Noodler's CMYK Color Mixes

[vossad01]

On the screen, I see amazing shading from some of the colors. Is that just my imagination?

 

tl;dr Yes, there can be some shading but I do not know if it is amazing.

 

To be honest, I am amazed by any shading that shows up with this pen/paper combination (broad nib, good to wet flow, relatively absorbent papers). If you look at my earlier scan of just the color mixes you can see shading with it darker at the bottom of some numbers, with this new combo you might find it lighter at the very top of some numbers. I think shading will show most in the numbers as those are done on the better of the two papers and because they are written at a greater speed so there is not as much time for the ink to fill in evenly.

 

As odd as it may be shading is something I do not really understand. I have seen some pretty awesome pictures of it on FPN, but have no first hand experience of what is good, what is bad, and how to best bring it out with the supplies I have. My current thoughts are along the lines that if shading is noticeable on the page with how I am sampling, it probably means it is a good shading ink when used with the tools and skills that bring out shading. However, when I made the scans of just the pure color mixes I remember thinking the shading was more pronounced on the scan (though it was still visible on the page), so that may still be the case here. I am away from home and will not have physical access to the sheets until next week to be able to inspect them in response to your question. I do remember noticing some shading when I made these though so I am certain it is real, the question is rather whether it is more apparent on screen.

 

When I look back at sample you re-posted that has some colors done in 3 different nibs, I would say yes amazing shading is a possibility; however it does not show the best with the tools I used. (When I first saw that post I thought the Yellow Orange was a lot like samples I had seen posted of Apache Sunset).

 

 

WOW WOW WOW WOW

These are stunning. I'm so impressed.

 

DO NOT throw those sheets out!

 

 

Thanks . I am not sure that I will go as far as getting plastic protective sleeves (though I should given the time needed to make them) but they have a secure home. Are used for reference either in picking out what color to use, or a to help determine what to mix if I am wanting to create something specific.

[cybaea]

Updated Image Links

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_j-v9C2Pm9uA/TIWiOVu3MXI/AAAAAAAACRY/FlH7lgnMk_E/s1600/NoodlersCMYKchart100.jpg

 

Oh wow! Why didn't I see this one before? And the following posts? Thank you, Amberlea.

(And I thought I was obsessive about ink comparisons :-D)

[amberleadavis]

 

Oh wow! Why didn't I see this one before? And the following posts? Thank you, Amberlea.

(And I thought I was obsessive about ink comparisons :-D)

 

Alas, I didn't do it, DizzyPen and I just keep resurrecting it.

[vossad01]

One CMY mix hasn't really been addressed here: Black. So I gave it a go...

Mixing equal parts Navajo Turquoise, Shah's Rose, and Yellow gave a color reminiscent of Diamine Green/Black. I would try diluting it if I were looking to emulate Green/Black.

It took a mix closer to one part Turquoise and Yellow to two parts Shah's Rose to get it to more of a neutral color. It won't go dark enough to be a black black, but if you are okay with the blacks that really show a bit grey I think you could make a passable grey-black this way. This is actually better than I anticipated.

Here are three different black mixes based on adding different amounts of Shah's Rose as swabbed on South Worth 25% Cotton 20lb. Diamond White paper:

The juxtaposed swabs make the color very apparent, it is less apparent when you write a line, though the lighting makes a big difference on how black it looks. The last swab comes across as closest to actual black in daylight though the reddish-tinge is noticeable in the swab. The target for black would be somewhere between the 3rd and 4th.

 

For reference, here are 12 other blacks swabbed on the same paper:

(In order: Noodler's Dark Matter, Aurora Black, Noodler's Borealis Black, Platinum Carbon Black, Lamy Black, Noodler's Heart of Darkness, Noodler's Black, Noodler's Blackerase, Private Reserve Velvet Black, Waterman Intense Black, Parker Quink Black, Generic Chinese Cartridge Black).

 

 

I only wish Noodler's had mixable, bulletproof C-M-Y inks....

[amberleadavis]

WOW

[Ted A]

I haven't had the time to test this consistently, but it seems to me that adding Heart of Darkness to an ink mixture leads to some pretty good shading. It seems like it doesn't quite mix completely and so tends to separate on the page to create the shading.

[amberleadavis]

Keep it up. I love this stuff.

[vossad01]

I haven't had the time to test this consistently, but it seems to me that adding Heart of Darkness to an ink mixture leads to some pretty good shading. It seems like it doesn't quite mix completely and so tends to separate on the page to create the shading.

 

I have had similar experience with Noodler's Black. I have had some results I have liked with Noodler's Black + Yellow, but the whole separation thing made it inconsistent which has kept me from posting it over in recipes.

 

Based on my results in comparing the color of various blacks, I would say Heart of Darkness is probably the best ink for trying to darken an ink without changing its color. Unfortunately I don't use enough black to justify its purchase when I already have 3 black.

[A144]

This is an awesome thread. Can't believe I haven't seen it before now. Makes me want to buy some more Noodler's and try this!

[snedwos]

Interestingly, white whale, navajo turquoise and shah's rose are out of stock at goulet right now...

[amberleadavis]

Oh, so we have some inky influencers.

[Limner]

Vossad01, thanks so much for producing writing samples of the tone mixes. I pooped out before I got to them, and intended to get back to the project but never did. I'm thrilled so many people have found this info useful over the years!

 

Re. shading: I've found that shading has less to do with the tools/substrate you're using as it does with the angle of your writing surface. I'm a cartoonist/illustrator by trade, and do all my work on an angled drawing table; if you look at my writing samples (especially the yellow-orange) you'll notice the ink has pooled at the bottoms of the letters. If you're using a pen with a good, juicy flow with a harder-finished paper on an angled surface, gravity will do the shading for you. You can get a sturdy, adjustable bookstand to write on--if you don't happen to have a mother-of-pearl and mahogany Victorian writing slope handy .

 

I did experiment with a Bulletproof version of these inks a few years ago. At the time I used:

 

cyan: Noodler's Britannia's Blue Waves

magenta: Noodler's Hellbender Red

yellow: Noodler's Goldfinch

black: Noodler's Bulletproof Black

 

Nathan may have developed better matches by now; I haven't looked into it. As I recall, the above formulas for non-bulletproof inks do NOT work for the Bulletproof inks; they're altogether different.

 

I'll leave that challenge to another FPN'er...

[amberleadavis]

Limner, we all appreciate you work.Thank you.

[Intellidepth]

Speechless. Thank you to all the ultra talented, patient, and persevering artisans for these examples and ratios. I now need to add c m y and k inks, a bundle of vials, and droppers to my tiny collection of 3 inks.

[Limner]

If I perfect any more ink formulas, I'll put them in the new Ink Recipes forum.

 

Here's a look at one of the earlier Bulletproof wheels I came up with...you can see that the Noodler's Regular ("Washable") Ink colors are much more vibrant than the Bulletproof. Unfortunately, the inks were Swisher exclusives, and are no longer available . I think I grabbed the last bottles of Goldfinch and Britannia's Blue Waves (which is closer to Cyan than Noodler's Aquamarine) that Swisher's had in stock but missed out on Hellbender; I have only one bottle left.

 

 

[amberleadavis]

GREAT STUFF!

 

Hellbender and Djinn and shoot there is a third are almost identical.

[Limner]

GREAT STUFF!

 

Hellbender and Djinn and shoot there is a third are almost identical.

Wasn't Djinn another Swisher exclusive, and the same as Devil Red...? (I may be misremembering). I swatched Hellbender and Devil Red together and they looked like two different hues. Is Djinn still available anywhere?

 

(Edited to add: found the swatches!)

 

Edited January 1, 2015 by Linda Medley

[amberleadavis]

Wasn't Djinn another Swisher exclusive, and the same as Devil Red...? (I may be misremembering). I swatched Hellbender and Devil Red together and they looked like two different hues. Is Djinn still available anywhere?

 

(Edited to add: found the swatches!)

 

 

 

OH DEAR - I was thinking of a different Swisher ink.

 

[Limner]

Shoot, that's too bad; I actually liked Devil Red. Maybe someday Nathan will introduce another Bulletproof magenta that's mixable and I can build up my stash. The color mixes are pretty nice, if a little flat.

[amberleadavis]

I think the bulletproofs are a little chalky. Nevertheless, I do still use them.