Currently Inked: 7th June 2023

As I’ve mentioned before, I use multiple fountain pens and inks at a time, and choosing combinations that work well together is one of my favourite parts of this hobby. I’m happy with the current lineup so I thought I’d share it.

I’ve just finished my final year of university(!) and am taking some time to relax. Right now my pens are only for journaling, bujo, and hobbies. One hobby comes with a requirement: I’m learning Chinese, and I need a fine nib to have any hope of writing the characters legibly.

Diamine Aqua Lagoon - Lamy CP1 <B>

I inked this pen mostly out of habit - I like to use a broad nib for writing headers when I’m studying. Now I’m not doing that, it’s relegated to dating journal entries or accenting bujo layouts with a pop of turquoise.

Diamine Eau de Nil - Pilot Custom 74 <F>

I keep returning to this pairing, and not just because the ink matches the colour of the pen. Eau de Nil’s saturated teal looks mature and complex in such narrow lines. The delicate nib is reserved for journaling only.

Diamine Grey - Pilot Prera <F>

The Prera’s stiff, fine nib doesn’t show off the silvery quality of Diamine Grey as well as some of my other pens, but that just plays to one of grey’s strengths: being unobtrusive. An all-purpose combo, which looks sufficiently different to Eau de Nil in my journal while still reading as body text.

Diamine Prussian Blue - Lamy Safari <F>

Prussian Blue writes dark and dries to a lighter blue-grey. Combined with my Safari’s rounded tip, this is a time-tested combination that fades into the background and lets me get on with writing. Used for bullet journaling, to-do lists, and drafting.

Sailor Shikiori Sakuramori - Pilot Kakuno <F>

This warm pink was a venture out of my usual colour palette, and I’m not a fan. At least the fine nib helps it achieve some intensity of colour. Used for annotations and sidebars in my journal, plus noting down Chinese vocab.

Diamine Wild Strawberry - Pilot Kakuno <F>

Precise lines in vivid dark red. Does all the same jobs as the other Kakuno, plus marking up my drafts - it’s legible even when squeezed in amongst the scrawls of Prussian Blue.