Van Dieman's 2026 - Mermaid - 100ml Shimmering Multichromatic Fountain Pen Ink

This is the colour of stories told at sea, and believed just enough to matter

Across cultures and coastlines, mermaids appear wherever the sea meets imagination. Ancient sailors spoke of them as omens and muses, symbols of beauty, danger, longing and transformation. In folklore they are not simply creatures of myth, but manifestations of the ocean itself. Shifting, reflective, impossible to pin down. To name the first ink of 2026 Mermaid felt inevitable.

This ink was conceived as a slow reveal, much like the stories that surround its namesake. When first laid on the page it begins as an aquatic blue, fresh and open like clear water near shore. As it dries, it transforms. Sea green emerges, then subtle rivulets and halos bloom outward in pinks, blues and storm-soft greys, echoing currents, depth and movement. It never settles into a single colour. Instead, it lives in the spaces between, constantly changing with paper, light and time.

In the lineage of our inks, Mermaid finds its place between Sea Spray and Overcast from the 2025 Natura Dualis collection. Where Sea Spray brought clarity and Overcast carried mood, Mermaid combines both. It is cooler, deeper, and more fluid, a meeting of sea and sky rendered in motion.

The shimmer is entirely new to our range. A silvery lavender with a soft iridescent quality that recalls fish scales beneath the surface. It does not dominate the ink or crowd the colour. Instead, it drifts through it, catching the light at certain angles and then vanishing again, allowing the multichromatic base to breathe. The result is luminous and restrained, transforming the writing into something quietly magical.

The artwork, painted by Belinda entirely with Van Dieman’s inks, brings the story full circle. Hanging Lake, a dark and moody blue from the Wilderness Collection shapes the sea and sails, Hailstorm, from Tassie Seasons, builds the brooding sky, and Federation Peak, also Wilderness, anchors the rocks. The mermaid herself is rendered solely from head to toe with Orchid Mantis from 2025 and European Honey Bee Chin, with a single drop of Bioluminescence woven into her tail. Her hair ornaments draw from the Underwater collection, including Royal Starfish, Parrot Fish, Sea Dragon, Sea Shell and Moon Jellyfish, echoing the treasures of the deep.

In an age of rush, Mermaid invites you to slow down and pay attention. To notice how colour moves, settles, and transforms on the page.

She has been waiting for you, just beyond the break of the waves

Special Offer:
Receive Mermaid free when you buy any 10 Van Dieman’s inks within the month of January 2026. No code required. Offer valid exclusively until January 31st 2026