After taking the ink rainbow challenge, I started thinking about what my favorite ink(s) in each color are. I had to expand the color categories, and, even then, I have a couple of honorable mentions. Quick note: I worked through this post without reviewing my ink rainbow post, only comparing the two when I was done. There’s a bit of overlap.
In case you didn’t read the ink rainbow post and are wondering why I’m doing two such similar posts, the main difference is the selection criteria. For the ink rainbow post, I listed the first ink that came to mind. For this post, I’m sharing my favorite inks.
I’ve done my best to photoshop the individual ink swatches to look true-to-life, but that’s easier said than done, especially with any color that has red in it.
Now, enough chatting, on to the inks.
Pink/Burgundy: Birmingham Chrysan Themum
I love this color. I especially enjoy the hint of green when you lay down enough ink.
An honorable mention goes to Pelikan Edelstein Rose Quartz. I’m really enjoying it, but I haven’t had it long enough to say if it will become my favorite.
Red: J. Herbin Rouge Grenat
It took me a while to find my perfect blood red ink. Having found it, you’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead fingers.
Orange: J. Herbin Orange Indien
We have our first repeat, everyone! This is an awesome orange, plain and simple.
Honorable mention to Stipula Sapphron for its shading.
Yellow/Gold: Colorverse Adobe
And, another repeat ink. I didn’t mention this in the last post, but I love that Adobe is dark enough to read without the typical tendency to orange.
Yellow-Green: Birmingham Pen Co. Rodman Gun Gunpowder Tea
I added this color category specifically for Gunpowder Tea. It’s such a bummer that it’s been discontinued. If anyone has any suggestions for a dupe, let me know, as I haven’t found one yet.
Because you can’t get Gunpowder Tea any more, an honorable mention goes to Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku Rin.
Green: Van Dieman’s Elegant Peacock Train
This is the ink that changed my mind on shimmer inks. It’s gorgeous, and I had to buy a bottle after I got it in my Ink Flight box. The gold shimmer is a perfect complement to the grass-green of the base color.
Honorable mention goes to J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage, which is my favorite emerald green.
Teal/Turquoise: Sailor Manyo Haha
I love multishading inks. Haha has some teal, some turquoise, and some purple. It’s so much fun in wet nibs, and it’s base color is pretty in fine or dry nibs.
Blue: Taccia Light Washed Jeans
I’ve been enjoying desaturated colors. They’re easier on the eyes, especially when you write a whole page. Light washed jeans falls in that happy, desaturated place.
Blue-Black: DeAtramentis Madame de Pompadour
As you’re probably tired of hearing me say — seeing me type? — I enjoy that this is a blue-black, but not so dark that it becomes black in wet nibs. It’s rather similar in hue to Light Washed Jeans, but a much darker shade.
Blurple: Vinta Inks Plume
This one is a shimmer ink, but you can let it settle if that’s not your thing. It’s such a pretty blurple ink. If there’s one thing I would change, I’d desaturate it just a bit — desaturate, not darken.
Purple: Birmingham Pen Co. California Raisin
Another repeat ink. California Raisin is certainly not a raisin color, not even a grape, but it’s gorgeous.
Brown: Montblanc Swan Illusion
I can’t really account for how much I like this ink. I don’t use it often — brown is my least-used color of ink — but I’ve used it half again as many times as any other brown inks I own.
Gray: Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same
And, we end this with the final repeat ink. Kiri-Same is my favorite warm gray.
Honorable mentions go to my favorite cool gray (J. Herbin Gris Nuage) and my favorite multishading gray (Troublemaker Moon River).
So, those are my current favorite inks per color category. I can’t promise they won’t change. My preferences shift often when it comes to colors, and these were hard to choose. There are so many more I could list, but I tried to limit myself to one ink per color, and I mostly succeeded.
Are any of these your favorites? Or are there any inks here you dislike? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. Make sure to subscribe to my blog or follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.
Thank you! Such beautiful colors. Fav? Noticed? I want all of them. You got me! Thank you, again Rachel, James.