Date: 2009-10-24 16:44 Subject: Hello Again Public Mood: silly Tags: announcements, contests, ink

Um...wow. 4 weeks it's been? Really?

Man. I am sorry about that, guys, really I am. I would have updated sooner, except, well...I've been a bit...distracted lately. In a nutshell: Breakups are not fun.

As an apology for my sudden lack of posts, however, I have for you all.....a Halloween giveaway!

What are the two main colors for Halloween? Black and orange! And that's the ink set up for grabs.

I have two 30-ml plastic bottles of Diamine ink to give away: Diamine Pumpkin and Diamine Onyx Black. Both were reviewed earlier this year, and they will be given away as a set.

How to win? Simple. Comment below and tell me what you're going to be for Halloween/the best Halloween costume you ever wore. Winner will be picked at random. The contest will end at 12 midnight on Halloween.

Good luck!!!

Date: 2009-09-20 13:30 Subject: Ink Review: Private Reserve Arabian Rose Public Tags: ink, ink reviews, reviews

How about another "pink ink" review?

I didn't do a color swatch with this ink because I don't have a bottle of PR Arabian Rose; instead, I have a 12-pack of international size cartridges. Something odd: The closer I got to finishing the cartridge, the darker the ink got! I'm guessing it has to do with pigment settling to the bottom, just like with bottles. Shake your ink cartridges, people!



The truest color representation, I think, can be seen in the henna-like doodles at the bottom right (the bird is supposed to be a phoenix).

The paper is O'bon notebook paper.

Date: 2009-09-16 18:25 Subject: Ink Review: J. Herbin Rouge Bourgogne Public Mood: contemplative Tags: ink, ink reviews, reviews

About damn time I did another ink review. This is my first ever J. Herbin ink review, and it was really my first time playing around with J. Herbin inks. The verdict? The feathering is an acceptable trade-off for the gorgeous shading (and there can be quite a bit of feathering with J. Herbin inks, sadly).



J. Herbin inks are sold in 50 mL bottles. I've heard a lot of complaints about the bottle design and how it makes for a lot of difficulty refilling your pen when the ink level drops, but my bottle is full and so I can't say I have any comments as to that (yet). The pen rest on the bottle is an interesting feature.

And heeere we go:



The crossed-out scribbling above the PR Burgundy Mist sample is PR Arabian Rose.

The excellent shading has piqued my interest in J. Herbin inks. I really want to give either Lierrre Sauvage or Vert Empire a run. Gris Nuage looks interesting, too, and I normally dislike grey inks. I just looked at scans of it. Too pale, I think...

EDIT: While the ink is indeed feathery on most papers, on Staples bagasse the feathering is barely noticeable. I just took note of it for those picky about feathering. It's certainly not enough to keep me from using it on the bagasse paper :)