Pen Color Vs Ink Color

[notgiven]

Do you try to use ink color that matches the pen's body color? Maybe not matching completely, but more like matching tones, or matching color family. I find silver, gold, black, brown, and white pens can take any colored ink with no awkward effect. On the other hand, putting red ink in blue or green pen seems... wrong. Do you try to avoid putting certain colored ink in certain colored pen?

[inkspot]

I've never really thought about it before, but going back and looking at my pens and their current inks, I suspect I might match colour families:

 

my navy blue Parker is currently filled with Diamine Imperial Purple

my pink Parker is currently filled with Diamine Pumpkin

my comet red Hemisphere is currently filled with PR Chocolat AND

my cashmere beige Harmonie is currently filled with PR Ebony Blue (a lovely combination, BTW - I did notice that the other day).

[Iranna]

Hey! I'm trying to get rid of my colour matching obsession! It's therapeutic to talk about it though...

[inkspot]

Hey! I'm trying to get rid of my colour matching obsession! It's therapeutic to talk about it though...

 

I promise next time I will fill my red Hemisphere with Kelly Green Actually, come to think of it, I think that is what was in there before I loaded up the Chocolat...

[beak]

This may be why I only have black or neutral-coloured pens, and I generally use black ink anyway. I do have one red Lamy Safari which I use with red ink for marking up drawings at work. So I guess, yes, I match!

[rollerboy]

What the OP said. I try to have the pen colour and ink colour go well together. The colours shouldn't "clash". I don't chase the monochrome effect of having the ink exactly match the pen body. Recent combos I've liked: Pelikan Brown Tortoise with Diamine Umber (a subdued green). Sailor Sapporo Lame Blue (really a grey) with Diamine Damson (a dusky purple).

[WendyNC]

I'm another one who coordinates pen and ink color. I have quite a few pens which are not solid color, so that gives me added flexibility. For instance, I have a Visconti Didgeridoo (blue with browish/greenish/gold) and my inclination is to use an ink from the brown family in that one. In fact, once the current fill is empty, I think I'm going to load that one up with Burma Road Brown.

 

However, I'll also do contrasts. One I like is purple ink in a green pen.

[corniche]

Greetings notgiven,

 

I generally do not match them; I simply buy pens in colors/schemes that I like and inks in colors that I like. If they happen to "match," that's okay but I've never done it deliberately. Besides, if they match, people might think your pen is one of those fancier disposables they have these days and throw it out when it runs out of the color-matched ink!

 

THE HORROR! THE HORROR!

 

All the best,

 

Sean

[inkspot]

Besides, if they match, people might think your pen is one of those fancier disposables they have these days and throw it out when it runs out of the color-matched ink!

 

THE HORROR! THE HORROR!

 

Hmmm... fountain pen nightmares

[marmite]

I have a dark purple Al Star, which I've filled with CdA Grand Canyon brown, despite my favourite ink being CdA Storm, which is a very similar shade of dark purple. It would make sense to put the purple ink in the purple pen, but I want to save the Storm for my M600, which just LOVES it.

I have a Citrine duofold with Eclat de saphir and a Lamy 2000 with Verdigris inked at the moment - so no matching here!

[Joane]

Not really matching but, as many have mentioned above, coordinating. Pen and ink colours have to go well together to my eye. Clashing colours can obstruct my thoughts; harmonious colours are pleasant to the eye and help the thoughts to flow.

[Pippin60]

I try to match, or more likely coordinate so it won't clash :roflmho: It kind of goes hand in hand with my touch of OCD. Note: some who know me don't agree that it's only a touch of OCD

 

Hmm now there is a survey how many FP collectors or enthusiasts have at least a touch of OCD even if they won't admit it to themselves.

Edited January 15, 2011 by Pippin60

[txinsk]

Hey! I'm trying to get rid of my colour matching obsession! It's therapeutic to talk about it though...

 

I promise next time I will fill my red Hemisphere with Kelly Green Actually, come to think of it, I think that is what was in there before I loaded up the Chocolat...

 

When did you have this red pen loaded with green ink? If it was December, then I think you might be coordinating colours with seasons as red & green are Christmas colours.

 

Rick

Edited January 15, 2011 by txinsk

[ravantra]

No doesn't matter. I just filled my blue Lamy Studio with Plum private reserve … I'm ok. I use to have OCD as a child, I now purposefully go against the grain. It's how I got over it.

[mholve]

Until recently, I've been doing this quite a bit. But with new pens, I usually want to try a particular ink for some reason - such as maximizing shading or something. So I'm straying from the norm.

 

The problem is, if you tend to buy pens in similar colors, you end up with too many pens with the same ink color. Boring!

 

Something I'll probably get into is aligning ink colors with the seasons.

[WendyNC]

Something I'll probably get into is aligning ink colors with the seasons.

 

Well, of course! Part of why we need so many inks is because pens need coordinating/matching colors but different ones for different seasons.

[Iranna]

Hey! I'm trying to get rid of my colour matching obsession! It's therapeutic to talk about it though...

 

I promise next time I will fill my red Hemisphere with Kelly Green Actually, come to think of it, I think that is what was in there before I loaded up the Chocolat...

 

Nonono, you can't put green ink in a red pen! Particularly not bright green like Kelly Green!

 

Hmm, actually, now that I've read people mention the word coordinate, I realise that's what I do nowadays. So I'm on my way to recovery... Warm colours go in warm colour pens, the same with cool colours. I also have some colour combinations that I really like (like pink and orange, and orange and purple) that can go together in pen world too.

[WOBentley]

I actually do not match, I use mostly Blues, Blacks or Blue/blacks (mostly use for work and Greens,Reds etc. just wouldn't work!). I more match the pen to my mood. Inks are fairly constant.

[Joane]

I really don't see harmonizing colours as OCD. For anyone who appreaciates the aesthetics of colour harmony or has any art training or natural sensitivity to colour in their surroundings, colour combining is one of the visual pleasures of life, be it in home decor, clothing choices, or any other area of life, including pens and ink. In a letter, for instance, colour can have a profound psychological effect on both the writer and reader. It can embellish a letter not only visually but also by being supportive to the content. I see colour as a tool just like pen, paper and ink, and something to be used effectively to enhance meaning as well as delight the eye.

[Alohamora]

Green ink in a red pen can only work for about the last half of December. Any other time of the year and, uh, no, not for me. I like matching ink to pen, but I don't have anywhere near enough purple pens to go along with my love for purple ink. So purple ink goes in a clear demonstrator or in my stainless pocket pen for now. OTOH, I have far to many red pens considering how ambivalent I am about red ink. Do you suppose I could ever learn to love purple ink in red pens? :hmm1: