Ink Flight #15 Reveal + Giveaway
In our journey to seek out new and exciting inks, we pointed our voyage skyward to a set of out-of-this-world ink colors inspired by astrophysics and the cosmos.
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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 )
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Colorverse is a relatively new brand of inks from Korea that have exploded on the writing scene in the early stage of 2018. Originally crowd-funded in the Koren equivalent of a Kickstarter campaign, this brand of ink has "taken off," accelerating to a collection of over 30 colors. These colors aren't your run-of-the-mill, terrestrial variety of fountain pen inks. Most have shading, sheen or a vibrant hue. They also have out-of-this-world names like "Supernova," "Quasar," "Saturn V," "Black Hole," and so on.
Let's engage thrusters and survey the selection of colors that we sampled from Seasons 1 & 2.
Supernova
A rich, saturated blue ink that has a tendency to explode with sheen. I used a Nemosine Singularity with a stub nib (seems appropriate given the space reference in both the pen and ink).
Gravity Wave
You'll feel a natural attraction to this greenish teal ink that shades and sheens well. Using this in a Sailor music nib, this ink was laid on thick and did not disappoint. The reddish-purple sheen on Tomoe River Paper reminds me of J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor, just without the heavy saturation and sparkles.
Crystal Planet
A clearly beautiful, azure blue ink that shades nicely with a hint of sheen. This is like a dialed back version of Supernova in terms of saturation and sheen.
Lights on Ceres
Changing up the pace from all the blues & greens, "Ceres" has a rosy, vibrant pink hue. Writing with it in an FPR Guru with a flex nib, I was able to produce a richer shade on the flexed downstrokes.
Sea of Tranquility
This peaceful, leafy green has a lighter saturation that shades nicely. Writing with it in my vintage Waterman Stalwart, I was able to accentuate the shading effect by flexing the nib.
Andromeda
Fans of Iroshizuku Yama-Budo & Sailor Grenade will love this wine burgundy with gold sheen. Even in a fine nib, the reflective sheen is still quite noticeable.
Mars Curiosity
Much like the desolate surface of Mars, this ink has a rusty, red-orange color. After inking my Pelikan M200 Cognac with Blackstone Wild Orange last month, transitioning to this Martian color feels familiar with a reddish lean.
Each day, I've been cycling through the pens that held these inks because I liked them all so much. Usually, I would list my favorites, but I liked all of these nearly equally for different reasons.
Colorverse Ink bottles are now available on our inkjournal.com shop in 65ml + 15ml bottle packages. Colorverse is unique in its packaging, as you get two bottles in one pack. The 15ml mini bottle, besides being absolutely adorable, can be used to share with a friend or pen pal. We currently stock the colors used in this month's Ink Flight. PLUS, we added the Season 3 "Multiverse" lineup of inks in bottle and sample form!
> > Shop our Colorverse Ink selection here.
Box Extras: Life Stationery Pistachio Grid A5 Notebook, Tsubame Ruled Notebook, Air Mail Envelope & Pin
In this month’s Ink Flight Box extras, we explore top-notch stationery from Japan. The LIFE Stationery Company has produced handmade paper goods in Tokyo since 1946. In 70 years, they’ve developed the reputation for having excellent, smooth paper that is fountain pen friendly.
The pistachio green grid lines of the Life Stationery Pistachio notebook are printed on 85gsm, smooth interior paper are scarcely noticeable. The saddle-stitched binding is hand threaded and covered with a sturdy cardstock.
For more traditional composition writing, explore the unadorned style and simplicity of the Tsubame lined notebook. With 10mm spaced lines, this notebook will be perfect for long sessions of writing with your choice of pen and ink combination.
Even something as simple as an envelope gets the attention to detail that it deserves by the dedicated craftspeople of LIFE Stationery. Send an A5 or A6 sized letter from wherever your travels take you using the self-adhering envelope. The inner envelope design sports a pattern of cursive writing that says “Tokyo Life,” which adds an elegant touch.
An original, in-house design for InkJournal, the "Great Minds Ink Alike" phrase that first appeared on our T-Shirts has now been updated into pin button form. I look forward to seeing you all at a pen show wearing these with pride!
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GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY (USA shipping addresses only)
Leave a comment below to let us know what you think about April 2018's Ink Flight, Colorverse inks or Life Stationery Notebooks. We will pick one random commenter to win an upcoming May 2018's Flight Box on Tuesday, April 24th at 8:00 pm. My sincere apologies to our international friends, we will only ship this giveaway to USA addresses.