I have recently swatch tested ten bottles of Diamine ink that make up the City of London gift set. This is an exclusive Diamine collection for BlueBlack which is a South Korean online stationery shop.
To be honest, I wasn’t so much interested in the inks as I was the label designs and packaging concept, which, when the bottles are lined up, create a rather lovely city skyline.
Ten bottles of Diamine ink, beautifully packaged.
When you consider the obscene amount of complete and utter tat that is created and produced for the global tourism souvenir sector you have every right to weep. But this idea, I do like. A lot. The colours are all existing Diamine standard inks (if you check out my Diamine swatch cards you’ll find them) but renamed appropriately and tastefully chosen to work together as a set of ten. With a lovely packaging concept and a proven product inside I think these souvenir gift sets ought be available in every cosmopolitan city. What a fabulous way to promote a city and traditional skills at the same time? Keeping traditional skills like hand writing with a pen is proving to be a challenge in a digital age, but this might help. I know that there is a similar set available for New York but why stop there?
If you fancy a set, here’s a link: http://www.blueblack.co.kr/product/detail.htmlproduct_no=2531&cate_no=169&display_group=1
And HEY! If you’re interested to know more about how to use fountain pen inks in more creative ways – whether it’s simply to observe their chromatic behaviours, or, to recreate one of my swatch cards, or, to learn how to use them in watercolour painting, illustration and calligraphy, why not check out my online course?
FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART 