Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 25: Best Wishes and Closing Thoughts

It’s the final day of Inkvent, and so it’s time to both review the final, 30ml bottle of the set, and review the calendar in its entirety.

Door 25

Day 25’s ink is a larger, 30ml bottle. It’s called Best Wishes, and it’s a very dark and saturated green with green shimmer and a lot of red sheen.

Best Wishes 30ml bottle

It’s quite a dramatic combination, the dark green base being almost black, the red sheen being very prominent and the green shimmer on top. More Halloween appropriate perhaps than Christmassy.

Col-o-Ring swab

My camera had a rough time photographing this ink. It’s the combination of the shimmer and the dark ink maybe that made it a bit blurry. In any case, the base ink is so dark that you can hardly tell that it’s a green at times.

52 gsm Tomoe River paper sketch

Here it is from another angle:

52gsm Tomoe River paper sketch.

This ink takes ages to dry, because it’s so saturated. I smudged the sketch above and this writing sample took a good long time to properly dry. If you’re left handed, I’d steer well away from Diamine Best Wishes. If you like the drama, then maybe it’s the ink for you. Personally I would have preferred a lighter or more interesting green with a chameleon effect and no sheen.

Writing sample on 68gsm Tomoe River paper

It’s summary time! Looking at this year’s Inkvent, I’m very pleased with the selection of inks, the spread of ink properties amongst them, and the overall value of this experience. I like that we got new chameleon inks, and I appreciated that there were less red inks in this year’s edition, and quite a good number of uniquely coloured inks. Reviewing the whole 25 inks involved, I think that Dusted Truffle, Memory Lane, Solar Storm, Ghost, Olive Swirl, Arctic Blast, Deck the Halls, and One More Sleep are the stand outs for me. Olive Swirl, Memory Lane, Dusted Truffle and Deck the Halls are inks that I plan on buying full bottles of once the green edition bottles come out. Ghost and Arctic Blast might join them too. If you like red inks, the Spiced Apple is fantastic. There are other great inks to have here, depending on your personal taste.

It was quite an endeavour, to fill fountain pens 25 times with ink and write, sketch and post a review of an ink a day. I don’t know if Diamine will create a 2023 Inkvent calendar, or if I will be able to write another set of reviews like this, but it was a wild and fun ride creating these reviews for the blog this year.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. I hope you got some cool pens and ink under the tree.

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 24: One More Sleep

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! It’s day 24 of Diamine Inkvent.

Door 24

Day 24’s ink is Diamine One More Sleep, a standard grey blue ink.

One More Sleep bottle

Diamine One More Sleep is a lovely grey blue with a lot a shading and a hint of lavender in the background.

Col-o-Ring swab

I love this shade of ink as it works well for sketching and for writing. It’s also a calm and relaxing colour, very appropriately named.

Sketch on 52gsm Tomoe River paper

Today’s writing sample is a little melancholy, as I reflect on the wave of well established pen shops that are closing down by the end of the year. This ink colour seems to encourage reflection, something I find myself doing more often since I received my cancer diagnosis a year and a half ago. If you don’t have an ink in this bluish grey light purple shade I recommend getting one, whether it’s Diamine One More Sleep or something similar by a Japanese or Korean maker.

Writing sample on 68gsm Tomoe River paper

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 23: Celebration

It’s day 23 of the Diamine Inkvent calendar.

Door 23

Day 23’s ink is Diamine Celebration, a coral ink with shimmer.

Celebration bottle

Celebration is between pink and orange, a bright and vibrant ink with plenty of orange shimmer. It look like Diamine Coral with added pizzazz.

Col-o-Ring swab

This ink would definitely cheer you up on a dark and gloomy day, as it practically glows in the page. Is it practical? No. Is it fun and interesting? Yes, particularly if you haven’t got an ink like Diamine Coral.

Sketch on 52gsm Tomoe River paper

Would I use a bottle of this? No. I have a bottle of Diamine Coral already, and I don’t need another one but with shimmers in it. But this ink certainly belongs in this calendar, and I’m glad that Diamine chose this hue instead of another red.

Writing sample on 68gsm Tomoe River paper

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 22: Deck the Halls

It’s day 22 of Diamine’s Inkvent (check out that snowflake!):

Door 22

Day 22’s ink is Diamine Deck the Halls, a dark purple chameleon ink, and an interesting one at that.

Deck the Halls bottle

Deck the Hall is dark and saturated, with just a hint of shading and a fascinating chameleon effect. I was expecting something with a silver, green or blue shimmer, but Deck the Hall shimmers from coppery orange to pink.

Col-o-Ring swab

I don’t really like this dark eggplant colour, bu the chameleon shimmer effect here works very well, because of its strong contrast with the base colour. The effect reminded me of a hummingbird’s wings flashing.

Sketch on 52gsm Tomoe River paper

I don’t really like the base colour so I don’t see myself buying a full size bottle of Diamine Deck the Halls. That being said, this ink is very Inkvent appropriate and an interesting ink with a lot of character.

Writing sample on 68gsm Tomoe River paper.

Bonus: the signature I mentioned in my writing sample:

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 21: Cosy Up

It’s day 21 in the Diamine Inkvent calendar.

Door 21

Day 21’s ink is Diamine Cosy Up, a standard bubblegum pink.

Cosy Up bottle.

Cosy Up is a bright and cheerful colour with a lot of shading. If you like Diamine Coral you’ll likely like Cosy Up too.

Col-o-Ring swab

I’m not a big fan of pink inks, but this one made me smile. It’s a very Barbie appropriate colour, one that Elle Woods would have loved.

Sketch on 52gsm Tomoe River paper

There are a lot of ink options in this shade of pink in the market, so there’s no reason to prefer this one when it comes out, unless you are a fan of the bottle. That being said, it was nice getting a little sample of this in this year’s Inkvent.

Writing sample on 68gsm Tomoe River paper

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 18: Olive Swirl

It’s day 18 in Diamine Inkvent. Exciting, I know 🙂

Door 18

Day 18’s ink is Diamine Olive Swirl, an olive green chameleon ink with a good amount of shading and a whole lot of class.

Diamine Olive Swirl bottle

Diamine Olive Swirl is a very cool colour – a pretty vibrant olive green with the coolest chameleon effect. The shimmers here change from pinkish copper to green, and it is a very attractive combination with the base colour.

Diamine Olive Swirl swab on Col-o-Ring

I like sketching with unusual colours every once in a while, and even though I don’t sketch with shimmer inks, I can see myself sketching with Olive Swirl. The base colour is so good and the chameleon shimmer is subtle and yet adds so much interest to it, that I really enjoyed sketching this sea turtle with it.

Sketch on 52gsm Tomoe River paper

Of the chameleon inks so far, Olive Swirl is by far my favourite. Green and pink are a classic combination, and the fact that you see the pink only in certain angles and so very subtly adds a lot to this ink’s charm. Definitely an ink I see myself purchasing in the future.

Writing sample on 68gsm Tomoe River paper

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 17: Flame

It’s day 17 in the Diamine Inkvent calendar, and check out that cool snowflake:

Door 17

Day 17’s ink is Diamine Flame, an orange standard ink. Yay for standard inks again!

Diamine Flame bottle

Diamine Flame is a bright orange with some shading and did I mention that it’s a standard ink? No shimmer, sheen, sparkles or scent. Nice for a change.

Diamine Flame on Col-o-Ring

I am continuing my animal theme for now, this time with a sketch of a clown fish. You can see Diamine Flame’s shading and outlining properties quite well here”

Diamine Flame on 52gsm Tomoe River paper

Diamine Flame is dark enough to be legible without losing its orange nature (it’s not too red, in other words). Will I buy a full bottle of this? Likely not, as I don’t normally use orange inks. It is, however, a well behaved, interesting enough orange ink for me to recommend it if you are looking for something in that shade and find Diamine more affordable/accessible than Robert Oster, Pilot Iroshizuku or Montblanc.

Writing sample on 68gsm Tomoe River paper

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 15: Diamine Pick Me Up

It’s day 15 of Diamine’s Inkvent, and it comes with another cool illustration on the door:

Day 15 door

Oh no! Day 15 is another scented ink! Day 15’s ink is Diamine Pick Me Up, a scented and sheening chocolate brown ink, and it’s likely going to be one of my least favourite inks in this year’s Inkvent.

Diamine Pick Me Up bottle

The base ink itself is a warm, rich colour, with some shading and a greenish gold sheen which I could do without. It also has a strong artificial smell of either burnt chocolate or chocolate with coffee (but not the good kind of chocolate with coffee).

Swab on a Col-o-Ring

I enjoyed drawing this aardvark. I didn’t enjoy using this ink, largely because of the smell. I dumped out the previous scented ink, and this one looks to be following it down the drain.

Sketch on 52gsm Tomoe river paper

I used a Lamy AL Star fine nib to write and sketch this review, and I am going to clean it out thoroughly this weekend by the looks of it. I just can’t stand the smell, and the ink isn’t appealing enough for me to want to use it despite the scent and the sheen.

Writing sample on 68g Tomoe River paper

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 14: Three Kings

It’s day 14 in the Invent calendar, and it’s time for one of my favourite door illustrations:

Door 14

Day 14’s ink is Diamine Three Kings, a standard dark yellow ink. Yes, that’s not a mistake – there’s not a smidgen of sparkle in sight with this one, despite the ink’s shade and its name. I salute whomever had the restraint.

Diamine Three Kings bottle

What Three Kings does well is shade. The colour reminds of aged gold, a yellow with a good hint of dark orange to it.

Diamine Three Kings on a Col-o-Ring

I drew a not very good sketch of a lion with Three Kings, and while I love the shading that it offers and it reminds me of yellow ochre (which I use a lot in my sketches) I don’t think that it’s the best shade for sketching. It won’t stand up to other colours, it isn’t waterproof so it won’t combine well with watercolours, and it’s a bit anaemic on its own. Maybe combined with other brown inks…

Diamine Three Kings on 52gsm Tomoe River paper

Diamine Three Kings is an interesting colour, mostly because it’s sort of a colour hybrid (like R&K’s Alt Goldrun in concept, if not in colour), and it isn’t a shimmer or chameleon ink. I don’t see a bottle of this ink in my future, but if you are looking for a yellow ochre ink, Three Kings may be the ink for you.

Writing sample on 68gsm Tomoe River paper.

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Day 13: Upon a Star

It’s day 13 of Diamine Inkvent, and I almost didn’t create this review because I had a late afternoon post cancer heart echocardiogram at the hospital and I was sure that I was in for at least a two hour wait. Thankfully my wait was much shorter (and even more thankfully my heart survived everything that cancer and chemo threw at it), so here’s today’s review.

Day 13

Day 13’s ink is another chameleon one: Diamine Upon a Star. Let’s all pause and acknowledge that this is just a beautiful name for an ink. Upon a Star is a royal blue ink with green, purple, blue chameleon shimmer that makes me think of peacock tail feathers.

Diamine Upon a Star bottle

Diamine Upon a Star is a saturated royal blue with a good amount of the somewhat tiresome but well know red sheen. The sheen can easily overshadow the chameleon glitter, and so the effect can sadly pretty easily be lost.

Diamine Upon a Star swab on a Col-o-Ring

I’m still watching Dinsey’s the Magic of Animal Kingdom (it’s very good, even if I’m not 100% in love with Josh Gad’s narrating style) and so I drew a macaw to test out this ink. I was using a Lamy Safari fine nibbed pen and the chameleon effect is almost entirely lost beneath the shimmer.

Diamine Upon a Star macaw sketch on 52gsm Tomoe River paper

I have too many inks in this shade of blue to even consider Diamine Upon a Star, especially considering that its chameleon effect just looks like red sheening or disappears under the red sheening most of the time. It’s a nice ink to have a little sample of, but not one that I plan on purchasing in the future.

Writing sample on 68g Tomoe River paper