Robert Oster – Eucalyptus Leaf

[crahptacular]

Robert Oster – Eucalyptus Leaf

 

I think this is one of Robert Oster’s newer releases (although he produces new colors so often that it’s hard to keep track). Nearly all of my RO inks are somewhere in the blue to green range, and I have been generally impressed by each of them. He occasionally produces shades that are quite similar to each other, with only subtle differences (like Tranquility – Deep Sea) which makes me a bit wary of trying his inks without first seeing comparison pictures, in case the colors are redundant. From pictures, I would guess that this ink is similar to RO Moss, though I don’t have Moss to compare side-by-side. Perhaps someone will be able to provide better-informed insight on this. Otherwise, my closest match to this ink would be Callifolio Olivastre (first comparison ink in the pictures below).

 

In any case, this is a decently saturated green that has a bit of brown in it (brown component is visible when used with water), but remains closer to true green than other brown-greens that I own. For example, Tokiwa-Matsu has significantly more coppery brown than this ink. Eucalyptus Leaf certainly resembles a dark green leaf. It dries matte when pooled, which gives me the impression of a leaf a dry environment where dust has obscured the waxy, glossy cuticle. It displays gentle shading, and performs well with no misbehavior observed. Personally, I like this type of green, but if I were looking for a brownish green, I'd prefer a bit more brown; this one doesn't really excite me. On the other hand, I did like effect of water on this ink (I've attached a picture of the effect at the very bottom of the post).

 

Lubrication: Moderate

Shading: Moderate-Low (present, but subtle)

Sheen: None

Water Resistance: Virtually None

Other notes: Very little show-through with this ink. Normally on TR paper I expect to see some show-through due to the thinness of the paper, but this one did not show at all (apart from the ink splatter/smears, which were heavily pooled).

 

The following sample was done with a Franklin Christoph 02 (Medium Cursive Italic) on Tomoe River (52gsm, white, loose-leaf) and a water brush for the doodle. Flex writing was done with a Trionfo 900 dip nib.

 

Bad Scanner Disclaimer: I had some difficulty balancing this one. The scan is more accurate as for the writing and the smear at the bottom, but doesn’t pick up much of the brown in the ink wash, which came out very blue. The photo is more accurate in the doodle, but not the rest, especially the smear, which came out too blue. Overall I think the scan is closer to reality this time.

 

Scan:

 

Photo:

 

Comparison inks from left to right (big smear is the featured ink):

L’Artisan Callifolio Olivastre, Noodler’s 2016 LE Colorado Spruce, Nooder’s V-Mail GI Green, Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu, Robert Oster Jade

 

I’ve included two writing samples on different papers (Kokuya Campus, Mnemosyne; no color correction) and some close-up shots of the diluted ink on watercolor paper.

 

 

[visvamitra]

I love your review format. Also, I enjoy this particular color a lot.

[crahptacular]

I love your review format. Also, I enjoy this particular color a lot.

Thank you! I had a very small handful of green inks in the past, which didn't start to grow until I saw your review of Callifolio Olivastre, and from there I started to better appreciate this family of greens.

[Drawing61]

Thanks for the excellent review. I like this color.

[namrehsnoom]

Excellent review, lovely colour. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[ENewton]

Another beautiful review.

[Honeybadgers]

Great review. I think I prefer tokiwa matsu still, similar color but with a gorgeous red sheen.

[inkstainedruth]

Wow, that one does look nice. Good thing for my wallet I didn't see this thread until after the Commonwealth Pen Show today, because I *already* bought several RO samples.

How does this one compare to RO Moss (an ink I like a lot)?

Thanks for the review. And, well, possibly not.... (My budget! My poor lost budget!)

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[crahptacular]

Wow, that one does look nice. Good thing for my wallet I didn't see this thread until after the Commonwealth Pen Show today, because I *already* bought several RO samples.

How does this one compare to RO Moss (an ink I like a lot)?

Thanks for the review. And, well, possibly not.... (My budget! My poor lost budget!)

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Unfortunately I don't have Moss, so I can only speculate based on images that they seem to be similar hues, with Moss being slightly darker and less yellow. However, the different pictures of Moss that I've found all look pretty different from each other, so it's hard to tell which one would be accurate on my monitor. Hopefully there is someone out there with both who can put them side by side

[DrDebG]

Great review! I really enjoy them. Yes, this does look like Callifolio Olivastre, which I already have.