J. Herbin Violette Pensée

[yazeh]

J Herbin Violette Pensée (Violet pansy)

This is one of my oldest ink bottles (10-15 years old) and nearing the end.

Pansy is derived from the French word Pensée (Viola × wittrockiana)

 There’s nothing much I can say about this ink. It’s wet ink,  doesn't likes copy paper and like most purple inks it might stain, so bear that in mind, if using it in a transparent pen.

 Let's start with the chroma:

 

Writing Samples:

 

Photo:

Comparison:

Water test:

and finally and ink art. I had lots of fun doing this going on a purple madness. I used some bleach to emphasis the mustaches. Note the sheen where excess ink has been put. As @InesF pointed out in this thread, the ink is set, but not dry

 

 

·      Pens used: Pilot F3A Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B, 1.1),  Noodler’s Nibcreaper semi-flex

·      What I liked: A pleasure to write with.

·      What I did not like: Not waterproof.

·       What some might not like: It might stain.

·      Shading: I didn’t see much.

·      Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper.

·      Bleed through: Yes, on copy paper.

·      Flow Rate: Wet

·      Lubrication: Decent.

·      Nib Dry-out: Did not notice

·      Start-up: No problems.  

·      Saturation:  Decently saturated.

·      Shading Potential: Not much.

·      Sheen: No.

·      Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice.

·      Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice.

·      Staining (pen): It might.

·      Clogging: Did not notice.

·      Cleaning: I used only water.

·      Water resistance: Ok, but don't bank on it

·      Availability: cartridge, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lapis]

Nice! A good example of a good ink from Herbin. One of my favourites of theirs (not including the Jacques varieties)  for that reason... relatively saturated (a lot of their other 36 or so aren't). At the same time very easy to wash out. I especially like the "tone " of this violet... not as penetrating as other violets and/or above all things... purples...............

Thanks again also for your impeccable sketches!!!!!!

[LizEF]

Thank you, @yazeh, for another pureview! I think this one pushes too close to blue for my liking.  Some of the images seem like it might be OK, others are too blurple for me.  But then, I'm here for the fabulous artwork!   Poor water-test Mousey - his umbrella is clearly not working well, and Kitty looks very upset about it - perhaps Kitty gave the umbrella as a gift and is now thinking about getting his money back.

 

But the real treat is psychedelic Mousey and Kitty with their purple-flower-eyes and wild whiskers and chillin' on kitty's head!   This one is absolutely fantastic!  Grin-invoking at first sight.

[inkstainedruth]

I keep forgetting I have this ink.  Thanks for reminding me!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

6 hours ago, lapis said:

Nice! A good example of a good ink from Herbin.

 

6 hours ago, lapis said:

 

One of my favourites of theirs (not including the Jacques varieties)  for that reason... relatively saturated (a lot of their other 36 or so aren't).

Spot on!

 

6 hours ago, lapis said:

At the same time very easy to wash out.

Thankfully none of my pens were stained

 

6 hours ago, lapis said:

 

I especially like the "tone " of this violet... not as penetrating as other violets and/or above all things... purples...............

Noodler's North African violet is quite close to this one

 

6 hours ago, lapis said:

Thanks again also for your impeccable sketches!!!!!!

A pleasure 🙏🙏🙏

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

I keep forgetting I have this ink.  Thanks for reminding me!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

Thank you, @yazeh, for another pureview!

 

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

 

I think this one pushes too close to blue for my liking.  Some of the images seem like it might be OK, others are too blurple for me. 

It's definitely purple! Very close to Noodler's North African violet

 

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

But then, I'm here for the fabulous artwork!   Poor water-test Mousey - his umbrella is clearly not working well, and Kitty looks very upset about it - perhaps Kitty gave the umbrella as a gift and is now thinking about getting his money back.

 

Thank you! I love your interpretations

 

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

But the real treat is psychedelic Mousey and Kitty with their purple-flower-eyes and wild whiskers and chillin' on kitty's head!   This one is absolutely fantastic!  Grin-invoking at first sight.

That makes me very happy!

 

[InesF]

Thank you, @yazeh, for this excellent ink review and for the exciting drawings (and for the cross-reference to set time  ). It's always a pleasure to see how mouse and kitty team up to fight against the inconveniences of ink resistance testing. 😎

 

I like this colour, especially its appearance in the text written with flex nib! However, comparing it, I think I like the deAtramentis Art Violet a tiny bit more.  

Looking forward to your next review!

[SLinkster]

Violette Pensèe is the first non-Quink ink I ever purchased and will be forever be my favorite purple ink. I have other purples from other brands but none of them make me as happy as Violette Pensèe! 

[mge01park]

How are the saturation and shading characteristics? 

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, InesF said:

Thank you, @yazeh, for this excellent ink review and for the exciting drawings

🙏

5 hours ago, InesF said:

(and for the cross-reference to set time  ).

I need to practice / use what I learn 🙂

5 hours ago, InesF said:

 

It's always a pleasure to see how mouse and kitty team up to fight against the inconveniences of ink resistance testing. 😎

😁

5 hours ago, InesF said:

I like this colour, especially its appearance in the text written with flex nib! However, comparing it, I think I like the deAtramentis Art Violet a tiny bit more.  

🙂

5 hours ago, InesF said:

Looking forward to your next review!

🙂

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, SLinkster said:

Violette Pensèe is the first non-Quink ink I ever purchased and will be forever be my favorite purple ink.

Me too 🙂

2 hours ago, SLinkster said:

I have other purples from other brands but none of them make me as happy as Violette Pensèe! 

🙂🙏🙏🙏

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, mge01park said:

How are the saturation and shading characteristics? 

I would say fairly saturated and barely shading  🙂

[mge01park]

3 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I would say fairly saturated and barely shading  🙂

Thank you. I’m going to try some of it. 🙏

[PJohnP]

22 hours ago, yazeh said:

There’s nothing much I can say about this ink. It’s wet ink,  doesn't likes copy paper and like most purple inks it might stain

 

Heh. I have a very precise answer for that problem !

 

Just pick out a demonstrator in roughly that part of the colour spectrum for such tests !  <evil chuckle>

 

I actually did this back in the days of The-Ink-Whose-Name-Cannot-Be-Mentioned here on FPN.  There was a period years back when Noodler's Baystate Blue was such a contentious ink that some threads ended up being locked or dropped, so ferocious were the debates.  Most fortunately. that time is now passed.

 

But I was pretty intrigued with an ink that sparked such excitement that a friend from FPN - now long deceased, sadly - sent me some.  But what to do about the potential for staining ?

 

Easy answer - I found a used Pelikan M205 blue demonstrator with which to try the ink.

 

BSB did indeed stain the pen a bit, but I found an answer without undue concern of any amount, as the pen already had a distinct blue tint to the polymer...  <warm satisfied smile>

 

By an unusual coincidence with this thread and the other one on waterproof/water-resistant purple inks, I recently acquired an M205 Amethyst, so I may again be putting my experimental hat on to try some new inks...  Stains from purple inks will not deter me !

 

Thanks for the fine reviews that you offer from the wilds of Montreal (a city where I spent a lot of time in years past and almost moved to decades back - very good memories !).

 

 

 

John P.

[yazeh]

18 hours ago, PJohnP said:

 

Heh. I have a very precise answer for that problem !

 

Just pick out a demonstrator in roughly that part of the colour spectrum for such tests !  <evil chuckle>

I actually did it with Noodler's Nib creaper. The piston got tainted  

18 hours ago, PJohnP said:

 

I actually did this back in the days of The-Ink-Whose-Name-Cannot-Be-Mentioned here on FPN.  There was a period years back when Noodler's Baystate Blue was such a contentious ink that some threads ended up being locked or dropped, so ferocious were the debates.  Most fortunately. that time is now passed.

 

But I was pretty intrigued with an ink that sparked such excitement that a friend from FPN - now long deceased, sadly - sent me some.  But what to do about the potential for staining ?

 

Easy answer - I found a used Pelikan M205 blue demonstrator with which to try the ink.

 

BSB did indeed stain the pen a bit, but I found an answer without undue concern of any amount, as the pen already had a distinct blue tint to the polymer...  <warm satisfied smile>

 

18 hours ago, PJohnP said:

 

By an unusual coincidence with this thread and the other one on waterproof/water-resistant purple inks, I recently acquired an M205 Amethyst, so I may again be putting my experimental hat on to try some new inks...  Stains from purple inks will not deter me !

18 hours ago, PJohnP said:

 

Thanks for the fine reviews that you offer from the wilds of Montreal (a city where I spent a lot of time in years past and almost moved to decades back - very good memories !).  

You're most welcome! 🙏🙏🙏

[Arsouille]

Thanks, @yazeh! 

 

I tend to like dustier colors, but I make an exception for violette pensée and a few others. I find it a really simple, joyful color.  

 

I've read somewhere that it was the standard ink in French primary schools until the 1970s. That's neither here nor there, but a fun historical fact I thought. 

[yazeh]

4 hours ago, Arsouille said:

Thanks, @yazeh! 

A pleasure 🙏of

4 hours ago, Arsouille said:

 

I tend to like dustier colors, but I make an exception for violette pensée and a few others. I find it a really simple, joyful color.  

Indeed it is joyful !

 

4 hours ago, Arsouille said:

 

I've read somewhere that it was the standard ink in French primary schools until the 1970s. That's neither here nor there, but a fun historical fact I thought. 

Yes. I read the same. Thanks for reminding me of it 🙏

[XYZZY]

18 hours ago, Arsouille said:

I've read somewhere that it was the standard ink in French primary schools until the 1970s. That's neither here nor there, but a fun historical fact I thought. 

 

Do you mean purple in general was the standard?  Or do mean Herbin Violette Pensée specifically?

[Arsouille]

1 hour ago, XYZZY said:

 

Do you mean purple in general was the standard?  Or do mean Herbin Violette Pensée specifically?

 

I think I've read both versions of that story.

 

It may be a distinction without a difference however, as Herbin was probably the dominant ink supplier at that time. Note that until the 1970s the primary school writing was done using dip pens (that's how both of my parents, who were born in 1959, learnt how to write). Kids were taught to write with line variation, and fountain pens were seen as "too easy" ... The way my mom describes it, their teachers would show up with a gallon of ink, and go around the classroom to pour it in inkwells that were part of the individual desks. I'd be surprised if imported inks, Waterman or others, were used for something like that.