Botany Bay - L'artisan Pastellier

[visvamitra]

L'Artisan Pastellier is french ink / calligraphy materials producers. They offer two lines of inks suitable for fountain pens: CALLIFOLIO (inks made for fountain pens, neutral PH and so on) andENCRES CLASSIQUES (not all of them may have perfect properties however I've tried most of them and had no issues in my fountain pens).

L'Artisan Pastellier inks don't get much love or attention here. I understand this as they're not easily obtainable. You may buy them directly from the producer's on-line/stationery boutique. The best thing to do is to organize group buy (I've done it twice last year for polish sountain pen board). It's nice thing to do - you get to meet a lot of people to exchange inks and the shipment cost becomes really friendly.

Botany Bay is boring.

INK SPLASH

http://imageshack.com/a/img901/7500/NGqlf1.jpg

DROPS OF INK ON KITCHEN TOWEL

http://imageshack.com/a/img674/2678/ky8g1z.jpg

SOFTWARE ID

COLOR RANGE

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/1112/Gj8YC6.jpg

 

Calendar - Kaweco Sport, eyedropper mode, broad nib

http://imageshack.com/a/img633/9079/urhpVa.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img743/5964/FUOjew.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/4376/Qc9nuA.jpg

 

[amberleadavis]

This ink was one that I reviewed. This was where I was so disapointed. It looks so pretty on the website.

[Jared]

I do like blue blacks, and although they can seem to be overdone, this one does appear to shade well. Thanks for another review.

[lgsoltek]

Agree. A boring blue black.

[Sakura FP Gallery]

For people who like black/blue, to me it is more black then blue, this nik may be suitable.

[rudyhou]

i'm liking this share of blue black a lot. rather more like blueish grey. and i love grey inks.

[visvamitra]

[Tas]

 

Shades like a bad boy too.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Tas

[Pensei]

I would be interested to see if you would have a more positive reaction to Bosphore or Bonne Esperance.

[Angel91]

Could you please make a comparison with other similar blue blacks? I know you don't like them but... If there's the possibility...

[visvamitra]

@Angle91 - maybe, just maybe, I'll do something this year but it won't be huge.

@Pensei - well Bosphore in double broad looks ok, Bonne Esperance as well.

@Tas - I knew it.

[Tas]

@Angle91 - maybe, just maybe, I'll do something this year but it won't be huge.

@Pensei - well Bosphore in double broad looks ok, Bonne Esperance as well.

@Tas - I knew it.

 

[visvamitra]

Here's long re-review of the ink. Actually new review. I had a bottle I didn't use since writing review above. I've been writing with this ink for a week in three pens. Papers I used are different.

 

Let's start with a name. I really enjoy geographical and mythological references Callifolio line makes via the names of the inks.

 

Botany Bay, discovered on 29 April 1770 by Captain Cook, who first named it Stingray Bay, later Botanists' (Harbour and Bay), and finally Botany Bay in his journal, probably to honour the botanists aboard HMS Endeavour led by Sir Joseph Banks as well as to mark its floral novelties. Banks later (1786) advocated Botany Bay as an ideal place for a penal colony on account of its supposed fertility. The first fleet under Captain Arthur Phillip landed there on 20 January 1788 and, finding Banks's account much exaggerated, moved on to Port Jackson, landing there at Sydney Cove. Nevertheless, the name Botany Bay became synonymous with Australia, first as a convict settlement, and later as a generic name for fine-quality Australian yarn. Today much of the shores of Botany Bay are taken up with Sydney's southern suburban residential development.

On pictures the site looks pittoresque. What Callifolio made with this ink is a little disappointing. If you tend to use very wet nibs (take a look at last picture) result will be satisfying. However in two other pens I filled with it the ink felt dry and was weakly saturated. After one day of not using Faber-Castell e-Motion I experienced some hard start. The color is supposed to be deep blue/black. It isn't. It's washed out greyish thing. Not really exciting, and it behaves decently only in some pens. Maybe some properties changed during two years I wasn't using it?

 

Drops of ink on kitchen towel

Software ID

Color range

TOmoe River, Kaweco Classic Sport, broad nib

Leuchtturm1917, Kaweco Classic Sport, broad nib

Copy paper, Faber-Castell e-Motion, fine nib

Lyreco Budget, Faber-Castell e-motion, fine nib

Leuchtturm 1917, Lamy 2000, OB

Edited November 5, 2016 by visvamitra

[namrehsnoom]

Looks like a blue-grey... Nice. I like greys, might be just my cup of tea. I'll give the ink a try in the coming weeks.

[visvamitra]

I'm definitely interested in your assessement of this ink.