Winter Blues Ink Palettes

We are knee-deep into January which means I’m reaching for icy blues, dark greens, gorgeous blue blacks and cool greys. The weather has been cold and snowy, and we are spending most of our time inside.

I love the color of this water-it’s teal and gorgeous while still being wintery. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to use Papier Plume Lake Michigan Winter to match it, but let’s face it, I’ll use any excuse to pull out that ink. Someday they’ll make me happy and do another run of it. There are a lot of other inks that would work as an alternative to Swan Illusion like Kyo-iro Stone Road of Gion or Sailor Ink Studio 373.

I’m still crushing hard on Sailor’s Sailor-it’s so gorgeous and has the prettiest shading. Sou-boku, Smoke Noir and Thunderstorm have been long-time favorites of mine.

I would love to live here-a cabin in the middle of nowhere, as long as I get to keep my inks with me.

I hope everyone is having a safe January! What’s your favorite ink today? Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. This post does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1349: Taccia Hokusai-koiai

We are almost through the Taccia Ukiyo-e collection, let’s take a look at Taccia Hokusai-koiai. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Hokusai-koiai is a classy deep blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has lots of dark pink sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 5 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: medium shading, high pink sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Hokusai-koiai is closest to Troublemaker Blueberry in swabs. Click here to see the Taccia inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Pastel Blue with a fine nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I love the color and the fast dry time, but there is way too much feathering and bleeding for me. All of the feathering and bleeding happened on Leuchtturm and Rhodia, so if you stick to Tomoe River paper you should be fine.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1348: Taccia Hokusai-sabimidori

We have been working our way through the Taccia Ukiyo-e collection this week, today’s ink is Taccia Hokusai-sabimidori. This ink is a “rust green” You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Hokusai-sabimidori looks much greener in the Col-o-ring swab than it does on the other papers.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more blue with plenty of coppery sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, high copper sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Hokusai-sabimidori is greener than these other inks in swabs, but is pretty close to Colorverse Pale Blue Dot in writing. Click here to see the Taccia inks together, and click here to see the teal inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Sport Turquoise with a fine nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this ink. The color is lovely, it’s well-behaved and has some pretty shading and sheen.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1347: Taccia Sharaku-natane

Taccia Sharaku-natane is from the recent Ukiyo-e collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Sharaku-natane is an unsaturated rapeseed yellow.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more grey where it pooled, but it did feather quite a bit.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Sharaku-natane is closest to Sailor Ink Studio 670. Click here to see the Taccia inks together, and click here to see the yellow inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Yellow with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I like this color, it’s an interesting wintery yellow, but there is a bit more feathering than I like. I could go either way on this one, I’m glad I tried a sample but I don’t need a full bottle.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1346: Taccia Sharaku-koiame

Taccia Sharaku-koiame is from the recent Ukiyo-e collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Sharaku-koiame is a dark fox orange.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some pretty shading and a tiny bit of black sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, tiny black sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Sharaku-koiame is more red than Private Reserve Shoreline Gold but less red than Robert Oster Terracotta. Click here to see the Taccia inks together, and click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Orange with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice ink! It has a nice fall color and some pretty shading.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1345: Taccia Sharaku-akasakura

Taccia Sharaku-akasakura is from the recent Ukiyo-e collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Sharaku-akasakura is an unsaturated fire brick red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink almost purple in some spots where it pooled, and even feathered around the edges.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Sharaku-akasakura is closest to Colorverse Mars Curiosity. Click here to see the Taccia inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Vanishing Point Galaxy with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I enjoyed the color, but the low feathering and medium bleeding makes it a no-go for me. There are a lot of great reds out there I would use before this one.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1344: Taccia Hokusai-benitsuchi

Taccia Hokusai-benitsuchi is from the recent Ukiyo-e collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Hokusai-benitsuchi is a dark brick red-brown.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some pretty shading and black sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, medium black sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Hokusai-benitsuchi is closest to Diamine Ancient Copper. Click here to see the Taccia inks together, and click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Gold with a fine nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice brick brown, well-behaved with some interesting shading and sheen. It’s worth a try!

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1343: Taccia Sharaku-kurocha

Taccia Sharaku-kurocha is from the recent Ukiyo-e collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Sharaku-kurocha is a dark chocolate brown.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some pretty shading and black sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: medium shading, medium black sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Sharaku-kurocha is closest to Diamine Macassar. Click here to see the Taccia inks together, and click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Vanishing Point Copper with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, it’s a lovely well-behaved ink other than being a bit dry flowing, but it’s not a must-have for me.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1342: Taccia Coral Pink

There is one more ink in the Taccia Lip Collection that we haven’t reviewed yet: Taccia Coral Pink. The Lip Collection is not currently in production but hopefully they will bring it back soon.

The color:

Coral Pink is a dark, unsaturated blush pink.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink almost looks purple and has quite a bit of feathering.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Coral Pink is darker than Tono & Lims Disturbing U. Click here to see the Taccia inks together, and click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Sport Coral with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, it’s a bit dry for me and has more feathering than I like, but I really enjoy the color. I’m glad I tried this one, but I don’t need a full bottle.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1341: Taccia Rose Pale

I’ve been reviewing the Taccia Lip Color collection this week, and just found out that it’s hard to find because Taccia pulled production for a bit due to bottle breakage. Hopefully they will bring it back soon, but for now let’s take a look at Taccia Rose Pale.

The color:

Rose Pale is a bright hot pink.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks a little less saturated and feathers a lot in ink drops.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Rose Pale is pretty close to Diamine Hope Pink, and less vibrant than Taccia Momo Pink. Click here to see the Taccia inks together, and click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 45L Salmon Glow with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, there’s a bit more feathering than I like but other than that it’s pretty well behaved. Honestly I would probably just use Diamine Hope Pink when I want a hot pink rather than this one.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored in any way.