Inky T O D - Color Swatches - Brown - Please Post Your Pictures And Tell Us Your Thoughts

[A Smug Dill]

More throwaway swatch cards while I experiment with the format:


I'm just not getting the (round) stamping technique quite right, even after roughening up the latex surface with the tip of a knife as well as an emery board; some inks, more so than others, just don't seem to want to cling to the material.

[pgcauk]

Smug one - I do like your ink-pot cards (wherever I see them)!

Any idea which of the Standard Range that De Atramentis Bach is? Java? Marone?

[ENewton]

Any idea which of the Standard Range that De Atramentis Bach is? Java? Marone?

 

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The Vanness website says Ebony.

[A Smug Dill]

Smug one - I do like your ink-pot cards (wherever I see them)!

I'm glad. I'm still not sure if that's the way I'll go about cataloguing the inks I have; part of me thinks that a series/matrix of square cells would be functionally as good, and possibly qualitatively better, for showing how an ink looks with hatching, stippling, washing, etc. than using the bits of vane on the quill, even though the shape and outline of the ink pot and quill probably grabs a bit more interest visually.

 

Any idea which of the Standard Range that De Atramentis Bach is? Java? Marone?

I don't know, sorry.

 

Edited October 12, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[pgcauk]

I have more and more of a liking for Brown, and am increasingly using the ones I have already, so I don't need more . . . .  just yet . . . . but if I did, I would be very interested to try out the L'Artisan Pastellier "Encres Classique" range, in particular: Brun Ours, Caramel, Marron, Noisette and Sepia. Has anyone done a comparison of these? 

[PithyProlix]

On 3/20/2021 at 8:40 AM, pgcauk said:

I have more and more of a liking for Brown, and am increasingly using the ones I have already, so I don't need more . . . .  just yet . . . . but if I did, I would be very interested to try out the L'Artisan Pastellier "Encres Classique" range, in particular: Brun Ours, Caramel, Marron, Noisette and Sepia. Has anyone done a comparison of these? 

I've also developed a recent attraction to brown ink. I have Brun Ours and it's one of my favorite writing inks. (I suspect it is very similar to Herbin Cacao and R&K Sepia but I don't have either of those yet.) I am putting together a LAP order and tentatively have the browns Classique Sepia, Marron, & Noisette + Callifolio Cannelle on it. I'm on the fence about ordering Classique Caramel and Callifolio Havane, another brown. 

 

Honestly, I'm a bit intimidated about even getting halfway to the bar set by you, namrehsnoom, A Smug Dill, Igsoltek, LizEF, and many other's FPN reviews and comparisons but I will try to post a comparison after I've received my order had a chance to play around with them for a while - maybe in a month or two. Maybe include some of my other browns too.

[PithyProlix]

On 10/12/2020 at 4:01 PM, A Smug Dill said:

 

I asked Pure Pens about this a few months ago because there was the same inconsistency on their site regarding volume of ink in the bottle. They replied that De Atramentis had mislabeled their bottles for a few years and that, while the new bottles are labeled "45 ml", not all of their marketing photos have caught up. 

[pgcauk]

5 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

I've also developed a recent attraction to brown ink. I have Brun Ours and it's one of my favorite writing inks. (I suspect it is very similar to Herbin Cacao and R&K Sepia but I don't have either of those yet.) I am putting together a LAP order and tentatively have the browns Classique Sepia, Marron, & Noisette + Callifolio Cannelle on it. I'm on the fence about ordering Classique Caramel and Callifolio Havane, another brown. 

Yay - you will be performing a world service!

I dug around after writing this and found that I had thrown a sample of their Sepia in with a recent VanNess order, so this morning I cracked it open. I really like the saturation (light!), but tonally its very close to De Atramentis' Java Brown, which I have a virtually unused full bottle of already (and possibly adjacent to Diamine Terracotta, which I have a box of 20 cartridges of?... and more of GvonFC Hazelnut!).

The Brun Ours is the one that really jumps out, but I think that's because I love Taupe and have a good collection already (really, you only need one and maybe a spare, but I have a half-dozen at least!).

Maybe once I start getting to empty bottles I can start exploring whether to replace from the same or alternative ink masters? Also, (once the pen club meet ups start up again?) to offload some of the ones I "had to have!", but actually didn't (looking at you, Yama Guri!). The goal is for the sheer quantity of ink to be held at or diminish from current levels (I had to try a lot out before I got to what I wanted!), but to have increasing confidence that my choices match (what I have discovered to be) my personal preferences.

If I was a newbie and wanted a range of browns I would certainly look at L'Artisan Pastellier or De Atramentis as possible sources.

[pgcauk]

Not identical, but having the Java, I can't justify the AP Sepia (Java is surprisingly waterproof!), and having the R&K Sepia (et. al.!) I can't justify the Brun Ours - no matter how hard I try!
The bottom row here is alternating AP Sepia, with Java.

Re. De Atramentis, a couple of times I have been so perplexed by labelling and/or contents I have contacted Dr. Janssen directly, who has always been super helpful and generous - and ended up leaving me more confused than ever. Possibly an eccentric professor type, but a great range of greys and browns if you can navigate his systems. 

Edited March 21, 2021 by pgcauk
Integrate images with text

[PithyProlix]

15 hours ago, pgcauk said:

Not identical, but having the Java, I can't justify the AP Sepia (Java is surprisingly waterproof!), and having the R&K Sepia (et. al.!) I can't justify the Brun Ours - no matter how hard I try!
The bottom row here is alternating AP Sepia, with Java.

 

Looks like the LAP goes slightly towards red and the DA is more of a milk chocolate. Does that jibe with what they look like in person? If so I really like the LAP. I don't see many images of LAP Classique Sepia online so thanks for the pic.

By the way, LAP also has a Sepia in the Callifolio inks - I don't have that one either.

 

I'm curious: what are the 2nd & 3rd inks in the picture, please?

[pgcauk]

2 = Kaweco Caramel

3 = R&K Sepia 

Yes, the Artisan Pastellier Sepia has a nice pink quality (I would like to check it against Diamine Terracotta, which can give a nice "flower pot" pink under the right conditions, but  probably tends more orange?), the Atramentis Java a bit more grey - BUT this was a very quick comparison on one paper only.

Looking forward to seeing your findings!

[tmurfet]

On 12/2/2016 at 4:00 PM, ErrantSmudge said:

 

I just found some decade-old papers written with this ink, and the ink from then has more red tones than appear in the scan I posted above. It's actually more of a true red with an orange cast. The bottle had leaked while in storage, so I think it was exposed to air and the dyes have changed.

 

I'll try to post a scan of a comparison of "then" vs. "now". One thing is that the "now" ink takes a very long time to dry on the page, so I am likely to discard the remainder.

Going back in time a little --- I'm researching the colors of Rotring inks, and closing in on completing a collection of all their inks as part of that process, I expect to publish a complete set of swatches at some point. I've already discovered that red in cartridges doesn't hold its color over decades, but turquoise in cartridges can be rehydrated back to magnificence -- definitely the case for Rotring Brillant Turquoise / Carlsbad Turquoise. I digress, do you still have the examples of Sevilla Red you mention in this quote? Did you ever post the "then" vs. "now"? Sevilla Red was known as Brick Red in cartridge form, some describe it as terracotta -- in case anyone else has examples or bottled ink. Forgive my going off topic on this.

Cheers, Anthony.

[jmccarty3]

On 3/19/2021 at 8:40 PM, pgcauk said:

I have more and more of a liking for Brown, and am increasingly using the ones I have already, so I don't need more . . . .  just yet . . . . but if I did, I would be very interested to try out the L'Artisan Pastellier "Encres Classique" range, in particular: Brun Ours, Caramel, Marron, Noisette and Sepia. Has anyone done a comparison of these? 

 

I like the Brun Ors very much, since I prefer browns that tend toward grey rather than red.

[amberleadavis]

@VivaTerlingua

[amberleadavis]

[amberleadavis]

[pgcauk]

Adding samples of Kobe #3, #40 and L'Artisan Pastellier Brun Ours to the Taupes and Cool Browns. Oh my, I think I might have found my true-love, but the whole range is pretty beguiling?

 

Notes:

The R&K has become my default. I have yet to find a problem, it's affordable and it's right on the balance between grey and brown, without leaning to any particular hue that I can see.

Cacao Du Bresil is a less saturated and more grey with (to these eyes) an appealing violet cast.

Yama Guri I need to play with some more. Properties are excellent. Here (on Midori) I can see the greenish brown I was looking for, but look, in the wash is magenta! Need to play with this one some more! Could do with a head to head with Oster's Melon Tea?

Birmingham's Root Beer is closest to Grey.

Kobe #3 is dark and rich and yummy. Not so much Grey here but a (chocolatey?) Violet Brown? All three of the Japanese inks have a luxurious flow (while both of the Frenchies are much thinner).

Kobe #40 looks like what I was hoping to find with Yama Guri, a Brown leaning Green (not a Green leaning Brown, I have plenty of those already!). Not so far from the trusty R&K? Both the Kobe inks look at least water resistant.

Brun Ours is closest to its countryman Cacao Du Bresil, but the latter tends violet while this, which might be (gasp!) less saturated still, has a pinkish cast?

Very much first impressions on the last three, but first impressions are very good indeed!

Edit: Midori paper. Pens are a Broad Bandzug and an Index Finger, with a smear from the back of the nib, a water test and a paint-brush scrawl for each. n.b. Dip pens will usually put down a lot more ink than most fountain pens, so check out the R&K Sepia for a fountain pen contrast (with a wet nib!). The paint brush is usually paler than what you'd get from an fp.

Edited May 1, 2021 by pgcauk
Integrate images with text

[pgcauk]

Good grief!
Inks that look similar on the surface might have different things going on underneath.

Here's, L to R, R&K Sepia, Kobe #40 Sumiyoshi Brown and Pilot Yama Guri:

 

[PithyProlix]

9 hours ago, pgcauk said:

Adding samples of Kobe #3, #40 and L'Artisan Pastellier Brun Ours to the Taupes and Cool Browns. Oh my, I think I might have found my true-love, but the whole range is pretty beguiling?

 

Notes:

The R&K has become my default. I have yet to find a problem, it's affordable and it's right on the balance between grey and brown, without leaning to any particular hue that I can see.

Cacao Du Bresil is a less saturated and more grey with (to these eyes) an appealing violet cast.

Yama Guri I need to play with some more. Properties are excellent. Here (on Midori) I can see the greenish brown I was looking for, but look, in the wash is magenta! Need to play with this one some more! Could do with a head to head with Oster's Melon Tea?

Birmingham's Root Beer is closest to Grey.

Kobe #3 is dark and rich and yummy. Not so much Grey here but a (chocolatey?) Violet Brown? All three of the Japanese inks have a luxurious flow (while both of the Frenchies are much thinner).

Kobe #40 looks like what I was hoping to find with Yama Guri, a Brown leaning Green (not a Green leaning Brown, I have plenty of those already!). Not so far from the trusty R&K? Both the Kobe inks look at least water resistant.

Brun Ours is closest to its countryman Cacao Du Bresil, but the latter tends violet while this, which might be (gasp!) less saturated still, has a pinkish cast?

Very much first impressions on the last three, but first impressions are very good indeed!

Edit: Midori paper. Pens are a Broad Bandzug and an Index Finger, with a smear from the back of the nib, a water test and a paint-brush scrawl for each. n.b. Dip pens will usually put down a lot more ink than most fountain pens, so check out the R&K Sepia for a fountain pen contrast (with a wet nib!). The paint brush is usually paler than what you'd get from an fp.

 

Ohhhhhh WOW.

 

Now that you mention the pinkish cast of Brun Ours I can see it in my own writing samples. But your paper, I'm guessing, really seems to be accentuating what makes each ink distinct, uncovering their souls, much more than mine does. May I ask - what is the paper?

Kobe #40 looks very nice. What I'm seeing is almost midway between taupe and olive drab, I think. Root Beer is intriguing - I am seeing a more bluish-purple cast compared to Cacao's more reddish-purple.

I really love R&K Sepia, Cacao, and Brun Ours and I'm glad that I don't have to choose between them but, if I did, I think it would be Brun Ours because of the softer look, which works better, to my tastes, for normal writing - contrasty enough to have good legibility but not much more contrast than that.

You wrote that you might have found your true-love but you did say which one. So - which one?

Thanks much for showing us your incredible sampler and for the usefully descriptive comments! This is such an incredible and organic-looking color neighborhood - so appropriately natural for ink, I think.

[PithyProlix]

4 hours ago, pgcauk said:

Good grief!
Inks that look similar on the surface might have different things going on underneath.

Here's, L to R, R&K Sepia, Kobe #40 Sumiyoshi Brown and Pilot Yama Guri:

 

I'm often amazed by what dyes go into inks - it's like a magical alchemy. I sometimes wonder if talented ink makers first have a color in mind or an actual example of a target color in front of them and then figure out which dyes go together to create that target color. Or do the just start mixing dyes, with maybe a vague idea of a target color, and see what they get. I suspect they sometimes do one, sometimes the other.