The theme this month is “Wake Up and Smell the Roses” – and it features some excellent inks!
For May 2015 the folks at Goulet Pen Company have sent the following samples:
Sunny Yellow – By Platinum
This looks like orange gatorade in the vial, but once you get it on paper the color shifts to a nice vibrant yellow that, as you layer it, blends more and more towards a yellow-orange. It has a solid saturation even when working it quickly with a steel calligraphy brush and when layered reminds me of a lighter version of Apache Sunset.
Rose Red – By Platinum
This second offering by Platinum is a great addition if you want a red ink but not one that is overly saturated. It shades well and while I don’t see using it in a pen anytime soon, I would keep a bottle in the collection for calligraphy work as it shades so well.
Black Swan in English Roses – By Noodler’s
Speaking of shading – this one is really nice. Honestly when I opened the vial I didn’t know if I was going to like it much because a lot of swatches I see feel much darker but after doing a quick swab and sitting back I have to admit – this one is a keeper. In my pens it flows really nicely and does not seem to shift drastically darker as it dries. Of the lot this month this ink surprised me the most.
Harmonious Green – By Waterman
While I love Waterman inks this was perhaps my least favorite this month – it’s a solid ink and looks great in my Ahab and Al-Star, but from a calligraphy standpoint I found it a little flat for my liking and tough to get more than about 2 shades out of when layering. it flows really nicely but even at a quick pace lays down a pretty deep color quickly.
Hyacinth – By De Atrementis
On the other end of the saturation scale is this beautiful blue from De Atrementis. It shifts a little bit between Blue and Blue-Violet with lighting conditions but really pops on paper either way. The added bonus is the smell – this is one of the inks from their fragrance line and smells fantastic. Shading is not broad but it is easier to lay down a lighter pass with this color in a steel calligraphy brush. In my Ahab it produces beautiful rich blue strokes and may replace my love of Noodler’s Eel Blue simply due to the scent.
I was already seriously considering trying the Hyacinth because I loved Eel Blue but had some trouble with its drying time. To see you compare it is promising indeed. Do you have any comment on how well (or poorly) it might treat a left-hander who can deal with the typical Diamine fairly well? That is, is is super wet?
The drying time may be the one drawback in your case – it does tend to run in the same 15-20 second range on my Rhodia dot pad and while that can be an issue for a left-hander it is actually a benefit when I am trying to get ornaments on Gothic letters to blend with the main strokes – if it dries too quickly the layering can stand out (which is sometimes the effect you are going for, but when you don’t want it can be tough to avoid).