Ink Flight #70 Reveal, November 2022

True to its name, Octopus Fluids is an ink manufacturing company based in Dresden, Germany. For over 10 years, Octopus' chemists developed creative, technical, and specialty inks. They produced writing inks with pleasant shades, low feathering, and fast dry times.

Being that the Octopus (or "Inktopus") is near and dear to the InkJournal brand, I was excited to collaborate with this ink company and share its colors.

November 2022 Ink Flight Box #70 "Currently Inked" Color Selection

Octopus Fluids Sepia Schwarz
Write with vintage style using this dark, woody, neutral brown ink.

Octopus Fluids Aubergine
This charming purple ink has a blue halo with light sheen and nice shading.

Octopus Fluids Orange
Bright and cheery, this juicy golden-orange color has smoky shading.

Octopus Fluids Brilliant Rot
As the kids say these days, this ink is "fire!" This vibrant red stands out with daring excitement.

Octopus Fluids Pebble Stone
Part of the 'pastel' collection, this light gray ink has a soft appearance that shades well.

Octopus Fluids Karibik
Sail the refreshing waves of this aqua blue-green ink.

Octopus Fluids Weinrot
This saturated, deep burgundy red has a dark sheen.

Tasting notes: These inks played nicely with the pens that I used. Even the saturated (and sheeny) Weinrot had a good flow and wasn't as smeary as other sheen inks are.

I was still feeling the fall vibes with the bright orange and brilliant red from this month's set. The Pebble Stone gray is the least saturated of all the colors. It straddles the line between legible and illegible. Yet, it provides nice shading. Aubergine is a fun purple that has good shading and blue edging to make it distinctive and fresh.

If you're feeling a little old-fashioned and want to use an ink that could be considered business appropriate, Sepia Schwarz is dark enough to look like it's black with undertones of dark brown. If you prefer to fly south during the winter, fill your pen up with the refreshing Karibik turquoise aqua ink.

Box Extras: Sakae Technical Paper Iroful A5 Loose Sheet Tablet

Unleash the brilliance of color when you write or draw on the Japanese-made Iroful 75gsm paper. This paper showcases the vibrance and shading of fountain pen ink. It also resists feathering and showthrough. The 5mm dot grid offers plenty of creative options to use the 100 sheets.

Some ideas on how you could use the Iroful A5 papers:

  • Writing letters of thanks to friends, family, and business associates.
  • Sketching out the layout of a charcuterie board.
  • Drafting the content of a website landing page.
  • Designing a dungeon for a role-playing game.
  • Keeping a gratitude log.
  • Practicing Spencerian handwriting with a flex nib.
  • Collecting inspirational quotes.
  • Making holiday wishlists or pen wishlists.

When I received a sample pad of this fantastic, fountain pen-friendly paper, I knew I had to share it with the Ink Flight crew. With the classic Tomoe River and Cosmo Air Light papers becoming difficult to obtain, I am eager to open myself to other alternatives that are entering the market to satisfy the ink enthusiast. I'm hoping that this paper finds its way into other notebook formats in the future.

Thanks go to Eric (@e_bear_ink on Instagram), who illustrated this month's "Inky Experiment" sticker. Stay curious, pen pals!

What are your thoughts on November'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