Ink Review: Caran d’Ache Divine Pink

Caran d'Ache Divine Pink Ink

Most of the time, I tend to think Caran d’Ache can do no wrong. Their $5 pencils? Totally worth it. Their colored pencils and watercolor pencils? Epic. Their watercolor crayons? The holy grail of art materials.

But when it comes to their fountain pen ink, I find it a wee bit overpriced. Its pretty and the bottles are unique but $30+ per 50ml bottle is pretty steep. But I’ve bought some so I definitely drink their brand of Kool-Aid. Then I got a sample of Divine Pink and I had to start wondering if Caran d’Ache was having a bad day. You call this pink? I’ll give you warm red. Coral Rose? Maybe even Magenta? But pink, it is not. It’s pretty but it is not pink.

Caran d'Ache Divine Pink Ink

In an effort to prove to myself that I wasn’t crazy to think that Divine Pink was not really pink, I pulled out some of my Prismacolor Premier colored pencils to see what colors appeared similar. Carmine Red was probably the closest in hue. That’s not to say that I don’t like the color. I just think the name is terribly misleading.

The color is bright and vivid. Divine Pink dried fairly quickly on the Rhodia paper, even with my stub Estie nib and I didn’t smudge once. There’s a little bit of shading in the writing as well.

Like most red and pink inks, it is not the least bit water resistant. It activates easily with water but it also means its unlikely to stain or clog a pen.

Caran d'Ache Divine Pink Ink

In comparing Divine Pink to other colors in my swab stash, it falls between Kaweco Ruby Red and J. Herbin Rouge Opera. Ruby Red being slightly more red and Rouge Opera being slightly more pink. I included Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji as an ink I consider to be pink for a clear visual comparison.


This sample was part of a Goulet Pens Ink Drop.

The Pelikan Wanderbox #4

A couple weeks ago, I received an ENORMOUS blue crate that I had to lug back from the post office because I thought it would be a good day to walk over to the PO and get me mail. Foolish me. Luckily, despite its epic size, the contents are not too weighty. It is the Pelikan Wanderbox #4 which is a project from the fine folks at Pelikan to let the ink wander the world and amass letters written by pen enthusiasts.

Pelikan Wanderbox Amethyst Ink

Inside the foam-packed crate is a beautiful hat box with a bottle of Pelikan Edelstein Amethyst ink and handwritten letters from previous Wanderboxers. It was fun to read through each of the letters and add my own to the pile. Not to mention having an opportunity to try out the Edelstein Amethyst ink firsthand. I filled my one Pelikan M200 with the ink and set to writing my own letter.

Pelikan Wanderbox Amethyst Ink

The color is a little more reddish than other purple-y inks I’ve tried lately but not in a garish sort of way. Its actually quite regal.

Pelikan Wanderbox Amethyst Ink

I swabbed the color to add to my collection and there is a distinctly gold halo in the ink color adding to that royal look. I’m thinking I’ll be buying a full bottle of my own soon.

Pelikan Wanderbox Amethyst Ink

Of the inks currently in my stash, Amethyst most closely resemble J. Herbin Poussière de Lune but the Edelstein Amethyst is a more well-behaved ink. While I love the colors of the J. Herbin standard inks, I often find them too runny for most pens.

Here’s hoping a Wanderbox comes your way soon. This one is off to Arizona on Monday. From there, who knows?

Fashionable Saturday: Back-to-School

Fashionable Friday - Back to School

What would August be without my favorite of all shopping holidays, back-to-school shopping! Paper, pencils, pens and erasers as far as the eye can see. I believe that the start of school is an excuse for all of us to get a new bookbag, notebook and writing tools. Here are some of the goodies I’ll be carrying — even though I’m not actually going back to school, I can pretend I am.

  • Kaweco Brass Sport fountain pen 72,50 € (via Fontoplumo)
  • Alvin Brass Bullet Pencil Sharpener $4.61 (via Dick Blick)
  • The Display $70 (via Dudek Modern Goods)
  • Monteverde One Touch Stylus Tool Fountain Pen $40 (via Pen Chalet)
  • The Cambridge Satchel Company 15 Inch Classic Leather Satchel in Red $190.80 (via My Bag)
  • Heritage Vacuum Bottle 24oz in Classic Plaid $39.99 (via Aladdin)
  • Paperblanks Nocturnelle Midi Lined Journal $24.95 (via Anderson Pens)
  • Montblanc JFK Navy Blue $19 (via Goldspot Pens)
  • Yarn-dyed Plaid Pouch $14.99 (via J. Jill)
  • Cavallini Expletive Eraser $3.50 (via European Paper)
  • Zebra Fullst 0.5 mm Mechanical Pencil in Black Plaid $3.30 (via JetPens)
  • Seed Super Gold High Class Rubber Eraser $9 (via C.W. Pencil Enterprise)
  • Diamine Fountain Pen Mini Ink in Green/Black $7.50 (via JetPens)
  • Caran d’Ache Yellow School Pencil $2 each (via C.W.Pencil Enterprise)
  • Mitsubishi Triangular 4563 Pencil B $2.50 each (via C.W. Pencil Enterprise)

(Fashionable plaid photo from Gurl.com’s 20 Ways to Wear Plaid post)

PS: Sorry about the delay in posting the FF for this week. I woke on Friday with a blistering migraine but had a pile of work to do once the meds kicked in so I got a little behind schedule. Hope you enjoy it, even if its a little late!

Ink Review: P.W. Akkerman #24 Zuiderpark Bluaw-Groen

Akkerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen

P.W. Akkerman #24 Zuiderpark Blauw-Greon is another in a long line of blue-black inks to pass across The Desk. It could be because I seek out the blue-blacks in particular but, this time fate intervened and this lovely ink arrived thanks to Lisa at Vanness.

Akkerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen Ink

There is definitely more of a greenish undertone to Zuiderpark that makes it less a true blue-black and more of a teal-black. At first thought, I anticipated that Zuiderpark might be very similar in color to de Atramentis Petrol but Zuiderpark is much darker. I included a swab of Diamine Twilight which I consider to be a true blue-black as a contrast so that the greenishness of Zuiderpark might be more noticeable.

Zuiderpark dries in a reasonable amount of time, even on Rhodia paper in the humidity of a Midwest August. In my water test, it had a some stay-ability too. I actually scrubbed a wet paintbrush across the sample a couple times after I dropped water on it to see if the ink would move. It leaves a stain on the paper which means Zuiderpark could handle a drop or two of water without losing all your hard work. If you like to paint with ink, it won’t move as completely as other colors. You can decide if that’s a plus or a minus.

Akkerman Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen Ink Comparison

The advantage of this sort of color is that it looks quite unique but maintains an air of “respectability” since it still runs in the blue family. If you want a work-appropriate ink with a little something extra, Zuiderpark would be a good option. And it goes without saying that Akkerman makes the coolest looking ink bottles.

This is a case where I definitely wish I had a whole bottle of this ink. So, I’ll be investing in one soon. Or you folks in DC can pick up a bottle for me!


DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

Link Love

linklove-glee
(This week’s Link Love art was created in Manga Studio by fellow knitter and nerdy kindred spirit, Glee Norto. Just warms my nerd heart, this one! What notebook is that? A Midori Traveler’s Notebook, of course!!)

Pens:

Ink:

Notebooks & Paper:

Planning & Organizers:

Other interesting stuff:

Big thanks to Elwin and the Star Lord (doesn’t that sound like a band name?) for all your help this week. Couldn’t have done this without you!


Submit your Link love art: To be the featured artist on an upcoming Link Love, write, draw, photograph, or doodle an original “Link Love” image. It can be lettering, calligraphy, your own interpretation of Link or anything else you think might relate to the weekly list of pen/pencil-centric blog links. Email your submission to me at chair@wellappointeddesk.com. Please include any link information you’d like in the image credit (your name, Twitter handle, Instagram, blog, etc). Also include any information about inks, tools, paper, etc used in your creation. Please let me know that I have permission to publish your work in Link Love and that the image is your original piece.

Finally! Kaweco Skyline Sport in Pink

Kaweco Skyline Sport in Pink with green pens

The long-awaited, new Kaweco Skyline Sport in pink (€17,95) has finally landed stateside!

Now that its here and you can see its the first (and possible the only) pink pen I own. The great thing about the Kaweco Sport series is that the prices for them are so reasonable, I don’t feel too bad about buying them in ALL the colors available.

Kaweco Skyline Sport Pink

Like previous Skyline models, the pen features silver detailing instead of the traditional gold found on the standard Sport line. Its a very lightweight pen making it great as a pocket carry but not necessarily the most comfortable tool for writing the next great novel. Though I’ve written enough letters with my assortment of plastic-barreled Kaweco to qualify as a novel at this point so its all a matter of personal preference.

Like all other Skyline and Sport models, the cap posts easily and the faceted barrel cap keep the pen from rolling off the table, even without the addition of a clip.

Kaweco Skyline Sport Pink

I got the Skyline in pink with an EF nib. I like a finer nib on my Kaweco Sport pens as they often get combined with small pocket notebooks for on-the-go writing that benefit from tiny writing and pens that don’t lay too much ink down.

Kaweco Skyline Sport Pink

I don’t normally make an effort to match my ink color to the pen barrel but I made an exception in this case. The pink Skyline screamed for some pink ink. I found that the best color match is the Platinum Cyclamen Pink ink. Its almost the exact same color as the pen body.

Kaweco Skyline Sport Pink

The Skyline in pink and I are going to have a bright colorful week. I mean, really, how can I not with a pocket full of bright pink like this pen?

Honestly, I can’t wait to see what colors Kaweco will offer the Skyline in next. I’d love a lilac and a sunny yellow one. How about you?

Ink Review: Montblanc Midnight Hour

MontBlanc Blue Hour Ink

I must confess right away that the new Montblanc Meisterstück Blue Hour Twilight Blue ($17 for a 30ml bottle), despite its lengthy name, is an ink color that is totally in my wheelhouse. Initially I was thinking it was a blue black but its actually more of a dark teal/black, if that makes sense. It reminds me more of a dark stormy sea blue than a midnight sky blue.

MontBlanc Blue Hour Ink

Blue Hour looks more like a blue black when wet and then dries to a more greenish deep teal blue. The ink dries pretty quickly. I managed to not have any smudges while writing this sample page so that’s saying something. I really like the square, ripple glass bottles that Montblanc has been using for their inks this year. The JFK and Pink Ink also came in these bottles.

MontBlanc Blue Hour Ink

I had lots of similar ink colors. Similar, but not the same as Blue Hour. In the swab sample, there’s a little reddish halo to the Blue Hour sample which reminds me of Sailor Jentle Yama Dori and Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku (both of which are favorite inks of mine) but the Blue Hour ink is more greenish than Ku-Jaku and a bit lighter overall than the Yama Dori. So, do you need Blue Hour if you have any of these ink colors? Logically no, but since when are pen addicts logical?

All-in-all, Blue Hour fills a sliver of a gap in my teal-y blue/black ink collection that I’m glad to have filled. This ink seems to be selling out quickly so if you’re interested in acquiring a bottle, I recommend that you act fast. I couldn’t find any specific info whether Blue Hour would be a limited edition color but as an ink hoarder, I’m not taking any chances.

MontBlanc Blue Hour Ink

Oops! I always forget to go back and add water to me test page. In this case, I photographed everything before realizing I didn’t do the water test. With a few stroked of a wet paint brush, the ink definitely lifted and moved quickly. Plus side, it should be pretty easy to clean out of your pens. Minus side, this ink is not recommended for documents that require permanent ink. It might make for interesting drawings as the ink can be blended nicely like a watercolor.


DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Pen Boutique for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.