What Do You Do In Your Ink Journals?

[eharriett]

In a previous thread I was following, someone pulled out their ink journal to show some comparisons. I have about 60 ink samples right now, and no journal. So it got me thinking, what do you do in your ink journal? Thinking maybe I should start one too.

[inkstainedruth]

I do writing samples, noting what pen/nib I've used initially (and occasionally a different pen as well) and generally do some sort of small drawing or sketch. I check to see how long the ink takes to dry, and if it's water resistant. I look to see if there is feathering or bleedthrough, noting those and whether the ink spreads. I make notes as to whether I like the color or how it behaves as far as flow, and if I'm seeing shading or sheen (although since I'm not using really good paper it's got to be a really extraordinary ink to have sheen on paper that absorbent). I might try to do a bit of flexing (if the nib is good for that). I make notes as to whether the ink is good for various purposes (business/check writing, personal correspondence, note-taking, etc. -- including if the ink is too light to be legible or too bright to make it comfortable to read. And I assess whether or not I like the ink well enough to be worth me buying a full bottle, or getting more if I run out or spill it).

I also go back through and do a small note of the pen, nib width and ink on previous pages of similar colors (sometimes on the back of the first page) as comparisons, and sometimes in the initial review note what inks might be similar (stuff like "Brighter and more vibrant than X, slower drying than Y").

One thing that I *don't* do, which a lot of people do, is do swabs. Personally, I don't think that swabs give you a good indication of the true color. I also don't do stuff like chromatography tests. They're interesting to see from the point of view of comparing two inks, but it's not really helping me decide if it's worth getting the second ink: I'm not a scientist, and I'm mostly not using my inks for doing artwork.

Other people do completely different styles of reviews. For instance, sandy1 will test an ink with six different pens at once to see how the ink behaves in different pens and how it looks on a page coming out of different width nibs; she also does sampling on several different types of paper.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[OCArt]

I have a small bound notebook that I use for this purpose. I draw and fill-in a small square of color and note the name of the ink and the pen that it is loaded into and the date filled. In this way I can keep track of what ink is in each pen. My system is not ideal because the notebook paper is not the same as the one I use the most, but this simple system works for me.

[Erik Dalton]

Here's how I keep track. I use one Rhodia 5x8 notebook for my pens. Each pen gets a page with a writing sample and description about how it feels, writes etc.

For inks i found the bound book confining. Ended up with a sheets out of a NO16 Rhodia Dot pad, hole punched and clipped together. This system allows me to put inks together by color or brand, changes and updates are easy too.

Here's what it looks like. I have no idea why this uploader insists on posting it sideways..lol..

[praxim]

Mine has three purposes, here in descending order of usefulness:

 

Under broad colour headings, write date and ink with each new pen and ink combination, with a page reference to the ink.

 

On the ink pages (new page per ink) record each pen used as a sample and write something on what I think of the ink in the pen.

 

On pen pages (indexed elsewhere) record each ink used as a sample and write something on what I think of the pen.

 

I have an index too many and could fold the pen pages into the ink pages or else move them to a different journal entirely so I am not scrambling across multiple indices and entries in the one tiny A6.

[amberleadavis]

I doodle.

 

[effika]

I print out an ink log template I made, and write the same information on Tomoe River 52gsm. (I'm scared to put that one in my laser printer!) I store them all in a binder in page protectors.

 

I keep the log simple-- just what & when. If I have too many blanks to fill out I won't use it. I also usually scribble a square or (if it's a flex pen) a few curlicues. (All are free to grab my template and adapt for your own purposes/circumstances.)

 

After logging the ink and using it for a bit, I enter data into my Google Docs spreadsheet of inks. I leave notes about what I like/don't like, any cool sheening/shading, color comparisons-- just anything that may help me make a decision to re-order or to find that perfect ink for a task. I also record what page number writing samples can be found in my sample binder. (I do the same for pens/nibs.) You could always leave yourself a few lines in an actual paper journal for this, too.

[domzals1]

I tried to use my regular journal but found it too difficult to find old inks. I purchased one the Ink Journals from Matt Armstrong in the pocket size, and it lives in my Nock Sinclair which is my EDC case. This has proven to be an excellent system as it's always in the same case as the pens I'm cleaning out and there when I'm putting a newly inked pen in the case.

[ac12]

I think there are a few/several threads on this subject.

You might want to search for them, to see what others have said.

[amberleadavis]

Ah, I found them in the Start Here / Inky Topics O'Day.

 

Show Me Your Ink Book!
http://www.fountainp...-your-ink-book/

Other Ink Books:
http://www.fountainp...n-inky-edition/
http://www.fountainp...silver-edition/
https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/301735-amazing-inkophiles-journal-gatzbcn-tomoe-river-pictures-only/

[chromantic]

My main logs are the small 4x6 Black 'n Red spirals because inks sheen very readily on the paper, but I use others as well.

 

New inks, I write a page to gauge the ink, noting my thoughts on color and shading. Inks that sheen on the BnR, I try on the other pads; often they sheen on those, too, but sometimes not.

 

Having a lot of pens inked, I mostly just go down the page with different pens and write the ink's name and the pen, to keep the nibs fed and to see the pretty colors.

 

Don't really use them to test pens, per se, other than to see that they do write; testing comes with real world use at work.

[eharriett]

So I wanted to update on my decision. I decided on a pre-printed ink log. I was debating between notebooks, Field Notes, and the things to put in them, when I saw Anderson Pens sold something called "Ink Journal Black for Pen Collectors." It is more expensive than I was looking to pay, but it had a consistency to it that I really want, as I know I would not be consistent without it, and it is in a good presentation. I'm trying to keep two colors in each book, so I got two books.

[etaylor33]

I'm using the back pages of a just about filled journal for my ink samples. I write one line, it has the ink, the pen, a small square of a the ink sample and the date I filled the pen. Helps keep track of what ink in what pen and a good example of the color and lets me know how long the ink has been in the pen. Simple, basic, fills my needs. I just recently started using the sample block of ink, gives me a good Idea of how any ink will look from a specific pen.

[ac12]

I suggest giving it a shot for a few months, then look at the subject again.

You may find, as I did, that you want something different.

This is why I use a ring binder, so that I can reconfigure my ink samples when/if I change my mind, which I have, twice.

 

I also use paper similar to what I normally write on, so the ink sampling looks similar to what I would get on my usually writing. Makes no sense to me to sample on paper X then write on paper Y, as the ink could look and behave quite different when you are writing.

[eharriett]

I also use paper similar to what I normally write on, so the ink sampling looks similar to what I would get on my usually writing. Makes no sense to me to sample on paper X then write on paper Y, as the ink could look and behave quite different when you are writing.

 

Good point. I did not think of that.

[Arkanabar]

I use composition books purchased at Wal-Mart for $0.50, made in Viet Nam (it struck me as likely better than the other sources available where I was). Each pen gets its own page. I likely should have one for each ink, as well, with threading as in bullet journals. Each time a pen gets filled, I write on its page an entry: date, ink, and "Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me, a poor sinner."

The ink pages will likely work in much the same way: each ink gets its own page, and each time a pen gets filled, I make an entry with date, pen, and notes on behavior.

I was gifted a Rhodia A5 cream-colored 5mm quadrille pad, and that's where I put writing samples and information regarding my ink mixes. As I'm a bit poor to be buying inks, I want to mix my own purple and blue-black, while I'm still working out what the Essential Purple and the Essential Blue-Black should be.

[Abner C. Kemp]

I attempted an ink journal for awhile but found I rarely referenced it. Instead I keep swabs of each ink I own/sample and write a regular entry in my journal with any rare/sample inks I have that I want to document, usually just a couple pages summing up my week or discussing an issue in my mind. At the end of each journal entry I always write the pen and ink I used. I've found the swabs much more useful for direct comparison and it's fun to have a rainbow of inks in my personal journal. I've also found that flipping through old journals to find a certain ink is fun and encourages me to reread some of my old jottings.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Abner C. Kemp

[HalloweenHJB]

I tend to doodle (but not nearly as creatively as Amberlea!), and keep some notes on the inks.

 

 

Sometimes I'll come back to add a comparison note or swab when I get a new ink. I also keep some of my CRVs in them, as well.

 

[amberleadavis]

Halloween, your bunny doodle is AMAZING. My daughter and I are drooling.