As I am putting our Fix It, Finish It or Frog It challenge to use this month, I decided to compare a few ink samples I purchased with some of the inks I already own (in full bottles!).
I grabbed samples of
- Troublemaker Sea Glass
- Robert Oster Sinner’s Weed
- Troublemaker Sea Kelp
- Robert Oster Sydney Darling Harbour
I am shocked at how differently these inks look in photographs versus in person. Like those aura photos you can get at psychic fairs, these inks look so different but I’ll tell you how the colors look in person.
Surprisingly, Troublemaker Sea Glass looks a lot like other sea-inspired colors I already had — Dominant Industry Seaweed and Vinta Sirena. Honestly, when writing, Sea Glass and Sirena are almost identical with subtle differences in the undertones. Sirena is a little more blue/brown than Seaweed or Sea Glass. When Sea Glass is applied more heavily it actually looks more similar to Ferris Wheel Moss Park Green not that you can tell from the sample above. But really, Moss Park Green is a good alternate to Seaweed or Sea Glass or vice versa. In comparison, Robert Oster Sinner’s Weed is a very saturated grass green and a bit too bright for my taste.
I own both Vinta Ink Karnival Summer Green and Dominant Industry Atlantis which are very similar but Atlantis has shimmer and Karnival does not. I’d recommend choosing based on your own personal preference. I don’t use a lot of shimmer inks so really, I only need the Karnival ink.
Troublemaker Kelp Tea and Esterbrook Forgotten Iced Tea are almost identical on paper but look so different in the photo. Kelp Tea is a bit warmer reddish brown while Forgotten Iced Tea is a little cooler with blue undertones. But Troublemaker Kelp Tea is more accessible so if you were bummed to miss the Esterbrook Forgotten Iced Tea, Kelp Tea is a good alternative.
In my head, I thought Robest Oster Sydney Darling Harbour would be similar to DeAtramentis Pigeon Blue but it seems like Pigeon Blue is more more saturated. Darling Harbour has that deeper teal blue that I had always associated with Pigeon Blue. Weird, right?
This experiment showed me that I do tend to pick similar types of ink colors and that honestly, I don’t need all of them as full bottles. I have a bit of Sirena left and a whole bottle of Seaweed and Moss Park Green so I don’t need a whole bottle of Sea Glass, right? The same with Kelp Tea. I have a bottle of Forgotten Iced Tea so I don’t need both.
The Robert Oster Sydney Darling Harbour was the only ink samples I purchased that I did not have a similar color in my collection. I liked its teal-y deep tone with some greenish undertones. I might buy a bottle of this soon but this experiment definitely tempered my ink mania. I don’t need every bottle and I do tend to use the same colors over and over anyway.
Have you tried a similar experiment? What ink colors do you buy over and over?
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s and Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.