Search the Community

De Atramentis Artist Orange This is similar to the Document line but has less of its properties. inks and can be mixed and matched with either Artist or Document lines. It's an anemic orange or a punchy yellow depending how you see it. It’s wet, lubrication slightly below average and is not suitable for cheap thin papers, nor letter writing, unless you’re passive aggressive. 😛 It did weirdly stain a few spots on my already badly stained Kakuno, had flow issues with it and the Kanwrite ( I had to prime to feed) but with the Lamy Safari it worked fine. It’s almost impossible to scan. Photo shows best the colour of the ink. It’s best on Midori cream paper where the shading is most prominent. Surprisingly with B/ 1.1. nibs it becomes paler. I believe this is best used for art work and Wabbits 🐰🥕 You can use it both as yellow or orange in washes or mix it with Artist/ Document Red to give it a bit of oomph. It's slightly cheaper than Document inks (the bottles are 50 ml as opposed to the 45 ml of the documents). Let’s start with the chroma: Writing Samples: Photo: Note the difference in colour. Comparison: Note how the scanner has deformed almost all oranges. Water test: For animal lovers, no felines were hurt during this test and finally an art work, entitled September 19, 1914 It's based on the Reims Cathedral Smiling Angel statue, which was decapitated during the early days of World War I by a flaming beam. Reims cathedral is significant in French history as its were the French Kings were crowned. The statue was restored and is still smiling Inks used, De Atramentis Artist Orange, Platinum Carbon Black, J Herbin Bleu des profondeurs · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B, BB), Kanwrite with Ahab flex. · What I liked: On Midori (Ef-M nibs), using for washes. It can pass both for yellow and orange. · What I did not like: Writing with it. I could barely read myself. · What some might not like: It’s a pigment ink, it’s pale. · Shading: Surprisingly yes. · Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper. · Bleed through: Yes, on cheap paper. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Slightly belove average. · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: It didn’t like Kakuno or Kanwrite. · Saturation: Pastel · Shading Potential: Surprisingly quite good. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Yes a few spots on the Kakuno. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: The more it stays in your pain the more difficult it’ll be. · Water resistance: Excellent · Availability: 50 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

De Atramentis Document White To my knowledge there are two white inks by De Atramentis (Document and Artist), Noodler’s Whiteness of Whale (though technically speaking it’s not a white ink from what I understand), and Octopus Write and Draw, Polar Bear white. This is an unusual ink, somehow like Maalox, liquid chalk or whitewash; take your pick It’s disconcerting when you see it in fountain pen. It shows off all the muck in the feed and how dirty your convertor truly is Here is a photo of a stained no named Chinese piston filler I tested it on two types of paper one a no name notebook bought from Amazon (a not so black absorbent paper, and the other a true black Mix Media from Clairefontaine. It really needs a true black paper to contrast with. Don’t go for a cheap paper, you’ll regret it. Ink was atrociously awful in Pilot Kakuno with Ef nib. It clogged a noname Chinese Piston filler. However, in the Lamy Safari it was wonderful writer. This is more of sketching ink, than a writing ink or maybe an ink for teachers who have the nostalgia of black boards. It was fun reviewing this ink, as there’s not much to do I didn’t bother to use Stub and flex nibs; and doing the chroma was irrelevant. 😛 And finally cleaning this ink is really difficult and time consuming. So don’t fill your latest, shiny overpriced piston filler with this ink, otherwise you’ll curse the pen, ink and the hobby. Writing samples: No name very absorbent notebook from Amazon: Clairefontaine see the contrast between the two papers (photo:) and a few sketches: on no name paper: The Artist within On Clairfontaine: "Balloon" and another "detente" ert · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B) · What I liked: Sketching on a very dark paper. · What I did not like: Clogging in some pens, cleaning, work with a Japanese Ef · What some might not like: You need black paper. · Shading: n/a · Ghosting: n/a · Bleed through n/a · Flow Rate: Wettish · Lubrication: n/a · Nib Dry-out: Yes · Start-up: Yes. · Saturation: n/a · Shading Potential: n/a · Sheen: n/a · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: n/a · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Yes. · Staining (pen): n/a · Clogging: Yes. · Cleaning: Very, very difficult. Takes time. · Water resistance: I cannot ascertain it. I tried a wet Q-tip on the Clairefontaine and the Q-tip turned black. I assume the paper came off, so did the ink · Availability: 45 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

De Atramentis Artist Violet Once in a while there's an ink, where the writing experience surpasses the colour. This is one of them. I just wanted to keep on writing. Thankfully the colour is the gorgeous violet. The cleaning was relatively easy but And I would recommend having a cleaning solution nearby. As it’s a purple/violet ink, it might stain transparent sections and convertors. It did my Kanwrite convertor. Thankfully there's always Sailor Doyou or Noodler's Eel Red to de-stain. Let's start with the chroma: Writing Samples: While the scan capture "ghosting" there's almost none. Photo: Paper is Mnemosyne Comparison: Watertest: This is after 12 hours. The left side was held under water, and the smudges you see is wet paper (left side) and finally an art work, the first prompt of the yearly inktober challenge 2024, "Hunt" The background is Noodler's La Reine Mauve. For those who have attempted dip pen calligraphy it's a homage to Hunt nibs · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, (EF/F/M/B, BB), Kanwrite with an Ahab nib. · What I liked: Well lubricated ink. I enjoyed writing especially with the Ahab nib. · What I did not like: With BB nib, I had no control. · What some might not like: It’s a pigment ink. · Shading: Only with a flex nib. · Ghosting: There’s a bit on copy paper. · Bleed through: Very well behaved. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Above average · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Did not notice. · Saturation: Moderately saturated. · Shading Potential: Dismal. · Sheen: Nope. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Did not notice, but possible. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Relatively easy, though you might need a pen cleaning solution just in case. · Water resistance: Excellent · Availability: 50 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

This is an excellent ink by De Atramentis, lovely colour, well behaved and easy to clean. Let's start with the chroma: Writing samples: It even loved Hammermill...The pink smudges are from Noodler's Park Red, I reviewed before Photo of Tomoe River Comparison: Watertest: And finally an artwork. It was a part of a daily challenge Dystopia, inspired form the Matrix. · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B/Stub 1.1), Kanwrite with an Ahab nib. · What I liked: Delightful muted colour. · What I did not like: Nothing much. · What some might not like: Fear of nano pigment inks. · Shading: Yes · Ghosting: No. · Bleed through: No. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Good. · Nib Dry-out: No. · Start-up: No. · Saturation: No. · Shading Potential: Yes but better with wider nivs. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Very easy. · Water resistance: Excellent. · Availability: 45 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

De Atramentis Artist Green Grey has a Document sibling, which I won't be reviewing. The difference between the two is that the latter is forgery proof and is slightly more expensive than the former. This is one of those dreamy green, which is perfect for grey days, so that you can muse dreamy thoughts in the confines of your journal, in front of a nice fire I really love this colour, and have enjoyed writing and drawing with it. Let's start with the chroma: Writing samples: You can see a comparison with Octopus Green Squirrel which is more olive and darker on Midori It doesn't like thin copy paper as you see, it ghosts and bleeds But on thick absorbent paper it's absolutely fine. Photo: Paper is Mnemosyne /Pen is Osmiroid with a Copperplate semi-flex nib Comparison: Watertest And as usual an art work entitled, Least Endangered Species The Squirrel is done, by Octopus Write and Draw, Green Squirrel The background is by De Atramentis Green Grey and finally the Brown is by Octopus Fluids Sepia Schwartz (ink is not waterproof) • Pens used: Pilot Kakuno, Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B/Stub 1.1), Osmiroid Copperplate nib • What I liked: Lovely muted/subtle colour, shading. • What I did not like: Nothing much. • What some might not like: Does not like copy paper. • Shading: Lovely • Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper • Bleed through: Yes, on copy paper • Flow Rate: Wet • Lubrication: Excellent • Nib Dry-out: Didn’t notice. • Start-up: Didn’t notice. • Saturation: No • Shading Potential: Excellent • Sheen: No • Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: No • Nib Creep / “Crud”: No • Staining (pen): No • Clogging: No • Cleaning: On the easy side. Octopus Green Squirrel was slightly easier. • Water resistance: Excellent • Availability: 50 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

This ink like and it’s artsy sibling reminds me of watermelon juice. It’s a pinkish red. I’ve done a back-to-back review of both and frankly I don’t see much of a difference between them other than Artsy is slightly darker. The ink is nothing like Noodler's Fox Red, that I reviewed recently. Frankly it's an underwhelming ink. However, if you need a good waterproof ink for editing it's a decent. Let's start with the chroma: Writing samples: I realized in retrospect, that I don't have a fine Kaweco, so the fine is Medium, Medium is B and B is double broad. My apologies Poem is Adrift by Mark Nepo. Minimal ghosting on Hammermill. Photo: You see the real colour. The more absorbent the colour the paler the ink. Comparison: Artist seems slightly darker. Watertest As usual as artwork, entitled: Dreaming of watermelon in a heat wave, it was inspired by @LizEF Colorverse Redwood forrest review. Inks used: Green: R&K Alt-Goldgrün Orange: Noodler's Apache sunset I mixed the orange / green at the the horizon level Black: Pentel Brush pen Red: De Atramentis Document Red Bright green: Pastel Spade and heart... Pentel Brush nib /Document Red · Pens used: Pilot Kakuna Ef/Stub Kaweco (EF/M/B/BB), Kanwrite Ultraflex · What I liked: Teaching me to write with a feather hand · What I did not like: Not lubricated, palish red · What some might not like: Dry, the colour, daytimes. · Shading: None. · Ghosting: Faint on copy paper. · Bleed through: None · Flow Rate: Alright. · Lubrication: It won’t make your scratchy nib glide. · Nib Dry-out: No. · Start-up: No. · Saturation: Nope. · Shading Potential: Dismal · Sheen: None · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: None. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: A bit · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Normal. Like most pigment inks the more it stays in the pne the more you need to soak. But I didn’t need to use pen flush. · Water resistance: Excellent. · Availability: 45 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

De Atramentis Artist Cyan. This is another wet permanent ink from De Atramentis. Colour is identical or almost identical to Document Cyan ink, but this is an improvement to the atrocious Documents Cyan. If you absolutely want to try Cyan, I recommend the Artist to the Document. I didn't bother to post the water-test photo. Trust me it's waterproof In all honesty, I did not enjoy this ink, it has not much of a character. However, it's pretty to look at through a demonstrator. Chroma: Writing samples: Either Tomoe River 68gr paper has changed. I've only seen this with the Artist/Document Turquoise. Bleed through with EF? Rhodia is slightly better. Midori was the best. I didn't bother to post the back. But there's no bleed through and ghosting is minimal to non existent.. I was lazy to look through my swatches to find something similar Finally, a little sketch using both Artist and Document Cyan on Canson watercolour paper, by first doing an approximate sketch of cat. Then wetting the paper with a wet brush and the splattering ink. The Cat is done with Artist, the background with Document ink. · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno (Ef/Stub) Lamy Safari (Ef/F/M/B), Kanwrite Ultraflex, Jinhao Fude · What I liked: Fast dry time. Much better than the document version, looks cobalt in a demonstrator, · What I did not like: Bleed through, flat colour, limited paper use Midori. · Shading: None · Ghosting: Faint on Midori, · Bleed through: Same as above. · Flow Rate: Excellent · Lubrication: Excellent · Nib Dry-out: None. · Start-up: None. · Saturation: Nicely saturated blue · Shading Potential: None · Sheen: None. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Yes · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Yes. · Staining (pen): I don’t know. I won’t be using it for long, thankfully. · Clogging: No · Cleaning: It’s a pigment ink, so the longer it stays the more difficult to clean. But with a well-sealed pen it should be alright. · Water resistance: Excellent · Availability: 50 ml bottle. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

Lovely Liquids "De-Atramentis Khaki" Dear FPN friends, Yet another ink review. This Time it is De Atramentis Khaki Off course I will insert a handwritten High Res Review so that hopefully you can see the beautiful colour and the lovely shading of the Ink. I think the colour is very pretty and the schading is lovely but I would like to hear your opinion on that. There is one disadvantage to this ink. It is not waterproof like the D-A Jane Austen is. This " water fear" appears ofter wiht other inks too. I Have several blue inks (also from other manufactures) and some are waterproof, some are not. For example Waterman (funny name in this Case) Serenity Blue is not waterproof, where J. Herbin's 1670 blue remains very legible after a .splash. I promised to do a review on De Atramentis Document Inks Blue and Dark Blue... They will follow soon. I will also write a handwritten lines for comparison of the blue inks I currently have too Enjoy the review Down here are the technical specs (as suggested by Ann Finley 2007) points 1-5 1 = 5= Fountain Pens: Lamy Joy 1,5 Italic nib Paper: Leonardo Ringbuch,average quality school note book made in Austria Drying time: Approx. Less than 4 seconds with a medium nib / 8-10 Seconds with the 1,5 Italic nib points 4 Flow: Like if the Hoover Dam breaks points: 5 Wetness: Like the weather in the southern part of mary old England last winter points 5 (and still dries very fast ) Lubrication: very smooth points: 5 Bleeding: little points: 4 Shading: explicit wiht both medium and 1,5 Italic nibs Lovely points: 5 Waterproof: NOT points 0 Package: Only in bottles,Wide opening for easy filling up points: 3-4 (bottle is quite nice but the not very special, although the label is beautiful) Availabilty: In Europe Good, D-A webshop, Amazon, La Couronne Du Comte (NL), USA Brian Goulet but not all 255 inks points: EU 4 USA??? Quality: Hand Made in Germany points: 5 The con of not being waterproof is blown away by the pros... I Love the lovey soil brown colour and hte explicit shading .It is wet and smooth and still dries pretty fast... Not always in one of my Fountain Pens (I only have 7 remember) but I use it quite frequently and will fill a pen pemantly with this lovel liquid when my Fountain Pen collection expands. Hope you enjoyed the review and that it was usuable for you. Next review D-A Document Blue and Dark Blue... Amazing stuff Bullet and Bombproof!!! Kindest Regards Peter Vlutters