Troublemaker Abalone was one of the first multichromatic inks I ever tried. I remember being absolutely ticked at the color variation and tonal qualities to the ink ranging from reddish purple-pink to a deep bluish purple with hints of teal green inbetween. Depending on the application, any of these tones may show in writing, drawing, painting or doodling. It really is an ink that was, and still is, in a class by itself.
Since the arrival of Troublemaker and some of its signature colors like Abalone, other ink makers have ventured into the multi-chrome world but, in browsing my collection, Abalone still stands out as a unique and singular ink. Vinta’s Lucia Deepwater is more navy blue with the pink and green undertones while Van Dieman’s Nightfall is a lighter purly-pink. The closest Sailor ink I had on hand was Kyokkou and its much more reddish — at least in my swatch.
The swatch on Dromgoole’s site is totally different! Is it my camera or the paper? Either way, Kyokkou is not a dupe for Abalone, no matter what color appears for you.
All that is to say, if you haven’t tried Abalone or one of Troublemaker’s other multichromatic inks, what are you waiting for?
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-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
DISCLAIMER: Some 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.
This looks like such a pretty ink!
I’ve been meaning to get more of Troublemaker’s shading inks, as I really like the one I already have – Milky Ocean. It’s a lovely light blue with purple and pink shading.
Sailor Kyokkou looks really nice as well!
I do like Kyokkou too. I have all those “black box” Sailor multichromes. I am such a sucker for them.
Ditto sheets!! Hah! Way to throw my old brain waaaay back! Once you smell those, you’ll never forget it. The only multichromatic ink I’ve tried is HaHa, and while it is pretty, I don’t enjoy the writing experience. It’s not flowy enough or too dry or something. Does abalone write similarly, or totally different?
I think the multichromatic inks do have a different writing feel. A little more watery and the changing of colors can be distracting. I’d say the writing experience between Haha and Abalone are not too differently but I don’t have scientific proof. 🙂