The Well-Appointed Desk

Today, I wanted to warm up with some hot cocoa, gingerbread or a peppermint mocha. So, I chose an ink that reminded me of all those things — Callifolio Sepia.

Callifolio Sepia is a warm brown ink that is reminiscent of chocolate, gingerbread and all those warm beverages that keep us toasty during these long winter days.

Side note: For an in-depth analysis on sepia, check out our post, Let’s Talk About Sepia Ink.

Callifolio Sepia is a lighter, less saturated ink and definitely puts me in mind of milk chocolates when looking at a writing sample.

Amusingly, every time I tried to write Callifolio, I wrote “caffeinated” by mistake. Clearly the ink reminds me of coffee and chocolates or I am in desperate need of caffeine.

Compared to other brown inks, like shown above, Callifolio Sepia is a lighter, albeit more neutral brown. Diamine Gingerbread, from the 2019 Diamine Inkvent calendar, is much more golden and Diamine Roasted Chestnut has a more orange-y tint. J. Herbin Café des Íles is probably closest in tone though more saturated.

When lined up, from top to bottom — Callifolio Sepia, J. Herbin Café des Íles, and then Diamine Roasted Chestnut and Gingerbread — the difference in hue is clear to see.

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced, warm brown ink, Callifolio is an often overlloked option. This particular shade is a little lighter than I anticipated but might be suitable for you. Regardless, Callifolio is a great brand of ink and one of my favorites though it’s not mentioned often.

Tools:

Paper: William Hannah A5 (£6.00 for 50-sheets) with 7mm guide sheet, Curnow Backpack Notebook with Ink Journal Ink Collecting Guide Sheet (FREE)
Pens: James Finniss Serendipity Hybrid Pen ($79AUD) and Franklin-Christoph with Fine Italic nib, Tachikawa dip nib holder ($7.75 and up) with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack) and Toronto Pen Company PENtastic CxPO Tester Pens (set of 2 for $40CAD), Kemmy’s Labo Corset Glass Pen ($35)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Brush: Princeton Watercolor Round #8 brush
Ink: Callifolio Sepia ($13 per 35ml bottle)

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.

In Ink Review

12 Days of Inkmas: Robert Oster Shake & Shimmer Blood Rose (Day 7)

AnaDecember 19, 2020December 19, 2020Leave a comment

In keeping with the red theme from yesterday, I chose Robert Oster Shake & Shimmer Blood Rose for today. Blood Rose is a warm shimmering red that is perfect for the holiday season. The holidays are really the only time I search for the perfect shimmery red ink to address holiday cards and for general seasonal cheer.

I would have assumed there was a good shimmery red in last year’s Diamine Inkvent calendar but, alas, there was not. Blood Rose, with a different name, might have made a good holiday addition. Maybe for Inkvent 2021?

On close inspection, it’s easy to see the silvery shimmer of the Blood Rose ink, shown above on Tomoe River paper.

Even in my writing sample, the shimmer is visible, so much so that it overshadows any possible shading or sheen.

On William Hannah blank paper, the rosy pink is more evident in the ink. Overall, flow performance of the ink is pretty good. Blood Rose is a smoother, wetter ink than many Oster inks which is a pleasant change.

Compared to other shimmer inks and standard inks, the pinky undertones of Blood Rose become more apparent. Ancient Charm Phoenix Seeking Mate has a similar base ink but uses gold shimmer instead of silver. Robert Oster Rivers of Blood appears to be the same base ink color without the shimmer. Ancient Charm Song of the Wanderer is a deeper magenta with a gold shimmer. Diamine Matador is a more true red, almost a touch on the orange-y side.

Lined up above from top to bottom, Diamine Matador, Ancient Charms Song of the Wanderer, Robert Oster Rivers of Blood and Ancient Charms Phoenix Seeking Mate, then Robert Oster Blood Rose.

It’s much easier to see the color differences above. I just don’t have many shimmer reds in my collection to compare Blood Rose against but I think this combination of shimmer and traditional inks provides a good range.

If you need to add a little sparkle into your holiday season, Robert Oster Shimmy & Shake Blood Rose is a lovely option.

Tip:

Like all shimmer inks, continually moving the ink around in the bottle or pen will help to keep the shimmer particles evenly distributed. I recommend rolling your pen on the table, not shaking it. If you’re planning to use a shimmer ink with a dip pen, transfer a bit to a smaller vessel and stir it regularly as you use it.

Tools:

Paper: William Hannah A5 (£6.00 for 50-sheets) with 7mm guide sheet, Curnow Backpack Notebook with Ink Journal Ink Collecting Guide Sheet (FREE)
Pens: James Finniss Serendipity Hybrid Pen ($79AUD) and Franklin-Christoph with Fine Italic nib, Tachikawa dip nib holder ($7.75 and up) with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack) and Toronto Pen Company PENtastic CxPO Tester Pens (set of 2 for $40CAD), Kemmy’s Labo Corset Glass Pen ($35)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Brush: Princeton Watercolor Round #8 brush
Ink: Robert Oster Shake & Shimmer Blood Rose ($24 for 50ml bottle)

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.

In feature, Ink Review

12 Days of Inkmas: “Mystery” Cheery Red (Day 6)

Jaclyn MyersDecember 18, 2020December 18, 20202 Comments

For the sixth day of Inkmas, I thought it would be fun to do one of my favorite inky activities- matching ink to a specific pen. To begin the pairing, the pen choice was pretty simple. Inkmas demands one of my merriest pens- the Platinum 3776 Carnelian.

For the ink, I did a quick sweep of reds in my inventory. Sailor Jentle Irori is the obvious first choice of “red reds,” but I wanted some comparison options. The Carnelian has some orange undertones, so I wanted to make sure to get some orange/red options in the mix. Along with Irori, I ended up with Kobe #55 , Kyo-iro 03 Fushimi’s Flaming Red , Franklin Christoph’s 2019 Show Ink, Pennonia Róka Koma (Fox Friend), and Bungubox Tokyo Metro M.

The next step to selecting the perfect match always involves lining up the options and dunking the Col-o-ring Dipper in each contender down the line.

If it’s a particularly difficult choice, or some of the colors seem very close in color- I usually pull out my Col-o-ring “Oversize” and swab all of the contenders on a single page.

These reds are hard to capture on camera. The first photo is more accurate to the actual color of the ink but completely misses all this sheen!

Once my Dippers have dried, it’s time to make a decision. And this one was difficult. In fact, I literally inked this pen three times. The first time, I went immediately for the Pennonia Roka Koma. It’s difficult to see in these photos, but it has more orange undertones than any other ink in the group. But once it was in the Music nib of my Carnelian, it was a bit too orange for my liking (although, I’m going to have to revisit this color in a different pen because overall I really like it!). So next I swung to the opposite end of the group to the Kyo-iro 03 Fushimi’s Flaming Red– which has the strongest pinkest undertones of the group. Even in the music nib, it was just a little too light in actual writing to be a “perfect match” for this specific pen.

So what did I do? A slightly unadvisable choice that seems obvious only to ink addicts. I tried a mixture. Not all ink brands necessarily play nice together, but it’s Inkmas. This is the time to go wild. So I put 1mL of the darkest ink in the group (Franklin Christoph Ink ’19) and 4mL of the Pennonia Roka Koma in a sample vial and let it sit for 24 hours.

Nothing exploded or grew eyeballs- so off I went swatching my new Mystery “Cheery Red.” It’s not really a mystery since I literally just told you how I made the ink, but now maybe I will remember it’s not an actual ink I can search for in my collection.

In the end, I ended up with a red that has just enough orange but maintains its red “punch” through and through. A Very, Merry, Cheery Red. Happy Inkmas!

In feature, Ink Review

12 Days of Inkmas: Sailor Manyo Ume (Day 5)

AnaDecember 17, 2020December 17, 2020Leave a comment

Sailor Manyo Ume is one of my favorite inks lately – a burgundy with a touch of sheen, a bit of brown mixed in, one that sometimes shades, showing a pinkish red underneath.

In comparison to a few other sheening burgundies, Ume doesn’t show much sheen and when it does, it isn’t bright.

But this subtlety can be great when trying to pass off Ume in the office.

I love how Ume looks in a fine nib.

Ume isn’t waterproof nor is it water resistant. But it does hold the information conveyed in writing even with a soak. The red washes away but the writing should still be legible.

Paper: Hobonichi Cousin – Tomoe River paper ($54)
Pen: Diplomat Traveller Flame, Fine nib ($52)
Swatches: Col-o-Ring Cards ($10)
Ink: Sailor Manyo Ume (50mL for #$20)

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.

In Link Love

Link Love: Say Hello to Dave

AnaDecember 16, 2020December 16, 20201 Comment

This morning, this delightful calendar popped up in my email.

Dave is the shop cat at my “local pen shop” Wonder Fair. Dave is Ollie’s doppelgänger so if you were hoping for an Ollie Calendar this year, this is as close as it gets. That image in the bottom center? Ollie sleeps just like that, paws curled in. Every time I see the images I do a double take because the similarity is strong. Ollie has more of a white beard but otherwise… twinkies.

If you’re fascinated by doppelgängers, there’s a link in “other interesting things” about human doppelgängers called “Identical Strangers”.

Keeping this week’s Link Love a little freeform, here’s a cool video:

As if we all needed any of reason to want a new Aurora pen, this lovely “How it’s made” video from Appelboom was recorded from inside the Aurora factory from design to packaging.

Pens:

Fountain Pens vs Technical Pens for Drawing (via Parka Blogs)
Review: M205 Moonstone (2020) (via The Pelikan’s Perch)
Fun with Gel Pens (via Left Hook Pens)
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN (via The Pencilcase Blog)
Vintage Inspired Fountain Pens: 2020 Holiday Pen Gift Guide (via Pen Chalet)
TWSBI Diamond 580 Rose Gold II Fountain Pen – A Workhorse Piston-Filler! (via Gourmet Pens)
Workhorse Pens: Pelikan M800 Stone Garden (via The Gentleman Stationer)

Ink:

Sailor Ink Studio 280 (via Mountain of Ink)
Diamine Pink Champagne (via Mountain of Ink)
Sailor Manyo Yomogi (via Mountain of Ink)
Tono & Lims Chigyoraku (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
Lamy Blue-Black (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)
Tono & Lims Wings of The Sea (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist)

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In Ink Review

12 Days of Inkmas: Robert Oster Fire & Ice (Day 4)

Laura CameronDecember 16, 2020December 15, 2020Leave a comment

Robert Oster’s Fire and Ice (50mL for #$17) isn’t new, but I find myself reaching for it every holiday season. Something about that tealy blue and the red sheen feel perfect for addressing all of my holiday cards. So even if I haven’t seen it all year, it’s out and in a pen with at least a medium nib. This year I have the double duty of addressing my own personal cards AND the office cards. I know Fire & Ice is up to the task!

Papers: Write Notepads Dot Grid Steno Pad ($14)
Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
Swatches: Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Ink: Robert Oster’s Fire and Ice (50mL for #$17)

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.

In Ink Review

12 Days of Inkmas: Kala Nostalgia Gemstone Star Garnet (Day 3)

Laura CameronDecember 15, 2020December 15, 2020Leave a comment

For this year’s Inkmas posts, I wanted to draw a little bit to commemorate the season. Today’s ink is a gorgeous plummy purple from the Kala Nostalgia Gemstone series, Star Garnet (30mL for $11.50). While the swatch on Jetpens showed it as a dusty purple, mine definitely had a bit more plum in darker applications. If you’re a purple love, give this one a try!

Papers: Write Notepads Dot Grid Steno Pad ($14)
Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
Swatches: Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
Inks: Kala Nostalgia Gemstone series, Star Garnet (30mL for $11.50)

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.

Tools:

Tip:

Tools:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

Other Interesting Things: