One year ago, Vanness Pens and Retro 51 collaborated to create the first “Artist Series” Tornado, designed by Joey Feldman, and it remains one of my favorite pens for its unique barrel design. Whenever artists are brought into the world of stationery, interesting and one-of-a-kind products are almost always produced. So when Vanness tapped California artist Bioworkz (Ben Kwok) to create the second “Artist Series” Tornado, I was excited and ultimately blown away by the result.

This edition’s barrel design features a trio of flying owls in a style that is reminiscent of henna body art, and two color schemes of the artwork were created as options for purchase: one blue/red, the other orange/turquoise. Overall, these may be the most beautifully designed Retro 51 Tornados I’ve seen. Additionally, the design is ever-so-slightly raised on the barrel, creating a texture that feels good to hold.

Aside from the difference in the art’s color scheme, there are few other differences between the two versions. The blue/red version comes with dark gray metal accents, whereas the orange/turquoise’s metal accents are a made to look weathered. The inset disc at the top of the twist mechanism also differs in color between the two versions, and the blue/red version comes with a signed and numbered print – hence why it costs an extra $20. The pens themselves are also individually numbered, and a total of 500 pens were produced (250 of each color scheme).

So far, the Retro 51 Tornado Artist Series has been great. Besides that, there’s not much more to say, except that I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.