Akkerman Hollandse Meesters #8 Ruisdael's Stormachtig Blauw

[Geert Jan]

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

 

[visvamitra]

Thank you for the review. These bottles are stunning

[gylyf]

Thanks for the review! The new bottle is wonderful, but I just can't get excited about this color. I'll have to try it in a drier pen, because otherwise, it's just too dark for me.

[Geert Jan]

I agree that in a wet pen it is a very dark, but I don't mind that so much : I like Sailor Shigure as well Still it's good that not everybody shares the same tastes: it would become a very boring world. This week the ink will get more of a workout: it'll be part of the collection I take to work this week. Hopefully I can post an update on that next weekend.

Next on the list is Vermeer's Steenrood, which at least in the shop looked like a nice reddish brown. As I already have more than enough pens inked up, I need to empty a few first.

[gylyf]

I agree that in a wet pen it is a very dark, but I don't mind that so much : I like Sailor Shigure as well Still it's good that not everybody shares the same tastes: it would become a very boring world. This week the ink will get more of a workout: it'll be part of the collection I take to work this week. Hopefully I can post an update on that next weekend.

Next on the list is Vermeer's Steenrood, which at least in the shop looked like a nice reddish brown. As I already have more than enough pens inked up, I need to empty a few first.

 

Looking forward to more reviews!

[alexander_k]

Thanks for the review. I didn't expect this one to look so purple but it's a good colour.

[inkstainedruth]

This one looks very intriguing. Thanks for the review.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Tasmith]

Nice review, thank you!

[The Good Captain]

I must have a serious look at this collection and choose a couple of colours to order. Great review.

[antichresis]

This is the one in the series I am interested in the most. Looks like a more colourful and better performing Diamine Eclipse. Thank you for the review!

[namrehsnoom]

Thanks for showing the bottle too - intriguing design. And I also like the colour : looks like a purple-grey to me, and colours like this are right up my alley.

[mk2579]

I got this one too and the Dou's Emerald- both lovely inks, hard not to buy the lot just for the bottles!

[ca49reber]

I am anxious to try this color. I bought the whole set last month from Akkerman. Vanness must have gotten more of 3 colors last night. Now there is only 1 bottle of 1 color left.

[Jackokun]

Thank you for this review, I've been waiting to hear more on these inks

[amberleadavis]

Great review and bottle. Thank you.

[MHBru]

this is my most disappointing ink ... it's entirely too dark... nearly black and the hints of blue and purple are less of a hint than an aspiration... for all practical purposes,,, this is a black ink... and of course i got a large bottle. Let me know if you'd like to sample it.

[inkstainedruth]

Oh, I'm sorry you don't like it. I ended up getting a bottle and really like it a lot -- IIRC, it was the ink I used to inaugurate my M600 Violet and White last spring. It's not as dark as inks like Diamine Regency Blue or Ferris Wheel Press Tanzanite Sky, so it still has some of the purple/blue color to it. It's probably my favorite of the Dutch Master inks.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for formatting issues

Edited October 20, 2020 by inkstainedruth

[NeverTapOut]

A very good review. I was debating purchasing a bottle of this ink. Does anyone think it looks close to Diamine Damson?

Regards,

David

Edited October 20, 2020 by NeverTapOut

[MHBru]

Oh, I'm sorry you don't like it. I ended up getting a bottle and really like it a lot -- IIRC, it was the ink I used to inaugurate my M600 Violet and White last spring. It's not as dark as inks like Diamine Regency Blue or Ferris Wheel Press Tanzanite Sky, so it still has some of the purple/blue color to it. It's probably my favorite of the Dutch Master inks.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for formatting issues

Hi Ruth... what pen and nib combination do you use with this ink? Maybe I'll give it a fresh look to see if I can catch those undertones.

Edited October 20, 2020 by MHBru

[inkstainedruth]

I'll have to go through my notebooks to see which combinations worked well with Stormachtig Blauw, but don't remember having any particular problems with it in any of the pens I've used it in.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth