I can't let this round of ink reviews go buy without one of my very favorites getting reviewed: Noodler's Zhivago.

First, a sample (with my usual exemplar text, written with a Pelikan 200 with a medium nib) ...



At first glance, Zhivago could be mistaken for black. It is a very dark ink. But it has a deep, rich, velvety green lurking under that darkness. It doesn't produce much shading, but the green particularly comes out where it shades a bit lighter. It has a depth and gravity that I find lacking in black ink. It first comes out of the pen looking black, but as it dries the green hues come out and it becomes very interesting. It has a kind of "vintage" character to it (but was there was ever an ink color like it?). And the depth and character seems fitting for the character for whom the ink is named. To make the ink more interesting, the paper used can have a significant effect on how it writes. Some papers will make the ink show more of the green and others will be more black. It appears that slightly more absorbent papers will show the green better than papers with more sizing and smoother surfaces.

This would be an excellent ink for work, for private writing, and for those cases where you need a good dark solid ink, not too flashy, but want a bit of interest or character. I used it on my tax returns this year. If I have a pen with it at work, it's one of the inks I'll choose to label brown inter-office mail envelopes. Some inks won't stand out enough, or bleed on them. But Zhivago stands out well, and doesn't bleed. You will likely notice, however, that the ink creeps up out the slit and across the nib. It's really but a small aesthetic price to pay for such a aesthetically pleasing ink.

Mark C.

I can just barely see the green tint in the scans. I had heard of this ink, but have never seen a sample. If only they made one that had a blue tint, I might like that as a blue-black. It sounds interesting and I'm sure the subtleties don't come across on the screen. I like ink with some character.

That is a very nice color, I think I might have to put that on my "TO BUY" list. Another one I would like to get is Noodlers Army Green. I tested it out at the show and I was very impressed with the color. It is very military

You should definitely get the Army Green. Then you should post a review so I can see it. I like all greens, even olive greens. I would like to see how the Army Green turned out. Ink is very expensive for me. With the exchange on the money, plus shipping, it can run me close to $20/bottle. My ink "mistakes" have been costly.

Wow, where are you at?? Well, that is the reason why I am scanning in all of my ink is because I have made some not so wise choices in buying ink. This is not a cheap hobby either. So with scanning in the ink, it gives a person a chance to see what the ink really looks like before they buy it. The ink they show on the online penstores really does not represent the inks true color. I hope these reviews from everyone helps you out!!!

I found it interesting when I was preparing the image that the eyedropper tool showed that even in the darkest of spots that looked very black to me, there was a significant more amount of green in the RGB color designation (even if it was like R5 G19 B6).

The image is less interesting than the ink on the page. There are subtlies (including that green color) and shading that are more visible in person.

If you want a sample, you can, of course, ask....

Mark C.

Hi Roy,

Regarding your question regarding PR Avacado (notice the offical PR spellling ), it is defintely a lot lighter than Zhivago. It is a dark green, not a green black.

HTH,
Kind regards,
Wim

Noodler's blue-black has a similar character -- very dense and dark, and one might sometimes mistake it for pure black. It's rather attractive, and somewhat "formal".

In experimenting recently with diluting it with water, I've discovered how saturated it is. At 3 parts water to 4 parts ink it's still denser than any other blue-black I've seen. Diluted this way I find it even more attractive than straight-up, but its flow properties seem slightly disturbed. But the diluted version still works fine on good paper.

Does anyone have other experiences diluting inks with water?

Yep Avacado is a definite dark green rather than a black with green overtones. And as for the color names do you know where they originated from????

Hi Kurt,

I think it was KCat who mentioned the "Avacado" name was partially derived from somebody known to the makers of the ink, named Ava. Of course, it is a dark green, which resembles the colour of an avocado pear, so I guess that is where the remainder of the names derives from.

Kind regards,
Wim

A last bit on Noodler's blue-black (continuing my comments above). When mixed with their Gruene Cactus, it produces a palate of deep, radiant greens. (Gruene Cactus by itself is somewhat green-yellow, and I find it too light.)

It was my understanding that the names of the PR inks were actually the colors available for vintage Fender guitars:

# "1958 Strat in Shoreline Gold with gold parts". (this caption is actually describing a "true" one-off custom color, not Shoreline Gold. Shoreline Gold is very bronze in color and wasn't even available till 1959).

# "1961 non-tremolo model in Coral Pink, a subtle variant of the world famous Fiesta Red finish". (Fender never had a color in its pallet called "Coral Pink" or "Salmon Pink". This color is mostly likely Fiesta Red, which has a very pink hue).

Rickenbacker-like body design, and the most incredible avacado-green 'burst.



Here's a little info I got off the net about vintage Fender guitars look at the colors!


Kurt

Hi Kurt,

Rereading your post, I only now realize it was a hetorical question...

Thanks for the info, very interesting tidbit of knowledge you provided there!

Kind regards, Wim

Wim,
it wasn't rhetorical I was curious if anyone else knew the story and could provide backing information. I had to go dig it up out there for myself!

K

Kurt, ok, I see...
Wim

I should say I was only throwing a silly guess out there and had no idea how "Avacado" was named.

If the name has anything to do with Fender - then now I must ask why Fender would call anything "avacado"?

KCat,
spelling error?
Wim

Mmmm....nice color. Must...not...buy...more.....ink!

Hi Ergman,
Why not?
Warm regards, Wim

Wim,

Saving cash for a pen... can't afford it all at once.

I purchased Noodler's Zhivago last week and to say I love it is an understatement. I find it 'easy on my eyes' for some reason. I enjoy looking at it. Sounds crazy, eh? I've been journalling with it using a Rotring Core fine nib and couldn't be happier.
Lee

***You can take a closer look here***

Bryan, thanks for that look at Zhivago. That's the first pic I've been able to see the green tint in. As I read down your post, I realized why -- BB nib!

Thanks, Bryan. Like Southpaw, this is the first time I've been able to detect the green tint to the ink that everyone mentions. It is a nice, rich looking color.

Best, Ann

I have several pens filled with Zhivago. I love this ink.
I can notice the green when I write a paragraph with Pelikan black and then use the Zhivago after. It`s a remarkable ink as has been mentioned in previous reviews.

Your scan, as SP says, with that BB nib shows the green better than my F review back a while ago. I can see the difference when compared with plain Black and Aircorp Blue-Black but they have to be side by side with my F nib. That BB really showcases the very thing that I love about Zhivago.

Well done, my man! :bunny1:

Thanks for the recent ink scans, here and elsewhere, Bryan! That Zhivago is an interesting colour...I like my blue-black Quink but this green-black shade is intriguing....

As well Zhivago is semi-water resistant. I put a scan up in another threads that shows the green part of the ink washes away but the black remains even under full immersion. That's why it has become my standard envelope ink & it's the only Noodler's color that I have two bottles of.


Kurt H

Kurt,

If you fancy a change at some point, Noodler's Red-black works the same way, the red washes away, leaving a seemingly bulletproof black behind it.

Ray

Was your scan showing Zhivago's water resistance here on FPN, Kurt? I must have missed it. My water test of Zhivago and several others is here: 4 Ink Water Test

Zhivago fan here as well. After buying too many darn inks over the past year, this would be my desert island ink (you know, when you're stuck on a desert island and you can have only one ink...)

Seriously, it's elegant, understated, and I am so bored with having to use black for official documents, but Zhivago can get away with it. And it's near-bulletproof as well.