Into The Blues

[DrDebG]

I love the color blue, and I love writing with blue ink. Of the 8-13 pens that I have inked at any given time, at least half will be inked with a blue ink. Currently, I have about 30 different bottles of blue ink.

 

There are scores of great reviews and comparisons of blue inks on FPN. Why another? Mainly because I felt like sharing this, but also to perhaps spark some interest in sharing your blue inks.

 

Of the blues shown below, all but the Akkerman ink, I have a bottle of. Well, not quite, I just finished the bottle of Monteverde Caribbean Blue. These are not necessarily my favorite blues, but they are all very good inks.

 

Qualities each of these inks share:

All are medium to wet inks - Akkerman Cerulean Blue is the driest and J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche is the wettest

All have some lubrication - Monteverde Horizon Blue seems to be the most lubricated and Akkerman Cerulean Blue seems to be the least

All are well behaved in the several pens I have used them in.

All are easy to clean.

All are well behaved all on but the cheapest paper with no bleedthrough and minimal seethrough.

Each of the colors are very pleasing to the eye.

There is no offensive smell/odor (which I seem to be particularly sensitive to)

 

Here is a quick comparison of several very nice blue inks:

 

Monteverde Sapphire Blue (MSB),

Monteverde Malibu Blue (MMB),

Monteverde Horizon Blue (MHB),

Monteverde Caribbean Blue (MCB),

Akkermans Dutch Masters 01 Cerulean Blauw (ACB),

Stipula Calamo Deep Blue (SCDB),

J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche (JHBP)

 

All samples are written on 68 GSM Tomoe River Cream Paper. The following is a scan, with photos thereafter.

 

 

 

In terms of shading qualities, I find that Monteverde Caribbean Blue shades the most. J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche and Stipula Calamo Deep Blue also shade nicely. Of the Monteverde inks, Horizon Blue seems to shade the best.

 

 

 

In terms of sheening qualities, Monteverde Malibu Blue wins. Of the Monteverde inks except Caribbean Blue show some sheen, along with Stipula Calamo Deep Blue.

 

 

1st line: Monteverde Sapphire Blue

2nd line: Monteverde Malibu Blue

3rd line: Akkerman Cerulean Blue

4th line: Stipula Calamo Deep Blue

5th line: Monteverde Horizon Blue

6th line: Monteverde Caribbean Blue

7th line: J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche

 

So, share with me, both in photos and writing, what some of your favorite blues are.

[lapis]

Excellent comparison! I especially love the views of variation between (towards?) red, green and grey. But it's also important that you mentioned other physical properties and maintenance, for those in need.

[DrDebG]

Thank you, lapis. I agree - blue isn't just blue anymore. Many inks seem to be a stunning blend with inclusion of reds, green, greys and even yellows.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

Thank you for the comparison

[MHBru]

I share your interest in the variety of blues that are available and seem to be constantly seeking more inks than I have pens to use them.

 

Currently in use...

 

Iroshizuku Kon Peki (my #1)

Iroshizuku Ama Iro

Iroshiuku Asa Gao

 

Diamine Blue Pearl (shimmering)

 

J Herbin Bleu Nuit

Kyo no oto Aonibi

 

Diamaine Skull and Roses is on order and expected in a week or so

I am currently lusting after J Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Nepal and fear I will be breaking down shortly... tell me why I need this ink.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Well-done!

 

I have the MV Horizon and Malibu and really wanted to try the others, especially the Caribbean. I do have the JH Pervenche, but not the Stipula nor Akkerman. Great sheen photos.

 

Thanks for the comparison. I love blue inks. I just cleaned out some Iro Tsuyu-Kusa from a TWSBI Eco the day. It's a bright color but on the flatter side. I probably couldn't even name a favorite blue.

[DrDebG]

Thank you for the comparison

 

 

You are very welcome! And, likely, we all have the same problem!

[DrDebG]

I share your interest in the variety of blues that are available and seem to be constantly seeking more inks than I have pens to use them.

 

Currently in use...

 

Iroshizuku Kon Peki (my #1)

Iroshizuku Ama Iro

Iroshiuku Asa Gao

 

Diamine Blue Pearl (shimmering)

 

J Herbin Bleu Nuit

Kyo no oto Aonibi

 

Diamaine Skull and Roses is on order and expected in a week or so

I am currently lusting after J Herbin 1798 Kyanite du Nepal and fear I will be breaking down shortly... tell me why I need this ink.

 

 

Thank you for your comment! I have all of the Pilot Iroshizuku blues and love them all. I am not really partial to the shimmer inks, though. But I have Bleu Nuit and Aonibi on my list as well. I haven't tried Skull and Roses, either.

[DrDebG]

Well-done!

 

I have the MV Horizon and Malibu and really wanted to try the others, especially the Caribbean. I do have the JH Pervenche, but not the Stipula nor Akkerman. Great sheen photos.

 

Thanks for the comparison. I love blue inks. I just cleaned out some Iro Tsuyu-Kusa from a TWSBI Eco the day. It's a bright color but on the flatter side. I probably couldn't even name a favorite blue.

 

Thank you for the comment. I have to say that I really love Stipula Calamo Deep Blue. It is one of my "workhorse" inks, although it is not water resistant. It behaves so well in so many of my pens. Great ink!

 

And I also love Tsuyu-Kusa. I just inked up one of the TWSBI Ecos with it today - what a coincidence!

[sansenri]

Thank you for the comparison. I'm a blue ink only (practically) user, I own in the region of 30 different blue inks, and I don't own even one of the blue inks you just reviewed!

Monteverde Horizon and Stipula Calamo are now very likely candidates to join my ink range...

(I tend to avoid turquoise, not being sufficiently blue for my liking so, Caribbean and Blue Pervenche will not be tempting me)

[DrDebG]

Thank you for the comparison. I'm a blue ink only (practically) user, I own in the region of 30 different blue inks, and I don't own even one of the blue inks you just reviewed!

Monteverde Horizon and Stipula Calamo are now very likely candidates to join my ink range...

(I tend to avoid turquoise, not being sufficiently blue for my liking so, Caribbean and Blue Pervenche will not be tempting me)

 

Thank you for your kind comment! Another blue, which I did not include here, but which is worth of a mention is Taccia AO. It is a very well behaved ink and has a wonderful sheen.

[senzen]

Very nice, vibrant blues and great presentation. While Tsuyu Kusa got me into this, never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd end up with 8 blues and a few other bluish inks... And none of these!

 

My equivalents are:

 

Purplish: Ajisai, Asa Gao (in 2 pens).

 

Mid: Souten, Tsuyu Kusa, Équinoxe 6 + Sheaffer Blue.

 

Greenish: Kon Peki (x3), Ama Iro.

 

Plus a blueblack: Aonibi.

 

With a slight tinge of blue: Bleu de Baltique (looks green to me), Verdigris, Hisoku.

[DrDebG]

Very nice, vibrant blues and great presentation. While Tsuyu Kusa got me into this, never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd end up with 8 blues and a few other bluish inks... And none of these!

 

My equivalents are:

 

Purplish: Ajisai, Asa Gao (in 2 pens).

 

Mid: Souten, Tsuyu Kusa, Équinoxe 6 + Sheaffer Blue.

 

Greenish: Kon Peki (x3), Ama Iro.

 

Plus a blueblack: Aonibi.

 

With a slight tinge of blue: Bleu de Baltique (looks green to me), Verdigris, Hisoku.

 

 

I have all of the ones you have except Aonibi, Bleu de Baltique, Verdigris and Hisoku.

 

I love very clear blues, though. I only have a couple of inks that are not clear, brilliant blue, whether it leans one direction towards blurple or the other direction towards turquoise.

[DrDebG]

Following my usual bi-weekly clean of my pens, I decided to ink 6 of my pens with the following blues: DeAtramentis Robert Louis Stevenson, Waterman Serenity Blue, Diamine Blue Velvet, Monteverde Sapphire Blue, Blackstone Sydney Harbor Blue and Montblanc Unicef Blue Limited Edition.

 

All of these inks are wonderful and behave very well.

 

DeAtramentis Robert Louis Stevenson (DeA RLS); This ink isn't as well known as others, which is sad. It is very well behaved, dries fairly quickly, has nice shading and a lovely red sheen. It has been one of my main blue inks for several years.

 

Waterman Serenity Blue (WSB): This is the gold standard among blue inks and is a long time favorite among many. It is very well behaved, dries quickly, has some shading and some sheen. What more is there to say?

 

Diamine Blue Velvet (DBV). This is one of Diamine's 150th Anniversary Inks. As with the others, DBV is well behaved, but is dryer than the other inks featured here. It does have some sheen, but little in the way of shading.

 

Blackstone Sydney Harbor Blue (BsSHB) is one of my all-time favorites (thank you amberleadavis!). While the color is not a homerun, the formulation is. It is very well behaved, highly saturated and lots of sheen. Of the six inks, this one is a bit more difficult to clean but I have never noticed it staining.

 

Of the six inks, Montblanc Unicef Blue (MUB) is my newest edition, but has quickly become one of my two favorite inks (out of over 60 inks). Outstanding shading, light sheen, quick drying, lightly lubricated, nicely but not overly wet. It looks as nice in a fine nib as it does in a 1.5 stub. From my perspective, Montblanc nailed this one.

 

Monteverde Sapphire Blue (MSB): No, I didn't forget this one, but I commented on it in my earlier post.

 

Scan of the Ink Comparisons

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Photo taken under LED lamp

Photo taken under LED lamp showing RLS's great red sheen

Photo comparison of DeAtramentis Robert Louis Stevenson, Waterman Serenity Blue, Diamine Blue Velvet and Monteverde Sapphire Blue

While it seems that the top four blue inks are similar, each have their distinctive differences. Of the four, my favorite still remains DeAtramentis Robert Louis Stevenson. It is just a great blue ink.

Edited September 16, 2019 by 5Cavaliers

[Brianm_14]

Blue is simply my favorite color. I crave winter, and the faint blue cloak snow pulls on at night under the stars and moon, so subtle yet so surely there. Or to view again the stunning, unmistakable blue of the Indian Ocean, seen from lovely Western Australian shores.

 

This entire discussion has been a visual feast.

 

Some of the inks are barely discernable from one another, but that may simply be true, or the monitor, or merely my set of eyes; let the "repeats" stand in case someone else detects the difference -and I don't mind more blue in any case.

 

For my part, while I certainly would not say that Diamine covers all possibilities of blue ink shades, for one line of ink, and at such modest prices, the Diamine inks undoubtedly present a very fine selection. Nothing can be more academic in my professor's pen than their Oxford Blue, or stately, than the Majestic hue. Once you have most of those (an affordable venture), it narrows the field quite a bit, and makes it easier to hunt for what Diamine doesn't deliver.

[DrDebG]

Blue is simply my favorite color. I crave winter, and the faint blue cloak snow pulls on at night under the stars and moon, so subtle yet so surely there. Or to view again the stunning, unmistakable blue of the Indian Ocean, seen from lovely Western Australian shores.

 

This entire discussion has been a visual feast.

 

Some of the inks are barely discernable from one another, but that may simply be true, or the monitor, or merely my set of eyes; let the "repeats" stand in case someone else detects the difference -and I don't mind more blue in any case.

 

For my part, while I certainly would not say that Diamine covers all possibilities of blue ink shades, for one line of ink, and at such modest prices, the Diamine inks undoubtedly present a very fine selection. Nothing can be more academic in my professor's pen than their Oxford Blue, or stately, than the Majestic hue. Once you have most of those (an affordable venture), it narrows the field quite a bit, and makes it easier to hunt for what Diamine doesn't deliver.

 

 

Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, blue is my favorite color, especially the deep blue of the sky at high altitude on a sparkling August day.

 

I only have a few Diamine blues, but have several on my "list" to acquire. I have been fortunate to acquire most of the Pilot Iroshizuku blues and many of the L'Artisan Pastellier Callifolio blues, but those will have to wait for another day.

[lapis]

... I crave winter, and the faint blue cloak snow pulls on at night under the stars and moon, so subtle yet so surely there.

All the more reason to whip out Iroshi's Old Man Winter!

[DrDebG]

All the more reason to whip out Iroshi's Old Man Winter!

 

 

Although technically not a blue, but a beautiful grey which leans towards clear blue, Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun (Old Man Winter) is one of my favorite inks for the winter months. In fact, with the weather today -heavy clouds and watching it snow in the mountains - I may just have to fill one of my pens with it.

[DrDebG]

Funny you say that -- of course not all that hilarious -- but fuyu syogun always reminds me of the sky I once saw far up north of Edmonton just before a huge snow storm (honestly).

 

 

I understand what you mean. In the late 90's I spent some time on the Kola Peninsula in Russia, just south of Murmansk. It was the middle of November and it was already -50 deg F (about -45 deg C) - the coldest place I have ever been. It looked like your photo without so much vegetation. Brrrr!

[namrehsnoom]

Lovely comparison! The Monteverde Horizon Blue and Blackstone Sydney Harbor Blue look especially nice... right up my alley.