Birmingham – Forbes Field Green

[crahptacular]

The Birmingham Pen Co.’s line of inks (30 colors when I bought the sample pack, but I think they’re at 40+ and counting) feature various colors based on or inspired by notable locations or people associated with its home city of Pittsburgh, PA. I bought their sampler pack, and plan on slowly going through the whole line of inks, though I expect it will take me quite a while. For those interested, I posted some color swatches in a different topic (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/328952-birmingham-pen-co-ink-swatches/) where you can get a quick idea of what the whole line looks like together.

 

Forbes Field Green is a darker green ink with a bit of blue and grey in it. The hue is on the cool side, with definite blue undertones, but not as much as a forest green (FC Black Forest, comparison #2). It’s not heavily saturated, but it’s not extremely greyed out, either (e.g. Papier Plume Bayou Nightfall, comparison #1). I couldn’t find a good match for it among my greens; KWZ Foggy Green (comparison #5) is probably the nearest in hue, but is much darker than Forbes Field Green. In writing, it was dark, consistent, and legible in my SF nib (a wet writer), and lighter and shady in my B nib (a dry writer). The ink had satisfactory performance, writing comfortably with both pens. It had the tiniest bit of sheen in the smear, but not even the flex writing on TR showed it. The ink did show impressive water resistance, not only leaving a reasonably dark, legible greyish line, but also smearing very little. Overall, I enjoyed using this color, as I don’t have any other inks that are quite this shade of green. I think it strikes a nice balance with having enough grey to give a somber mood while still maintaining a respectable level of color saturation. However, in the drier Lamy broad nib, it did end up looking pale and underwhelming on some (FC and Midori) paper.

 

Flow/Lubrication: Moderate (flow was good, did not feel particularly lubricated)

Shading: Present in drier nibs

Sheen: A tiny bit, but effectively none

Water Resistance: High

 

 

The following sample was done with a Pilot Falcon (SF) and a Lamy LX (Broad) on Tomoe River (68gsm, white, loose-leaf). Doodle was done with a size 0 liner. Flex writing was done with a Zebra G nib.

 

Inaccurate Image(s) Disclaimer: The main review scan is pretty accurate across the board. It’s a little bit too blue in the lighter tones (doodle and broad writing), but looks accurate in the mid to dark tones. The comparison inks are all useable, except Black Forest (#2) came out a lot more green/less blue than it really is. The other four are at least similar to their actual appearance. FC/Midori papers came out kind of blue tinted, so try to ignore that (FC is supposed to be a cooler white, but Midori is a yellowish cream, unlike what the scan shows)

 

Scan:

 

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

Papier Plume Bayou Nightfall, Franklin Christoph Black Forest, Sailor Tokiwa Matsu, L’Artisan Pastellier Callifolio Olivastre, KWZ Foggy Green

 

Writing Samples (scans; some color correction), from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden

 

Maruman Mnemosyne:

 

Midori MD:

 

Franklin-Christoph:

[bass1193]

As always, your artwork and review in general is stunning! Also a big fan of that book 😄 I really like this color too! This line of inks is intriguing, especially the way you've presented them. This is the first that has me tempted to pull the trigger though. I'm such a sucker for smoky greens!

[Cyber6]

OOOOHHH I like this green....

 

 

AWESOME REVIEW!!!.. (As always... )

 

 

 

 

C.

[inkstainedruth]

This leans just a little too blue green for me (I am rather fond of Schenley Park Thicket Green, though). But as usual, thanks for the review -- and the amazing artwork!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstaineedruth

[Carrau]

Another enjoyable review, and lovely drawing. Thanks for going the extra mile, as usual, to inform and amaze us.

[crahptacular]

As always, your artwork and review in general is stunning! Also a big fan of that book I really like this color too! This line of inks is intriguing, especially the way you've presented them. This is the first that has me tempted to pull the trigger though. I'm such a sucker for smoky greens!

I usually just take the first few paragraphs from books/stories I've read before for my writing sample material, but after copying out these lines, I've gone on to re-read the entire book. Somehow it left a deep impression on me as a child (by which I mean elementary school age), but I hadn't re-read the book in its entirety until now. I'm really glad I picked it off of my bookshelf! It also reminded me of the song Secret Garden as an extra bonus. Great trip down memory lane for me

[lgsoltek]

It looks almost black in a fine nib, especially on Midori. I think this green ink still looks a tad too blue for my liking.

[namrehsnoom]

I’m always on the lookout for your awesome reviews - they are packed with information, and the artwork is simply wonderful. This dusty grey-leaning green absolutely suits my taste. It just looks great on paper.

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

Great color and great art. Another fabulous review!

[Manalto]

Handsome, moody, elegant color. It's understated enough so you could get away with substituting for blue or black.

[amberleadavis]

Thank you. I especially love the drawings.

[pgcauk]

The swatch on the Birmingham website is too green for me, but the color shown here is really quite interesting. I have been really enjoying their "Fern Moss" (where their swatch just shows grey), to the extent where I might be needing a second bottle soon!! Any thoughts on comparing the two?

I did enjoy my sample of KWZ Foggy Green (especially the cyan and pink that emerged in the wash!), but did not commit to a bottle, maybe Forbes Field would do?

I remember thinking with Foggy that a "Sea Glass" palette could be a pleasant thing!

p.s. Completely off topic, apart from the word green, but have you tried De Atramentis'Jean Jaques Rousseau? I think you might like it!

[pgcauk]

p.p.s I have to read the Secret Garden now!