Tag: 25 Days of Dupes

Hello, welcome to the first post of 25 Days of Dupes 2023. Below you’ll find the inks for days 1-4. 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 images to view them larger.
• I swatched each ink with a small (#2) paintbrush and wrote with a Zebra G dip nib.
• Behind-the-scenes: I included more than just my final swatches for each ink. Preliminary swatches are on Iroful A5 dot grid paper. I’ve found that inks can look VERY different on this paper. I swatched the top matches on Franklin-Christoph sugar cane paper (from a leftover Firma-Flex notebook) and Kokuyo 5mm grid Sarasara loose-leaf paper.
• 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, scent — only the base color.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Thanks to David of the DC Pen Crew, I will once again be duping the Diamine Inkvent calendar. Like last year, I’m posting once a week with all of the inks from that week.

Also like last year, I’m basing my posting day on Christmas. Since Christmas is on Monday, I’ll be posting on Tuesdays. My first dupe post will be on the 5th, with the inks from December 1-4. My final dupe post will be on the 26th, with inks from December 19-25. And I’ll have a wrap-up/reference post on the 27th linking to the 4 dupe posts and listing the best dupe for each ink.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. If you were unable to purchase the Inkvent Calendar, then this likely helped settle your mind about experiencing the colors. I’m sure that these 2022 colors will eventually be released individually, so hopefully this series helped you decide which ones — if any — to get.

Comparing the Inkvent Calendars

I found this year’s Inkvent calendar disappointing. There were only two inks I couldn’t match perfectly, and I’m certain it comes down to not having the right ink, as opposed to those colors being super unique. This year’s calendar was released later than last year’s, and I didn’t have the time to place additional orders trying to find perfect ink matches.

Hello, welcome to the fourth post of 25 Days of Dupes 2022. Below you’ll find the inks for days 19-25. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Some reminders:

• The first image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and what I feel is the best match, swatched on Tomoe River paper.
• The second image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and the different inks I tried matching it to, swatched on Iroful paper.
• I swatched ink with a small paintbrush, and wrote with a Zebra G dip nib in the first image.
• 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’m not attempting to dupe the special properties of the inks (sheen, shimmer, scent).

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Hello, welcome to the third post of 25 Days of Dupes 2022. Below you’ll find the inks for days 12-18. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Some reminders:

• The first image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and what I feel is the best match, swatched on Tomoe River paper.
• The second image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and the different inks I tried matching it to, swatched on Iroful paper.
• I swatched ink with a small paintbrush, and wrote with a Zebra G dip nib in the first image.
• 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’m not attempting to dupe the special properties of the inks (sheen, shimmer, scent).

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Hello, welcome to the second post of 25 Days of Dupes 2022. Below you’ll find the inks for days 5-11. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Some reminders:

• The first image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and what I feel is the best match, swatched on Tomoe River paper.
• The second image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and the different inks I tried matching it to, swatched on Iroful paper.
• I swatched ink with a small paintbrush, and wrote with a Zebra G dip nib in the first image.
• 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’m not attempting to dupe the special properties of the inks (sheen, shimmer, scent).

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Hello, welcome to the first post of 25 Days of Dupes 2022. Below you’ll find the inks for days 1-4. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Some reminders:

• The first image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and what I feel is the best match, swatched on Tomoe River paper.
• The second image for each ink shows the inkvent ink and the different inks I tried matching it to, swatched on Iroful paper.
• I swatched ink with a small paintbrush, and wrote with a Zebra G dip nib in the first image.
• 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’m not attempting to dupe the special properties of the inks (sheen, shimmer, scent).

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Thanks to David of the DC Pen Crew, I will once again be duping the Diamine Inkvent calender. This year, however, I’m doing things a little differently. Unlike 2019 and 2021, I won’t be doing a daily post. Instead, I’m going to share a post once a week with all the inks from that week.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. If you were unable to purchase the Inkvent Calendar, then I hope this settled your mind about experiencing the colors. I can only assume that the 2021 colors will eventually be released individually, so hopefully this series helped you decide which ones to get.

Comparing the Two Inkvent Calendars

I definitely preferred this year’s calendar to 2019’s. There were actually some unique inks, including some I had to make custom mixes for, rather than a bunch that were practically rebottled versions of standard colors. However, I still feel like Diamine could do better. It shouldn’t be possible to dupe a color in the Inkvent Calendar with a Diamine Ink. That means the colors aren’t “new ink colors that can’t be found anywhere else in Diamine’s existing ranges.” But, I have to at least give Diamine credit for the improvements, especially the additional of multishaders.

Day 25’s ink is All the Best, a shimmer and sheen ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Colorverse Andromeda is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

First of all, Merry Christmas! I hope you have a great day and that you get to spend quality time with your loved ones.

Day 24’s ink is Yuletide, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Colorverse Gravity Wave is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

First of all, Merry Christmas Eve!

Day 23’s ink is Wonderland, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Diamine Marigold is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Day 22’s ink is Black Ivy, a sheening ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Lamy Petrol is the best color dupe, although 2019’s Inkvent color, Holly, comes very close. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Day 21’s ink is Brandy Snap, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Ferris Wheel Press Autumn in Auburn is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Day 20’s ink is Pink Ice, a shimmer ink. None of the inks I swabbed was a perfect dupe, so I made my own custom mix (recipe below). If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Day 19’s ink is Festive Joy, a standard ink. None of the inks I swabbed was a perfect dupe, so I made my own custom mix (recipe below). If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Day 18’s ink is Subzero, a shimmer ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Diamine Aqua Lagoon is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Day 17’s ink is Thunderbolt, a standard ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Monteverde DC Supershow Blue is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Day 16’s ink is Vintage Copper, a shimmer ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Monteverde Fire Opal is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!

Day 15’s ink is Night Shade, a “standard” ink, but actually, another multishader. Of the inks I swabbed, Sailor Ink Studio 343 is the best color dupe. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.

Enjoy, and happy inking!