Lessons Learned from Inkvent 2023

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Inkvent 2023?! When it’s almost July 2024?! Isn’t that a little late, Kimberly? Yes. And no. As I’ve mentioned in the past few articles like this one, I’ve been having a bit of a slump when it came to ink swatching but Inkvent was a whole different beast. It’s a commitment to swatch 25 inks, even if it’s meant to be done one per day, you still gotta swatch them all. Unlike “regular” bottles or samples, Inkvent is a whole “thing” (insert hand waving and all that) and I just hadn’t been in the mood for that. Not in December of 2023, nor even in 2022.

I fell off the Diamine Inkvent Calendar hype train in 2022. I mean, I did buy it, but I just wasn’t that excited about swatching it. I would much rather swatch bottles and sample that I picked out, rather than 25 random, surprise inks. Of course, that’s the whole point of advent/inkvent and things like that, but I just wasn’t feeling it. So I didn’t even swatch 2022 until late December 2023, while on vacation at my in-laws’ house. I felt really guilty at having bought something at nearly full price and just sat on it for a year. Ouch.

I told myself I wasn’t going to let that happen for Inkvent 2023 and here we are, near the end of June and I just finished swatching those 25 inks and I couldn’t be happier and here’s what I realized:

1. I could do whatever I wanted - Specifically, I wasn’t under any pressure to swatch every day. I didn’t have to open it on December 1, take photos/video and swatch and take more photos and post to IG. In fact, it was a huge relief not having to make or post ink swatches every day. I could skip days and it wouldn’t matter. I could do them in batches of 5 (which is what I ended up doing), or 3 or 10 (which I also did one day). This was really freeing
2. I still enjoyed the December Inkvent posts - Just because I wasn’t swatching in December, didn’t mean I was going to avoid the December Inkvent IG posts, blogs, videos, etc. It was kind of impossible to avoid short of staying off the internet entirely (which probably isn’t such a bad idea, but that’s a topic for another day). I knew that I would eventually get around to the Inkvent Calendar, and I would have long forgotten what inks were in what order, which ones people liked, disliked, etc.
3. Swatching in June still gave me the “inkvent experience” - Related to the above, by the time I got to swatching, I could only name a couple inks that were mentioned back in December but heck if I knew what colors they were or why people liked/disliked them. Doing this so much later meant that I was able to form my own impressions with each swatch and pick out my own favorites without being influenced (as much) by all the December buzz.
4. Full-size bottles available in June! - People have been getting antsy about when the full-size bottles would be released and it turns out that they get released in June! Since I haven’t even used any of the inks in pens yet, I don’t have to worry about the mad rush to buy full-sized bottles, but it’s also nice to know that I could do so right now since there were a couple that I really liked.
5. Diamine’s plastic seals were a royal pain - I cannot tell you how much of an annoyance the plastic seal was to remove from each little bottle. Even with scissors and some nail length, some of them were difficult to remove and wreaked havoc on my fingers. Posting about this to my IG stories revealed that this was a sore spot for a lot of participants too! Some folks told me that they used scissors or utility knives to open the seal but they also managed to damage the bottles too, oops. I found out, after the fact, that seam rippers could be used to cut the plastic without any risk of damage, so I might go that route if Diamine doesn’t perforate the plastic seal for 2024.

This was _after_ using scissors to snip a bit of the top - it took quite a bit of tugging just to get this far.

6. Colored labels are the best - This isn’t something new - it’s just extra satisfying about seeing the colorful labels as I swatch each one. It makes them a lot easier to find too! It’s also how I can tell if I’ve swatched samples or little bottles like these. No label = no swatch.

Check out this little IG reel of how this picture came to be.

Even though this isn’t an ink review, I couldn’t pass up sharing some of my favorites (it was easier to pick out favorites as I was swatching them in batches of 5):

From Days 1-5, my favorites were Masquerade, Cashmere Rose.

Days 6-10: Buck Fizz, Jacaranda, Moon Beam.

Days 11-15: Rainbow’s End, Weeping Willow, Bah Humbug.

Days 16-20: Lavender Frost.

Days 21-25: Tranquility, Fireside Snug, and Sugar Snap.

Most, but not all, of the favorites were shimmers, but the standard inks that I really liked a lot were Weeping Willow and Jacaranda. Neither of the two scented inks made my favorites list as they were quite wet when swatching, so I’m curious how they would behave in a drier pen.

My two most favorite inks from Inkvent 2023 - Weeping Willow and Jacaranda.

So, what am I going to do for 2024 Inkvent? To no one’s surprise, I’m still planning to get the next Inkvent, but I don’t think I want to wait until next June to swatch them either. I’m going to sit back, relax, and follow along with everyone’s December swatches, IG, blogs, Twitch, etc. while I enjoy my Inkvent at a later date. Until then, stay inky and keep swatching!

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Robert Oster Skyward Fountain Pen Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Summer is just around the corner, and that means many people will be setting off on summer vacations to idyllic locations that may feature views of beautiful bodies of water. That sort of vacation or trip isn't in the cards for me this year, but I can capture a small part of that sparkly water feel with Skyward ink from Robert Oster, an exclusive color from Vanness.

Given the name, I assume this ink color draws inspiration from the sky, but I just see crystal clear water when I look at it. Either way, it's a gorgeous aqua/sky blue with just a small hint of green. I'm a big fan of blue inks — turquoise in particular — and this shade of blue takes me to my happy place.

The ink flows really well (almost like water), and has no issues with skipping or hard starts. Like every other Oster ink I've personally used, it performs really well. There isn't any bleeding or feathering, and the ink stays where it's supposed to be while making clean lines with crisp edges.

There's also a bit of shading that adds to that feeling that this is actually a clear tropical body of water close to the beach. There's just enough variation of light blues and a little green to mimic shallow, clear water.

One thing that surprised me about this ink was the dry time. I wasn't expecting to be such a quick drying ink, but it most certainly is. Maybe that's due to the light color? At any rate, this ink is dry to the touch in about 15 to 20 seconds with this large, wet 1.1mm stub nib, and it's a second or two faster with a smaller nib. It dries fast enough that it might even be a good option for left-handed writers.

There's no mistaking this ink color when it's on the page. It is completely light blue and won't be able to pass as a medium blue ink. What that means is that you might not be able to use this ink in certain settings where dark colors are expected (business, legal, etc.). That being said, it's exceedingly great at adding joy to any piece of paper it touches, so use it as much as you want and push the boundaries of what's acceptable.

This comes as no surprise to me, but I absolutely love this ink. I knew as much when I saw the swatch online, and Robert Oster has delivered again. It's fantastic knowing that you can buy any of these inks based on color, shading, and other interesting characteristics while being confident that everything else will work great.

Vanness Pens sell Skyward exclusively, and you can pick it up in a 50ml bottle for $18, or you can opt for a 4ml sample for just under $4. In my opinion, you should go for the bottle if you like the color. This light blue has just enough green and subtle shading to make it feel like you're on the beach, so you'll likely use more of it that you think at first. If you like the color, you won't be sorry you picked up a bottle!

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Colorverse Korea Special Ink, Part 1

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I’ve been on a bit of an ink swatching spree, and at the bottom of one of the bins was this set of 10 inks from the Colorverse Korea Special Inks, part 1, which I got some time in December. They have since released part 2, so I knew I had to swatch these before getting tempted by the second series! I am following the same speed swatching methodology from my recent swatch-a-palooza, so without further ado, here we go!

Colorverse Korea Special Ink, Part 1.

I am swatching these in the order that Colorverse lists them in one of their IG posts, which is also how they are listed numerically from 044 - 053.

• 독 도 Dokdo - is a nice, mid-toned teal with slight red sheen on the edges of wet swabs.

• 한 빛 Han Bit (Glistening) - The only glistening (aka shimmer) ink in this series, Han Bit is a very light dual shading blue/lavender ink with light blue shimmer. I am very interested in seeing how this looks in a wet writer.

You can see more of Han Bit’s chromashading as well as the shimmer if you view it at an angle.

• 이응다리 Eung Bridge - At first glance, it looks like a “regular blue”, but it’s actually a little more complex. It is a bit of a chromashader, with purple and bright blue popping out against the more muted periwinkle shade of blue.

I wonder how similar this one will be to Sailor Manyo’s Nadeshiko.

• 거북선 Korea Turtle Ship - I hesitate to call this a black ink because it’s more like a black-ish, or grey, ink. It reminds me of pencil lead.

• 단오제 Danoje Festival - This ink is a mint colored ink, with hints of yellow as well as turquoise sheen around the edges of wetter swabs.

• 왕의 길 King’s Road - I don’t know if “light, dusty, sage green” are the right words to describe King’s Road but that’s the vibe I’m getting. It is very slightly dual shading, so I’m curious how it will look from a wetter pen on Tomoe River or Cosmo Air Light.

Some yellow and darker greens showing up on the wetter parts of the swatch.

• 녹 차 Green Tea - There are many shades of green tea inks and this one leans brighter and more yellow. It is borderline too light for my personal tastes, but again, maybe in the right, juicy pen/nib, it could be quite lovely.

Hard to see in this picture, but there is some bright lime as well as dusty pink popping up.

• 하회탈 Hahoe Mask - A slightly pinkish-leaning lighter brown ink, Hahoe Mask gives off dusty, warm clay mask vibes, though Hahoe Masks are often made from wood, not clay.

• 감 귤 Tangerine - This is a nice, light, but not in-your-face bright, orange inks. Despite it’s brighter color, it is a bit softer in tone.

Tangerine - this looks brighter in the photo than it does in real life.

• 소래 안개 Sorae Fog - This peachy pink ink felt a bit on the dry side, but is a lovely color that ranges from light pink to a medium-light coral.

In addition to using the Col-O-Rings, I also decided to swatch the series on PLOTTER DP Cream and Tomoe River 68 gsm papers.

I love seeing all the colors on a page like this!

Look at that purple popping from Eung Bridge! Also, ignore the bloop on the latter part of Danoje Festival because that’s from user error, I mean, the Kakimori dip nib, and not the ink’s fault.

Green Tea’s bright, lime green edges as well as the barely perceptible peach shade looks really interesting!

Line swatches on Tomoe River 68 gsm - I was a little surprised that these swatched lines weren’t as “interesting” as the swatches on PLOTTER paper, especially since both were made from the same Kakimori dip nib! Just goes to show how differently inks can behave on different paper!

I’ve decided to ink up these two:

I picked a Pelikan M605 with a medium nib (the swatches get harder to photograph once you put a pen on it.)

I know that Sailor Pro Gear Slims aren’t the wettest pens out there, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the Medium nib on this PGS Fuki pen will put down enough ink to make it legible.

A few thoughts that popped up while doing these swatches:

• The one word I would use to describe almost all of the inks (except Dokdo) is “soft”, as in slightly muted, not very saturated, not very bright. This is neither good nor bad, just a vibe that I get when I look at the inks.
• Most of the inks (except for Dokdo) felt a bit dry when swatching. I look at how easily ink moves around when i’m swatching, as well as how it feels from the dip nib, to help me gauge an ink’s wetness or dryness. Obviously, this isn’t foolproof, but if I have to do a lot of dipping and swabbing to get ink onto paper, it’s something I notice.
• We know that pen/nib is important in how an ink looks and feels, but paper is particularly important for the chromashaders like Eung Bridge, King’s Road, and Green Tea.
• I love that Colorverse made these in 15ml bottles. I wish they’d stop making the gigantic 65ml bottles of ink. The 15 and 30ml bottles are perfect.

Swatch cards

• The swatch cards took ink nicely and were easy to use and did not warp when swatched. I don’t like having only 3 lines for the ink names. I think I would prefer that it was blank.
• They are an interesting size, around 4” x 2.5” or 100 x 65mm, or “Size B”. Larger than a Col-o-Ring and much larger than a business card (which is about what Wearingeul’s cards are), but also quite a bit smaller than an index card. I’m not sure how I will store these cards now that they are swatched.

==swatch card== The swatch cards come in packs of 50 and are made from 200 gsm Nebula Premium paper.

• Just for fun, I decided to try the Hubble Ink Art Card in “Size C”, 5.75 x 3.75” or 145 x 95 mm. I started the swatch with the Kakimori and quickly realized I needed a lot more ink (and more frequent dipping would only increase the chances of me knocking over the bottle), so I switched to a paintbrush. Next time I think I might try syringing some drops onto the card instead.

There are 15 sheets each of two designs (total of 30 sheets) and are made from the same paper as the swatch cards.

You can see the few places where I went over it more than once, and it’s cool to see more of Eung Bridge’s chromashading.

Colorverse Ink, including the Korea Special inks series can be found at site sponsors JetPens, Goldspot, Pen Chalet, and Vanness Pens for around $15/bottle retail. The ink bottle swatch cards retail for $6 for a pack of 50 cards, while the Hubble cards retail for $12 for a pack of 30 (15 each, of 2 designs).

(Disclaimer: The swatch cards and ink art cards were provided by Luxury Brands of America at no charge for review. I purchased the inks on my own.)