Two weeks ago I started a multi-part review of Monarca inks – you can read part one here. Today’s review was delayed a week by the newest Sailor inks – they are quite distracting. But now I will continue on with part 2 of the Monarca inks and show Arena Blanca, Nopal, and Manglar.
These inks are still a bit hard to find although I have been assured that more retailers will be carrying Monarca but the ink has not yet arrived. In the meantime, you can find this ink at Dromgoole’s.
The first ink today is Arena Blanca. This is a strange color, somewhere between brown, orange, and gold. Arena Blanca shades beautifully and in large swatches, it shows a peach halo. I didn’t have a great match for it. Krishna Oak is close in color but can’t compare in the shading category.
Nopal is a pleasant yellowish-green – a medium avocado green that shades from light green to very dark, almost black, at its darkest. This darkest green shows up as a halo when writing as well.
The third ink today is Manglar. This one is a bit wetter in writing, as seen with a few blobbish letters from my dip pen. The closest color I had was Robert Oster Graphite – Manglar isn’t quite green and isn’t quite gray. The shading is beautiful, however. It reminds me of storm clouds in Kansas – the kind that could turn into a tornado at any minute! This is a perfect office ink that is still interesting enough to be fun.
And here we have all three inks together! They are strange colors to be in the first round from a new brand, but I do find them a refreshing change from the normal first colors. The three I’ve shown here today are wonderfully earthy and all amazing shaders.
These are the same photos from Part 1 on Tomoe River (top) and Cosmo Air Light (bottom) papers. I love how Arena Blanca changes between the two paper types. I love finding inks that surprise me every time I write.
Don’t forget that each bottle of Monarca is accompanied by a holder for the ink complete with a cutout for a pen rest!
The cost of Monarca inks varies from $20 to $29 for 30mL (and a pen rest), bringing the ink to $0.67 to $1 per mL. While still not as expensive as some specialty inks, the price is on the higher end. However, the color and quality of the ink will not disappoint!
DISCLAIMER: The ink included in this review was provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.
