in the process of going through my data for the first quarterly update of Project Enjoy Collection for 2025 and there are ink names that keep catching my eye. In addition, I am now in year two of my Hobonichi 5-year journal and I see an ink that I used on that day last year and go… why haven’t I used that lately? I suppose it is the risk of having a lot of ink. These are three inks that want into the rotation:

Ferris Wheel Press Hearty Harvest

I was so busy with other stuff in March that I forgot to ink up an orange for #killwinterwithorange. As I sit writing this right now there is an ice storm outside. Drops of water have frozen on my poor ash tree’s branches and every time the wind blows it sounds like someone crinkling tissue paper. Maybe if I’d remembered to ink up an orange we would have been spared, haha. I haven’t used this ink since sometime in 2023, but the pretty Ferris Wheel Press box for this ink keeps beckoning to me from my ink shelf. Hearty Harvest is a warm orange with copper shimmer. I’ll have to see if it is too autumn-y to be used other times of year. I remember really enjoying this ink for the warm tones. It’s like wrapping up in a burnt orange colored fuzzy blanket.

Wearingeul Othello

It’s fitting that I used this ink last April… but then haven’t used it since. I love this ink (I even wrote a post about it before). It’s a brownish-gray with silver shimmer. It’s got shading… it’s just awesome. I also love the nod to Shakespeare’s play. It goes down a greenish tinged color (only visible on certain papers) and then dries to this one, representing Othello’s jealousy (according to Wearingeul). Wearingeul is one of those ink brands where I have to remind myself that I don’t need all the things or that I have stuff that is probably close enough. If you want a shimmery gray, this one is a great one to play with (for a more cool-toned option try Wearingeul Macbeth).

Monarca Mar Caribe

My turquoise/bright blue kick continues. Mar Caribe definitely falls into the bright turquoise realm. It really is reminiscent of tropical ocean. I used this ink at the end of May last year and it’s time to revisit it. I have two Monarca inks (the other is Cielo Cruel) and I want to spend some more time with this brand (and determine if I need to pick up more from Amarillo Stationery at the Chicago Pen Show).

I do also have a few more recent acquisitions that are begging for a re-ink. There is Ferris Wheel Press Mulberry Majesty and Tunes of Tinseltown (they are technically “winter holiday” inks, but I think they would be fun in year-round rotation. My Colorverse collection is also begging me to try more of the Colorvent inks. I need to actually try Pulsar Pulse since it’s one of the inks that was voted to be made into large bottles.

I have a pile of pens waiting to be cleaned up - some of these inks will probably make their way into their converters.

Are there any inks stuck in your head?

Currently Inked

Teranishi Antique Black - Kaweco liliput copper F - This ink was taunting me. It was jumping out at me from blogs and pen store websites. Black is a color category that I am either super into it, or I don’t use it much at all. It comes in waves. I wanted to try it, but I hesitated on buying a full bottle. Teranishi inks run around $20-22 most places and, beyond that, I’m trying to get a handle on my bottle acquisition. Luckily, Vanness Pens had samples back in stock and I snatched up a few that I wasn’t able to get from pen friends. I wrote the pen dry and have filled another converter. This is a good black, it’s dark enough that it doesn’t end up looking like dark gray, it has a little bit of coppery sheen and has a brown-toned depth to it. It’s going on the future ink bottle list.

Yoseka Stationery Wing Kong Que Blue - Kaweco liliput fireblue M - This ink caught my eye over two years ago when Yoseka released the set of exclusive inks inspired by the colors of Chinese ceramic pottery from different eras. It was mnmlscholar using the ink quite often that got me to buy a sample probably some time in 2023? And then I never tried it. It was on the dusty inks list until I decided I wanted to use a bright blue, but then got decision paralysis between Monarca Mar Caribe (see above) and Laban Poseidon. So ultimately I picked one that was neither and looks completely different. That being said, this is a lovely bright blue ink and has a little bit of red sheen on ink splotches, but I haven’t gotten that in writing. It’s too close to Colorverse Strelka to need a full bottle, but I’m glad I was able to give it a try.

Psst… Are you coming to the Chicago Pen Show? If you are I am going to be hosting a few “getting started journaling” workshops on Friday and Saturday of the show. The workshops are free, so please poke your head in if you’re interested! Also, I am working with the organizers to arrange a more organized pen meetup Saturday evening. It’s not on the schedule yet, but hopefully it’ll get finalized soon!

When in Doubt, Write in Red