Ink Flight #72 Reveal, January 2023

This month, we didn't have to travel far to find good fountain pen ink. Based in Florida, Anderillium inks produces handcrafted inks using sustainable, environmentally-friendly materials. The team is passionate about protecting the oceans and wildlife and it shows in the ink color names.

If Anderillium sounds familiar to you and you've been following my ink sampling exploits over the years, it because I shared my displeasure for Anderillium inks back in August of 2020.

The batch of inks I received to review were had problems that were also confirmed by other online fountain pen ink review blog posts at the time. The inks spread, feathered, and had inconsistent flow - all on Tomoe River paper! I'll never include these in an Ink Flight, right?

Above, you'll see a photo that I shared on Instagram and the Flex Nib Friday newsletter back in August of 2020. It wasn't pretty. 

I have to give credit to Anderillium for sticking with it and improving on their ink. After seeing new, positive reviews for their updated line of inks, it was time to to give them another try. 

 

January 2023 Ink Flight Box #72 "Currently Inked" Color Selection

Anderillium Colossal Squid Dark
At first glance, this dark blueish-teal looks black, just like the deep twilight of the bathypelagic zone where the colossal squid lives.

Anderillium Cuttlefish Brown
This color-shifting sepia is inspired by the clouds of ink that cuttlefish deploy to evade predators.

Anderillium Blue-Ringed Octopus
This color ink is formulated to mimic the vibrant electric blue of the venomous Blue-Ringed Octopus.

Anderillium Vampire Squid Red
 If you want a bright red that would make Dracula envious, inject Vampire Squid Red into your pen.

Anderillium Flapjack Octopus Orange
The adorable, orange Flapjack Octopus feeds on the ocean floor like a robot vacuum.

Anderillium Indigo Bunting Blue
This medium-toned blue is named after the night-flying member of the cardinal family.

Anderillium Common Loon Black
This black ink is inspired by the jet-black, white-dappled feathers of an adult Common Loon.

Tasting Notes: For this month's ink swatching, I tested my new Kakimori stainless steel dip nib pen with a sakura wood handle. That's why you might find the handwriting a little different than my usual flex cursive you'll find on previous month's reveal posts.

While I do miss the flexibility of the Brause Steno (Blue Pumpkin) nib, the Kakimori dip nib does have its fun features. The best being the amount of ink that the channel grooves hold in the nib. I can dip the nib once and be able to do all the writing you see on the swatch cards, in my notebook, and then some!

You can also spice it up by angling the nib more acutely to the page and using the flat side of the cone tip to write. That's why you see the color names of each ink in a bolder print style than the word "Anderillium," which is written in cursive.

Also, since the Kakimori nib is bigger than a Brause dip nib, I can easily dip it in a sample vial without getting ink on the sakura wood handle. And that handle. Ooooh, is it so nice to hold. I've reached out to Kakimori to see if InkJournal can carry some of their supplies (including their lineup of ink) but have not heard back yet. Maybe if someone can put the good word in? Just sayin.

Anyway, about the Anderillium ink: Yes! It's greatly improved since my first encounter years ago. I'm most impressed with the shifty Cuttlefish Brown. Yet, I immediately reached for the bright Flapjack Octopus Orange. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that I could include octopus-themed inks with this Ink Flight. The Inktopus is proud!

Box Extras: Nakabayashi Yu-sari Notebook A5 size

For decades, Nakabayashi produced high-end fountain pens and other office tools. Leaning on this experience, the Japanese stationery maker introduces a premium notebook built for use with fountain pens and rollerball ink. 

The Yu-Sari notebook contains quality, ruled paper with 8mm spacing so you can write with big, bold strokes. Glide your pen over its thick, egg-shell colored paper. Write comfortably on 192 smooth-textured pages. It's an all-purpose notebook that feels luxurious to the touch. 

Since this notebook contains a substantial volume of pages, we recommend using it throughout 2023. Write a half-page every day. Use it to log your workouts, diet, watched TV shows and fishkeeping, or copy your favorite book to practice your handwriting.

The first Inktopus sticker of the year is a cute "chibi" version of our cephalopod mascot that we use as the @inkjournal profile picture on social media.

What are your thoughts on January's Ink Flight? Please feel to share them on social media by tagging me @inkjournal or send me a quick e-mail to provide your feedback. 

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Previous Ink Flights

Ink Flight #1 - Noodler's, Ink Flight #2 - Robert Oster Signature, Ink Flight #3 - KWZ, Ink Flight #4 - J. Herbin, Ink Flight #5 - P.W. Akkerman, Ink Flight #6 - Papier Plume, Ink Flight #7 - Platinum Mix-Free, Ink Flight #8 - Franklin-Christoph, Ink Flight #9 - Organics Studio, Ink Flight #10 - Monteverde, Ink Flight #11 - Krishna, Ink Flight #12 - Caran d'Ache, Ink Flight #13 - Rohrer & Klingner, Ink Flight #14 - Blackstone, Ink Flight #15 - Colorverse, Ink Flight #16 - De Atramentis, Ink Flight #17 - Aurora & Montegrappa, Ink Flight #18 - Krishna, KWZ, Papier Plume, Ink Flight #19 - Diamine, Ink Flight #20 - J. Herbin, Ink Flight #21 - Robert Oster Signature 80's Collection, Ink Flight #22 - 3 Oysters, Ink Flight #23 - InkJournal Holiday Blend, Ink Flight #24 - Taccia, Ink Flight #25 - Kyoto TAG, Ink Flight #26 - Kaweco, Ink Flight #27 - April Fool's Surprise, Ink Flight #28 - Pelikan, Ink Flight #29 - Sailor, Ink Flight #30 - Straits Pen Honest Inks, Ink Flight #31 - Colorverse, Season 5, Ink Flight #32 - Inks by Vinta, Ink Flight #33 - Troublemaker, Ink Flight #34 - Monteverde Sweet Life, Ink Flight #35 - Taccia Inks Pt. 2, Ink Flight #36 - Sailor Manyo, Ink Flight #37 - P.W. Akkerman, Ink Flight #38 - Waterman, Ink Flight #39 - April Fool's Suprise II, Ink Flight #40 - Lamy, Ink Flight #41 - KWZ, Pt.2, Ink Flight #42 - Robert Oster, Pt. 3, Ink Flight #43 - Pure Pens, Ink Flight #44 - Kiwi Inks, Ink Flight #45 - Sailor Manyo, Pt. 2, Ink Flight #46 - Colorverse Ink Project, Ink Flight #47 - Van Dieman's Ink, Ink Flight #48 - L'Artisan Pastellier Callifolio, Ink Flight #49 - Pennonia, Ink Flight #50 - Jacques Herbin Essentials, Ink Flight #51 - April Fool's Surprise III, Ink Flight #52 - Colorverse, Season 7, Ink Flight #53 - Private Reserve, Ink Flight #54 - Graf von Faber-Castell, Ink Flight #55 - Stipula, Ink Flight #56 - Taccia Ukiyo-e 2nd Edition, Ink Flight #57 - Ink or Treat, Ink Flight #58 - Colorverse Ink Project Vol. 2 Constellations, Ink Flight #59 - Dominant Industry, Ink Flight #60 - Robert Oster Cities of America, vol 1, Ink Flight #61 - Wearingeul, Ink Flight #62 - Van Dieman's Underwater Series, Ink Flight #63 - April Fool's Surprise IV, Ink Flight #64 - Pennonia Inks, Pt. 2, Ink Flight #65 - Vinta Inks, Pt. 2 feat. "Fairytale", Ink Flight #66 - Monarca Stationery, Ink Flight #67 - Sailor Yurameku Inks, Ink Flight #68 - Troublemaker, Pt. 2, Ink Flight #69 - Krishna, Pt. 2, Ink Flight #70 - Octopus Fluids, Ink Flight #71 - Ferris Wheel Press,