Some pale PenBBS inks

[LobsterRoll]

I wanted to get some pale, pastel inks for artsy stuff and for making light backgrounds in my journal that I can write over. I hadn't tried any PenBBS inks before but had noticed that they've put out a wide range of colors, including many pale, unsaturated ones, so I decided to get some samples.

• PenBBS #182 April Diamond
• PenBBS #408 Xiamen
• PenBBS #409 Spring Lake
• PenBBS #440 Ginger
• PenBBS #501 Spring Festival / Spring Begins
• PenBBS #509 Grain in Ear / Honeysuckle

I did some comparisons to decide which one(s) to ink up first, so I thought I'd share.

 

Brief thoughts/color descriptions

My pictures are not very good for color accuracy.

• #501 is a pale yellow that shades to orange. It's brighter and more cheerful than Images 1-2. It can look more orange-red (Image 3).
• #440 really looks like the peel of a piece of ginger root.
• #409 is a pretty pastel aqua green, kind of minty. It's a little greener than Images 1-2.
• #408 is a pale periwinkle blue. It's very pale but it's a shade I enjoy.

#182 and #509 are not very pastel, but I liked how the swatches looked so I wanted to try them.

• #182 looks somewhat like a darker version of #408. It's more periwinkle than the photos.
• #509 is a green that makes me think of late spring.

Image 1. Stalogy paper, B nib.

 

Image 2. Stalogy paper, B nib.

 

Image 3. Tomoe River paper, dip pen. Excuse my atrocious handwriting.

 

Some color comparisons

These are on scrap pieces of Maruman Mnemosyne paper.

 

Image 4. #501 is lighter than Rohrer & Klingner Carmen and Noodler's Apache Sunset.

 

Image 5. #182 is grayer and not as blue as Troublemaker Milky Ocean.

 

Water tests

I let the ink dry for a while then brushed over the lines with a water brush. This was on generic lined looseleaf paper.
On the first (top left) grid, I lightly dampened the brush and swiped across once.
On the second (bottom left) grid, I dipped the brush in water and swiped across once.
On the third (right side) grid, I dipped the brush in water and swiped across multiple times back and forth.

 

#408 and #409 were not waterproof at all. #182 and #509 also washed away.
A good amount of the lines stayed for #501. #440 was surprisingly water-resistant.

 

My favorites are #440 Ginger, #409 Spring Lake, and #408 Xiamen, so those are going to be used first!

 

[LizEF]

Thanks, @LobsterRoll!   I'm not really into pale inks, but three of those are dark enough and interesting enough that I'm going to go look for sources and add them to my list of things to sample.

[LobsterRoll]

2 minutes ago, LizEF said:

add them to my list of things to sample.

Oh, that's great to hear! I'll look forward to seeing them in your ink reviews.

[LizEF]

9 minutes ago, LobsterRoll said:

Oh, that's great to hear! I'll look forward to seeing them in your ink reviews.

Ahem.  Please don't hold your breath.  I just checked, and I have inks enough to last until the end of January 2023. I'll look into ordering numerous samples around September or October this year (since I avoid ordering inks in winter).

[LobsterRoll]

@LizEF That's okay, I'm patient . Anyway, I'll be looking forward even more to your reviews for inks I don't have samples of yet!

[LizEF]

18 minutes ago, LobsterRoll said:

@LizEF That's okay, I'm patient . Anyway, I'll be looking forward even more to your reviews for inks I don't have samples of yet!

[PithyProlix]

Thank you for your very nice presentation! It is very useful for me because I was particularly interested in 182 April Diamond and 509 Grain in Ear (though I think I will pass on those). 

 

Of the others, the delicate brown 440 Ginger stands out to me. 

[mizgeorge]

Thank you @LobsterRoll - you've just saved me from 509 Grain in Ear, which had been on my wishlist for a while and has now been removed. 

 

Unfortunately 440's been added to the list - what a pretty colour

[Licue]

Thank you very much for your presentation @LobsterRoll🌸

 

I stumbled across Penbbs Ginger a while ago, but didn't buy it partly due to other pen purchases getting in the way and partly due to feeling unsure about importing inks.

Seeing your pics I kinda regret not buying it 🙂 looks pretty!

 

I think I read somewhere that Ginger is a pigment ink, so its water resistance doesn't surprise me.

 

 

The other colors look nice too - I like pale inks 🥰 (tho I'd argue that 501 and 509 are not really all that pale, 501 seems to be very well readable for a yellow ink 😉; unsure about 182 - in some pics it looks pale (and dry ?), in others not so much).

 

409 reminds me of Herbin Diabolo Menthe 🙂

[LizEF]

15 hours ago, LobsterRoll said:

409

Surely I'm not the only one....?

 

 

And surely you too can hear it?

 

[LobsterRoll]

18 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

Thank you for your very nice presentation! It is very useful for me because I was particularly interested in 182 April Diamond and 509 Grain in Ear (though I think I will pass on those). 

 

Of the others, the delicate brown 440 Ginger stands out to me. 

Glad it was helpful, although I'm not sure how well my presentation compares to real life use, so I hope I didn't dissuade you from inks you might like.

 

I was surprised by how much I liked 440!

[LobsterRoll]

17 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

Thank you @LobsterRoll - you've just saved me from 509 Grain in Ear, which had been on my wishlist for a while and has now been removed. 

 

Unfortunately 440's been added to the list - what a pretty colour

440 is very pretty. I'm considering getting a full bottle after I see how much I like using up the sample.

[LobsterRoll]

14 hours ago, Licue said:

Thank you very much for your presentation @LobsterRoll🌸

 

I stumbled across Penbbs Ginger a while ago, but didn't buy it partly due to other pen purchases getting in the way and partly due to feeling unsure about importing inks.

Seeing your pics I kinda regret not buying it 🙂 looks pretty!

 

I think I read somewhere that Ginger is a pigment ink, so its water resistance doesn't surprise me.

 

 

The other colors look nice too - I like pale inks 🥰 (tho I'd argue that 501 and 509 are not really all that pale, 501 seems to be very well readable for a yellow ink 😉; unsure about 182 - in some pics it looks pale (and dry ?), in others not so much).

 

409 reminds me of Herbin Diabolo Menthe 🙂

I really enjoy ginger flavors lately, so when I saw the ink I knew I had to try it . I didn't know it was a pigment ink; that explains the water resistance.

 

Yeah, I should have been more accurate with the title. I started out wanting to get pale inks but then I got persuaded by the others. I thought 501 would be paler, and I guess it might be if I use a finer nib like I normally write with. 182 is pastel but quite legible. I haven't used any of them enough yet to comment on the flow.

 

I also got some samples of Herbin inks to try and decided on 409 over Diabolo Menthe. I think 409 might be greener, though.

[LobsterRoll]

@LizEF

 

The cleaning product did cross my mind while I was typing up the post.

[Licue]

1 hour ago, LobsterRoll said:

I also got some samples of Herbin inks to try and decided on 409 over Diabolo Menthe. I think 409 might be greener, though.

Yes, it might a little bit greener than DM.

I still think they're pretty close tho.

[amberleadavis]

Thank you for sharing. This was wonderful.

[LobsterRoll]

14 hours ago, Licue said:

Yes, it might a little bit greener than DM.

I still think they're pretty close tho.

Now the issue is that I think I would like Diabolo Menthe, too. 🙃

 

 

13 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

Thank you for sharing. This was wonderful.

Thank you 🙂