Ink Review #2803: Journalize Dusk

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Let’s take a look at Journalize Dusk from the Time of a Day collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Dusk is a pale grey with lots of copper shimmer.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the shimmer does not stay put. It moves all over the place and flakes off.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Dusk is closest to Dominant Industry Early Spring. Click here to see the grey inks together.

Overall, I’m not a fan of this one. It’s too pale to be easily read in writing. It’s fun to use for art and lettering, but not great for writing.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

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

Ink Review #2802: Teranishi Guitar Opera Rose

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Teranishi Opera Rose is from the Guitar collection. You can find this ink at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Opera Rose is an interesting color-it’s not pink, but not coral but not orange, it’s somewhere in-between all three.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Opera Rose is a little more orange than Laban Aphrodite but not as orange as Taccia Pink Beige. Click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco-T Coral with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, I find the color interesting. I love that it’s unique, I don’t have any other inks that are too similar to the color.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

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

Ink Review #2801: Taccia Rose Pink

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Taccia Rose Pink is from the Roughna Sketch collection. You can still find this ink at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Rose Pink is a deep magenta pink.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-mostly in the flex nib and swabs.

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Rose Pink is closest to Diamine Cranberry. Click here to see the pink inks together.

Overall, I enjoyed this color. It’s a lovely magenta with some character. I usually like Taccia inks, and this is another good one.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

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

Ink Review: Colorverse Blue Green Snake Collection

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Today’s inks are from the Colorverse Blue Green Snake Collection from the 2025 Special Series. They are: Blue Green Snake Standard, Blue Green Snake Glistening Silver, Blue Green Snake Glistening Green and Blue Green Snake Glistening Purple Blue. You can purchase these inks at a few retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Blue Green Snake Standard, Blue Green Snake Glistening Silver, Blue Green Snake Glistening Green and Blue Green Snake Glistening Purple Blue.

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 and low red sheen. The shimmers are self-explanatory: Blue Green Snake Glistening Silver has silver shimmer, Blue Green Snake Glistening Green has green shimmer and Blue Green Snake Glistening Purple Blue has purple and blue shimmer.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was a little bit of feathering and bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Blue Green Snake Standard is closest to Robert Oster Monsoon Sky.

For shimmers, Diamine Garland is the closest.

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook with a Benu Talisman Cat’s Eye with a medium nib. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, these are lovely inks. I prefer the standard over the shimmers simply because that’s the way I prefer most of my ink-without shimmer, but all of them perform well and are a pretty color.

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

Ink Review: Akkerman Dutch Masters 1, 2, & 4

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Let’s take a look at three Akkerman Dutch Masters inks: 01 Ceruleum blauw van Vermeer, 02 Dou's Emerald Green and 04 Hals Oud Bruin. You can purchase these inks at a few retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: 01 Ceruleum blauw van Vermeer, 02 Dou's Emerald Green and 04 Hals Oud Bruin.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 40-80 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: All three had low shading. Dou’s Emerald had low red sheen.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was a little bit of feathering but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

01 Cerulean is a little lighter and brighter than 3 Oysters Blue.

Dou’s Emerald is closest to Kobe 01 Rokko Green.

Hals Oud is closest to Akkerman 22.

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. 01 and 02 had average flows, 04 had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, Dous Emerald is my favorite out of the three. I would call it more of an olive green than an emerald, so the name doesn’t quite fit, but it’s still a fabulous green. I don’t know that I would ever need a full bottle since the Dutch Master bottles are a whopping 120ml’s, but I love the sample that I have.

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

Ink Review: Akkerman 16-20

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Let’s take a look at five Akkerman standard inks: 16 Oranje Boven, 17 Staten-Generaal Rood, 18 Garuda Rood, 19 Rood Haags Pluche and 20 Pulchri Pink. You can purchase these inks at a few retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right:16 Oranje Boven, 17 Staten-Generaal Rood, 18 Garuda Rood, 19 Rood Haags Pluche and 20 Pulchri Pink

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 40-80 seconds

Water Resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: All five had low-medium shading. Oranje Boven had low gold sheen.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

16 Oranje Boven is closest to Sailor Kin-mokusei.

17 Staten-Generaal Rood is similar to Diamine Amaranth.

18 Garuda Rood is close to PenBBS 381 Frosted Leaf in Autumn.

19 Rood Haags Pluche is close to Private Reserve Infinity Red.

20 Pulchri Pink is a little warmer toned than Montblanc Pink.

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. All five inks had average flows.

Overall, 16 Oranje Boven is my favorite out of the five, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. I like that 16 has some shading and sheen, and is well behaved.

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

Ink Review: Akkerman 11-15

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Let’s take a look at five Akkerman standard inks: 11 Treves Turquois, 12 Mauritshuis Magenta, 13 Simplisties Violet, 14 Parkpop Purpur and 15 Voorhout Violet. You can purchase these inks at a few retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right:11 Treves Turquois, 12 Mauritshuis Magenta, 13 Simplisties Violet, 14 Parkpop Purpur and 15 Voorhout Violet

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 40-70 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: All five had low shading. Violet had medium gold sheen and the last two had low gold sheen.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

11 Treves Turquois has a lot of other similar inks.

12 Mauritshuis Magenta isn’t quite as vibrant as L’artisan Fuchsia.

13 Simplisties Violet is a bit lighter than J Herbin Violet Boreal.

14 Parkpop Purpur is similar to J Herbin Violette Pensee.

15 Voorhout Violet is closest to Sailor Ink Studio 452.

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. All five inks had average flows.

Overall, I like all five of these inks. They are well behaved and nice colors. I probably wouldn’t get a full bottle of the turquoise because there are so many similar colors out there, but I really like the purples.

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

Ink Review: Akkerman 00-04

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Let’s take a look at five Akkerman standard inks: 00 Royal Akkermanblauw, 01 Passage Blauw, 02 Residentie Blauw, 03 Akkerman Blauw and 04 Nassaus Blauw. You can purchase these inks at a few retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: 00 Royal Akkermanblauw, 01 Passage Blauw, 02 Residentie Blauw, 03 Akkerman Blauw and 04 Nassaus Blauw

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 30-50 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: All five had low shading.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was quite a bit of feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

00 Royal Akkerman Blauw is closest to Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue. 04 Nassaus Blauw is lighter than Kaweco Royal Blue. 02 Residentie Blauw is closest to Lamy Blue.

03 Akkerman Blauw is closest to Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuyu-kusa.

01 Passage Blauw is lighter and brighter than Rohrer and Klingner Sketch Marlene.

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. All five inks had average flows.

Overall, I really enjoyed all five of these inks. They are good colors, flow well and even have some shading. I really love the fun shaped bottles as well.

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

Ink Review #2778: KWZ Meet Me In St. Louis 2025-314 Blues

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This weekend is the St. Louis Pen Show, so let’s take a look at the show ink! This year is KWZ Meet Me In St. Louis 2025, aka 314 Blues. You can pick this ink up at the show!

The color:

314 Blues is a bright medium blue.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

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, and on cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low-there was some feathering on Rhodia, but I think that’s an issue with the latest batch of Rhodia paper I got rather than the fault of the ink.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-again with issues on Rhodia, I still think it’s the paper’s fault.

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

314 Blues is brighter and more saturated than Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-peki. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Lamy Al-star Pacific Blue with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, I’ve enjoyed the Meet Me In St. Louis inks I’ve tried so far, and this one is lovely. You can pick up a bottle at the show!

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: This product was provided by the organizers of the St. Louis Pen Show 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.

Ink Review #2777: KWZ Azure 4

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Today’s ink is KWZ Azure 4 from the Standard collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Azure 4 is a bright turquoise blue.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink is much darker, with a little 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, and on cheap copy paper.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Azure 4 is a little darker than Backpack Athens Blue. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pilot Vanishing Point Black Ice with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, I enjoyed this ink. It’s a gorgeous bright blue with a little bit of sheen.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

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