J Herbin Blue Nuit

[yazeh]

J Herbin Bleu Nuit (Night blue)

 

 

Is wet, when wet a blurple with low lubrication, transforming into a washed-out denim colour. The colour doesn’t remind me of night but maybe dusk. Ink shades and does not like copy paper. 

It has some water resistance and is easy to clean. 

It is one of my first bottles of inks (is over 10 years old), and while not my favorite, I’ve found a new life for it in my Kuretake brush pen to do artwork. It also can be mixed with Perle Noire, to convert it to delicious looking blue blacks. 

 

Let's start with the the complex chroma:

 

Writing Samples:

 

There are two texts which I've casually translated:

The first, by the French surrealist poet Louis Aragon (1897 – 1982) 

When I speak of love, my love irritates you, 

When I say the weather is lovely, you shout "it rains", 

You say my meadows have too many daisies,

and too many stars in my nights, and too much sky in my blue sky...

 

The 2nd is from Pierrot, or the secrets of the night, by the French novelist Michel Tournier (1924-2016)

 

Listen to a marvellous secret: my night is not not black, it is blue. A blue that one can breath... my oven is not black, it's golden, a gold one can eat....

 

 

 

Photo:

Comparison:

Watertest:

 

 

 

and finally a whimsical artwork, named the Red Penguin musing at night.

I was reviewing Octopus Brown Penguin and was practicing my penguins

Inks used:  

 

J Herbin Blue nuit mix with Perle Noire (sky)

J Herbin Blue nuit (sea)

Octopus Brown Colibri (land)

and De Atramentis Document Red

 

 

•  Pens used: Pilot 3A Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B, 1.1), Conway Stewart 330
• What I liked: Using it with a brush pen, mixing it. Easy cleaning, 
• What I did not like: Dryness, the colour. 
• What some might not like: Same as above, plus it doesn’t like copy paper. 
• Shading: Yes.  
• Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper. 
• Bleed through: Yes, on copy paper. 
• Flow Rate: Wet
• Lubrication: Low
• Nib Dry-out: In between nib changes.
• Start-up: No. 
• Saturation: Low. 
• Shading Potential: Yes, but not dramatic.
• Sheen: No. 
• Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. 
• Nib Creep / “Crud”: No.
• Staining (pen): No. 
• Clogging: No
• Cleaning: Easy-peasy
• Water resistance: decent
• Availability: 6 pack cartridges, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles.

 

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier  

[lapis]

You took the words right outta my mouth. I have all of their inks (not only because they were always very inexpensive) but this blue -- as "nice" as it is -- does not remind me of "Night" at all. Also, too "chalky". Is there a chalky night out there somewhere???

Now if one wants a real nightly blue, what they need is S.T. Dupont's BLEU NUIT / DARK BLUE !!!

 

SAME NAME, BUT A MUCH BETTER INK ! (La calamité: now only available in carts (Réf. 040111)

[yazeh]

 

6 minutes ago, lapis said:

You took the words right outta my mouth. I have all of their inks (not only because they were always very inexpensive) but this blue -- as "nice" as it is -- does not remind me of "Night" at all. Also, too "chalky". Is there a chalky night out there somewhere???

Well there's Noodler's Polar Blue

 

6 minutes ago, lapis said:

Now if one wants a real nightly blue, what they need is S.T. Dupont's BLEU NUIT / DARK BLUE !!!

 

SAME NAME, BUT A MUCH BETTER INK ! (Unfortunately< now only available in carts (Réf. 040111)

Good to know. I believe there was at one time, Waterman, Bleu nuit, but I could never find it

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

It also can be mixed with Perle Noire, to convert it to delicious looking blue blacks. 

Thank you for this brilliant idea!  I now know what to do with my Bleu Nuit remains.

 

Thank you for your review.  It pretty much matches my observations.  I find the color uninspiring, but your blue-black idea is obviously the way to go!   Kitty and Mousey are surely enjoying their midnight musings while the rain conveniently avoids them.   Perhaps Mr. Penguin is wondering how they made that happen.    Penguins always look mildly confused to me - perhaps it's their way of moving on land - it never seems confident (once in water, they seem at home, though).

[yazeh]

10 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Thank you for this brilliant idea!  I now know what to do with my Bleu Nuit remains.

Glad to be of service

 

10 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

Thank you for your review.  It pretty much matches my observations.  I find the color uninspiring, but your blue-black idea is obviously the way to go!

Many like this ink. But like you I only appreciate with brush pen and now mixing it either with Perle Noire or Lierre Sauvage

 

10 minutes ago, LizEF said:

  Kitty and Mousey are surely enjoying their midnight musings while the rain conveniently avoids them.   Perhaps Mr. Penguin is wondering how they made that happen.    Penguins always look mildly confused to me - perhaps it's their way of moving on land - it never seems confident (once in water, they seem at home, though).

 

[inkstainedruth]

This one seems to be one that looks better coming out of a broader nib.  The color is, um, interesting... especially on the different papers.

I do have a question, though -- by "dryness" do you mean that it seems to be a dry ink?  Because I have Eclat de Saphir (which does really well in pens that have more complex fill systems, like my Parker 61s) and a few of their shimmer inks.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

14 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

This one seems to be one that looks better coming out of a broader nib.

Yes. It's much better with vintage or brand nibs

 

14 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

 

 The color is, um, interesting... especially on the different papers.

I do have a question, though -- by "dryness" do you mean that it seems to be a dry ink?  

14 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Because I have Eclat de Saphir (which does really well in pens that have more complex fill systems, like my Parker 61s) and a few of their shimmer inks.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Sorry for lack of clarity. It's a wet ink with below average lubrication

[inkstainedruth]

[Blink....]

That sounds like a contradiction in terms.  Maybe the color isn't so interesting after all....

Thanks for the clarification, though.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LizEF]

23 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

[Blink....]

That sounds like a contradiction in terms.

It's an uncommon combination, but it does happen.  Flow (wet / dry) is the rate at which the ink flows out of the pen.  Lubrication is how well the ink cushions between nib and paper.  A wet ink will put more ink under the nib, thereby cushioning better (all else being equal), but lubricants can be added (or occur as a natural part of the ink recipe) and do not necessarily increase flow (some might even make an ink drier).

[InesF]

Thank you, @yazeh, for taking so much effort for these ink reviews. You do a lot of them - and all in a comprehensive and entertaining way! 

 

After my early "only-Waterman-inks-period" I also started to explore Herbin inks. But I disliked them because of their "runny" character. (It was some 40 years later to discover their generally very low surface tension, and again 2 more years later to find the two or three useable inks of the whole product range). Your mixture excels both of the originals!

 

Again, I'm thankful about keeping the cat dry! This is true love of animals (cats). Thank you!  

And, I love the nocturnal penguin.  

[Sailor Kenshin]

Ah!  Another ink in my collection.  That's a very cool chroma.  I find this ink on the dry side, or maybe it's just the low lubrication.

 

Fascinating how Bleu Nuit looks different in all your writings (the first quote reminds me of me in a 'mood').  
 

Study of Kitteh With Mousie Moon is cute.  Monsieur Le Penguin is noble.  Thanks again, @yazeh, for another great review.  I may try Bleu Nuit in a brush sketch.

 

My bottle may be even older than yours!

[jayKellner]

This ink has been the sole ink I have used for many years  each time I needed a blue ink, mostly  for signing documents and papers, then I went to pension and I could finally use other colors, that's where  Diamine entered the scene so, It's been a long time since I don't use it or buy it....but, jolly good memories !
Thank you for sharing !

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, jayKellner said:

This ink has been the sole ink I have used for many years  each time I needed a blue ink, mostly  for signing documents and papers, then I went to pension and I could finally use other colors, that's where  Diamine entered the scene so, It's been a long time since I don't use it or buy it....but, jolly good memories !
Thank you for sharing !

Most welcome 🙏

I always appreciate learning of other people's experience 🙂