Ink Flight #33 Reveal, October 2019

In September, we explored the colors of Vinta inks from the Philippines. This month, we stayed in the same country to sample another up-and-coming ink manufacturer called Troublemaker Inks.

Contrary to the name, Troublemaker Inks won't make any trouble for your pens. Each bottle of ink is 100% mixed, bottled, and packaged by hand. The small ink studio is looking to make a name for themselves with unique, quality writing ink.

Here is a rundown of October 2019's Ink Flight lineup. 

Milky Ocean
A dual-shading ink color that has light blue and lavender hues. A pleasing ink color to fill in large areas, doodle or do zentangles.

Petrichor
Similar to last month's Armada, Petrichor is a shifty color that could be considered a purple, a green or a gray, depending on the nib and paper used.

Escolta Street
A rich, vibrant orange-red ink with pinkish undertones.

Simoun
This super-saturated dark blue has a deep violet sheen. Every ink manufacturer now seems to have a super sheeny blue ink in their repertoire. 

Nautical Highway (Shimmer)
Shake things up with this dark teal with sheen and a glint of shimmer. Similar to Emerald of Chivor, only perhaps more saturated with sparkle.

España Boulevard (Shimmer)
Gold shimmer dazzles with this delightful golden-olive ink. Shades nicely as well.

Copper Patina (Shimmer)
A brassy metallic shimmer shines through on this light green ink.

Tasting Notes: I know a few of our Ink Flight subscribers were a bit nervous about loading their pens with thick, sparkly fluid. Being that I have done so and lived to tell the tale, I can assure you that your feeds will not seize. For shimmer inks, I usually opt to fill up a converter-fill pen that has a broad, stub or flex nib. I dig the undersaturated, dual-shading inks - liking them better than Vinta's lighter pastel colors from last month.

To discuss the contents of our Ink Flight Box, I'd like to turn your attention to our chief YouTube Ink Flight correspondent, Chris Saenz, for a full report and unboxing. She just hit 2,000 YouTube subscribers. Be sure to check out her channel and send her a note of thanks for her enthusiastic contributions to the pen and ink community.

Box Extras: Inktober Bonus Items

Inktober is a creative challenge started by illustrator Jake Parker in 2009. Since then, it has grown to include participants around the world putting ink on paper every day in October.

It doesn't matter if you're an accomplished artist or capable of drawing only stick figures. It's all about practice and keeping the routine. In this month's box, we included a couple of tools to try lettering, calligraphy, and drawing.

Ohto Sharp Pencil, 0.5mm
Although it may look and feel like your typical wood case pencil, the Ohto Sharp Pencil is a 0.5mm lead mechanical pencil. Artists and calligraphers would use this type of pencil to lay down the framework of their piece.

Kuretake Fude Brush Pen
For the "inking" of a comic illustration, artists often turn to a pen or brush with a flexible tip. Line variation gives weight and depth to the drawn shapes. The dual brush tips of the Kuretake Fude pen are versatile - one side is a smaller, stiffer tip for detail while the other end is for larger, bolder lines.

Your Ink Flight Captain (Tom) designed the vinyl "Inktober" pumpkin sticker included in the Ink Flight box. It describes the various stages of creating an illustration - from the sketched pencil layer, inking it with a brush pen, then coloring it using a wash of fountain pen ink.

What did you think of October's Ink Flight contents? What ink(s) and extras would you like to see in future boxes? Let us know in the comments below.

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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)