Kitty Inkpot is an independent Chinese ink studio which has been making waves in the fountain pen world over the last year or two. They’ve become very well known for their striking and eyecatching chromashading inks, and they’re highly sought-after despite having relatively few Western stockists.
What Are Chromashading Inks?
Chromashading or chromoshading inks are multi-tonal inks which show variegated colours in different areas of the pen stroke or ink swatch. Their dye components separate out as the ink dries to create this effect, so they appear to best effect in conditions which would also show normal ink shading well – pens with wet ink flows and wide nib widths, and on paper which isn’t too absorbent.
Kitty Inkpot didn’t pioneer this type of ink, but they have leant into it hard, and almost all of their inks are chromashading to some degree. At this point they’re quite well-known for this striking effect in the fountain pen community.
Kitty Inkpot’s Ink Collections
Kitty Inkpot releases almost all their inks in collections of various types. In broad strokes, they are:
- Themed collections called Seasons, e.g. Season V – Crazy Party
- Calendar seasons: small limited-edition collections for each season
- Special events: small limited edition collections, e.g. Year of the Snake, Kitty Inkpot’s first and second anniversaries
- Kitty Island: this is a large “catch-all” collection where Kitty Inkpot releases experimental inks and inks in response to fan requests; inks in this collection tend to be discontinued quickly
In addition, Kitty Inkpot also occasionally releases mystery inks in several ways:
- inks labelled “mystery ink“; these come in small 5 mL glass jars, and are often drawn from prototypes and test batches, thrown in as freebies with ink orders. If you receive a mystery ink, you may never be able to match it exactly with one of their official releases and it may be nearly unique!
- occasional blind box/”ink gacha” releases
Where to Buy Kitty Inkpot Inks
Kitty Inkpot’s main stockist among Western vendors is Soe & Soe, an Australian indie stationery shop with a thriving online webstore; they do sell to international customers. (Full disclosure: I am a Soe & Soe affiliate, and you can find my affiliate code on my Codes page for a discount if you’re shopping there.) Soe & Soe sell 2 mL and 5 mL ink samples in addition to bottles, which is a great way of testing out a wide array of inks.
The other main way to source Kitty Inkpot inks is from various storefronts on AliExpress or Taobao; your order will be shipped directly from China.
At the time of writing in July 2026 there is also an indie artists collective and stationery store in the USA which stocks a small range of Kitty Inkpot inks, Happy Hues in Seattle. However, Happy Hues do not have an online store and serve in-person customers only; in addition, they rotate their curated range of products every few months, so they may not stock Kitty Inkpot indefinitely.
Kitty Inkpot Ink Swatches
I have swatched the entire range of Kitty Inkpot inks in collections, and also some inks individually. Here’s a selection of swatches to whet your appetite – however, for the full collection, see my companion Kitty Inkpot Ink Swatch Catalogue for full galleries!
