The Well-Appointed Desk

When my sister planned our family vacation in Portland, Oregon this summer, I knew I had to visit Oblation Papers & Press. It’s a beautiful, well-curated shop full of stationery, pens, inks, and vintage typewriters. It’s a writer’s dream shop!

Of course I had to purchase some of their exclusive inks. After much deliberation, I chose Oregon Marionberry and Oblation Olive. The staff was very patient with me as I hemmed and hawed over their swatches. They also sell stickers featuring their exclusive inks. Of course I bought one.

Packaging & Inspiration

Before I discuss the color, let’s admire the packaging for Oblation Olive (currently sold out). The box and ink label were made via their in-house letterpress. The cap has been dipped in wax and stamped with a fleur-de-lis seal.

The care they’ve put into the packaging makes me feel like I’m sitting in my cottage with my dip pen, ready to write a letter to my dearest loved one. I enjoy running my fingers over letterpress work because you feel the words. If you visit the store, you can catch a glimpse of the back room where their letterpress machines are.

Based on the bottle and the wax on its cap, I’m guessing Oblation Papers worked with Papier Plume to create a custom color inspired by Portland’s olive trees. My quick Google research says that the trees are drought-resistant and are popular in urban landscaping in Portland.

I love that they’re creating inks inspired by the Pacific Northwest. I’m a sucker for inks that tell a story.

Ink Swatches & Writing Samples

Oblation Olive is a yellow-leaning, desaturated earthy green that—no surprise—looks like a green olive. There’s a little bit of shading depending on your nib but don’t expect a lot of it.

It’s not water-resistant, which means you can do fun things with it! I drew some an olive branch using a Kanwrite EEF Ultraflex nib. Once the ink dried, I used water and a paintbrush to create a controlled bleed, essentially “coloring” in my drawing. I’m quite pleased with how it came out.

The ink is well-behaved. It’s not dry like other Papier Plume inks I’ve tried in the past. (Though they updated their formula a month ago.) I currently have it inked in my Leonardo Momento Zero Rangoli with a Kodachi nib. It’s been a pleasure to use.

Ink Comparison

I don’t have a lot of earthy greens in my ink collection, but let’s do a comparison. Oblation Olive is most similar to Kyo No Oto Kokeiro. Troublemaker Kelp Tea is more desaturated and Troublemaker Tuslob Buwa is darker and browner.

I’ve had Oblation Olive inked in my pen for a month now. It’s been a delight to write with.

Tools:

• Paper: Taroko Stationery Breeze A5 Dot Grid 68gsm Tomoe River & Hahnemuhle Sugar Cane Watercolor Paper
• Pens: Leonardo Momento Zero Rangoli with Matthew’s Nib Works Kodachi nib, Sailor Hocoro Dip Pens, Kanwrite nib with Derwent pencil extender, and paintbrush with synthetic fiber
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) and Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)

 All items featured in this post were personally purchased.