Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 25

 Merry Christmas!

Today, Diamine is wishing us "All the Best" for journeying through 25 inks. This one was a mystery; the bottle did not indicate whether it was shimmer or sheen, but of course the expectation was that it would be both.

And it was! "All the Best" is a reddish ink that to me trends toward the "berry" end of the red spectrum, almost a deep bluish pink (maroon? wine?).

The gold-green sheen begins to emerge first, appearing in the areas where more ink is applied.

The shimmer is a bit more subtle, and requires even more pooling. Here I applied some extra ink with the paintbrush to see if I could deliberately achieve the shimmer and sheen--and it worked!

When I turn it a little in the light, you can see it shine a bit more, almost a lavender sparkle:

The Pilot Parallel produced the best results!

And here's a recap:

The Invent calendar is a fantastic idea, and has been a lot of fun. If I had to choose my favorites right now, I would probably choose too many. I'm hoping to post some comparisons between a few of the Inkvent colors themselves (like 17 and 13) and also comparisons between these and other Diamine Inks (like Garland and Holly), so stay tuned!

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 24

 

Day 24 - Christmas Eve! The ink for the day is "Yuletide," a standard, non-shimmer medium-ice blue ink that sheens very slightly red. 

This is another that somewhat resembles an earlier day's ink--"Subzero," which was Day 18.

I admit to being stumped as to why this one is "Yuletide," so I drew an ice-blue Yule log alongside the White Witch's sledge, pulled by the rare wolf-deer (because I was indecisive and don't really do animals...)

Here's the open calendar...

Looking forward to tomorrow! Merry Christmas!

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Days 22 and 23

 Another catch-up post before Christmas Eve!

Day 22 was, predictably perhaps, one of the more stunning inks. The even-numbered days seem to be giving more sheen and shimmer, and this one was no exception! "Black Ivy," a sheening ink, has a sheen that dominated my swatch--a deep red, almost a maroon.

The ink color itself is a green-black:

The color name seems appropriate, and inspired the ivy below:

*****

Day 23, a standard ink, is a bright, cheerful orange...

...but the name, "Wonderland," is an enigma. My usual paintbrush retained some "Black Ivy," so I had to use one a bit less suited to small sketchy paint-with-ink drawings.

And all that I could come up with for "Wonderland" was a kind of fair or carnival. The ink names have me stumped.

Here is the array! Looking forward to tomorrow!

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 21

 

Day 21 is a warm brown, standard ink called "Brandy Snap."

With no shimmer, and no sheen to speak of, this color is simply what it is--except that it does shade from a blonde color to a gingerbread cookie kind of color. 

Overall, it's very reminiscent of baked goods!

Only four inks left (three until Christmas)!

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 20

Day 20 is the pink I was looking for to fill in the rose Advent candle in yesterday's drawing. This one is called "Pink Ice," which makes me think of "pink champagne on ice" à la "Hotel California," and also An Affair to Remember, which does feature some talk of pink champagne. I think I remember another pop culture reference to champagne that is pink, but it's eluding me right now.

This is a shimmer ink, and I just love the shimmer when it settles to one side of the bottle.

It looks pink in the bottle, but it appears to be a silver shimmer.

In addition to my champagne reference (which I found interesting given that this was day 20, which suggests the first digits of the incoming--and current--year), 

I decided to think literally in terms of ice that is pink, and I made a pink snowman, who makes me happy. 

You can see how this particular ink tended to cling rather well to the dip pen nib, but was very light when used with the Pilot Parallel with the broad stroke. 

And we have only five inks to go! (Four until the Christmas reveal!) Diamine already has a color named "Pink Champagne," so when the calendar countdown is done, I will do a few comparison swatches between existing colors and the new Inkvent inks!

 

Diamine Inkvent Calendar Day 19

 

Day 19 is another Advent-appropriate color--purple, although purple in Advent is not "Festive Joy," which is the name of this color. Still. I drew an Advent wreath to go alongside some grapes.

Then I decided to embellish it with "Raspberry Rose," "Candle Light," and "Garland"--something I've largely resisted until now!

I noticed in the swatch that there seemed to be a slight sheen, but I couldn't quite tell the color.

It actually seems to be a gold...

...and it is a bit metallic!

Ending today with even more festive cheer!