Shimmer Inks

[K-2]

After going back for 50ml bottles of my favorites from Diamine Inkvent 2021, I thought I'd be done purchasing ink for a while.  Nope.  Here are two spectacular duo-tone, shimmer inks from Dominant Industry (a relatively new brand from South Korea).  The bottles are cute AF, and the inks have lots of potential for drawing and calligraphy.  Both inks are pretty good right out of the bottle - surprisingly good with a pointed pen and especially great with a broad nib.

"Sunset" is a medium violet - further to the warm/red side of lavender.  It bleeds out cyan, mauve, and petal pinks on wetted paper, and features warm gold shimmer.  I was at a conference in Chicago when I spotted them at Atlas, so the drawing shows the Chicago skyline at sunset.

"Autumn Forest" is a mossy green-brown with pearly pink shimmer.  It bleeds out cyan, celadon, fern green, and a range of earthy tones from ecru to walnut.  Moody and evocative!

It has taken me a while to admit that I have a thing for shimmer inks.  Like a magpie, drawn to shiny objects.  'Tis the season for making a lot of graduation cards and certificates, and they give a traditional gothic textura quadrata a slick modern edge.  Does anyone else have a thing for shimmer inks?  What do you use them for?

[Zivio]

Thanks, as always, for sharing your beautiful work here! 

And magpie on.  Never met a corvid I didn't like!

Peace,
~Karl

[tde44p]

I'm a fan of shimmer inks as well. After a lot of attempts in using them in fountain pens I got tired of cleaning, so I actually started with dip pens as a result. still early days for me as I am learning how to best use dip pens for writing and drawing but am enjoying the trip.

I too like the Dominant inks and have one with shimmer and one without. Most of my shimmer inks are Diamine.

[Erica McPhee]

Oh these are lovely! And you’re right - those bottles are adorable - I would buy it just for the bottle. LOL!

Where do you purchase these? Thanks for sharing!

[K-2]

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts, @Zivio and @Erica McPhee - Erica, I got these two inks at Atlas Stationers in Chicago (because I couldn't resist the adorable bottles, which come wrapped in little dust bags with tiny droppers).  They're available on Atlas's website too.  And they're also at JetPens.com.  JetPens also carries the "mirror" line - I'm sorely sorely tempted to try the ones in "hologram" and in "chrome": https://www.jetpens.com/Dominant-Industry-Hologram-Ink-Mirror-Series-25-ml-Bottle/pd/34277

@tde44p - I'm sure we'd all love to see your shimmery ink work here!  Diamine does indeed have some fantastic shimmer inks.  I showed my swatches for their whole Inkvent 2021 line in the Inkvent thread: https://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=7287.0
There are lots of great shimmers and sheens in that collection!  Which of the Diamine shimmers do you have?  Which of the Dominant Industry inks do you have?  Do you have a favorite?  Would you share images?  Do you make swatches?

I find the shimmer inks do very well in a wet writing fountain pen with a very broad nib, like the Pilot Parallels.  But they do not suit every fountain pen - the shimmer from Herbin's "Shogun" ink jammed up my Parker stub nib.

Here's a writing sample using a custom ground 2mm Parallel nib with Dominant Industry "Autumn Forest" - on Tomoegawa paper (cream).  It's a practice run through a Latin pangram in textura quadrata, and an English pangram in bâtarde/secretary hand, for a conference presentation next month.

[Lyric]

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts, @Zivio and @Erica McPhee - Erica, I got these two inks at Atlas Stationers in Chicago (because I couldn't resist the adorable bottles, which come wrapped in little dust bags with tiny droppers). 

I feel that way about Ferris Wheel Press inks.  The tops of their inks are dipped in colored wax.  The packaging is exquisite!  I have yet to purchase because I seem to have SO much ink (so little time to use it).  And then you went and intro'd us to those shimmer inks some months back.  I now have this backlist of inks I want in my stash, oy vey. 

[Erica McPhee]

Just looked at JetPens — that chrome though! Wow! 

[AnasaziWrites]

@K-2
Lovin' those trees.

[hudson32]

So beautiful. It's one of my favorite inks. I often use them in fountain pens for their cheerful glow in holiday greeting cards, letters to penpals or cheerful diary entries.