Inkvent Calendar 2023: Purple Edition
The 2023 Inkvent calendar might be my favorite to date. It was full of colors that I can see myself using in the future and only a few duds that I will likely be passing along at some point after I give them at least a try. Sometimes an ink surprises me in a pen, so I always like to give them that chance. I’ve been with the Inkvent calendar since the blue edition in 2019. The red edition was 2021 and the green edition was 2022.
I really enjoy the Inkvent calendars because I know I will getting inks that I don’t already have, important when I have such a large ink collection. The Inkvent calendar also gives me something to look forward to during a time of year that is often stressful for me. Even colors that I ultimately don’t enjoy are still fun to swatch at the beginning of each day.
So, what were the inks like this year?
It was a good spread of different colors - 1 red, 1 burgundy, 2 pinks, 2 oranges, 1 yellow, 3 greens, 4 blues, 6 purples, 3 browns, 2 gray/blacks.
It’s been raining for three days straight, but a bright spread none-the-less.
To try out the inks, I had made a spread in my Musubi Rasa notebook and I had a stack of Kaweco Sports ready for inking. I did partial fills of the Kaweco Sport piston filler converter, which is only about enough ink for a few pages of writing. Inks that I thought were interesting went right into a pen if I had a clean one, or were inked once I did a round of cleaning. Out of the 25 inks, 16 of them have already been in pens.
I challenged myself to pick a top 3, which is a challenge with this set because I like quite a few of the colors.
Bah Humbug (day 12): This is a dramatic color as a deep burgundy with pink/red shimmer. It flows great and was just so delightful to write with. This ink is simply a mood, and I love it.
Rainbow’s End (day 14): I didn’t think I would like this one as much as I do when I first swatched it. There’s just something incredibly cheerful about the pink shimmer on the dark blue-leaning purple ink. It’s the only one that has gotten inked up for a full fill so far.
Cinnabun (Day 19): A controversial pick, but I have a soft spot for brown inks and I like the shading and smell on this one. Cinnamon is such a cozy smell and it was really fun to get occasional wafts of it when writing. Definitely an ink for a narrower nib, but that’s pretty typical of scented inks.
Beyond that, there are quite a few that I am eager to use again or try for the first time. That list includes all inks except: Buck’s Fizz, Velvet Emerald, Sugar Snap, and Merry & Bright. First is because I’m pretty sure it’s going to be too light to use for writing and the latter three because I have to be in the right mood for green inks.
Overall, another fun year for the Inkvent calendar! I hope they find a way to continue this product going forward. It is just so much fun and I think it would be a good opportunity for them to try experimental combos. What were you favorite inks from the purple edition?
Just for fun, here are my top 3 from previous Inkvent calendars:
Blue Edition: Snow Storm (gray with silver shimmer), Midnight Hour (blue-black with sheen), and Blue Peppermint (turquoise with blue shimmer).
Red Edition: Garland (teal with blue shimmer/red sheen), Winter Spice (brown with blue shimmer), and Peach Punch (pink-orange)
Green Edition: Pick Me Up (scented brown ink with green sheen), Arctic Blast (bright blue with blue shimmer and pink sheen), and Best Wishes (green-black with green shimmer). The green edition was hard to choose only 3 favorites, honorable mentions go to Olive Swirl (olive green with copper chromashimmer) and Deck the Halls (dark purple with chromashimmer).
Titles done with the Day 25 inks for each Inkvent: Raise a Glass, Best Wishes, All the Best, and Happy Holidays.
Currently Inked
Diamine Astral - Kaweco Sport Mellow Blue B ‘premium’ - I swapped this ink into a different pen for another look at it. I wasn’t feeling it in the M CSI. This is a very dark black with black sheen. When the shimmer pops out it’s really cool.
Ferris Wheel Press Harlequin Dream - Kaweco Sport Dark Olive BB - Releases Jan. 4th - This ink was a surprise when I swatched it and inked it up. Generally, FWP boxes are pretty close to the color inside, but in this case the box was more purple than the actual ink. I don’t mind in the slightest. This makes a great everyday ink that looks serious enough, but is still fun with the shading. “Navy blurple” is the color description that comes to mind.
Diamine Rainbow’s End - Kaweco Sport Cognac M - Just so easy to write with and fun to see on the page.
Diamine Tinsel - Kaweco Art Sport Terrazzo 14K B - Just inked this one up. It’s a pretty standard red with red shimmer. It’s fun and I look forward to exploring it a little bit more.
Bungubox Melancholic Gray - Kaweco Art Sport Tiger’s Eye 14K M ‘selvedge’ - A pretty well-behaved gray for when I need a more serious color amongst all of the frilly holiday inks that I’ve got inked up right now.
Ferris Wheel Press Plaited Gold Tress - Kaweco liliput copper M stub - Flip-flopped this nib into this pen this week and am enjoying the color here. Sometimes it just takes a pen/nib swap to make an ink/pen combo more fun to write with.
Diamine Best Wishes - Kaweco liliput fireblue 14K ‘journaler’ - I suspect I will run out of this ink any day now. It’s been a good run, but I’m ready for a switch up. I plan on doing some ink swapping on New Year’s Day.
Didn’t manage to capture the shimmer on any of these, but at least a good chance to see the base color.