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Octopus Write & Draw Green Tiger This is my 171st review I really like Octopus inks, especially their Write & Draw series. These are my favorite waterproof/lightfast inks. They are very well behaved, well priced, dependable and a pleasure to use. This is lovely calm, green pigment ink with medium shading from the Write & Draw series, purrfect for all those feline lovers 🐯 Excellent on copy paper. Cleaning was easy but it’s a pigment ink and with time it can stick to parts of your pens, you wouldn’t suspect. So, I don’t recommend it for pens that cannot be dismantled or overly expensive, just in case. Though in my long experience with pigment inks, I rarely, if ever have had any problems with cleaning them. It's always handy to have a cleaning solution nearby just in case Chroma: Writing Samples: I used the original spelling from Blakes quote, which led to spelling fiasco here and there Photo: A closeup on Tomoe River 68gsm paper. Comparison: Water test: Left side (10 seconds under running water. After 24 hours) Art Work: I had lofty ideas with this ink, but time/skill constraints didn't make my dreams come true. The endangered species It is a pity that we as a species are responsible for so much destruction. Paper is Fabriano Mixed media. Paper is very white. This is a more squiggly, tigey, taking life not so seriously... Note how the colour changes on this cream Talens notebook. · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1), Kanwrite Desire with Ahab nib. · What I liked: Colour. · What I did not like: Nothing much. · What some might not like: AFOPI (Abnormal fear of pigment inks ) · Shading: Moderate · Ghosting: None. · Bleed through: None. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Good · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Good · Saturation: Medium · Shading Potential: With wider nibs. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: I cleaned the Kakuno with water only, but I had to scrub the section were ink got stuck. The more the ink stays in the pen, the more time it needs to be cleaned. It's always a good idea to have some cleaning solution nearby, 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

Octopus Write & Draw Duck Red Very nice, wet, lubricated ink, with nice shading (from dark to red), from Octopus with very long dry times on Japanese Paper (not for lefty over writers) It made my two scratchiest nibs sing, pilot Kakuno EF and the Osmioird with its needlepoint copperplate nib. Ink is well behaved on copy paper, unless you opt for a wet flex pen. Like most pigment inks, it’s not a good idea to forget it in a drafty pen. Ink would evaporate and will make cleaning slightly difficult. Note that all my samples bottles of Octopus inks have been more or less stained overtime by the dyes. Chroma: Writing Samples: Photo: Grey day photo Artificial led light - Iroful paper Comparison: Water test: Left side 10 seconds under running water. Art Work: This weeks artwork is a bit of experimentation and wackiness. Lady Kitty (The blue ink is a mixture of my De Atramentis Document /Artist Cyans that sticks to the paper like fly on a litter box :D) Paper is a a very bad/white Hilory sketchbook. Grandpa This draft sketch I did with a Osmiroid needlepoint copperplate nib. The nib is not suitable for sketching. But it worked out find. The cat reminds me of my grandpa who was very elegant The background is just a mixture of Lexington Gray and De Atrametis Document Cyan. and finally la pièce de resistance A day at the pond Octopus Write & Draw Red Duck De Atramentis Document/Artist Cyan in a brush pen, a touch of Noodler's Lexington Gray... Colorverse 58 Methuselah Grove (brown) The paper is the Hilory sketchbook. It's not suitable for ink work, and the De Atramentis sticks to , if the paper is wet .... · Pens used: Pilot Kakuo Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1), Osmiroid – Copperplate nib · What I liked: Colour. Shading. Lubrication. · What I did not like: Long dry times on Japanese paper. · What some might not like: Same as above. AFOPI (Abnormal fear of pigment inks) · Shading: Yes, lovely. · Ghosting: Trace on cheap paper. · Bleed through: With flex nib yes · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Excellent. · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Very good, in a well-sealed pen or a pen used regularly. · Saturation: Nice red · Shading Potential: Excellent. · Sheen: Only on Iroful, silver like most Octopus w& d inks. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Did not notice. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: On some pens easy, only water. With the Osmiroid it stuck to the nib. So needed more coaxing. · 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

Octopus Write & Draw – Brown Seahorse This is a gorgeous, complex grey/brown with hints of burgundy, a match made in heaven for a dry pen and Japanese paper. Unfortunalty, I misplaced the chroma, but if it's any indication of the Octopus write & draw inks, it's a single dye component. It is very wet, well lubricated, and is one of the fastest drying inks, I ever used, which explains why there’s some bleed through /ghosting on Rhodia, even more so than on Hammermill! Writing Samples: I used respectively a Sheaffer Targe F reverse, Lamy Safari and for the final flex lines I used a Kanwrite Desire with an Ahab semi flex nib and for the name of the author I used the Sheaffer Targa, which has a semi-flex nib. Photo: Too my eyes, ink in more elegant with a drier pen that brings out the complexity and shading only on Japanese paper. There’s a hint of silver sheen/ reflection, under led lights, like most Octopus Write and Draw inks. Here you can see how it reflects on Iroful paper. Please note that the camera exaggerates the "sheen". This is only seen under certain angles with artificial lighting. Comparison: Water test: Left side 10 seconds under running water. Art Work: This was a quick sketch on a Talens Pocket sketchbook. Jacques Herbin Turquoise de Perse Noodler's Lexingtion Gray · Pens used: Sheaffer Targa F (reverse), Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1), Kanwrite Desire with Ahab nib · What I liked: Colour. · What I did not like: Bleed through on c · What some might not like: Bleed through on Rhodia. It loves most Japanese paper. · Shading: Yes, on Japanese paper. · Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper, Rhodia. · Bleed through: Same as above. · Flow Rate: Very Wet · Lubrication: Lovely. · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Ok · Saturation: Not saturated. · Shading Potential: Japanese Paper. · Sheen: Faint silver sheen on Japanese Paper, like most Octopus inks, under artificial light. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: It's a pigment ink, so you might need a cleaning solution. I had to use one for the targa. · 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