Diamine Inkvent 2022 – Day 14

Posted bykillerpuppytailsPosted inFountain PensTags:

All right, at this point I expect Diamine to give us something simple to calm everyone down.

The fourteenth paper door on a green and silver Advent calendar. The number 14 is drawn as though it was another kind of branch, done in gold with small oval pointed leaves at the end of the crosshatch of the number four. Above and to the left is one half of a large pen nib snowflake.
Door #14, drawn like a branch. A pen nib snowflake is partly visible above.
A paper Advent calendar door has been opened to reveal a small plastic-wrapped bottle inside. It has a metallic gold-brown label that reads "Three Kings" in silver script under the diamond Diamine logo.
Behind the door is a gold ink called Three Kings

Day 14’s ink is called “Three Kings.”

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 a saturated golden-brown ink on white paper that reads "Day 14: Three Kings." Below and slightly to the right of the writing lays a small square bottle with a metallic yellow-brown label that reads "Three Kings" in hard-to-read silver script under the diamond Diamine logo.
This ink was … well. DIFFICULT. Text reads “Day 14: Three Kings” in my blocky handwriting, with writing mistakes on the first E and the N.

Soooo. This ink is exactly what one would expect, if you know the Christian story of the Magi. The ink is a strongly shaded gold and it also smells a little like myrrh and clove. The bottle doesn’t mention it being scented, but I sure as hell smell it in there. It’s mild, but if you’re deeply fragrance sensitive, be warned.

A closeup of a splotch of ink has shades of amber, dark gold, and maple. Nib scratches are clear on the left side of the splotch.
A closeup of some of the writing and the ink splotch, demonstrating the differences in shading

I had to scribble quite a lot get the splotch going, but once I did the ink sort of… blotched out and then was easy to work with. It’s rare that I experience the “both scratchy and wet” phenomenon in inks, but this has it.

A closer closeup of the splotch shows the variance in the shades of amber, dark gold, and maple. Nib scratches are clear on the left side of the splotch.
A closeup of some of the writing and the ink splotch, demonstrating how the ink develops a dark outline.

The fun thing about this ink is that wherever it goes, it develops an outline in a darker shade. I always enjoy that property in shading inks, and here the outline is strong and vivid.

So if you like brown inks and don’t mind scent or scratchiness when you’re writing, this ink is a beaut. Shades of gold, brown, amber, maple, mustard, etc. Nicely varied, with lovely outlining. If I was naming it, outside of the Advent context, I’d call it “The Alchemist’s Recipe” or some such.

This one I’ll definitely use in painting, but I don’t think I’ll write with it. If I do enough painting with it, I’ll get a full bottle.

Next up: Day 15!

Published by killerpuppytails

Really Quite Deadly.

2 thoughts on “Diamine Inkvent 2022 – Day 14”

  1. is it shiny on the paper or just in the bottle? it looks VERY shiny in the bottle but i can’t tell from the photo if it is on paper too.

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