Closing Out Colorvent and Inkvent: The Last Few Days and Overall Conclusions

December 27, 2025

Now that we’re past Christmas Day, another year of Inkvent/Colorvent ink Advent calendars has come and gone! This year was, overall, a good year for both Diamine and Colorverse in terms of the inks they chose for the calendars, but for my own personal preferences I would still give the edge to Colorverse. Why? Simply because most of the colors they chose to include are inks that I could see myself using on a regular basis, whereas the Diamine inks tend to be more “festive” and holiday-themed. That’s not bad by the way, and is actually the reason many people choose the Diamine calendar. Here’s a run-down of the last few days:

Diamine Inkvent Pineapple Spritz and Colorverse Sojourner — Yes, I know this was actually Day 22. I got lost when I started playing catch-up so I stopped numbering them. I really enjoyed the Diamine Pineapple Spritz, btw, more than I thought I would, with its combination of pigment and shimmer.

Colorverse Lunar Black and Winter Wonderland were both interesting: I always enjoy black/dark grey inks that offer subtle undertones of other colors like blue and purple, and I felt that Winter Wonderland struck a good balance of shimmer and sheen.

Diamine Inkvent Last Three Days — The last few Diamine Inkvent Inks I didn’t find all that interesting. “Let It Snow” felt like a single-tone shimmer ink, and while Antler had some interesting shading that will appeal to some, the color didn’t do much for me. This year’s large 30ml bottle, “The Myrrh the Merrier,” was a shimmer/sheen combination but as with most of the Diamine sheening inks, I found the red sheen overpowering.

Takeaways and Overall Conclusions

I’ll likely always work my way through both calendars, because I find it to be a fun way to celebrate the holiday season and the calendars always have at least one or two inks that showcase each brands’ creativity. My favorite inks from this year’s calendar were probably Colorverse “Erebus Crater”, a multishading blue grey, and Diamine “Nostalgia,” a multishading red/purple/grey from the Chameleon collection. Diamine always releases the entire line of Inkvent inks as standard releases, while last year Colorverse picked three of the most popular to add to the standard lineup. Apparently they are doing the same for 2026, so we’ll eagerly await this year’s choices. Be sure to vote in the poll via the QR code on the back of your Colorvent Calendar box.

Diamine Inkvent Nostalgia — Diamine Nostalgia.

Colorvent/Inkvent Recap: Days 11-20 Top Picks

December 24, 2025

So I got a bit behind on the Advent Calendars due to the holiday rush in the shop, but hopefully I’ll get caught up now that I have a couple days off! I do forget how much ink you end up accumulating with two calendars. (I can’t imagine keeping up with three or more like some people!) For today’s post I thought I would pick a handful that spoke to me and might make their way into the 3-4 inks from each calendar that I keep every year. If you missed the first two parts, check out my recaps of Days 1-5 and Days 6-10.

Day 16: Diamine Ruby Taffeta and Colorverse Polar Night

Diamine Ruby Taffeta and Colorverse Polar Night Day 16 — Taffeta is a dark red with a subtle gold shimmer, and Polar Night is a color-shifting ink that I’ll probably need to try out a bit more to see how dark it actually gets.

Day 19: Diamine Overcast and Colorverse Cosmic Reef

Day 20: Diamine Ambience and Colorverse Golden Airglow

Diamine Ambience and Colorverse Golden Airglow Day 20 — Two really nice shimmer inks. Is subtle shimmer growing on me? Golden Airglow was a favorite.

Takeaways So Far From This Year’s Calendars: Enough with the Green/Gold Super-Sheeners

Not only do they tend to smear, but they all end up looking the same to me whether the underlying color is blue, purple, green, etc. The handful of sheening inks included in this year’s Diamine Calendar were my least favorite, and from what I’ve heard from readers and customers it wasn’t an uncommon take. I am, however, interested in further exploring the Diamine pigment inks, though given how sticky some of them have been I will be careful with the pens I use.

Wonderland222 A5 Core (S) Planner Setup — The Wonderland222 A5 Core (S) might be the dated paper planner that actually meets my needs.

Finally, to everyone who has supported us through the holiday season, a huge thank you! We’re looking forward to a couple of days off and then we’re back at it, with the store open Friday and Saturday normal hours. (Yes, we will be closed Christmas Day.) In the meantime, I'm busy getting ready for 2026, including closing out my 2025 notebooks and setting up planners and notebook systems for 2026. Believe it or not, this is actually one of my favorite things to do during the last week of the holiday season. Be sure to check out my recent video walkthrough of my main 2026 Planner that I’m still in the process of setting up, and I’ll have more 2026 notebook content in the week ahead!

Diamine Inkvent Day 6 Fir and Fog Sample

Colorvent/Inkvent Recap: Days 6-10

December 13, 2025

Overall, this year’s ink Advent calendars seem to be a closer match than last year, with Diamine’s Inkvent Calendar and Colorverse’s “Colorvent” Calendar each containing an equal number of inks I could see myself actually using day-to-day. This second five-day stretch was a bit underwhelming for me, with a lot of lighter shading inks that don’t seem usable for my purposes and which I probably would have taken a pass on if they were introduced as part of the regular lineup. That said, Colorverse’s decision to include “Gleamix” (a shimmer additive) as one of the choices for the Colorvent calendar was fun. The way it works is that you add a small amount to a sample vial to make any ink a “shimmer ink”, which certainly makes some of the flat colors more visually interesting.

Check out my recap of Colorvent/Inkvent Days 1-5 here, if you missed it.

Day Six: Diamine Inkvent “Fir and Fog” and Colorverse Colorvent “Sungrazing Comet”

Colorverse Colorvent and Diamine Inkvent Day 6

Day Seven: Diamine Inkvent “Blush” and Colorverse Colorvent “LGM”

Colorverse Colorvent and Diamine Inkvent Day 7

Day Eight: Diamine Inkvent “Dream Catcher” and Colorverse Colorvent “Snow Angel”

Day Nine: Diamine Inkvent “Bittersweet” and Colorverse Colorvent “Morning frost on mars Gleamix”

Colorverse Colorvent Morning Frost on Mars Gleamix and Diamine Inkvent Bittersweet — Colorverse “Morning Frost on Mars” is not intended to be used as a stand-alone ink, but rather as an additive which is mixed with other inks to add shimmer and different color tones.

Day Ten: Diamine Inkvent “Nostalgia” and Colorverse Colorvent “Flame Nebula”

Diamine Inkvent Day 10 Nostalgia — Nostalgia is a color-shifting “Chameleon” ink and is up there with Fir & Fog on colors I might choose to stock as a regular offering.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and see any products we sell directly at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee! Also, please visit our Holiday Gift Guide page if you would like guidance on stationery-related gifting, and we’re also happy to discuss in-person.

Colorverse Colorvent and Diamine Inkvent Calendar

Colorvent/Inkvent Recap, The First Five Days!

December 6, 2025

Last year was the first year with two ink Advent calendars, and I chose to do weekly “five day” updates and pushed daily updates to Instagram stories for those interested in following along in real time. I plan to do the same for 2025! As with last year’s calendars, the Diamine Inkvent Calendar and Colorverse Colorvent calendars are both very different. The Inkvent Calendar is definitely more festive, with colors inspired by the holiday season and named accordingly. The Colorvent Calendar sticks to Colorverse’s general “universe” and “space” themes, so it’s not exactly festive but fans of Colorverse Ink will get exactly what they love about the brand: new colors with a consistent theme in their signature comet-shaped bottle. Each year, Diamine releases ALL of the Inkvent inks as a special line, so you can purchase them later, and last year Colorverse selected the Top 3 and added them to the standard lineup. If you missed out on these and still want to play along, we have one or two remaining Diamine Inkvent Calendars available, but Colorvent has been sold out for some time.

This Year’s Ink Swatching Kit: Glass Pen and Iroful swatch cards

2025 Colorverse Colorvent and Diamine Inkvent Swatch Kit — This year’s Colorvent and Inkvent Swatch Kit: I’m using my Hanabi Glass Studio Glass Dip Pen that I picked up in D.C., along with Iroful Swatch Cards since I love how this paper shows off the ink.

Day One: Colorverse Colorvent Martian Dust and Diamine Inkvent Celestial Skies

Colorvent and Inkvent Day 1 — So far, I think Day 1 is my favorite: Diamine Celestial Sky with sheen, shade, and shimmer, and Colorverse Martian Dust, which is a deep burgundy with some gold sheen.

Day Two: Colorverse Colorvent Apollon and Diamine Inkvent “Energy”

Colorverse Colorvent Day 2 Apollon and Diamine Inkvent "Energy" — Day 2 featured the first “Super Sheener” as well as a really unique Colorverse Ink, “Apollon”.

Day 3: Diamine Inkvent Carousel (Pigmented) and Colorverse Colorvent Erebus Crater

Diamine Inkvent Carousel and Colorverse Colorvent Erebus Crater — One thing I do appreciate about the Diamine Inkvent Calendar is that it allows you to experience all of their inks across the line, including the new pigment inks. This one feels a bit too “paint like” for my taste, and was somewhat hard to clean off my glass pen. Erebus Crater is a gorgeous multi-shader.

Day 4: Colorverse Colorvent Milky Sea Glistening and Diamine Inkvent Smoky Tobacco (Scented)

Colorverse Colorvent Day 4 Milky Sea Glistening and Diamine Inkvent Smoky Tobacco — Smoky Tobacco is not terrible as far as scented inks go, as those have traditionally been my least favorite. They’re just far too pungent for my taste. Milky Sea is an excellent Colorverse Glistening (Shimmer) ink.

Day 5: Colorverse Colorvent “Void” and Diamine Inkvent Marie Rose

Diamine Inkvent Day 5 Marie Rose and Colorverse Colorvent Void — Ok, so neither one of these would necessarily be considered a holiday ink to me (and certainly not “Void,” but as some have pointed out, it may not be entirely off-topic). :)

I will be adding to this series of posts throughout “Inkvent” season as I unbox more of the calendars. Stay tuned!

The Pilot Iro-Utsushi Dip Pen (and in General, Simple vs. Fancy Dip Pens)

October 1, 2025

This past weekend I did a post on ink swatching, and walked through how I create the ink swatches that I use both for the shop and to organize my own personal ink collection. Like most people with a lot of ink to organize, a key component of my ink swatching kit is a dip pen. Because I’m a writing enthusiast with an interest in the calligraphy and art sides of things as well, many of the pens that I personally use are on the more expensive side - particularly my glass pens and Drillog metal dip pen.

But what if I told you that an $8 alternative exists, and that in many ways this other pen is just as good and will serve you well for basic ink swatching and even some writing and journaling where you might want to switch up your inks mid-session and don’t want to fiddle with emptying or refilling fountain pens? That solution is the Pilot Iro-Utsushi Dip Pen.

Pilot Iro-Utsushi Fine Dip Pen — I chose the fine since most of my other dip pens range from medium to double-broad.

The Pilot Iro-Utsushi is a very basic product: a standard dip pen with a stainless steel fountain pen nib (fine or medium) attached to it. This pen differs from a calligraphy dip pen in that the nib is tipped for writing, and it can’t be swapped out of the holder. While some might find this “limiting,” I think that’s the point and what makes this product special: it’s intended for one thing, which is writing with fountain pen ink.

Dip Pen Tools in Holder on Desk — While I’m not sure I’ll ever make the Iro-Utsushi a “core tool” in my repertoire - I have way too many fun glass pens to reach for - I see no reason not to have one, since it’s an excellent option to have within reach for travel, meetups, and quick writing samples.

As I mentioned above, you can use the Iro-Utsushi for both ink swatching and standard writing. In my last post, I mentioned how I like to keep small sheets of “micro swatches” that are more portable than full-size swatch cards. This dip pen would be perfect for that, especially in the fine nib. And it offers a nice experience for standard writing too. Despite the lack of a feed, the underside of the nib holds a fair bit of ink and I regularly get 3-4 full lines of writing with the fine nib version. While the holder is a bit narrow for my hand and therefore may not be especially comfortable for longer writing sessions of a page or more, that’s not something I’d typically do with a dip pen anyway.

Pilot Iro-Utsushi Dip Pen with Kobe Ink — Testing out some Nagasawa Kobe Ink #69 (Kikusui Biotope Green).

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I don’t have any problem saying that the Pilot Iro-Utsushi is one of the best basic dip pen options on the market to use with fountain pen inks. Whether you’re a glass pen enthusiast looking for a less-fragile option to take to meetups or away from the security of your desk, or just someone looking for an inexpensive option to finally finish swatching and categorizing all of your ink samples, it’s hard to do better than the Iro-Utsushi, especially at the price point.

And, yes, I know that some of you have probably heard the internet rumors from the Japanese market that the Iro-Utsushi is being discontinued, but other intel has suggested that Pilot is merely releasing new colors and the pen will continue to be offered, at least in the U.S. market. Pilot is a bit different than many Japanese pen companies in that they continue to offer certain products in the U.S. (i.e., the E95s fountain pen) even after they are discontinued in Japan. Stay tuned, but I’m not panicked on this one yet as I can still get them here.

You can pick up a Pilot Iro-Utsushi dip pen in our own shop, starting at $8, in a range of clear acrylic and wood finishes. Nibs come in fine or medium, but note that not every color available in both nib options.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop (an authorized retailer of Pilot pens) and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. Our brick-and-mortar store is open Thursdays and Fridays from 1pm-6pm, and on Saturdays from 10am-6pm. Please check our main store page for up-to-date hours and announcements regarding special events.