Exploring colour with Jay Cover
At Inkstand, we help you discover the endless possibilities of colour. What inspires colour is different for each and every person, whether it’s sparked by daily life, memories, music, literature, or perhaps a loved one’s words.
We embarked on our latest ink collaboration with a simple curiosity — to see colours brought to life by a creative immersed in the world of colour.
Jay Cover is an illustrator and artist from the small island nation of the Isle of Man, off the northwest coast of England. His work has a graphic sensibility with black linework, and is featured in publications, branding and packaging design.
One of Jay’s iconic works is the design of the Isle of Man’s official stamps — the first to be issued with the approval of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Jay joined us all the way from the Isle of Man, and we were eager to introduce him to the Inkstand experience.
The first colour Jay created was mustard. We quickly learned that he loves English mustard.
For his second colour, he recreated one of the colours from his favourite rug.
After checking and adjusting the colour against the mustard, a purplish shade of blue was born.
Without a rest, the mustard ink was introduced into the blue sketch.
Jay tells us he often works with black lines on white, and that he tried to create a pair of similarly complementary colours.
“This blue can be used for linework like black, but I’m happy that it turned out a vibrant cool blue. It’s not easy to find a colour like this,” says Jay.
We were impressed to learn that he had the idea for the pairing from the start.
Next, we filled Kakimori pens with the inks and watched Jay in action, his hand moving briskly.
Before long, a delightful array of sketches had appeared in front of us.
Our team circled the works with excitement, filling the usually quiet and still Inkstand space with lively chatter.
The two colours created by Jay were named English mustard and Cross stitch blue.
The package features a foil-stamped illustration exclusive to this collaboration, selected from the many sketches he made for us.
We also asked Jay to illustrate the cover for a notebook to accompany the inks. The result is a charming design that features our tools for writing.
Finally, we invited Jay to create his very own order-made notebook. Brightly coloured dividers and pockets cheerfully peek out of the green covers.
Jay’s ink colours capture his love for his favourite things. We were inspired by the simple ease and joy in the way he draws, reminding us to enjoy drawing regardless of our ability. His heartwarming illustrations seemed to encourage us to do the same.
View the full collection here.