20 De Atramentis Inks

[taranir]

Just received these in the mail today so I haven't had time to review any one ink in an in-depth fashion, but hopefully these scans will be useful for comparison! These are on Rhodia 80g graph paper and cheap Staples looseleaf (on which even Iroshizuku has a slight bleeding problem), with a glass dip pen. The very scratchy-looking text on the looseleaf isn't the fault of the ink-- it's because my dip pen is fussy and I didn't bother to re-dip.

 

Out of all the scented inks, I'd have to say that Elderberries, Birch, Jasmine, Lilac, and Hyacinth are my favorites, as far as I can tell with a dip pen. A few are noticeably wetter than others (though I'm not sure how much of that is variation due to different amounts of ink on the dip pen), and I've tried to note that below.

 

None of the inks are overpoweringly strong-- I had to hold most of them up close to my nose to smell them at all, and a few hours later the paper retains only a barely noticeable hint of fragrance.

 

Some vaguely descriptive notes on the scented inks (after a while they all start to smell the same... and I can't say I have much experience recognizing perfume notes heh):

De Atramentis Almond Flower (scented) - lightly lotion/sweet, chemical

De Atramentis Bamboo (scented) - smells chemical in the bottle, barely any scent on pen/paper/tissue

De Atramentis Birch (scented) - fresh and grassy, powdery-sweet, a little like sap in the vial

De Atramentis Cherry Blossom (scented) - floral, matronly, chemical/lotion, woody

De Atramentis Elderberries (scented) - deep and fruity, like artificial blueberries

De Atramentis Herbs de Provence (scented) - lavender and rosemary, sharp, woodsy

De Atramentis Forget-me-not (scented) - floral, vaguely rose-like, wet

De Atramentis Hyacinth (scented) - perfume, rose-like, dusky fresh floral, strongly scented

De Atramentis Jasmine (scented) - herbal, dusky perfume, heady, wet

De Atramentis Lilac (scented) - rose/floral, deeply sweet

De Atramentis Lilium (scented) - bright floral perfume, sharp, sweet

De Atramentis Lilly of the Valley (scented) - sweet, chemical/lotion/baby powder

De Atramentis Lotus (scented) - floral perfume, a hint of rose, wet

De Atramentis Mimosa (scented) - sharp, herbal, chemical, wet

De Atramentis Narcissus (scented) - fresh floral, similar to forget-me-not

De Atramentis Plum (scented) - deeply fruity and sharply sweet, like the smell of overripe plums, wet

De Atramentis Sandalwood (scented) - probably like sandalwood, sharp, strongly scented

Edited January 4, 2012 by taranir

[GreenVelvet]

Wow - this is WONDERFUL! Thanks so much!!

[lizncats]

Wow - some very wonderful colors! I'm going to have to pay special attention to which De Atramentis inks Goulet is carrying. I may have to buy a sample rack just for my DeA samples...

[taranir]

You're welcome! I can't get over how beautiful these inks are. I may just end up ordering more... though I'm trying to force myself to finish using up these first, heh.

 

Another note-- none of these inks really smell like the original flower/fruit. I had high hopes for some, especially the really distinctively scented flowers like Jasmine and Lilac, but all smell at least slightly chemical or artificial. Not that they don't smell wonderful anyway.

Herbs de Provence and Sandalwood are probably the closest to what I would imagine the originals to smell like, but this might just be because I'm not as familiar with those scents.

[Strang]

I have several of the de Atramentis inks and like them, generally. The scented ones seem (to me) closer to nature than scented inks made by other manufacturers. I'm rather stunned though that de Atramentis Plum is a teal colour. That makes the right side of my brain hurt.

[Jadie]

I really like the shades of the Cherry Blossom and Bamboo Green/Lily of the Valley (which look identical on my screen) inks.

 

I am horrified by the fact that jasmine is some sort of..washed-out orange...especially as jasmine is one of my favorite flowers. What a letdown.

 

But hey, the Hyacinth seems promising in terms of both scent AND color. What kind of blue ink from other brands would you say it resembles?

[taranir]

I was hoping that the cherry blossom would be more of a pink, but it's actually closer to a cross between Monaco Red and De Atramentis Rose. The scan makes it look more fuchsia/purple-ish than it really is, I think.

 

I did like the jasmine, actually-- it's softer in real life than it looks in the scan, and shades more than many of the other inks. The scent is very pleasant too, even if it doesn't actually smell like jasmine flowers.

 

Hyacinth sort of reminds me of Iroshizuku Asa Gao, but slightly more indigo/purple, though it's hard to gauge wetness/lubrication because I only used a dip pen. I'll try to do a comparison scan between the two sometime this week, when I get the time.

 

I believe that Bamboo Green and Lily of the Valley are the same color, as are Birch and Lillium. They look identical on both papers.

Edited January 4, 2012 by taranir

[mike.jane]

Thank you for providing these scans. Especially as there is not really a lot about De Atramentis out there yet.

 

I'm confused though. 'Lilium' is supposed to be an orange ink (red-ish orange maybe) but it's green on the scan. Thus, I don't think this is right.

[amberleadavis]

Well, my bottle was orange and the De Atramentis website shows it as orange, so I'm not sure if was different back then, but it is orange now.

 

http://www.de-atramentis.com/ffragrance-ink--fragrance-inks--inks--inks-for-fountain-pens-/flowers-ink--flowers-inks--fragrant-flowers-inks--inks--inks-for-fountain-pens-/ink-inks-ink-for-fountain-pens--136-137-139-141-142-143-145-147-148-150-151.html

[HalloweenHJB]

Through a MassDrop*, I ordered five de Atramentis inks that I had not seen elsewhere. They arrived today! They are probably not new inks, but simply new to me. See what you think:

 

 

A few initial comments on the inks:

 

 

 

 

*The order was made in early JULY, and only arrived in late September. IMHO, if you are not a very, very, very patient person, I would not recommend this method for buying inks.

[amberleadavis]

I love Kermesin red. It isn't what I expected, but I love it and finally hunted down a bottle. As for Mint Turquoise, mine is water proof.

[HalloweenHJB]

Should have known you'd have the inside scoop on these!! I do like Karmesin Red, but it was a slight surprise, that's all. Any thoughts on the Copper Brown or Aubergine?

[amberleadavis]

I haven't tried CB or Aubergine. They seem so tame compared to my usual inks.

[islandink]

Through a MassDrop*, I ordered five de Atramentis inks that I had not seen elsewhere. They arrived today! They are probably not new inks, but simply new to me. See what you think:

 

 

A few initial comments on the inks:

 

 

 

 

*The order was made in early JULY, and only arrived in late September. IMHO, if you are not a very, very, very patient person, I would not recommend this method for buying inks.

love the aubergine...but what is that deep dark blue at the top of the page?

[HalloweenHJB]

love the aubergine...but what is that deep dark blue at the top of the page?

 

 

Yikes, that was a while ago. From the look of it, either Private Reserve American Blue or Noodler's Liberty's Elysium. Those are two that I was using last Fall —I think...

[amberleadavis]

Hmm... those Lilac and Mimosa are singing to me, I love my Lavender (blue), I like the Hyacinth, I adore the Christmas scent and Plum just feels like the wrong color.

[amberleadavis]

 

 

Yikes, that was a while ago. From the look of it, either Private Reserve American Blue or Noodler's Liberty's Elysium. Those are two that I was using last Fall —I think...

 

It's PRAB or PRDCSSB, NLE is a tad less purple. (IMO)

[HalloweenHJB]

 

It's PRAB or PRDCSSB, NLE is a tad less purple. (IMO)

 

 

I would say you're right! PRAB is the most likely culprit...