Caran d'Ache Idyllic Blue with a Parker Urban Nightsky Blue: Monday Matchup #126

Hey there, fountain pen friends! Lydia here, bringing you my latest Monday Matchup. I've had my eye on the Parker Urban in Nightsky Blue with a Medium nib since we announced we were carrying it so I was anxious to use it. Read on to hear more about my experiences!

I fell in love with the color of this pen when we posted the Sneak Peek: Parker Transformation blog. I am a sucker for a great blue. The fact that the Caran d'Ache Idyllic Blue happened to match perfectly was a pleasant surprise. The Urban redesign evokes a vintage feel in my mind and I instantly thought of elegant, posh cocktail parties so I took that theme and ran with it.

I found the silhouette of the woman that I liked and traced it onto some Tomoe River paper with the pen. I made sure to position her closer to the top of the page so I had room to write in the quote at the bottom. Then I drew in the railing behind her. To fill in the shapes, I grabbed a water brush and filled it with water, then dipped it in the cap of the ink to get a little color. This ink moves wonderfully for this type of art. It's not a great choice if you plan to have your writing anywhere near water, but it's phenomenal if you're trying to do watercolors. I was so happy with the different shades I was able to achieve. Then I took the pen and wrote in the quote. I love doing block lettering and filling it in with swirled filigree of sorts. I tried to vary the fonts to add some drama and interest to the quote. I absolutely love this quote from Giorgio Armani and I've been waiting for the right pen to write it with and I think the Urban was a perfect fit.

Overall, I liked this pen and ink combination a lot. Idyllic Blue is an eye-catching ink without being too loud or obnoxious. It is the perfect "cautious fun" ink. The Parker nib was super smooth and wrote like a charm. The pen is a great conversation started too. The arrow clip and redesigned styling make it a sophisticated pen with a color choice for every pen lover. I don't think I would change one thing about this matchup.

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You can find the Parker Urban in Fine or Medium and 5 great color options. Caran d'Ache Idyllic Blue is available in 50ml bottle for $33.20 and a 2ml sample for $2.70. You can find them both at GouletPens.com.

Follow the directions below for a chance to win this pen and ink. We're excited to see what pen and ink you have matched!

How to enter Monday Matchup Giveaway:

• Match a pen and ink together. They don't have to match in color, any fountain pen and ink works.
• Take a picture of your pen and ink matchup. 
• Find the entry details and instructions below on how to share your picture with us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or as a blog comment*. 
• You can choose to enter only one way, or submit up to 4 different entries if you'd like. Feel free to use the same picture for all 4 entries.
• Confirm your entry via the Rafflecopter widget below which will record your entries. This is how we'll draw a random winner. Since it's totally random, you're eligible to win each week! 
• To see more of Rafflecopter's privacy policy, click here. Your email is never shared, and is only used to contact you should you win.
• *Due to recent changes with the Disqus platform, you must register for a Disqus account in order to post a photo entry in the blog comments.   

The contest is open Monday, January 23, 2017 at 12pm EST until Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 12pm EST. One winner will be randomly selected and announced tomorrow once the contest closes. The winner must live in a country that Goulet Pens currently ships to. Click here to see the Official Contest Rules.

What is your favorite example of elegance?

Write on,
Lydia

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