Robert Oster Kelp Forest (50ml for $ 19) was created for the Melbourne Pen Show 2025 and is kind of a dual-shading mossy green. When its lightly applied to paper with a fine nib, the color is a shading low saturated yellowy green. When there is heavy coverage on the rright kinds of paper, there is a golden sheen maybe even reddish looking. It feels like looking into the murky depths of a pond, murky, musty green.
This might not sound appealing but it is really fun if you appreciate these sorts of earthy greens.
In writing, the nib you choose will make a big difference with this ink. I tested a variety of Sailor Hocoro nibs to quickly try a variety of nib widths. The fine nib is a bit fine for this low saturation ink. It is still legible but quite light. I think a medium nib, similar to the Dominant Industry glass nib on the Ink Muddler shows the variation of color while still be usable for day-to-day writing. Wider nibs like a Fude or 1.0mm or above shows even more variation but my handwriting looks terrible!
Compared with other murky yellow-greens in my collection (of which there are MANY) Taccia Uguisa is the closest though it does have amore reddish sheen. Robert Oster Avocado is darker than Kelp Forest but is a similar hue. I threw in a swatch of Lennon Tool Bar Pomelo which is lighter and more yellow-y but also features an unusual sheen.
While I am enamored with the color of Kelp Forest and the unusual sheen, I am not sure how useful it will be for everyday use. Oh ye of wider nibs, go forth and embrace the murky depths!
Tools:
- Paper: Odyssey Notebooks A5 Grid 68gsm Tomoe River and Ink Swatching Guidesheets
- Pens: 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 Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.