Ink Flight #55, August 2021
A couple of months ago, my cohost on the Pentertainment Podcast, Master Sensei PenBoyRoy, asked if there was anyone out there in the pen world that considers "Stipula" to be their all-time favorite pen brand (episode 78). Well, it was ironic that, at that very moment, I already planned on including Stipula Inks in the next Ink Flight.
When considering all the various European (specifically Italian) brands of writing instruments, Stipula is one of the older names in the industry that probably doesn't get as much love or notoriety. In August, we aim to change that - for their inks, anyway.
Founded by Renzo Salvadori shortly after the liberation of Florence in 1945, the Stipula Pen Company continues its commitment to traditional pen manufacturing techniques while adapting to modern technologies. Stipula's "Calamo" ink collection features a palette of soft, bright colors that shade well.
Here's a rundown of August 2021's Ink Flight Colors:
Stipula Sapphron
This lightly saturated, golden yellow has a bright, cheery temperament. Despite being so light, it still has good enough contrast to read without eye strain (at least for me).
Stipula Sweet Pink
Give your words a playful bounce with this juicy, bubblegum color. This is a fun ink I put into my all-about-business Lamy 2000. It's a bold color without being too bright and obnoxious.
Stipula Florentine Red
This type of bold red is commonly found in fashion and makes a dramatic statement on paper.
Stipula Bright Green
Refresh your daily journaling with this flourishing ink. It shaded well, even with a medium point Platinum nib.
Stipula Light Blue
Take in the tranquil sight of this calming blue ink. I'd call it more of a turquoise with good shading.
Stipula Dark Gray
Contrary to its name, "Dark Gray" is a light, shading gray ink. A touch lighter than last month's GvFC Stone Grey.
Stipula Purple
Rich and bold, this purple ink has an exciting vibrancy.
Tasting Notes: These colors definitely have a "summer" vibe about them. Their saturations range from light to medium. None of the Stipula inks are saturated enough to sheen, even on Tomoe River paper. Yet, they're quite pleasing to use and look at on the page. They all seem to shade well and have a significant amount of contrast to be read clearly on white paper. To reiterate the question at the beginning of this post, "Is Stipula my favorite brand?" While their inks are pleasant, they don't "WOW" me enough to say they are my favorites.
Box Extras: Life x Kleid Noble Note A5 Graph Notebook and Journaling Stencil
Fans of super-smooth, Japanese writing paper will thoroughly enjoy the quality of this Life Noble Notebook. Instead of the usual 5mm grid, this special design has a smaller 2mm grid which could be used for handwriting practice, sketching out knitting charts, or creating pixel art.
The thread-bound, cloth-covered spine lays flat when open, allowing easy access to the 200 pages of white or cream-colored paper. Ink Flight subscribers received one of 4 color covers randomly. The Navy and White cover notebooks are filled with white paper. The Olive and Black covers contain cream paper.
Set up a Bullet Journal with ease using the metal stencil bookmark from Peter Pauper Press. The durable, multipurpose bookmark has a ruler and stencil with symbols commonly used in journaling. Use with pencils, markers, felt-tip, or ballpoint pens. Not recommended for use with fountain pen nibs.
This month's sticker is a commissioned design from our friend and fountain pen influencer Vanessa Langton (@vanessa_langton on Instagram). The bougie Inktopus is our official InkJournal mascot for August 2021.
Let's chat about this Flight
We invite you to join hundreds of kindred spirits in the Ink Flight Lounge Facebook Group to talk about this month's Flight Box. Likes? Dislikes? Favorite pairings? We'd love to read what you thought about the contents of this box. If you don't have/do Facebook, please feel free to let us know your thoughts 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, 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)