Suggestions For A Brownish Ink?

[applejade]

Many many thanks again for all the suggestions and information about inks. I've ordered these 2 for now:

 

Pilot Iroshizuku Yama Guri

Waterman Havanna Brown

 

I'll post back to this thread when I have the inks and had a chance to try them out and let you all know what how they work for me.

 

I have been using Waterman Havana Brown (renamed Absolute Brown) for a while now and I love it. Just so you know, it sometimes turns dark green and fuzzy if it's in a pen and not used regularly. It will wipe off okay and I've never had it actually clog my pens or anything.

[Unky]

I am fond of Manjiro Nakahama Whalemen's sepia, it is a deep muddy brown. It also has the novelty of changing colors when bleach is applied.

[weltyj]

 

Back to report on initial trials with the 2 inks I ordered. The waterman havanna (aka "absolute") brown is well behaved, no real surprises. I loaded it up in a hero 616 and quick sketched a couple of faces from a tai-chi book. Lots of shading possible with this ink.

 

Paper is picadilly sketchbook (80 lb paper).

 

I also tried out a new Serwex MB with the flex (really semi-flex) nib and the Pilot Yama-guri ink. This was a wild adventure (for me . ) The ink seems to go on dark, and lighten up a little as it dries. I think maybe my nib for this is a little too wet. @EKE, can you share the pen you've been using with this ink, if you think the nib is on the drier or wetter side? Paper of course makes a big difference, I'm just curious.

 

Both of these inks dry pretty fast, between 3 and 4 seconds based on my test. It will be fun to explore both, but I think the Yama-guri will be the more "interesting" ink in the end, the shading on it can run from nearly black to a dark sepia.

 

 

[N2theBreach]

For future consideration, I've been using Private Reserve Chocolat for a few weeks (this the second time I've used it). In my opinion, it is a bit dry and saturated. The color does look like chocolate (but which chocolate? ). It's a darkish brown, and I wish it had a little more red in it.

 

A lot of people like it, but for some reason, it doesn't click with me. I don't think it's a bad ink, I think it's just me. Maybe it's more saturated than I like.

[inkstainedruth]

@ weltyj --

Thanks for posting the artwork. It gives me a really good idea about those inks (I think that my ink testing journal is one of those Piccadilly sketchbooks -- unfortunately, I find it often does very wonky things to ink colors that other papers don't). I particularly like how Yama-guri looks here; I have a sample of Tsukushi but haven't had a chance to try it yet. The Waterman looks really reddish on my screen, OTOH. ,

Brown is one of those colors I keep expecting to like and then finding not so much. Noodler's Walnut was a bit too dark for me; loved the color and shading on Kiowan Pecan, but the stuff feathered like nobody's business. Diamine Chocolate Brown and Saddle Brown were okay but didn't wow me; J. Herbin Lie de The I'm still waffling over.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[weltyj]

 

I have been using Waterman Havana Brown (renamed Absolute Brown) for a while now and I love it. Just so you know, it sometimes turns dark green and fuzzy if it's in a pen and not used regularly. It will wipe off okay and I've never had it actually clog my pens or anything.

Well, I was having so much fun with the Yama-Guri that I let the waterman's absolute brown sit idle in my hero 616 for a week, and we had some spectacular weather here in Puget Sound, the house actually got to 78 degrees several days from sun shining through the windows.

 

And now, the waterman's absolute brown, is now waterman's "almost black". In a weird coincidence, it is approaching the same color as the Yama-Guri. The original bottle is downstairs in a dark box and stayed cool, so I'm sure it's fine. Sample drawings I did with the Waterman's absolute brown that got warm retained their original color.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Many thanks for keeping us updated as your adventure continues.

 

I tend to agree that yama-guri is 'more interesting' than Absolute.

 

Wheee!

 

Bye,

S1

[penrivers]

I dont know, I think its a philosophycal decisión, there must be millions and millions of Brown tones. As I told you is a personal decisión, you should buy a Brown skrip

bottle and then decide what you want if more carácter put some drops of black ink in it if less put some drops of distiled wáter or even from potable bottled wáter. Thanks, now I know that the new name of Havana is absolute, I was lost.

[weltyj]

Here we go. More playing around. The Waterman's Absolute Brown is definitely a "use it quick or it will turn almost black" option for me. Same issue whether or not in a Hero 616 or a parker '51. The reaction seems to be happening around the nib, because if I move a lot of ink out by drawing a lot, the brown tone comes back. I suspect some sort of reaction with air and/or ebonite or metal in the nib? But I am not a chemist nor do I play one on TV

 

First drawing is a boat from Frank Lohan's step by step pen & ink book.

 

Second is an attempt at a waterfall.

 

Third&fourth is a set of comparisons between inks/pens of a portion of a tree stem. Interesting difference between the esterbrook with the 2550 nib and the Serwex MB with the flex nib. The Serwex, while laying down a thicker line, is a little less saturated, showing off the brown tone of the Yama-guri better.

 

Fifth is a hummingbird I just finished.

 

I am exceedingly pleased with the Iroshizuku Yama Guri ink. No issues all all.

 

 

[cybaea]

Lovely drawings, @weltyj.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I especially like the tree/ink/pen comparisons!

[Bo Bo Olson]

Thanks how I forgot I have R&K Sepia which shades, is beyond me...got to go load some. Guess I got lost in the Green Jungle.

 

I don't know if Artist sketching paper allows shading in an ink.Or if you want that.

These shade also.

J Herbin - Lie de The , Café des Isles

Mont-blanc - Toffee Brown

Pelikan 4001 brown shades too but is reddish brown.

[amberleadavis]

Thanks how I forgot I have R&K Sepia which shades, is beyond me...got to go load some. Guess I got lost in the Green Jungle.

 

I don't know if Artist sketching paper allows shading in an ink.Or if you want that.

These shade also.

J Herbin - Lie de The , Café des Isles

Mont-blanc - Toffee Brown

Pelikan 4001 brown shades too but is reddish brown.

 

 

I love Toffee Brown.

[Centopar]

Thanks @weltyj - the drawings are lovely, and really add a lot to the comparisons!

[esqx]

Hi,

 

I cannot think of a better place to start than the amazing 2-part survey of 32 Sepia Toned Inks by Member dcpritch.

 

Here's Part One https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/209494-sepia-toned-ink-comparison-32-inks/?p=2176436

 

Bye,

S1

 

Thanks!! THAT was fantastic!

[madhukrishna]

Yama guri... The perfect brown!

[muldi]

Love the hummingbird!

[HermetiC]

Another vote for Iroshizuku Yama-guri.

Edited October 21, 2013 by HermetiC