Mystery Ink #16

[Chrissy]

Thanks Scooby for letting me take part and write with this ink. I really enjoyed it too.

[DrPenfection]

Thank you Scooby for finally letting us know - just kidding! I will get my order in for a bottle of Crystal Planet as soon as I am done writing this.

Thank you for the privilege of letting me take part in this. This was fun!

[countrydirt]

Thanks Scooby!

[suzy01]

Thanks Scooby, that's v cool

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[azkid]

I've never been in this much suspense on a forum thread; I had fun playing along at home so to speak. Thanks!

[Pterodactylus]

Show_response_1244 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

(Pelikan M205 Blue-Marbled - B EMF ..... Colorverse Crystal Planet)

[suzy01]

Thank you for the game in case anyone needs any more excuses to ogle cute little polar bears this is my interpretation of the bottle. Looking forward to trying #17. That's if my pen still works after I dismantle it to fit my new custom xxxf nib!

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[Pterodactylus]

Yesterday evening sketch.


Crystal Planet meets Red Dragon by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

(Pelikan M205 Blue-Marbled - B EMF ..... Colorverse Crystal Planet, Diamine Red Dragon, Brush)

[Scooby921]

It makes me very happy to see you all enjoy this ink so thoroughly. I'm not sure the rest of the Mystery Inks will be quite as unique. I'm sure there are inks which will be new to a few of you, but nothing will be quite as complete as being the first experience for everyone with an entirely new brand of ink. The next MI will start on Monday.

[DrPenfection]

Count me in! Looking forward to it.

[Sammyo]

I was surprised! Is heard lots of good things about the Colorverse inks, but hadn't tried them yet. This one definitely lived up to all the hype. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to try it out.

It's always difficult when a new brand comes out. The first reaction is always kind of excessive hype; followed by the fashion sheep that must have everything, and for who everything is amazing; next comes that period of excessive chatter and conflicting views where you're not sure who to believe...

I HATE jumping on any bandwagon and like to let the dust settle to see where the chips lie (enough analogies?). This was a great way to know for myself how these new inks act and learn that "yes, I think they are good inks!".

Thank you for the time, money, thought and effort you put into the relaunched MI series (is that Mystery Ink, or Michigan?). I for one think it's a wonderful thing to do and appreciate it as much as the originals.

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[DrPenfection]

I was surprised! Is heard lots of good things about the Colorverse inks, but hadn't tried them yet. This one definitely lived up to all the hype. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to try it out.

It's always difficult when a new brand comes out. The first reaction is always kind of excessive hype; followed by the fashion sheep that must have everything, and for who everything is amazing; next comes that period of excessive chatter and conflicting views where you're not sure who to believe...

I HATE jumping on any bandwagon and like to let the dust settle to see where the chips lie (enough analogies?). This was a great way to know for myself how these new inks act and learn that "yes, I think they are good inks!".

Thank you for the time, money, thought and effort you put into the relaunched MI series (is that Mystery Ink, or Michigan?). I for one think it's a wonderful thing to do and appreciate it as much as the originals.

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Thank you Sammyo for your great comments! I too am very much like this. I rarely purchase a "new" anything. For me it is usually several months to years later. Sometimes this means missing out entirely (i.e. Lamy Dark Lilac). But when I do go to purchase the ink or pen or paper, it has been tried, tested and found to be above average to superior.

So, for me, when I tried MI #16, I thought it was a tried and true ink. I was very surprised to find that it was a brand new ink made from a new manufacturer. I have since gone out and researched Colorverse inks - how and where they are made - and have decided that, even though they are really new, I will purchase a couple of them to see if my initial impressions remain. Then, if I still like them, I will purchase most of their colors and split them between myself and my daughter.

[migo984]

I was surprised! Is heard lots of good things about the Colorverse inks, but hadn't tried them yet. This one definitely lived up to all the hype. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to try it out.

It's always difficult when a new brand comes out. The first reaction is always kind of excessive hype; followed by the fashion sheep that must have everything, and for who everything is amazing; next comes that period of excessive chatter and conflicting views where you're not sure who to believe...

I HATE jumping on any bandwagon and like to let the dust settle to see where the chips lie (enough analogies?). This was a great way to know for myself how these new inks act and learn that "yes, I think they are good inks!".

Thank you for the time, money, thought and effort you put into the relaunched MI series (is that Mystery Ink, or Michigan?). I for one think it's a wonderful thing to do and appreciate it as much as the originals.

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I have a different perspective.

To borrow your analogy, I like to buy inks even before the dust starts to swirl, rather than wait for it to settle. I’ve never really been interested in following the ink zeitgeist. Or waiting for reviews to be posted by serial bloggers, reviewers or social media trendies.

Because inks are so interesting to me, probably more so than pens, I often buy brand new inks just on the market. I’ve even been lucky enough to be involved in early trials of new inks, eg TAG, the Japanese brand. I really enjoy trying something new & different, being “early doors”, as the British expression goes.

I rarely buy an ink after reading online reviews in forums. These are, for me, usually too subjective, even biased, and often misleading, and the reason I feel uncomfortable posting reviews of my own. There is a very small group of ink “specialists”, for want of a better term, whose opinions I really value & I am often guided by them. They are wonderful for inky heads-up or for sharing samples.

But even if my ink gurus rave about a new ink, after many years of ink-buying I know what I like or dislike. So, for example, I knew I would dislike shimmer/sparkly inks, & ignored that particular bandwagon. Compared to pens, inks are usually pretty cheap & I don’t mind if I make a mistake. I make far fewer of them these days, but if I do (such as my recent purchase of the new Diamine Skull & Roses), it is always easy to re-home an unloved ink. What is one person’s rubbish is another’s treasure :-)

In relation to Colorverse, I was a very early purchaser of their inks, buying direct from the manufacturer before the inks were available from stockists. I knew I’d love them, and I do. I’ve not been disappointed by a single ink of theirs.

There isn’t a right or wrong about this. If you like to wait to buy, then that’s fine. I enjoy exploring the possibilities of brand new inks. I plough my own furrow ;-)

[Pterodactylus]

Interesting follow up discussion.

I normally wait to get something from a new manufacturer until I see reviews and user experiences.

I share migo‘s reservations regarding the quality of many reviews and user feedback comments.
I don‘t want to appear arrogant or lower the experiences from others, but to me it seems that many already are satisfied when it lays down a visible line from any 0815 pen (at least initially).

I‘m also very sceptic regarding inks from one man show manufacturers (I prefer to trust big players which are here since many decades).

E.g. I waited quite long until I ordered some KWZ inks (especially the IG Sortiment appealed me)
And to be honest I‘m not blown away from itˋs properties (many too wet, show through,....), but overall they appear to be save and quite ok.
Currently I‘m really happy that I bought nothing from another one man show, Organics Studio.

But I‘m similar to Migo, inks are at least as important as pens.

Also my focus shifted the last years more and more towards inks as I usually don’t buy new pens anymore (already have all kind of pens and nibs, and several dozens of them, and being a user and not a collector this is more than enough).

Ok, I buy a pen every now and then but normally only as a project pen like the M205 I‘ve used above (in this case to see if I can add flex to it (and yes I‘m a flex addict)).

Especially I‘m interested in great shading and sheen inks with great writing attributes.

But I do not like the oversaturated ink monsters from some ink designers, which try to create good shading/sheening inks this way but end up with heavily smearing, bleeding, feathering,.... fluids.

And still some users which put them in their fine nib pens will claim that these are awesome inks.

The quality of an ink imo really shows up when you lay down seas of ink with a gusher and then look what happens.

As said imo this Colorverse ink is awesome, I’m really surprised.
I also took a look at their website and possible distributors in Europe (actually there is one in Germany).
Many of their inks look really interesting.

What holded me back so far is the relatively high price.
The bundled small bottle is a nice gimmick but I don´t need it.
65ml is more than enough and the small fancy bottle also contributes to the high price.

I would have preferred a single bottle at a lower price.

We will see how long I can withstand to order something from them.

[Sammyo]

...To borrow your analogy, I like to buy inks even before the dust starts to swirl, rather than wait for it to settle. I’ve never really been interested in following the ink zeitgeist. Or waiting for reviews to be posted by serial bloggers, reviewers or social media trendies...

...I rarely buy an ink after reading online reviews in forums. These are, for me, usually too subjective, even biased, and often misleading, and the reason I feel uncomfortable posting reviews of my own. There is a very small group of ink “specialists”, for want of a better term, whose opinions I really value & I am often guided by them. They are wonderful for inky heads-up or for sharing samples.

But even if my ink gurus rave about a new ink, after many years of ink-buying I know what I like or dislike. So, for example, I knew I would dislike shimmer/sparkly inks, & ignored that particular bandwagon. Compared to pens, inks are usually pretty cheap & I don’t mind if I make a mistake. I make far fewer of them these days, but if I do (such as my recent purchase of the new Diamine Skull & Roses), it is always easy to re-home an unloved ink. What is one person’s rubbish is another’s treasure :-)
...
There isn’t a right or wrong about this. If you like to wait to buy, then that’s fine. I enjoy exploring the possibilities of brand new inks. I plough my own furrow ;-)

This is why I love our community. We all feed each other, and understanding a different point of view is important.

Without the early adopters, I wouldn't learn about the inks... in fact none of us would. And as you said Migo, it's about knowing which sources you trust and who's opinions you can rely on.

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