Ink Surprises
Dan(?)'s "confession" that he'd not expected to like browns got me thinking - what inks have surprised you, and why?
For me, it's green. I bought Evergreen, largely on the basis that it's almost black, but on trying emerald (a far more vibrant, obvious green), I'm surprised by how much I like the colour. Next stop: Herbin's "Vert Olive"!
I just had this experience recently with J. Herbin Perle Noir. I have been avoiding black inks because I typically didn't use them pre-fountain pens. I am working at improving my handwriting, and read that this is a good color to use because it doesn't exhibit shading. Lo and behold, I love it and I've got it in two pens right now. I use it all the time and just purchased a bottle. I love it because it's no fuss. It goes down very smooth, it behaves really well. I rarely see feathering, even with really cheap paper.
I am a huge fan of dark greens, and purchased Diamine Evergreen for that reason. I have a very well-defined blue-black and green-black comfort zone. But I've been venturing outside of that recently. I've tried some pinks, and of course black. Funny you mention that you are going to experiment with Vert Olive. I purchased a bottle the same day I bought Perle Noir. I'm experimenting with light greens right now to find one I like. I do like this ink, even though its yellower than I normally would use. I am finding it works best in a larger nib, and a wet writing pen.
John you might take a look at Noodler's Zhivago. Oh, I almost forgot. In last month's ink drop from Goulet pens there was a sample of Rohrer & Klingner's Verdigris. Another really interesting color.
Last edited by gordyt; 02-04-2012 at 08:28 AM.
My thus far constant ink surprise is how much I always love purple inks in pictures and swabs but then don't much care for them once they're coming out of a pen. I might be looking for something that doesn't exist. Is there such a thing as subtle purple?
Eric, I completely agree. I have had the same experience time and again. I've stopped looking at purple inks altogether. The only two purples that I have held onto are MB Lavender Purple and Diamine Eclipse. The MB Lavender Purple is amazing, and I do use it regularly. I've heard one person describe it as a "purple-black", and I think that's pretty accurate. If you haven't tried this one, I'll gladly send a sample to you. =)Originally Posted by eriquito
Hiya kp!
MB Lavender Purple. I just did a quick search for some samples. It looks very, very promising as a subtle purple =)
Yes, please, thank you very much indeed, I'd love to receive a sample of this purple-black. I'll shoot you an email.
Thanks!!
=) Eric
Browns have surprised me as well on my journey to finding a "perfect" ink for my edison nouveau premier. Noodler's apache sunset has surprised me as well, I didn't think I'd like an orange/yellow/red combination.
MontBlanc Royal blue, J Herbin eclat de saphire, Diamine Imperial blue, and Waterman Florida Bluehaha just kidding... well kind of. I was convinced after a couple of days of using MontBlanc royal blue that my eyes had a color perception deformity or I was sent a wrong batch. For some reason I see these colors more on the purple side. Maybe that's why I'm not terribly fond of purple...
You are quite welcome! =)
I think Pousserie De Lune (Herbin) is a beautiful colour - the colour has a dusty, subdued quality to it that I really like, but it is very much a purple. My sample (cartridges I bought in France) is a bit finicky, and doesn't like anything but the best paper, as befits such a delightful, aristocratic colourI also like Diamine's Amazing Amethyst, although it's not as subtle a colour as Pousserie de Lune.
As I recall, Diamine's Damson is a purple in the way that Evergreen is a green, i.e. a dark, almost black purple.
To go the other way, you could just load up Diamine's Imperial Purple, a colour that is "None more purple", to paraphrase Spinal Tap. Kill or cure, and so forth
Pousserie De Lune (Herbin) was one of my coverted colours until recently when I finally bought a bottle.
Noodler's Zhivago is a fantastic colour too.
My biggest surprise ink is Noodler's Habannero which has brilliant shading. Looks good with fine or italic nibs. I never thought I'd buy an orange fountain pen ink until trying out some Zebra Sarasa gel pens with orange ink. Also it matches my orange Lamy Safari and Rhodia notebook covers.
hypergraphica - a slurry of ink
It has to be green for me. I really like Private Reserve Ebony Green.
I use PR Ebony Green almost exclusively. it's become part of my signature.
For me it has to be J. Herbin's Rouille d'Ancre. Never did I think I'd like a pink ink but this one is different. It is not a harsh color, as so many pinks are, but rather a dusty pink. The shading is amazing when used with a broad nib. In all honesty, about the only time I use it is in personal correspondence with others who have a passion for ink colors outside the norm of blue, black, and/or blue-black. About the only other use I can see for this very different color would be in art work but I enjoy using it as a great change of pace ink.
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