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Hosia Ink Studio – An Nang Ink Review # 222 --- 🧾 Description According to Soe & Soe website “An Nang is a dark grey chromo-shading ink with bronze-yellow shading. Annan was an imperial protectorate of Ancient China, located in modern day Vietnam.” But in reality, one sees a medium, blue-tinged grey with medium to extreme shading on most papers. The chromo-shading attributes appear under specific conditions: 1. Powerful daylight LED 2. Coated paper, (ideally Japanese) 3. Dip pen or a very wet fude, or double BB nib. (Note the wider the nib, the lighter the grey.) 4. Looking at a specific angle. Otherwise, you won’t see anything, just dark ink. However, with ink washes a lovely bronze “sheen” and a purplish background appears. Using a chromo-shading ink on copy paper is akin to having caviar on stale crackers. Regardless the ink will behave so badly you’ll think bulletproof inks are well-behaved. Lubrication ranges from average to slightly below average, depending on nib size and ink load. Ink is not water resistant on coated paper, however, on Mixed Media Paper, the ink soaked into the paper was relatively water resistant. I enjoyed using this ink with a dip pen and artwork. --- 🧪 Chroma --- ✍️ Writing Samples (scan) Quotes: English translations or adapted renderings from Vietnamese sources. Nguyễn An Ninh — Vietnamese journalist “Peace that is declared by others often arrives as silence, not as justice.” Nguyễn Du — Vietnamese poet “What seems peaceful on the surface may only be patience learned through time.” “Clouds pass, rivers remain, and what endures is never what first appears.” Nguyễn Huy Thiệp — Vietnamese writer “Silence is often mistaken for harmony by those who do not live within it.” “A country is not made of borders, but of the lives quietly carried within them.” Rhodia / Iroful Midori /Tomoe River 68gsm Note: Tomoe River used here is 68 gsm, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews. Hammermill 20lb 📸 Photos Rhodia/ Iroful Midori / Tomoe River 68 gsm Closeup Calligraphy with dip pen (Brause rose) Paper is Logical Closeup – Chromo-shading 🔍 Comparison Col-O-ring. Scans are approximative. --- 💧 Water Test --- 🎨 Artwork Don't mess with my buddy! Inspired by a photo I took of my cat sitting on my lap. Pilot F3A, Talens Mixed Media. Where Does the Wind Begin? Inspired by a poem by the Vietnamese poet Xuân Quỳnh and the Citadel of Thăng Long . Mouse immortalized his beloved Cat on the wall by surreptitiously moving the lichen about. --- - Pens Used: Pilot F3A EF, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1), Jinhao 450 fude nib, Brause rose nib dip pen. - What I Liked: Writing with a fude nib. Capturing the occasional bronze halo. Drawing and ink washes. Calligraphy. - What I Did Not Like: Price, shipping. - Writing Experience: Preferred with wetter, wider nibs. - Pros: Lovely for art, calligraphy. - Cons: Not interesting with EF, F nibs. Sheen is not really visible. 🧷 Ink Characteristics - Shading: Extreme on Iroful. - Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper. - Bleed Through: Yes, on copy paper. - Flow Rate: Average. - Lubrication: Below average depending on pen & nib. - Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. - Start-up: Ok. - Saturation: Depending nib size. - Sheen: Call it sheen or chromo-shading. - Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: On copy paper you can stuff a pillow or knit a scarf. - Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice. - Staining (Pen): No. - Clogging: No. - Cleaning: Relatively easy. - Water Resistance: If paper is absorbent, it’s water resistant, on coated paper no dice. --- 🛒 Availability - Available in 30/ml bottles, from AliExpress and similar websites or Soe &Soe in Australia. --- 💬 Closing If you’re curious about a chromo-shading ink, go for another one, unless you love grey inks, enjoy calligraphy, dip pens, or use fude, BB nibs or love sketching, and can afford shipping from China or Australia. No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review. Please don’t hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments — the more the merrier.

Hosia Ink Studio - Gardenia Ink Review # 201 --- 🧾 Description This is a unique chameleon of an ink by Hosia Ink Studio. The colour is difficult to describe at times it’s a beige with a hint of pink, at times a lavender with a hint of beige. Here is the description from the Soe & Soe website: "Gardenia is a light purple to pink base chromoshading ink which can also show wheat-beige secondary shading. The Gardenia flower is native to tropical southern China, and gardenia seeds contain a powerful yellow pigment called crocin, used as a natural dye for centuries in China. Hosia Ink Studio specialises in extremely high shading dye based inks recommended for use with brush and dip pens to best show off the range of colours which change as they dry." The only reason I can think for the name is the yellow dye in the chroma, which also exists in the seed. Gardenia flowers also turn a cream color when fading. Ink has below average lubrication, OK flow, and extreme shading, especially on Iroful paper. It’s lovely on white paper. On Midori it looks awful. I preferred it most with fude and B nibs. --- 🧪 Chroma --- ✍️ Writing Samples (scan) Rhodia / Iroful I use ChatGPT to generate appropriate quotes by real people, but this time it might have adapted, edited the quotes. Scans are off, especially with Midori. Midori /Tomoe River 68gsm Hammermill 20lb 📸 Photo Rhodia/ Iroful Midori / Tomoe River 68 gsm Hammermill 20lb Closeup – Iroful 🔍 Comparison --- 💧 Water Test --- 🎨 Artwork Note: The first drawing is the size of the pocket book, the 2nd A5 The Virgin Furrows Inktober challenge: Virgo Virgo, before being associated with chastity, was the goddess of fertility. The cluster of stars rising at harvest reminded the ancient Mesopotamians of furrows in the earth. The cowboy has now replaced the chaste/fertile goddess — and he too will one day be replaced by robot farmers, unless life for humans ends first. Talents Mixed Media square pocket book Quand reviendras-tu? (When will you return?) Inspired by Billie Holiday's love of Gardenias, and the seminal song by French Singer Barbara (Dis, quand reviendras-tu), to create the melancholy feeling of missing a loved one. The dark brown ink is a Tintenlabor Iron gall ink, Schokolade, Silver is Pebeo silver marker, Paper is Fabriano Mixed Media --- - Pens Used: Pilot F3A/ EF, semi-flex, Lamy (EF/F/M/B), Jinhao 450 fude. - What I Liked: Colour, fast dry times, ink washes. - What I Did Not Like: Lack of water resistance, lubrication. - Writing Experience: Mesmerizing, but with feedback. - Pros: Unique colour, shading, fast dry times. - Cons: Not available everywhere, price, lack of lubrication. 🧷 Ink Characteristics - Shading: Excellent. - Ghosting: A bit with copy paper. - Bleed Through: Same as above. - Flow Rate: Decent. - Lubrication: Lacking. - Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. - Start-up: Did not notice - Saturation: Not saturated. - Sheen: Faint. - Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. - Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice. - Staining (Pen): No. - Clogging: No. - Cleaning: Easy - Water Resistance: Good. --- 🛒 Availability Available in 5/30 ml bottles. https://soeandsoe.com.au/products/gardenia Ali Express --- 💬 Closing This is a singular ink. It’s difficult to source. It shines with fude/ stub nibs, brushes and artwork. No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review. Please don’t hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments — the more the merrier.

Hosia Ink Studio - Shing Tong According to the very excellent Soe &Soe, website: "Shing Tong is a chromoshading ink with muted red base with blue haloing and golden sheen. It is said that this effect is best seen with a dip pen. " Many thanks to @A Smug Dill to introducing me to this brand and this new stationary store. Chromoshading seems to be the new wave in ink. This is the first of the three Chinese brands I'll be reviewing. For now, I found them consistently lacking in lubrication and the hype, is just hype. However, for those of you who use ink for artwork, these inks are fun to use. According to chatgpt, Shing Tong means “Sacred Hall" or "Holy Temple." In Short: Novelty ink, effects are only seen with heavy applications and on some Japanese papers, otherwise you have a dusky purple with nice shading. Inks flow is ok, in Kakuno it was a bit sluggish and laborious. Nib creaper was a bit ink starved. Lubrication is below average (you will have feedback). Dry times are on the long side on Rhodia, water resistance is decent. The complexity of ink appears mostly in washes. Cleaning is a bit difficult you'll need a cleaning solution to remove the pink dye Interestingly when applied heavily, (Or heavy handedly ) the blue dye bleeds through some papers (Copy paper/ Iroful), so I wonder if it can be used with dip pen on normal paper. Bottom line: If you don’t like feedback, it isn’t for you. If you want to see the effect, you’ll need a wet pen/ wide, buttery nib and good Japanese paper. It’s good for journaling, artwork, ink washes, calligraphy. Get a sample, if you can. Chroma: Writing Samples: Color is difficult to scan, and ink looks grey Note how on heavy application, the "chromo" parts bleeds through Photo: Color is correct Closeup: Midori TR68 Iroful Comparison: Note how scanner captures the colour of this ink. However, you can discern a hint of lavender. Water test: Right image (10 seconds under running water, 24 hours after writing) - Paper is Marumann Art Work: I have already posted a drawing, featuring this ink in my Lennon Tool Bar, Cat General review: Beauty Salon Lennon Tool Bar Cat General (tan) *FANYANTAN - Qinghai Wave (Green) *Hosia Ink Studio - Shing Tong Kala Moon light Tide Broken Kala Moonlight Tide (Grey black)/ Noodler's Red Rattler Red) Chromoshading inks: Hosia Ink Studio - Shing Tong FANYANTAN - Qinghai Wave (Green) Modern Connection While Mr. Fish, smoking his bubble pipe, filled the void of his empty castle, watching cute kitty videos on his waterproof custom made TV, Cat & Mouse were watching video deep sea videos on his smart phone. The back ground is Shing Tong Others inks used: KWZ orange Jacques Herbin Rue de la Verrerie (Fish bowl) Kala Moonlight Tide (Grey) De Atramentis Document Cyan (smart phone) · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1), Noodler’s Nib Creaper semi-flex · What I liked: Colour doing washes, watching ink dry · What I did not like: Lack of lubrication. Cleaning it. The hype. · What some might not like: Price, lack of lubrication · Writing experience: Not the best. · Pros: Gorgeous colour, great for doing ink washes. · Cons: Lack of lubrication. Availability, cleaning. · Shading: Lovely. · Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper and heavy applications on Iroful. · Bleed through: Same as above. · Flow Rate: ok · Lubrication: Below average. · Nib Dry-out: If the pen is uncapped, yes · Start-up: Ok · Saturation: Not saturated. · Shading Potential: Good · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Did not notice. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: l needed a cleaning solution. · Water resistance: Decent · Availability: 30 ml bottles, Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier