Dromgoole’s collaborated with Diamine to create two inks: Bleu Horse and Medusa’s Gaze ($24). They are both shimmery jewels but I decided to grab a bottle of Medusa’s Gaze to start because I liked the name. I buy nail polish with the same logic.
The shimmer particles can be seen in the bottom of the bottle. It doesn’t look like there’s a ton of shimmer but enough to be visible in the deep blue color of the ink. There is a reddish sheen plus the gold glitter so this ink is the “sauce, sprinkles and whipped cream” of ink.
When water is added, the blue tone is easier to see. When writing, however, the color is quite a dark blue-black. The bling is hidden without bright sunlight or a wide nib. It writes very smoothly.
I don’t have a lot of dark blues with shimmer but was able to find a couple comparable options. Both of the colors I found were from the Van Dieman’s Encore line: Madam Butterfly and Marriage of Figaro. Figaro has more of a purple sheen and Madam Butterfly is more purplish overall. But both Van Dieman’s inks have the same deep tone as Medusa’s Gaze.
Overall, Meduas’s Gaze adds an interesting color to my collection. Diamine makes great inks so its easy to add another one to my collection. And the name is excellent.
I might need Bleu Horse too.
Tools:
- Paper: Rhodia Ice Pad No. 16 (A5) Graph and Ink Swatching Guidesheets
- Pens: #2 Round Escoda Reserva Paint Brush, Dominant Industry Ink Muddler, Sailor Hocoro Dip Pens, Zebra G Dip Nib and Tachikawa T-40 Nib Holder
- Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.