Hello, welcome back to 24 Days of Dupes 2024. Below you’ll find the inks for days 5-11. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe for any of these inks, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap-up post.
Some info:
- You can click the swatch images to view them larger.
- I swatched each ink with a small (#2) paintbrush and wrote with a Sailor Compass Hocoro Dip Pen.
- All inks are swatched on Muji A5 loose leaf paper in dot grid ruling
- While I try to edit the images so they look as close to real life as possible, I can’t guarantee that the color you see on your screen will be true to life. However, with all the dupes on the same page, you’ll see how the colors look in relation to each other, which is the main point of these posts.
- I can’t fairly call any ink a perfect color match, as I’m not comparing them scientifically, I’m just using my eyes. Therefore, I won’t be going any further than calling an ink a “near-perfect color match.”
- Reminder: I’m not attempting to dupe the special properties of the inks — sheen, shimmer, etc. — only the base color.
- When I mention “writing samples,” I’m talking about where I’ve written 2024 Colorvent (Calendar) on the right-hand side of the page.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
Jump to a day: Rosette Nebula| ⇣ Kilonova | ⇣ Rover | ⇣ Blue Moon | ⇣ Red Horizon | ⇣ Aquarius Whispers | ⇣ DaVinci Glow
Day 5: Rosette Nebula
Rosette Nebula is a bit hard to describe. The best I can think of is to call it a muted, darkened, Barbie pink. It has a nice amount of shading. When enough ink is laid down, it has a small ring of near-black around the area.
Colorverse’s description for day 5 is, “Rosette Nebula was inspired by the beauty of the Rosette Nebula, a rose in space.”
Comparison Inks
- Robert Oster River of Blood leans slightly too red. It also doesn’t shade as much, although it has the same ring around particularly heavy ink deposits.
- Noodler’s Widow Maker is significantly redder, and does not have as much shading.
- Ferris Wheel Press The Sherry Sonata is both too purple and too dark. It also has the ring around heavy ink deposits, although larger.
- Akkerman #17 Staten-Generaal Rood is also too purple, but other properties (shading, etc.) are about the same.
- Ferris Wheel Press Spadina Rose is too muted and doesn’t shade enough.
- Robert Oster Cherry Blossom is both too pale and too muted, but has a similar amount of shading and the same ring effect.
- Kyo-Iro Cherry Blossom of Keage
- Diamine Raspberry Rose is slightly more purple and significantly darker.
Best Match
The best color match for Rosette Nebula among those I tested was Cherry Blossom of Keage which is a near-perfect color match. It has a more pronounced ring effect around heavy ink deposits, but in most nibs, you likely wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Rosette Nebula| Kilonova | ⇣ Rover | ⇣ Blue Moon | ⇣ Red Horizon | ⇣ Aquarius Whispers | ⇣ DaVinci Glow | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 6: Kilonova
Kilonova is a solid, royal blue that shades to a deep blue-black. It has some copper sheen, but it doesn’t take over the color. When writing, it provides a pleasant outline to the text.
Colorverse’s description for day 6 is, “Kilonova is a color inspired by the intense explosion that ocurrs when two neutron stars merge.”
Comparison Inks
- Diamine Regency Blue is too muted, although the shading is about equal.
- Krishna Golden Summer Blue the correct hue, although slightly too dark. The sheen is significantly more impactful, virtually hiding the base color when writing.
- Colorverse Bow Shock is too vibrant and leans too green. Its sheen is also significantly stronger, and is magenta instead of copper.
- Diamine Sargasso Sea is the first color I thought of when I swatched Kilonova. It’s a hint too light, but the sheen is the same color, if less impactful.
Best Match
I don’t feel I have a great match among the colors I tested. If you are a sheen fiend, I suggest Golden Summer Blue (top writing sample), as the sheen is highly visible, even with a fine nib. If you prefer to see the base color, I suggest Sargasso Sea (bottom writing sample) since the blue is even more vibrant than with Kilonova.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Rosette Nebula| ⇡ Kilonova | Rover | ⇣ Blue Moon | ⇣ Red Horizon | ⇣ Aquarius Whispers | ⇣ DaVinci Glow | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 7: Rover
Rover is a brownish grey with some nice shading. It has minimal silver shimmer that is really only visible in the main swatch.
Colorverse’s description for day 7 is, “Rover is a color inspired by unmanned rovers designed to explore the surface of planets.”
Comparison Inks
- Caran d’Ache Infinite Grey is too cool and shades darker.
- Wearingeul Anubis is significantly too brown. It’s a muted brown, rather than a brownish gray.
- Dominant Industry Downpour is too cool and shades too dark in the swatch. The writing, however, appears lighter.
- Van Dieman’s Laughing Kookaburra Crest is too yellow and significantly darker. It’s fairly similar with a F nib, though.
- Octopus Fluids Pebble Stone is both too light and too brown.
- Colorverse Gold Rush
- Noodler’s Lexington Gray is possibly a similar hue, but the blue in it feathers on this paper, so it’s hard to see the true look of the color, especially in writing.
- Monteverde Smoke Noir isn’t brown enough, and it doesn’t shade at all.
Best Match
The best color match for Rover among those I tested was Gold Rush (top writing sample) which is about the right hue, but doesn’t shade as dark. Its gold shimmer is also more impactful than Rover’s shimmer. I think Lexington Gray (bottom writing sample) would be a decent match, but, as you can see, the blue in it feathers quite a bit, making it hard to tell.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Rosette Nebula| ⇡ Kilonova | ⇡ Rover | Blue Moon | ⇣ Red Horizon | ⇣ Aquarius Whispers | ⇣ DaVinci Glow | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 8: Blue Moon
Blue Moon is a medium sky blue. At its lightest, it’s the color of the sky on a clear day. It shades nicely and has the tiniest hint of pink sheen as a halo around the heaviest ink deposits.
Colorverse’s description for day 8 is, “Blue Moon is a color inspired by the phenomenon of a “blue moon,” which is the second full moon in a month.”
Comparison Inks
- Laban Hermes Sky Blue is roughly the correct hue, but it’s too light and shades differently
- Diamine Glacier is basically the same hue, but slightly darker. It shades less and has shimmer that I let settle, but still shows up in the swatch.
- Wearingeul Alice is also roughly the same hue, but significantly lighter. It does, however, shade even more than Blue Moon.
Best Match
The best color match for Blue Moon among those I tested was Glacier but I wouldn’t call it a dupe. It’s clearly too dark in the writing samples. You may be able to water it down some to get to the same color.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Rosette Nebula| ⇡ Kilonova | ⇡ Rover | ⇡ Blue Moon | Red Horizon | ⇣ Aquarius Whispers | ⇣ DaVinci Glow | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 9: Red Horizon
Red Horizon is another solid, vibrant red. It has minimal shading.
Colorverse’s description for day 9 is, “Red Horizon is a color inspired by the Martian desolate landscape, red earth, and horizon.”
Comparison Inks
- Diamine Red Dragon is slightly too blue and a bit too muted.
- Wearingeul Human Problems
- Colorverse Dan Hong leans too pink and is less solid.
- Robert Oster Red Candy is the second-best match, but is lighter than Red Horizon. While it shades about the same amount, it has the ring ring around the heaviest ink deposits that Red Horizon doesn’t.
- 3 Oysters Dancheong is too light and too muted.
- Diamine Carnival is also too muted, but in a very wet pen, you may have roughly the same color as Red Horizon.
- Wearingeul The Great Sage Heaven’s Equal is too purple and too muted.
Best Match
The best color match for Red Horizon among those I tested was Human Problems which is about the same hue, although it shades significantly darker. You can really notice the difference in the M nib writing samples versus the F nib writing samples.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Rosette Nebula| ⇡ Kilonova | ⇡ Rover | ⇡ Blue Moon | ⇡ Red Horizon | Aquarius Whispers | ⇣ DaVinci Glow | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 10: Aquarius Whispers
Aquarius Whispers is an almost-green teal. It’s a somewhat unique color, with just enough shading to be interesting.
Colorverse’s description for day 10 is, “Aquarius Whispers reflects the element of water that characterizes Aquarius, evoking the gentle ripples and tranquil movement of water.”
Comparison Inks
- Colorverse Danoje Festival is so much lighter than Aquarius Whispers that it’s difficult to tell if it’s the same hue.
- Sailor Ink Studio 160 is slightly more green and is lighter.
- Pennonia Patina is too light and too blue.
- Diamine Soft Mint is significantly too blue, but is very similar in shade and level of shading.
Best Match
I didn’t find a good color match for Aquarius Whispers. However, I compared it to 160 (top writing sample) and Soft Mint (bottom writing sample) because they are similar in shade and level of shading.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Rosette Nebula| ⇡ Kilonova | ⇡ Rover | ⇡ Blue Moon | ⇣ Red Horizon | ⇡ Aquarius Whispers | DaVinci Glow | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 11: DaVinci Glow
DaVinci Glow is a multishader going from a pale, muted gray-blue at its lightest to a deep, almost blue-black, then turning orangeish in the heaviest ink deposits.
Colorverse’s description for day 11 is, “Davinci Glow is inspired by the phenomenon where light reflected from the Earth, also known as “Earthshine”, illuminates the outline of the moon.”
Comparison Inks
- Birmingham Pen Co. Eroded Bronze is too vibrant and too green.
- Ink Institute Light Blue Whale is too blue, but shades in a similar manner, although it is not so orange in the heaviest ink deposits.
- Kyo No Oto Keshimurasaki is both too dark and too purple.
- Colorverse Quahog is just slightly too blue. Because it doesn’t have multishading properties, it looks too dark.
Best Match
While Light Blue Whale (top writing samples) and Quahog (bottom writing samples) are both similar in feel (shading, vibrancy, etc.), neither is quite the right color. DaVinci glow is more purple than both of them.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Rosette Nebula| ⇡ Kilonova | ⇡ Rover | ⇡ Blue Moon | ⇡ Red Horizon | ⇡ Aquarius Whispers | ⇡ DaVinci Glow | ⤒ Back to Top
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. What was your favorite color from this week? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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