At the beginning of my fountain pen journey, I was all about the pens, and just used the same handful of inks. But in the last six months I’ve developed a bit of an inky obsession, and so my collection has exploded. 

And whilst I love trying out new inks and experimenting with different brands and colours, I have found a few favourites along the way that I return to again and again. So I thought I’d do a post about my current favourites, and I’ll be really curious to look back on this list in a few months or a year to see if and how my tastes have changed.

I feel like I’m still at a very formative phase of my fountain pen hobby, and haven’t even ventured into the worlds of shimmer and sheen, so any of the inks on this list could be displaced along the line. I’ll have to do an updated version of this post in the future!

But for now, here are my favourite fountain pen inks: 

Sailor Ink Studios 573

One of the biggest surprises to me on my fountain pen journey is how much I’ve come to love brown inks. Generally I’m more of a bright colour person over dark colours or neutrals, but as far as pens and inks are concerned, those rules apparently don’t apply!

I really love a few of the darker, richer brown inks I’ve tried like Graf von Faber-Castell Hazelnut Brown and Diamine Chocolate Brown, but my absolute favourite is Sailor 573. It’s a lighter, rusty orange brown, and is absolutely beautiful! 

Although part of my love for this ink could be that it’s a perfect match for one of my favourite fountain pens: the TWSBI Eco Caffe Bronze. 

Noodlers Concord Bream

One of my favourite colours is purple, and specifically lilac, and so Noodlers Concord Bream has been a great discovery! Graf von Faber-Castell’s Violet Blue was my favourite lilac ink for quite a while, but I think Concord Bream just about beats it as my perfect purple ink. 

It’s also an incredibly wet ink, which means it works well for me, as most of my pens have either fine or extra fine nibs. And it also holds a special place in my heart as the only ink I’ve ever bought at a pen show! 

Herbin Poussière de Lune

On the opposite end of the purple spectrum, but still a favourite, is Herbin Poussiere de Lune. I don’t tend to gravitate towards super dark inks, but something about the moody colour of this one really strikes me! 

I’ve kept it exclusively inked in my Lamy Safari Violet Blackberry, and it’s a beautiful match! 

Robert Oster Dusky Pink

I really love the colour pink, but I’ve had so much trouble finding pink inks I like. I’m not the biggest fan of hot pink, or orange toned pinks, but a lot of the inks I was trying outside of those parameters were too light to be easily legible (as I’ve said, I have mostly fine and extra fine nibs). 

And then along came Robert Oster Dusky Pink! This is a lighter pink with a purple undertone that really helps with legibility. This feels like a really classy pink ink and is possibly my all-time favourite ink so far! 

Diamine Celadon Cat

The thing I love most about Diamine Celadon Cat is how unusual the colour is. It’s a light greenish blue that always reminds me of water, and it has some lovely shading when you write with it. 

I don’t love dark blue inks, so having a lighter blue that’s still legible gets it a spot on my favourites list! 

Diamine Aurora Borealis

One darker blue I do like is Diamine Aurora Borealis, and that’s likely because it leans a little on the green side. It’s a deep, saturated teal colour, and despite being dark, is incredibly eye-catching on the page. 

Although I might have some bias towards this ink though, as it was one of my very first bottles, which adds a layer of fondness! 

Waterman Harmonious Green

Waterman has quite a limited ink line-up, but wow, are the ones they do have beautiful! 

As the only green in their range I expected Harmonious Green to be a pure, bright green whilst it’s actually quite a cool-toned green, which I prefer. I love how bright this ink is, and since Waterman is generally considered one of the safer brands of ink for vintage pens, this is my vintage pen go-to!

Ferris Wheel Press Morningside Mint

Morningside Mint is actually the only Ferris Wheel Press ink I own and is the only bottle of ink I’ve bought after trying it as a sample. 

Mint green is another of my favourite colours, so I was delighted to find my perfect mint colour in this ink! I also like Diamine Soft Mint, but I like how Morningside Mint leans a little more green, and is more of a pastel shade (which is what I think of when I think of the colour mint). 

The pastel tone means that I have had legibility problems with it though, as you can probably see in the swatch. It’s testament to how much I like this colour that I’ve included it on my favourite list despite that! 

So what are some of your favourite inks? Have your tastes changed over time?