Which Iroshizuku Is More Intense

[Pensei]

The more iroshizuku inks I try, the more impressed I am with this line. Everyone of them has been exceptionally well behaved in every pen they have been inked. That said, they are (my opinion) very 'Japanese' inks. Think Tea Ceremony versus rock concert.

 

Super-saturated inks have their place... for shouting.

Great observation.

[J85909266]

I have Kon Peki and Shin Kai. Both are medium saturation, basically perfect. They do have some low saturation inks, but most are fine.

[Aquaria]

If intensity of color and wild shading is what you care about, then Iroshizuku is most definitely not the line of ink for you. It has many fine properties, but the colors here are not intended to be super-pigmented. Instead, they are more like the colors of a Japanese landscape painting. Actually, when I see them, I definitely think of them as the colors of a kimono, which can be rich or even playful, but they will never be in your face. They will be softer, more refined, and more elegant than that.

[gerigo]

Beautiful observations from many here. Yes it's true Iroshizuku inks are not the super saturated inks. You buy them because of their beautiful subtle colors that shades wonderfully in different pens. And they play well with almost any pen.

 

However they do have a few inks that are more saturated than others. As some have mentioned, Yama-budo is perhaps the most saturated in the range. Very beautiful rich magenta with a great sheen to it. Syo-ro and Tsuki-yo are also nice medium saturated inks. Surprisingly their browns and oranges are not saturated at all, and not my favorites because they can be quite flat. Their blues, of which there are many, are probably the best in the range. Not quite what you expect, and very nuanced colors.

[senzen]

All my Iroshizukus are very saturated: Asa Gao, Tsuyu Kusa, Fuyu Gaki, Chiku Rin (lighter but still saturated); Ajisai is lighter but that is part for the course. Interestingly for what you are experiencing, Yama Guri always came out like a dark brown but then started looking much lighter when I switched to a Muji F... And then "settled"and went back to being darker. My only explanation is that in spite of my efforts some water remained in the pen?

[KyleKatarn]

I'm always a bit offside when discussing saturation. Are there any more or less scientific methods for measuring it? It's the degree of opacity? How do you discuss this without entering into the subjectiv realm?

[scribbler77]

I'm always a bit offside when discussing saturation. Are there any more or less scientific methods for measuring it? It's the degree of opacity? How do you discuss this without entering into the subjectiv realm?

It is largely subjective, dependent not only on the ink but the degree of flow from the pen, the paper used, the relative humidity of the air when writing, and the type of light used in the viewing. I have seven of the Iro inks. I would not call any highly saturated like some of Noodler's but I like them for other reasons. I would use them more if they were more water resistant. (I don't know how they hold up to ultra violet light, and that is also a consideration for durability.)

[pepsiplease69]

Intense is probably not a great term to describe the appearance. The term saturated seems to make more sense. Even so, it's still a subjective term and as some have mentioned, the way the ink will appear is dependent upon many factors.

 

I'd say the swab shop on the Goulet site is a great resource to compare and judge ink appearance under uniform circumstances. It still doesn't tell you how the ink may flow and feather on certain papers or even how it may display a sheen, but it's a tremendous resource.

 

Of the Iroshizuku inks here are my favorites:

 

Syo-ro: muted green ink with shading and sheen. Easy on the eyes.

 

Shin-kai: neutral blue black with sheen. This is one of the few blue blacks that really works well for me.

 

Asa-gao: a very nice and well behaved blue with sheen.

 

Yama-budo: it's quite saturated but magenta is really not my thing. I still use it and it is well saturated.

 

If you look for more saturated inks outside of Iroshizuku, keep in mind that as the ink goes up in dye load, it does start to misbehave. It becomes harder to clean, clogs in the pen, and it may smudge on the paper even after it dries. Iroshizuku inks have none of those problems and I love them because of it.

[amberleadavis]

Hey, and don't forget to check out Vis' terrific comparison.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/290775-pilot-iroshizuku-full-line-24-inks/

[dcwaites]

Saturation is the amount of dye in the ink. How intense or dark or concentrated it looks on paper will only really correlate with the medium coloured inks - blue, red, green, etc.

 

A really saturated yellow or sky blue will still look light, and a very dilute black or brown will still look dark.

You might get an idea of the saturation by putting some down on a hard, smooth, non-absorbent paper and then looking at it with a loupe, but I haven't really looked in to that.

 

The two other properties to look at are intensity (previously mentioned) and vibrancy. I think, but I haven't confirmed in my mind, that the three properties are independent of each other. For example --

• Parker Quink Permanent Blue is medium saturation, medium intensity and low vibrancy
• Parker Quink Washable blue is low saturation, low intensity and low vibrancy (and high boring...)
• Diamine Majestic Blue diluted with 40% water is low saturation, medium intensity and high vibrancy
• The Iroshizuku inks are high saturation, medium intensity and medium vibrancy
• Noodler's Baystate blue is high saturation, high intensity and high vibrancy