Intro:
The Inkvent calendar was originally released in 2019 for the holiday season and had 24 7ml bottles of ink and one 30ml bottle that was under the 25th door. The 25 inks include 12 standard, 6 sheen, 4 shimmer and 2 have both shimmer and sheen This calendar and inks were such a big success that Diamine decided to release the inks in 50ml sizes and those are what I used for the following splatters. Without further do, let's take a look at these festive inks full of holiday cheer!
Day #1 Blue Peppermint:
This is one of the 4 shimmer inks in the invent collection and is a rather nice blue. It is somewhat pale and the shimmer is bluish-green which I feel makes the ink color pop even more, Perfect for drawing snowflakes on those Christmas cards!
Day #2 Candy Cane:
There are a couple reds included in the collection but this one is somehow softer and almost has a faint pink hue to it. It matches the faded red of candy canes after they have eaten a little, The ink also has some shading which makes this a good choice for those not wanting a smack-you-in-the-face type of red.
Day #3 Snow Storm:
I'm not usually huge on gray inks simply because I'm never sure what pens to put a gray ink into but this one is an exception. I think this would look fantastic with a broader nib because it is on the darker side so you don't have to worry about the legibility of this ink, plus the shimmer reminds me of falling snow!
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Day #4 Polar Glow:
Unfortunately didn't have a bottle to sample.
Day #5 Triple Chocolate:
I love this ink. The shading on this reminds me of some old parchment if that makes sense, it looks very antique like tea stained paper or something like that. The shading is also quite versatile going from a rich dark brown up to a nice milk chocolate! it really is a triple chocolate ink!
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Day #6 Ho Ho Ho:
Just like candy cane is not a deep red, ho ho ho is the opposite and is quite a nice and rich red. Makes sense because the modern image of Santa wouldn't be complete without a deep red coat. The splatter shows up kind of orange but in reality the ink is quite a nice red with almost no orange and a lot of nice shading!
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Day #7 Mistletoe:
This is an interesting color, not a bright Kelly green but not exactly a dark green either, I think I'd describe it as an olive green that can shade down a couple colors. I feel like this looks more like a Christmas tree sort of color than mistletoe but It is a Christmas plant nonetheless.
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Day #8 Gold Star:
I was very pleasantly surprised with this ink because it looked quite yellow in the bottle but in actuality it is quite a legible yellow-orange verging more on orange. The gold shimmer is a good touch as well and that orange sheen is killer, this is one of my favorites from the inkvent!
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Day #9 Nutcracker:
This actually reminds me of one of my favorite Sailor inks #973 and is a dark brown-orange which has spectacular shading. Not sure I really get the name and how this color evokes the colors of a nutcracker but I'm happy with the ink nonetheless and this has nudged its way into my top 5 inkvent inks!
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Day #10 Winter Miracle:
Wicked Witch is the first thing that came to mind, I think this would look spectacular in the LE Sailor 1911. This is a nice rich purple but the sheen and blue shimmer really gives it a lot more character and ascends the title of purple ink. This is one that also really surprised me when I did the splatter and I was not let down in the slightest.
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Day #11 Elf:
This is more on the Kelly green side of things and is my preferred choice to the mistletoe, it actually kind of reminds me of D.C. Supershow Green from Private Reserve which unfortunately isn't being made anymore so this may be a good place holder. Broad nib would be preferable for the max amount of shading!
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Day #12 Noel:
Unfortunately didn't have a bottle to sample.
Day #13 Mulled Wine:
Another ink that reminds me of something, this time its reminiscent of the Montblanc Hitchcock, this one may be a little lighter but is still reminiscent of blood or maybe a spilled wine bottle at the end of the holidays spent with family.
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Day #14 Jack Frost:
Unfortunately didn't have a bottle to sample.
Day #15 Festive Cheer:
The sheen on this one is crazy but is otherwise what I would consider to be a professional blue. It's always nice to have a professional ink that has a little added pizzazz. The one thing I noticed is that this ink is noticeably more viscous than the others so you may want to keep an eye on it.
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Day #16 Season's Greetings:
The sheen on this really reminds me of something from Organics studios, it is a nice blue-green that could be dark enough in a fine nib to be considered professional. It kind of reminds me of the stream in a park I frequent, I especially love seeing it frozen over after a big snow!
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Day #17 Poinsettia:
Unfortunately didn't have a bottle to sample.
Day #18 Holly:
I think this is one of the most clever name and ink combos they did, the bluish green is fairly close to holly under a moonlit sky and the red sheen is pretty similar to the red berries on holly. The classic red and green Christmas combo that would go just as well in a green pen than a red pen!
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Day #19 Gingerbread:
Here we are, no this isn't the final ink but, this is my FAVORITE ink from the inkvent collection. I really can't get enough of this warm, light brown and I will literally put it in everything once I get my bottle. I really can't express why I love it so much, I just do and am positive you will too!!!
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Day #20 Midnight Hour:
Unfortunately didn't have a bottle to sample.
Day #21 Fire Embers:
And here we have my #2 spot for favorite, one of the most beautiful oranges I've seen. The darker shades get almost red and really remind me of blood oranges and fire, two things I associate with the holiday season. I can practically smell the fire while sipping my blood orange spritzer, love love love it!!!
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Day #22 Solstice:
Now I'm not sure if its how I did the swab or what but this ink is THICK and combined with the sheen I feel like it could pose a disaster for fine nabbed pens. Its a shame because this is a beautiful black shimmer ink that I could've seen myself using but perhaps im getting ahead of myself. I will give it a try because after all, it does look amazing!
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Day #23 Roasted Chestnut:
This reminds me of the earlier nutcracker ink but is slightly lighter so I find myself leaning towards this one more. It does look a lot like a roasted chestnut but be careful, some of those chestnuts can pop and pose a real danger so roast with caution!
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Day #24 Purple Bow:
I'm not really sure if I'd call this color purple but the sheen makes it quite interesting, I wouldn't typically picture purple going with a kind of burnt orange sheen but it really works! This isn't an ink that I would find myself using but I see the draws when compared to other blue-purple inks.
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Day #25 Happy Holidays:
If I was a bigger fan of shimmer ink this would undoubtedly be at the top of that list because this ink is spectacular. It should be for the end of the calendar and my favorite holiday so it holds a special place on my inkvent list but I don't think I'd be using it anytime soon.
It is exceptional to look at though and was very fun to splatter!
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-Kyle
