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?

INK REVIEW: Diamine Majestic Blue

Diamine’s Majestic Blue is not a perfect ink.  If you’re looking for an ink that is fast-drying and water-resistant, you should move along because this is not the ink for you.

However.  If you’re looking for a blue ink with absolutely fabulous color and saturation – this may be the ink for you.  It is for me.

I love Majestic Blue.

The ink is rich with color. Not so bright that it cannot be used in an office environment. Not so dark that you question if the ink is blue or black. This is blue.

I actually wrote this review awhile back (using my old and kinda misleading form) and loved it so much that I ordered a full bottle. I’ve used it nearly every day since then and am still in love with it.

The fascinating thing to me about this ink is that sometimes, in the right light, at the right angle, there is a red sheen. I’ve not been able to photograph it, though.  But, man, it’s special – and it’s not an intrusive sheen like some of the other inks about there.  
This is my blue ink. I am also realizing that I’m a huge fan of Diamine inks.  It’s all about the color to me – I can be (at least somewhat) flexible on other issues, but not color. No way, Jose.
Oh oh oh..and look, I’m working on a much more casual format for testing inks.
Casual. That’s me. 
Well, sometimes.

INK REVIEW: De Atramentis Hyacinth

I’ll just blurt it out:  I don’t love this ink.  I don’t even like it.

The color is nice enough, I suppose.

It’s a smeary hot mess, though.  (Can’t believe I missed dotting an i – that’s not like me!)

One of the worst things, though, about De Atramentis Hyacinth?  It stinks. I don’t mind a lightly perfumed ink, but this is just too much for me. It’s a sickening sweet smell that tends to linger.

QUICK LOOK WEDNESDAY: Four Blues from Diamine

A quick look at four blue inks from Diamine.

 Diamine Midnight  (strange that this image is bigger than the others, right?)
  Diamine Presidential Blue
  Diamine Registrar’s Blue Black
  Diamine Denim

Which do you love?

I’m not sure that I have a favorite, but I definitely have a least favorite – Diamine Registrar’s Blue Black. It’s not very well saturated – looks more like a gray/grey – and I just don’t like it. Not one little bit.

INK DROP: May 2013

Seriously? I’m probably the last person to comment on the May Ink Drop color from Goulet Pen Shop.

I’ve been just a little busy. There was the wedding. And then the baby! (Not ours – bummer.)

But here they are…

Noodler’s 54th Massachusetts
De Atramentis Ocher Yellow
Roher & Klingner Alt-Goldrun
Roher & Klingner Alt-Bordeaux
De Atramentis Mint Turquoise

They look so different on different papers, yes? Four passes on the Clairfontaine Triomphe paper to get close to the same look on the Brush Dance paper.  (Disclaimer: I’m the president of Brush Dance and maybe just a little slanted in that direction, but really? We have great paper.)

As for the inks? I’m not IN LOVE with any of them.  Each of them falls squarely into that “not a color” area for me. Alt-Goldrun is so popular – I want to write with it very soon.

What do you think? Love ’em? Hate ’em?

REVIEW: Sharpie Glitter Paint Set

Sometimes. A girl needs a needs a little glitter.

A little … scintillant.

A Sharpie. (Who doesn’t love Sharpies? Use them a lot. Mostly for work. But some because of fun.)

These were fun, too. Not sure I have a real use for them.

Each came individually wrapped inside the package. Pretty sure this is for one or two reasons…
1. leak prevention
2. protection from drying up

The big surprise? I thought they’d look WOW on black paper. Turns out, they are best on white. Probably a good thing considering I might be the only person around with a stash of black paper!

Have you tried these? The package says they’re available in six colors – I only saw the three-pack and white. What else is out there?

Are you like me and you sometimes buy cheapie things like this to try out? Even if you don’t have a real purpose for them?

INK DROP: April 2013

I received my Goulet Pens Ink Drop delivery a couple of days ago.

What a great group of colors, yes?

If I had to choose one that didn’t fit with the others, it would be the De Atramentis Indigo Blue – it’s a little dusky compared with the other clear clean colors, but I’d definitely write with it.

Between the two turquoise colors, I would choose the Lamy. Though the colors are very similar, the Lamy is definitely more saturated and I like that.

The Namiki blue has a bit of red in it – defnitely still blue, but leans more toward the purple end of things to my eye.

I’ve heard some great things about Diamine Soft Mint (which ended up a little funky in the scanned image above) and hope to have time to take a closer look at it in the very near future.  Here’s a picture from my iPhone – the color is a bit better here….

Kudos to the person at Goulet Pens who chose this assortment! Well done.

Oh..and here’s the image I posted over on Instagram. I’m @christinewitt there.

REVIEW: Sharpie Pen Stylo

Apparently, I’ve been on a Sharpie kick lately!
These pens (fineliners, really) are not related to the permanent markers that we all know (and love) from Sharpie.

The “comfort grip” is a bit gross. It feels tacky as if it would collect any little particle of dust or fuzz. Know what I mean?

Other than the feel of the grip, it’s ok – as long as you don’t mind a long dry time. 

I’m not a fan of this item. In fact, I’ve already “lost” these pens. Ick.