The Choirmaster’s Pursuits

Category: Uncategorized

  • 7 February – Ferris Wheel Press Main Street Marmalade (& Order Piciformes)

    7 February – Ferris Wheel Press Main Street Marmalade (& Order Piciformes)

    Today’s ink is somewhat reminiscent of Buttercup from just a couple days ago. The saturation is quite low, and at times it is difficult to know how the writing is going in terms of legibility. It’s definitely got that marmalade vibe! I absolutely gave up on the ink though before I got to the end…

  • 6 February – Diamine Writer’s Blood (& Order Galbuliformes)

    6 February – Diamine Writer’s Blood (& Order Galbuliformes)

    Writer’s Blood is one of Diamine’s consistently most popular inks, and for good reason. It’s a bold, professional-looking red-black – super-saturated and handsome. Puffbirds and Jacamars for your birding pleasure today. Enjoy!

  • 5 February – Diamine Golden Oasis (& Order Coraciiformes)

    5 February – Diamine Golden Oasis (& Order Coraciiformes)

    Well, I did most of today’s writing with this ink without realizing it is a shimmering ink. Only towards the end (when I had switched from my fairly regular Pilot Prera to using a Noodler’s Charlie as a dip pen) did I see the shimmer in the ink vial. So take a look at the…

  • 4 February – Private Reserve Buttercup (& Order Bucerotiformes)

    4 February – Private Reserve Buttercup (& Order Bucerotiformes)

    A most intriguing ink to write with (partly because it was tough to tell if the end product would actually be legible). Many of these inks are difficult to represent with (extremely) amateur photographs. This one actually seems easier to read in the photos than it is in person. Enjoy the Buttercup, and the Hoopoes,…

  • 3 February – Ferris Wheel Press Madam Mulberry (& Order Trogoniformes)

    3 February – Ferris Wheel Press Madam Mulberry (& Order Trogoniformes)

    A subtle but pleasing color today from FWP. And take a look at the Trogons and Allies to read a reflection on “favorite birds”.

  • 2 February – Lamy Bronze (& Order Leptosomiformes)

    2 February – Lamy Bronze (& Order Leptosomiformes)

    It’s been a tough week, and I have quite a few days to catch up on getting out to you, but we should be all caught up by the end of the weekend. Lamy Bronze is a nice color, solid, moderately saturated, writes well. And an avian order with just one species: the Cuckoo-roller. Enjoy!

  • 1 February – Noodler’s Park Red (& Order Coliiformes)

    1 February – Noodler’s Park Red (& Order Coliiformes)

    An ink in honor of a former North Korean propaganda worker who fled to South Korea in 1999 and now sends balloons carrying pro-democracy literature over the DMZ into North Korea on behalf of his Fighters for a Free North Korea. Plus… MOUSEBIRDS!!!

  • February Preview!

    Here’s what’s coming your way during this shortest month of the year: Noodler’s Park Red, LAMY Bronze, Ferris Wheel Press Madam Mulberry, Private Reserve Buttercup, Diamine Golden Oasis, Diamine Writer’s Blood, Ferris Wheel Press Main Street Marmalade, Noodler’s Habanero, Jacques Herbin 1798 Orange Soleil, Ferris Wheel Press Sparkling Champagne, Diamine Black Ivy, Noodler’s Blue Nose…

  • January 2023 Review

    25 out of our 31 January inks came from Diamine’s 2022 Inkvent Calendar. If you’ve been following along, you know that I’ve struggled with loving shimmering inks while simultaneously not enjoying their high maintenance qualities. But I truly enjoyed writing with each of this month’s inks. And so, from worst to first, here are my…

  • 31 January – Pilot Iroshizuku Hotaru-bi (& Order Strigiformes)

    31 January – Pilot Iroshizuku Hotaru-bi (& Order Strigiformes)

    These birds (the Owls) are not always easy to see; I’ll leave it to you to decide whether Hotaru-bi is. The name is appropriate: it means “light of the fireflies”, and that’s definitely what this ink reminds me of. And owls? Well, owls just are some of the rockingest birds on the planet. 🙂 Stay…