Van Dieman's Underwater Collection Part 2

Van Dieman’s recently released a new Underwater Collection. Last week we started out with four inks from the collection so today let’s take a look at the next four. I purchased my samples from Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Neptune’s Necklace, Sea Turtle, Sea Dragon, and Parrot Fish.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 20-80 seconds

Water Resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading and high shading (Sea Dragon), only Sea Turtle has high sheen and Parrot Fish has purple shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Neptune’s Necklace is closest to 3 Oysters Mustard.

Sea Dragon is similar to Diamine Jade Green.

Parrot Fish is close to Diamine Blue Peppermint’s base color, but it’s the only teal ink I know of with purple shimmer.

Sea Turtle is close to Montblanc White Forest.

Longer Writing:

I used a Taroko Odyssey notebook. Three of the inks have wet flows, and Parrot Fish has an average flow.

Overall, out of the four inks I think Parrot Fish is the most unique with it’s purple shimmer, but it clogs so easily! I love Sea Dragon’s high shading but it’s too light for me in the smaller nib sizes. Sea Dragon takes a long time to dry at 80 seconds. I think Neptune’s Necklace is my favorite overall simply because it’s the best behaved.

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored.

Van Dieman's Underwater Collection Part 1

Van Dieman’s recently released a new Underwater Collection. After looking at some of their promo photos on Instagram I really wanted to give them a try. I purchased my samples from Vanness Pens. Let’s take a look at the first 4 inks from the collection!

Swabs:

Left to right: Abyss, Fire Coral, Moon Jellyfish, and Sea Shell.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 40-60 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium (Fire Coral & Moon Jellyfish)

Other properties: medium shading (Fire Coral & Moon Jellyfish), low shading (Sea Shell),no sheen and silver shimmer (Moon Jellyfish & Sea Shell).

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Abyss is similar to Sailor Black.

Fire Coral is close to Diplomat Burgundy.

Moon Jellyfish is closest to De Atramentis Pink Rose Gold.

Sea Shell is much lighter than any of these other orange shimmer inks.

Longer Writing:

I used a Taroko Odyssey notebook. Abyss and Fire Coral have wet flows, Moon Jellyfish has an average flow and Sea Shell has a dry flow.

Overall, out of the four inks Fire Coral is my favorite based on the color. I don’t love any of these, there is a lot of feathering and bleeding, and they have long dry times. They are okay but not must-haves.

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored.

Monteverde Jungle Collection Part 2

Yesterday we looked at the first 5 inks from the recent Monteverde Jungle Collection so today we are going to look at the other five. I purchased my set from Vanness Pens, but you can also buy the bottles individually.

Swabs:

Left to right: Giraffe, Crocodile, Zebra, Elephant and Chameleon.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 20-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: Low-Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-mostly on Leuchtturm paper.

Other properties: medium shading, Chameleon has a tiny bit of black sheen and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Elephant is more vibrant than 3 Oysters Purple Gray.

Chameleon is similar to Penlux Mo Plum.

Crocodile has a little more blue in it than Colorverse Crab Nebula.

Zebra is similar to Colorverse Extra Dimension.

Giraffe has a little more red than Monteverde Citrine.

Longer Writing:

I used Kaweco’s on a Taroko Odyssey notebook. All of the inks had an average flow except Crocodile, which was a bit wetter than the others.

Overall, out of the five inks I think Elephant is my favorite-I love the deep purple color and it’s pretty well behaved too. I’m glad I bought the full set, I think I’ll use these inks often, especially in the fall and winter seasons.

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored.

Monteverde Jungle Collection Part 1

Monteverde recently released the new Jungle Collection and I jumped on it as soon as it was available. I purchased my set from Vanness Pens, but you can also buy the bottles individually. Let’s take a look at the first 5 inks from the set!

Swabs:

Left to right: Toucan, Gorilla, Lion, Hippo, and Turtle.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 20-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: Low-Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-mostly on Leuchtturm paper.

Other properties: medium shading, Gorilla has a tiny bit of black sheen and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Gorilla is a little bit darker than Monteverde Passion, but in long writing they are very similar.

Toucan is close to Monteverde Raven Noir.

Lion is closest to KWZ El Dorado.

Hippo is similar to Diplomat Deep Blue/Octopus Fluids Ultramarinblau.

Turtle is a little bit lighter than Sailor Jentle Yuki-akari and Pilot Iroshizuku Ebisu.

Longer Writing:

I used Kaweco’s on a Taroko Odyssey notebook. All of the inks had an average flow except Turtle which is a little dry.

Overall, out of the five inks Lion is my favorite-I love the color as well as the pretty shading. Turtle is my least favorite-it’s a little dry and too light to be easily read. So far I’m glad I bought the full set, but stay tuned to see part 2 tomorrow!

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1527: Kobe 60 Ijinkan Mint

Kobe 60 Ijinkan Mint is from Kobe’s standard lineup. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The Color:

Ijinkan Mint is a bright minty green.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some shading but no 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: 50 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering and a little bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Ijinkan Mint is darker than Sailor Ink Studio 160 but lighter than Monteverde Erinite. Click here to see the Kobe inks together, and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 45 Vanness Blue with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, this ink is a bit drier and takes longer to dry than I prefer. The color looks good in swabs but in writing (even in a wet broad nib) it’s too light for me to easily read. This one is a pass for me.

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

Ink Review #1526: Colorverse 002 Bluish Green

Colorverse 002 Bluish Green is from the Project collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The Color:

Bluish Green is just that-a deep blue green.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more blue than green.

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: Low

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there is a bit of feathering and bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Bluish Green is closest to Troublemaker Opon Channel Blue. Click here to see the Colorverse inks together, and click here to see the teal inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Opus 88 Koloro in Beige/Teal with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, I enjoyed the color of this ink, but the flow is a bit drier than I prefer.

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

Ink Review #1525: Kobe 13 Nunobiki Emerald

Kobe 13 Nunobiki Emerald is from Kobe’s standard lineup. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The Color:

Nunobiki is a medium emerald teal.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some shading and a little bit of 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: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering and bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Nunobiki Emerald is closest to Sailor Ink Studio 764. Click here to see the Kobe inks together, and click here to see the teal inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Turquoise with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I enjoyed this ink. It flows well with no feathering or bleeding, and has some pretty shading and sheen.

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

Ayush Paper

Ayush Paper notebooks seem really popular lately. I’ve seen them on a lot of other fountain pen Instagram accounts and blogs so when they offered to send me a few to try I jumped on the chance. Thanks to Ayush Paper for sending these notebooks over for review!

The paper is 100 gsm natural shade paper (a very slight off-white). There are a few different sizes and rulings, but the paper is consistent from notebook to notebook.

The largest notebook is an A4 spiral notebook with 50 sheets of 9mm lined ruling. The pages are perforated and tear out easily.

The medium notebook is an A5 spiral notebook with 50 sheets of 5mm grid ruling. The pages are perforated but because they are perforated so closely to the spiral binding it’s difficult to tear the pages out cleanly.

The smallest notebook is a 3.5 x 5.5 pocket notebook. The brown notebook shown on top holds 50 sheets of blank paper, the pages are not perforated. The mint notebook on the bottom holds 50 sheets of 5mm dot grid paper with perforated spiral binding.

This 100 gsm paper handles fountain pens well, no feathering or bleeding and it shows shading and sheen well. The paper does have a fair amount of tooth to it and it absolutely sucks up ink. I used a few pens with wet nibs and every time the paper made the pen feel dry and ink stingy. This did cause a bit of railroading, especially in longer writing.

Let’s do a quick comparison. On the left is Rhodia dot grid paper and on the right is Ayush grid paper. Both papers handled fountain pens without feathering or bleeding, and both show some shading and sheen, but Rhodia dried about 10 seconds faster.

Both papers had about the same amount of ghosting with no bleeding.

This paper also handled pencils, pens and markers well. Only the Sharpie bled through.

Overall, this paper does handle fountain pens with no feathering and bleeding. It does make my pens feel a bit drier than they are, so these notebooks are not a must-have for me, but they are a great option and good alternative if you aren’t a Rhodia fan. I love the variety of sizes and rulings so there’s a better chance you will find the size & ruling you prefer.

Disclaimer: These notebooks were provided by Ayush Paper for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This review does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Pebble Stationery Cosmo Air Light x Liberty London

Pebble Stationery CO recently sent me one of their Cosmo Air Light x Liberty London Notebooks in Mabelle A5. I’m a sucker for hand made journals, and this one is gorgeous! This notebook measures 16 x 21.7 x 1.7 cm. Thanks to Pebble Stationery for sending this notebook over for review!

The paper is 75gsm Cosmo Air Light. This paper has become popular recently, especially since the news that Tomoe River paper is going through some supply issues.

The Cover:

This Liberty London Mabelle fabric was released in 2007.

Inside cover:

The inside cover is a thick cardstock.

This notebook lays completely flat and has a pink ribbon bookmark. Because the notebook is handmade, the edges of the pages aren’t perfectly aligned, but I enjoy the handmade look on the edges.

If you have not used Cosmo Air Light paper before, it has more tooth to it than Tomoe River paper has, but less tooth than Bank or Midori MD paper.

This CAL paper handles fountain pen ink really well, no bleed through or feathering. It also shows shading and sheen well.

I tried out Sailor Manyo Nadeshiko in a Pilot Vanishing Point Twilight with a broad nib and the shading is sooo pretty! This ink can be rather light in the lighter part of the shading, but the paper showed the shading without issues.

Overall, I love this notebook. The only thing I would change is the paper ruling, simply because I prefer dot grid paper. The Cosmo Air Light paper works really well, shows shading and sheen and the notebook cover is gorgeous. This notebook is currently out of stock in this cover, but there are quite a few other covers available, like this Persephone one that I’m drooling over!

Disclaimer: This notebook was provided by Pebble Stationery Co. for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This review does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1524: Yoseka Origin No. 01

Yoseka recently sent me a package that included their new store exclusive ink Yoseka Origin No. 01. Yoseka is owned by Daisy and Neil, who are the kindest people. You can find this ink for sale at Yoseka.

The Color:

Origin 01 is a medium forest green.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper there is a little bit of red 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: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Walmart 20lb copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering and bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Origin 01 is a little more yellow than Tono & Lims 02 Sometime, Somewhere. Click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Custom 74 Forest with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had an average flow. I really like this pen/ink combo!

Overall, I enjoyed this ink. It’s a nice medium green with some pretty shading and well behaved too!

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Yoseka for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.