Search the Community

In addition to the regular line of inks Akkerman in The Hague now offers a range of 'Dutch Masters' inks. Though the bottle says 'limited colors collection'I cannot find a reference to what the limited stands for (limited edition, limited range of colours,...), and I forgot to ask. I'm fortunate that the shop is just a short train ride from my home, so I could have a look at the ink before buying. Here is my review of the ink (bear with me, it's my first review). Sorry for the handwriting The bottle is the larger, non-faceted version. Just like the smaller bottles for the regular addition it uses a small chamber in the neck closed off with a marble. I love these bottles: it's so easy to fill even large-nibbed pens from them (and, by the time I get that far, allow you to get the last of the ink out of the bottle). It's already apparent that the ink contains a fair amount of purple (more so than blue). http://i.imgur.com/cZmScGsl.jpg The ink is wet, and in combination with a wet pen, puts down a very dark line. I would not label this colour as a stormy blue; it might describe a storm cloud just before a heavy thunderstorm. I do like the colour, and it's a welcome addition to the collection. It's a well-behaved ink: wet, lubricating, no feathering or spreading. It shows some shading potential, but needs a drier pen to see that. Drying times are pretty long, certainly on Clairefontaine DCP paper, but on more absorbent paper a wet line will still take quite a while to dry. Once the ink is dried, it is smear resistant. Sorry the only other blues I've inked up at the moment are other Akkerman inks. Addition regarding bleed through/showthrough. After the setting up the report I noticed some showthrough on the white Clairefontaine paper, on the Leuchtturm no such thing. (click on thumbnails for larger view) http://i.imgur.com/jdbKrCzl.jpg?1 The water drip test water drops for 1 min on paper (after that blotted, and see above). Again: once the ink is dry it seems to be http://i.imgur.com/wlCpA3Ut.jpg On leuchtturm paper: http://i.imgur.com/3wsxDqLm.jpg Now the last thing left to do is to go to the Rijksmuseum to see the original painting.... Link to a picture of the painting: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio/artists/jacob-isaacksz-van-ruisdael/objects#/SK-C-211,0

During a recent trip to The Hague I bought a couple of Akkerman inks at their store. After a fresh supply was brought in from the store room (apparently these inks are popular) I could test the inks using a toothpick. I already reviewed Ruisdael’s Stormachtig Blauw; this review deals with #9 'Steenrood van Vermeer’. The Steenrood (stone red) refers to the colour of bricks, and the picture by Vermeer illustrates the warm, mellow colour of those bricks, and so does this ink. As I said the ink catches the colour of bricks very well, a warm reddish brown (or brownish red, if you prefer). I like this colour and this ink in general. A good flow, nice and wet. Drying times on Leuchtturm and a fairly wet Lamy M are between 10 and 15 seconds, but in real life it feels faster. What’s even better is the shading this ink shows. (again apologies for my handwriting) http://i.imgur.com/6HFXdfEm.jpg On all combination of nibs and paper I’ve observed shading, Shading great, sheen none. On Leuchtturm paper http://i.imgur.com/6EFNVA1m.jpg The ink takes a little time to dry (feels less than it actually does), after that it sits pretty solidly on the paper. This ink is not waterproof. A couple of drops of water sitting for 1 min, and next to that the results after keeping the paper under a running tap. Most of the ink is washed away, leaving just a vague impression of the ink http://i.imgur.com/ydRg9pbt.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/MFZ2qxEt.jpg I like this ink, its mellow colour, shading, and nice behaviour, but it will not be my main ink (for that I have a pool of blue inks). To finish, this link shows you the painting that inspired this colour (also on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam) https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio/artists/johannes-vermeer/objects#/SK-A-2860,2