Overall, I’d say my usual taste in fountain pen inks is quite autumnal: I like rusty orange/browns, deep plummy purples and dark reds. But around this time of year I definitely feel the urge to get out some of my brighter inks too, so I thought I’d do a little round up of some inks that most scream ‘summer’ to me. 

I’m always on the lookout for more fun seasonal inks (not that I should be buying any more!), so let me know your own favourites in the comments! 

So here are my five inks I’ll be using over summer:

Pilot Iroshizuku Hotaru-Bi

This is a new ink to me, and bought purely on the basis of ‘summer vibes’! Whilst I generally consider greens more of a spring colour, there’s something about this light, yellowish green that says summer to me. Possibly because it’s such a cheerful colour!

Pilot Iroshizuku To-Ro

I don’t personally think ink comes more summery than this beautiful, vibrant yellowy orange! Whilst I feel like there was more hype for the other new Iroshizuku colours last year (Syun-Gyo in particular, which admittedly, I do love!) I was most drawn to To-Ro, as I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect legible yellow ink for the longest time. This definitely fits the bill in all but the finest nibbed pens and makes me think of sunshine and days on the beach!

Diamine Peach Haze

Orange is another colour that screams summer to me, and Diamine Peach Haze is my favourite orange ink. Despite the name, it’s definitely orange, rather than peach, but it’s still fairly light and bright, which makes it a definitive summer colour, rather than an autumn one in my book!

Herbin Corail des Tropiques

This beautiful coral ink is fairly similar in tone to Diamine Peach Haze, but the touch of pink definitely elevates the tropical vibes. I guess the name translating to tropical coral also helps with that, and I love how vibrant and fun this colour feels. 

Please excuse the big blob of colour on the H though – I had a dip pen mishap!

Waterman Inspired Blue

And could a list of summer inspired inks be complete without a beautiful bright blue? I had quite a few blues to choose from that made me feel summery, but I feel like this simple light blue made me think most of the ocean, and summer days at the pool. 

So what are some of your favourite summery inks?