Diamine Inkvent 2022 – Day 9

Posted bykillerpuppytailsPosted inFountain PensTags:

Bracing myself a bit for today’s door opening……….

The ninth paper door on a green and silver Advent calendar. The number 9 is created in a stippling of gold, but unlike the 3 in which the stippling progressed outwards from the outline, this stippling moves inwards. The rest of the door is decorated with stars and simple snowflakes.
Door #9, a fireworks-like number surrounded with silver stars and simple snowflakes
A paper Advent calendar door has been opened to reveal a small plastic-wrapped bottle inside. It has a metallic bright red label that reads "Cardinal" in silver script under the diamond Diamine logo.
Behind the door is a bright red ink called Cardinal

Day 9’s ink is called “Cardinal.”

I tested, as per usual, using a borosilicate glass dip pen in a Maruman Mnemosyne notebook. The paper in the Mnemosyne is good for sheening inks but isn’t as thin as Tomoe River, making it easier to use a sharp glass pen.

Handwriting in vividly bright red ink on white paper that reads "Day 9: Cardinal." To the right of the writing is an ink splotch of the same color, and below the writing lays a small square bottle with a metallic red label that reads "Cardinal" in hard-to-read silver script under the diamond Diamine logo.
This ink was incredibly bright, so I again had some issues with lighting. Text reads “Day 9: Cardinal” in my blocky handwriting.

Cardinal is BRIGHT. It’s a pure, saturated, bright red with no shading and no other tones. It’s brighter than a cardinal’s red. I had to take the above photo with all the shades drawn. But as bright as Cardinal is, it’s also dark enough that it’s easy to read.

It’s a slightly wet ink that is a little hard to control, but it didn’t spot like… *ahem* the prior ink.

A closeup of a splotch of ink that is a pure bright red, no shading at all.
A closeup of the ink splotch – looks like there’s almost no variance in the color.

It also doesn’t spread well – it really wants to stick where you put it, like someone wanted a lipstick experience in ink form. Which is kind of cool! A neat artistic choice, if that was deliberate. And it is very pretty, like a bright red lipstick on someone who rocks it.

I’m looking forward to using this in painting alongside the Spiced Apple ink, but I don’t think it’s full-bottle-worthy (which is a lil phrase from my perfumista days).

(Interesting how ink seems to be satisfying the mental niche that perfume and makeup used to for me….)

Next up: Day 10!

Published by killerpuppytails

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