Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo

[saskia_madding]

I cannot believe that I haven't done a review of this ink yet, given how much I use it and how much I love it. I truly haven't found an ink that looks like this and works like this.

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/Saskia_Madding/Ink%20reviews/Pilot/DSC09461.jpg

There is no feathering or bleed through, but there is definite shadowing with this Visconti broad nib. The colour is incredibly rich and layered.

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/Saskia_Madding/Ink%20reviews/Pilot/DSC09471.jpg

The shading is absolutely phenomenal. It can range from light to dark, like this:

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/Saskia_Madding/Ink%20reviews/Pilot/DSC09468.jpg


Or stay within the dark zone, and instead merely add a darker outline to the lines, like this:

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/Saskia_Madding/Ink%20reviews/Pilot/DSC09465.jpg

To add deliciousness to excellence, it also has a red sheen. This was the best I could do in Toronto's rainy day.
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/Saskia_Madding/Ink%20reviews/Pilot/DSC09477.jpg

More pictures in my ink review album here.

[matveik]

How surprising--this is my favorite ink and I didn't even notice that it had that red sheen. Great review!

[fjf]

This looks like a cobalt dark blue; in other reviews it looks like a dark turquoise blue. How can the same ink look so different?.

[jgrasty]

Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo is my favorite dark blue ink. Simply fabulous in a pen with a fat, wet nib. It is also very well behaved in a pen with a flexible nib as well.

Edited December 6, 2011 by jgrasty

[raging.dragon]

This looks like a cobalt dark blue; in other reviews it looks like a dark turquoise blue. How can the same ink look so different?.

 

The other reviews may have used a drier writing pen? Also the colour balance of scanners varies and all the reviews are probably slightly off in different directions.

[fjf]

Yes. This makes reviews a poor tool to compare inks. I've found inks that I've purchased very different from the scans and descriptions on FPN.

[saskia_madding]

That is actually exactly why I use photos instead is scanners. Still, that means the lighting can sometime skew things. Ink reviews can be helpful, but you're right that they are not perfect. I think of it as - having many reviews of the same ink gives you an idea of the ink, and you can compare the reviews to see if any of them look like the same colour. Whatever version of the ink shows up in most of the reviews is probably closest to the colour.

 

For my part, even on this review I see in the pictures a hint of turquoise. And that is how the ink is in a wet, broad nib - dark cobalt with turquoise underneath. It is a very complex, rich, layered colour.

[jandrese]

I too love this ink. It works great in every pen and shifts from dark blue to turquoise depending on paper and line thickness. It is especially variable from my Sailor naginata concord emperor nib.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Many thanks for another fine Review!

 

This is definitely one of my favourite inks, both in terms of the writing experience and how it appears on the page.

 

I believe you have described the 'rich and layered' complexity very well.

 

I have seen this ink described as being several colours - including Blue-Black!

Perhaps that is part of the mystique of the iroshizuku series so appealing - at times they defy description, and simply need to be seen. Very much an 'in the eye of the beholder' sort of thing.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Yes. This makes reviews a poor tool to compare inks. I've found inks that I've purchased very different from the scans and descriptions on FPN.

Hi,

 

I look forward to your Reviews and Comparisons.

 

To expedite the process, please feel free to use my templates.

 

Bye,

S1

[raging.dragon]

That is actually exactly why I use photos instead is scanners. Still, that means the lighting can sometime skew things. Ink reviews can be helpful, but you're right that they are not perfect. I think of it as - having many reviews of the same ink gives you an idea of the ink, and you can compare the reviews to see if any of them look like the same colour. Whatever version of the ink shows up in most of the reviews is probably closest to the colour.

 

For my part, even on this review I see in the pictures a hint of turquoise. And that is how the ink is in a wet, broad nib - dark cobalt with turquoise underneath. It is a very complex, rich, layered colour.

 

I'm going to have to experiment with taking photos for future reviews. Either that or buy a better scanner. Colour adjustments are a nightmare with my scanner; whereas, my camera is a very good one and should have near perfect colour balance with little or no effort on my part.

Edited December 7, 2011 by raging.dragon

[dcpritch]

Excellent review! I especially love the close-up photos showing the outlining and sheen effect.

 

I bought an Epson V600 scanner on the recommendation of several FPNers, including Sandy1, for use in scanning ink samples and the like. After playing with the controls I''ve found a setting that is pretty darn close to accurate. I have seen that with photographs (which I prefer, as I have a background in photography), the lighting makes all the difference and can totally change the outcome. For that reason, the scanner is perhaps the best of imperfect choices, as it eliminates at least the lighting variable. Of course, nothing beats seeing an ink firsthand. I write this in response to an earlier comment, not in any way as a criticism of this review, which is fantastic.

 

DAVID

[fenriz]

Great review, and awesome images. Really gave me an idea of how this stuff looks- I've screwed around with it before, and gifted my dad a bottle some time ago, and your images reminded me of what I'd already experienced. I'll have to get some of this before too long...

[cavey]

Wow, thanks for this review! I myself love blue as a colour, and the characteristics of this particular blue is great!

 

Love the shading, the red hint. I wonder where to acquire this ink though in the Netherlands. Seems very obscure (or for specialised shops.. Which I know nothing about yet)

[nicholasyeo]

Wow, darker than Ku-Jaku yet I like it somehow! Really nice mysterious colour!

[Moondust]

Wow, thanks for this review! I myself love blue as a colour, and the characteristics of this particular blue is great!

 

Love the shading, the red hint. I wonder where to acquire this ink though in the Netherlands. Seems very obscure (or for specialised shops.. Which I know nothing about yet)

 

You can get it at lacouronneducomte.nl, they also have a shop in Tilburg. (just for the record -I'm not affiliated to them) And on ebay it can be found too. The review above was 'doorslaggevend' for me, I've got a bottle of it coming soon

[someonesdad]

Yesterday I did a test with this ink and some others on a thick cardstock that no one would really want to write on with fountain pens. It did produce shading with most of the pens I wrote with, even a Sharpie. I've attached flash photos of the two Pilot inks. The interesting thing is that the shading appears to be digital -- either one of two saturations is present. Frankly, I found this a bit unattractive, as I like shading to show a continuous change.

[fourseamer]

Wow, what a terrific looking ink. I've not tried Iroshizuku inks yet, but this has me reconsidering. How can one not like this ink?

[trurl]

The interesting thing is that the shading appears to be digital -- either one of two saturations is present. Frankly, I found this a bit unattractive, as I like shading to show a continuous change.

 

Yes, I also noticed the same two-tone behaviour.

 

But I'm not disappointed with that, even though I prefer inks with a more gradual shading.

[Inked]

The interesting thing is that the shading appears to be digital -- either one of two saturations is present. Frankly, I found this a bit unattractive, as I like shading to show a continuous change.

 

Yes, I also noticed the same two-tone behavior.

 

But I'm not disappointed with that, even though I prefer inks with a more gradual shading.

 

Hello

 

In the original photos above, in the review, the shading is both gradual and consistent.

 

Perhaps the paper you are using is inconsistent(or consistent in it's inconsistency).

 

Perhaps there are elements in your paper that are not allowing the denser parts of the ink to flow and transcend evenly, or, the make up of the paper has content that is much absorptive than other parts, causing the ink to coagulate in those spots .... and therefore causing your digitalization.

 

In this world of fountain pens, nothing acts alone. Just as the pen conducts, so does the paper.

 

Inked