My Own Little Ink Drop

Over the last few months, kind friends and readers of the blog have offered to send me ink samples which I have gleefully accepted. But I have been so busy I haven’t had time to test them or share them. So I thought I’d at least share these colors and hopefully be able to do a more thorough review in the future. I think of it as my own personal ink drop!

All the colors seems to be on the cool sides: blue-blacks and greens which suit me just fine. In the photo above, the top color appears a bit brown in the photo but I swear its blue-black. All the other colors appear pretty true to life. Clearly, a weird photo trick.

I received samples of Montblanc Ink Midnight Blue which is a smooth blue-black despite the squidgy writing (I had an errant hair caught in my pen tines).  Once I got my pen issues sorted out, it seems to be a silky and dark blue-black. Next up is the Stipula Verde Musciato (AKA Musk Green), which is an almost indescribable yellowish, green-brown. Like a cool brown, if that’s even a color. It has an old world vibe, that reminds me of burnt sienna paint.

Noodler’s Sequoia is a deep green-black that has a definite deep evergreen color to it. In fine nibs, even this flex pen, it looks almost black. Diamine Green Black is similar to the Noodler’s Sequoia but with a bit less black in it and a bit more blue in the overall color feel.

The biggest surprises for me were the Pilot Iroshizuku colors. I know everyone loves PI inks and the colors are amazing but until you see them in person, the range in the colors cannot be fully appreciated. I received samples of Tsuki-Yo which translates to Moonlit Night and and Shin Ryoku (Deep Green). The Tsuki-Yo is a vibrant blue-black more comparable to Noodler’s Navy than to the Montblanc Midnight Blue I received at the same time. The Shin Ryoku is a beautiful color but I wouldn’t describe it as deep green as the name states. I see more as a a bluish kelly green. It really is a lovely color. It was the most surprising as the name made me expect a color closer to the Sequoia or the Green Black and the Shin Ryoku is much brighter and more vivid.

Until I can post more thorough reviews of these colors, check out of some of these reviews:

• Montblanc Midnight Blue (via Pen Addict)
• Stipula Verde Musciato (Musk Green) (via Gourmet Pens)
• Noodler’s Sequoia (via Ed Jelley)
• Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo (via Ink of Me Fondly)
• Iroshizuku Shin Ryoku (via Lady Dandelion)
• Iroshizuku Shin Ryoku (via Inked Up and Happy)

(Tip o’ the hat to Karen P. for most of the ink samples though I am sure one or two colors came from other folks and I thank you as well)