This is the second of what will (probably) be an incomplete set of reviews for Blackstone Colours of Australia inks. The two blue colours are my favourites in this range - neither of them a classic 'Royal' blue, but both with their own distinctive appeal.
According to the JustWrite website, Sydney Harbour Blue is "a dark grayish blue ink inspired by the grey blue waters of Sydney Harbour when the sky is overcast on a rainy day down on the harbour". Which sounds really boring, right? Besides, having caught the Manly Ferry more than once during my teenage years (when I lived on the northern beaches of Sydney), I have to say I don't remember Sydney Harbour's waters being a grayish blue!
Thankfully, the ink is much more interesting than the webpage description. To my eyes, it's more of a dark blue with dark green overtones - you could almost call it a dark teal. What makes it even more interesting is that the saturation levels produce an interesting sheen, especially when Tomoe River paper is involved.
Here's a photo of my review - the scan was too dark, and didn't do the ink justice in terms of colouring:
Here's what the sheen looks like (in appropriate lighting!) on Rhodia paper (using my new cheapy macro lens attachment for smartphone):
And on Tomoe River paper:
I wasn't really sold in this ink at first - it's not a Royal Blue, nor a blue-black, and doesn't have the brightness of Barrier Reef Blue - but it didn't take long for me to find myself really liking it. As with Barrier Reef Blue, it flows really well in all of my pens - it can occasionally be a bit hard-starting, but once it gets going it just keeps on going...
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