WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: De Atramentis Salmon Ink Review

It's pretty.
It's not scented - thank goodness!

Seven Orange Inks

A photo posted by Christine Darling (@pentulant) on Nov 11, 2014 at 10:35am PST

I've been on an orange kick. It all started innocently enough back in May, and then over the last few days, I've inked seven pens with seven different orange inks.  CrAzY!

I won't have room to go into great detail on each ink here, but let's explore a little, shall we?

Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki Writing Sample

Pilot Iroshizuku's Fuyu-gaki runs a bit toward the red side of orange. It writes wonderfully, doesn't display much shading, and is an all-around nice ink.

Fun with ink splatters. I did these on Word Cards that I got from Jet Pens. The paper is more like a thin watercolor paper than writing paper.

Moving on . . .

Montblanc Gandhi Writing Sample

Montblanc Gandhi fountain pen ink is no longer available. It can be found on eBay (I've been thinking about selling my spare bottle, but I'm not sure I want to let it go, you know?)

The ink is such a pretty pretty orange, lots of good shading, and is definitely one to try if you can find it.

Spatters, anyone?

Diamine Amber is next on our hit list . . .

Diamine Amber Writing Sample

Diamine Amber is just so light and feels a bit dry. This ink is in a Lamy with extra-fine nib and that may be part of the issue, but I've had other orange inks in the same pen and they've not been this light. I like inks that work in all of my pens (makes life easier, you know?) and with so many orange options available, I'm not so keen on this one. Others seem to like it.

And look at the spatters - good saturation there, friends.

Montblanc Gandhi isn't the only game in town . . .

De Atramentis Gandhi Writing Sample

This was my first time using this ink and for some strange reason, I didn't have high expectations. Silly me - it's a perfectly fine ink. Some shading, writes quite well. No reason to be concerned. It's really not like Montblanc Gandhi - not that it matters, I think it would be a little silly to compare the two just because they share a name.  I like it.

I also think I did a pretty good job on the spatters here . . .

Next up . . .

Noodler's Apache Sunset Writing Sample

People are generally coco-crazy for Noodler's Apache Sunset.  Even using an extra-fine nib, I can see the potential here. Absolutely insane shading. The color is very orange. People who don't like this ink seem to say that there is no practical application for it - I'm not sure I understand. Maybe they feel that way about all orange inks?

So . . . check out the spatter. See the streak? Please know that I waited a full 24 hours after creating the spatters before scanning. THE INK WAS STILL WET!  Insanity.  (Even more insane - you can see this streak on other images, too...arrrgh. I need to figure out how to clean my scanner.)

Anyway . . .

Dude. Check out Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-yake . . .

Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-yake Writing Sample

Shading, saturation, great orange color - maybe a little red in there. Yu-yake is bright and cheerful. Writes like a dream. A new favorite of mine.

I've had good experiences with all Pilot Iroshizuku inks. They are a bit more expensive than other brands, but they are incomparable in terms of overall brand quality.

Last, and certainly not least:  Noodler's Habanero.

Noodler's Hanbaero Writing Sample

It's been awhile since I've had Noodler's Habanero in a pen. I'm not sure why. I fall in love with it every time. The beautiful shading, the gorgeous orange that reminds me of autumn.  Yum.

The only issue is that it seems to stay wet forever. Though, apparently, not as long as Noodler's Apache Sunset.

That's it!

Which are your favorites?

xoxo

INK REVIEW: DE ATRAMENTIS ANTIQUE PINK

De Atramentis Antique Pink

I'm not the biggest fan of pink inks. I found one that I love (Diamine Flamingo Pink), but otherwise, they are mostly a curiosity for me.

When I think of Antique Pink, the color that comes to mind is perhaps something like a ballet slipper pink. When De Atramentis thinks of Antique Pink, they think of something that is a bit more purple than I'd expect...

De Atramentis Antique Pink Writing Sample

With that out of the way, this ink is nice. It's ok. It writes well in the pen, looks good on the paper. There is no bleeding or feathering. Smear times are decent. (I used a Rhodia Dot Pad for this review.)

If you're looking for a pink fountain pen ink that leans a bit toward the purple, this color could be the one for you.

There is even some shading - always nice.  (I was using the Pilot Falcon for this review - the pen flexes a bit and that could account for some of the shading here, but there is potential.)

So...here's my bottom line:  it's ok.

 Pink inks - love 'em or hate 'em?

What are you writing with this week?

INK REVIEW: De Atramentis Sahara Grey

DeAtramentis Sahara Grey Ink Swab

DeAtramentis Sahara Grey Ink Review

Those of you who have been reading here for more than a week know that ink names is one of my biggest pet peeves. Seriously, they could have just left it at Sahara and been ok, right?

If you're looking for a great shading olive or drab green, this color may be the one for you.

It wrote great in the Pilot Metropolitan I was using for testing. (If you're looking for fantastic inexpensive pen, the Metropolitan is one I'd definitely recommend.)

No starting issues, no flow problems, and (bonus!) lots of great shading.

I also want to show you this . . .

I couldn't believe how little it smeared (I was using Rhodia paper). 

Bottom line? If you love the color, you'll probably love this ink. It really is a winner.

As for me, I'm not a fan of the color - a little too Army for me. What do you think?

DeAtramentis Sahara GreyInk Swab & Review

Click For Full-Size Image
DeAtramentis Sahara Grey
Ink Review

INK REVIEW: De Atramentis Alexander Hamilton

I had no idea Alexander Hamilton was so sexy. 

I'm clueless as to why this ink from De Atramentis was named Alexander Hamilton, but I love it just the same.

Let's have a closer look....

beautiful shading

deep rich purple

The full review...

Alexander Hamilton is well-behaved in the pen. Perhaps a bit wet with the broad nib, but I can work around that.  In fact, I tried the same ink one other time and loved it then, too.

The color is darker than a traditional (perhaps the better term would be royal) purple and I think this makes it suitable for use in almost any setting. Of course, I work from home and no one but the dogs are judging the ink colors in my notebook.

I love it!  If you're at all into purples, you should consider Alexander Hamilton from De Atramentis.  Again, look at that shading!

I used a sample for this test, but I'm definitely adding a full bottle to my wish list.

What about you? Love purple? Hate it? What is on your wish list?

Oh! Almost forgot...in case you're curious.

QUICK LOOK WEDNESDAY - Six Pretty Colors

Sometimes, I want to play with my pens, inks, and papers, but can think of nothing to write.

The first step is to write the name of the ink and the name of the pen (see above). I just noticed that each ink is from a different manufacturer - nice.

Apparently, the last resort is to write things that I overhear from the television (see below).

It was actually quite a bit of fun - watching and scribbling, changing pens and writing a bit more. I love the way the entire sheet of paper looks - each color is pretty amazing on its own, yes?

Let's take a closer look . . .

Above - DeAtramentis Alexander Hamilton. I love this purple. It's so rich and deep in color - nice saturation. I don't see this ink discussed much on the various forums, but I think this is a purple that could be used anywhere.  (more on that another day)


Below - Private Reserve Spearmint. One of my favorite green inks. It looks a bit dark here to my eye, but it is usually quite cheery.

Do you have a guess as to which show I was watching at the time?

Below - Montblanc Hitchcock. A gorgeous blood red ink if I ever did see one. Some really pretty shading in there, too. I have to confess, I have a quite a lot of this in my cabinet. Shall I keep it forever? Use it as if I'll never run out? Or maybe even sell some?

Below - Noodler's Habanero. A favorite. That shading. The brightness of the color. Need I say more? Mm..wait, I already did right here.
 

By the way, the above quote is the one that seems like the one that would tell the secret of what I was watching. Have you guessed it yet?

Above - Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun. I wonder if I only could have one ink, if this would be it. Check out my big review here. It is crazy CrAzY to think that I, lover of bright and beautiful colors, would be so taken with a gray ink, but there you go.

Above - Diamine Majestic Blue.  Easy to see why it's one of my favorites, yes?  So pretty.

And, so, there we have it - six pretty colors. All so different from one another and yet all so wonderful.

Which show was I watching?  Downton Abbey, of course!  Have you seen it? Highly recommended.

QUICK LOOK WEDNESDAY: Four Fab Blues

Time for this week's Quick Look Wednesday!

I like all of these inks for different reasons.

De Atramentis Indigo Blue - a straight-forward blue that could be used in any setting

Diamine Eau de Nil - (does this mean River Water?) a bit of green, but not quite enough to call it turquoise

Private Reserve Ebony Blue - maybe my least favorite because it looks more like a green-black in my swabs. Have any of you tried writing with this one?

Noodler's Ottman Azure - boom! Pure blue saturation with this one.

So, yeah, each of these are so different from the others and I like them all.  Which is your pick?

QUICK LOOK WEDNESDAY: Four Green Inks

It's Quick Look Wednesday!  Today, we have four very different shades of green.

 De Atramentis Bamboo Green

 Private Reserve Sherwood Green

 De Atramentis Black Edition Green

 De Atramentis Patina Green

Do you have a favorite?  I'm digging Sherwood Green. Nice clear color.

My least favorite is De Atramentis Black Edition Green. It just looks too muddied to me. But check out the review here.  It looks much better, yes?  The difference may be explained by the fact that my quick looks are just swabs and this is a handwritten review.

As for green inks? I love them. More than I thought I would. They are fun without being too loud (like some kind of crazy pink inks!)