In feature, Ink Review

Inkmas 4: Sailor Mint Jelly and Apricot Jam

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Inkmas 4: Sailor Mint Jelly and Apricot Jam

Inkmas Day 4 already! Today we have a pair of inks that were created by Sailor exclusively for the Dromgoole’s store – Apricot Jam and Mint Jelly. Thank you to Dromgoole’s for sending these inks for a review!

As delicious as these inks sound, please don’t taste them. The goodness is for your eyes only.

Apricot Jam is a yellow-leaning orange that is dark enough to nearly get into brown territory. The color reminds me very much of dried apricots or homemade apricot jam – one of my favorites on bread fresh from the oven.

Apricot Jam is close to 3 Oysters Hwangto although is brighter in writing. The shading is strong in this ink.

Mint Jelly is a great name for this ink as a pairing with Apricot Jelly although I think it would be better described as a sage green. I’m excited to see how well this ink pairs with the new Kaweco AL pen!

In writing, Mint Jelly is close to Vinta Inks Sirena Mermaid although it has a bit less blue. The swatch reminds me of the lighter portions of Sailor Manyo Ayame. I enjoy how closely this color flirts with the edge of gray.

A swatch of both Sailor Dromgoole’s inks on Cosmo Air Light paper:

The jelly inks on Midori MD paper:

And both inks on Tomoe River 52gsm paper:

Putting all three swatches in one photo shows how much the color can vary based on paper choice. From top to bottom, Tomoe River 52gsm paper, Midori MD paper, Cosmo Air Light paper.

I love the colors of these inks and the theme in the names – Apricot Jam is my favorite even though it makes me want fresh baked bread every time I say the name.

Each color can be picked up from Dromgoole’s for $20 for a 20mL bottle – this is an average price for Sailor inks at $1/mL.

Which one is your favorite?

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In Ink Review

Inkmas 3: Octopus Inks Fairy

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Inkmas 3: Octopus Inks Fairy

What does an Octopus Ink Fairy look like? Like a Sheen Queen! And not at all like the silly little doodle I made in my ink test.

Octopus Inks Fairy ink ($21.50 for 30ml bottle) is a magenta pink ink with a ridiculous amount of sheen. The sheen is a green-gold color so as the ink dries, the bright pink is deepened to a more reddish burgundy thanks to the mad sheen.

Dried, this ink is a deep magenta-burgundy. On Tomoe River paper the sheen is very visible. Your mileage will vary depending on the paper and how much of that golden sheen stands up on the paper but it definitely heps to mute the vividness of the magenta on TR.

With a little water added to the ink swatch, its easier to see some of the base ink color and the green-gold sheen around the edge.

I don’t have any other super sheeny pinks but I have a few magentas similar. I think Callifolio Andrinople is the closest to the base ink color of Fairy but L’Artisan Pastelier (Callifolio’s other brand) Encre Classique Carmin, Colorverse Andromeda and Caran D’ache Sunset (no longer available) have a similar vibe though slightly more burgundy and less sheeny.

FYI: Inktopus Sample Vial Holder ($7) is from Ink-a-Pet purveyor of fine animal-themed desk accessories crafted by entrepreneurial Calvin and his family and his furry animal companions.

DISCLAIMER: Some 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 Link Love

Link Love: Looking Forward, Looking Back, Looking at Pantone and Thinking, “What?”

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Link Love: Looking Forward, Looking Back, Looking at Pantone and Thinking, “What?”

As December continues to roll along, the recaps and end-of-year wrap-ups are starting to roll in and posts with “2025” in the name are starting to appear.  Is it weird that I track the movement of the year through other people’s blog posts?

2024 Recaps & Moving Forward:

Oh, Pantone:

Pens:

Ink:

Pencils:

Notebooks & Paper:

Art & Creativity:

I love Typography:

Other Interesting Things:

Show your love for this site and treat yourself to even more content by subscribing to our Patreon. You’ll receive newsletters, special discounts, an exclusive podcasts and at higher tiers, a virtual meet-up and book club and special gifts in the mail. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

In Ink Review

Inkmas 2: Greens, from Grinchy to Spruce!

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Inkmas 2: Greens, from Grinchy to Spruce!

So this year I thought I’d take a bit of a different approach to our Inkmas. While I often try and share new inks with you, or re-share favorites from my past, this year I just didn’t feel like I had anything new to highlight. What I did think about is the amazing selection of inks I have swatched over time, and the ones I actually keep bottles of in my stash.

Each year I hand address my holiday cards, and so each year I’m searching for the perfect ink to do so. What do you get when you combine these two things? A look at options in a certain hue. Confused? You’ll see what I mean.

A Christmas Tree painted in 6 inks from lemony yellow green all the way down to a darker blue spruce color.

Today I’m tackling greens. What makes the perfect holiday green? Is it a wild and bright grinchy green? A traditional Irish green? Shades of dark foresty green? Does it lean a little blue like a Blue Spruce? Green is what you make of it. So let’s view a few different shades!

As you can see above, the tree I “drew” has the bottles I keep in my drawer. Up top, there’s the bright Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-rin (Bamboo forest). That one seems vaguely Grinchy enough? Papier Plume’s Ivy Green is a good, rich green, fit for a holiday table or tartan.  Yoseka Origin #1 and Van Dieman Styx Valley Forest Green fit right into those forest-y tones I was talking about. And rounding out those greens with a touch of blue? Waterman’s Encre Vert (Harmonius Green) and Robert Oster’s Spearmint.

If you want to talk about what I have on swatch cards (but not necessarily in stash), I’ve got a few more to add to the mix. Robert Oster’s Sublime is that yellowy green that Grinches dream of! PenBBS 219 is Watermelon Green. Mont Blanc’s Irish Green is a surefire hit, and Banmi’s Deep Green has a bit of that blue.

There are SO many more greens to choose from, but these are just a few of my favorites this season!

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

Inkmas 1: Vanness Planner Pink

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Inkmas 1: Vanness Planner Pink

I’m going to kick off Inkmas with a few pink inks that crossed my path this year. First, up is the Vanness Planner Pink. This was a special limited edition ink made especially for the Chicago Planner Conference 2024. Before you ask, this ink is no longer available. It’s possible that Vanness will make another batch in the future, but for the moment, it was an extra special ink just for attendees of the conference. But don’t despair, I’ll be sure to include comps at the bottom of the review of inks that may be similar in color that are still available.

I have to say I’m both tickled and amazed that Vanness can make their own inks. It seems like alchemy to me and I love that they occasionally surprise us all by stepping into their magical kitchen and whipping up a batch of something spectacular.

Planner Pink is no exception. This ink is bright, vivid and ever-so-slightly sheeny which helps to tone the pink down and give it a complexity not found in markers or felt tip pens. Planner Pink is very vivid and difficult to capture on film because its so bright.

I did some test writing and swatches on Tomoe River 52gsm paper with various pens including several Sailor Hocoro dip pens in various sizes (all with the added feed attachment), Pilot iro-utsushi dip pen, and a Zebra G dip nib and holder.  The color is more of a bright pink with a finer nib and a little more tinged with the sheen in larger nibs making the color look a bit darker.

Inks tested on Col-o-dex cards, of course!

When comparing with other, more readily available inks, Van Dieman’s Spring Fairy Orchid and Taccia Momo Pink are probably the closest but they still feel a bit different. Pilot Kosumosu is a little more orangey and Colorverse x Opus 88 Girls Just Wanna is more magenta (and also no longer available, sorry!). Dominant Industry Royal Azalea is similarly bright but a much deeper, more purply color.

Ink colors from top to bottom: Vanness Planner Pink, Van Dieman’s Spring Fairy Orchid, Taccia Momo Pink, Pilot Iroshizuku Kosumosu, Colorverse x Opus88 Girls Just Wanna, Dominany Industry Royal Azalea.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop and others for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In feature

It’s beginning to look a lot like INKMAS!

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It’s beginning to look a lot like INKMAS!

Welcome to another year of Inkmas! This is the time of the year where we celebrate our love for ink and maybe get caught up on all the ink reviews we’ve put off all year. We’ll be doing quick reviews, comparisons and collection overviews — or whatever strikes our fancy. So from now until Christmas Day, we’ll be posting an Inkmas post per day. We hope you’ll these posts and we will be happy to check off a few ink reviews from our TBR (to be reviewed) list.

I might even post a few Inkmas videos too! So stayed tuned, make yourself a holiday beverage and settle i for the festive ink fun!

In Fashionable Friday

Fashionable Friday: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Author AnaPosted on 1 Comment
Fashionable Friday: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

We are getting in the festive holiday spirit. We want candy canes and cocoa, snuggly sweaters and all the glittery, holiday inks. Hope you enjoy them too!

Thanks to my sponsors for providing some of the images I use for Fashionable Friday. Please consider making your next purchase from one of these shops and let them know you heard about them here. Thanks for your support and for supporting the shops that help keep it running.