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Octopus Write and Draw Ink - Blue Chameleon After reviewing so many inks, it's rare that I get excited about an ink or a new brand. This is one of them. I’ve been tempted to procure a bottle. It's a gorgeous grey blurple, well lubricated that I enjoyed writing in all nibs but the Japanese Ef, Kakuno. it transformed the needle tip of Osmiroid into a dream nib. It's a pigment ink, light fast, waterproof and has all the ISO accreditation you would want. Please note like most pigment inks, it's best using it in a well sealed pen and preferably not your expensive pens. You can read more about it: https://www.octopus-office.de/info/en/write-draw-ink/ and the complete line of 38 inks: https://www.octopus-office.de/shop/en/creative-inks/write-draw-ink/7331/write-and-draw-ink-set-waterproof-drawing-ink-for-fountain-pens-38-colours?c=4671 Let's start with the chroma: Writing samples: It doesn't like copy paper much: photo of the Tome River page A little calligraphic work done with thee Osmiroid Copperplate nib (Mnemosyne notebook) Comparison: Water test: (left side was held underwater for 10 seconds and the wiped with tissue paper) And a tiny artwork to showcase the range of the ink (Paper is Talens mixed media) · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Stub, Kaweco Sport (EF/F/M/B/Stub 1.9), Osmiroid copperplate nib · What I liked: Writing with, cushiony feel, intriguing, classy colour. · What I did not like: Writing with Japanese Ef nib · What some might not like: It doesn’t like copy paper · Shading: Yes. · Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper · Bleed through: same as above. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Excellent · Nib Dry-out: Nope. · Start-up: No. · Saturation: Yes. · Shading Potential: Elegant · Sheen: Faint · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: None. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Did not notice. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Easy · Water resistance: Excellent · Availability: 50 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

p.s. No feathering and no bleed-through on Rhodia DotPad 80g/m² paper. Show-through is minimal to nil; I can see where the ring from the mouth of the ink bottle is, as well as some of the most heavily shaded squares, from the verso side of the sheet, but none of the writing. Water resistance is very poor, as shown above. Drying time is about 14 seconds when writing relatively dryly; but this ink flows wet. I've deliberately written ‘jot‘ for the lines at 20s and 25s a bit more wetly, and I think a drying time of 23-24 seconds is more likely for real-world use (on Rhodia DotPad 80g/m² paper).

Winter PIF... In purple and green, because this time of year is a bit gray. One bottle of Rötring Ultramarine, about half-used. One bottle of Chesterfield (Now Unobtainium!) Cobalt. These blue inks read purple to me. What is is you kids today call this...blurple? One Wing Sung fountain pen with clear Pilot-type feed. They look vaguely Pilot Prerarian, and shut with a nice satisfying click. Writes a fine line. One little memo pad. Probably fountain pen capable. I would prefer these went to Absolute Beginners. I will leave this open for ten replies or a week, whichever comes first, then I will employ the highly scientific Eeny Meeny Miny Method to choose a recipient. To CONUS only. Thanks. http://extras.ourpatioparty.com/files/1815/7989/0481/PIF-640p.jpg

Monteverde's revamped line of inks recently got my attention for their comprehensive lineup of clear, distinct hues, as well as good value. A 90ml bottle can be had for about $13-$15 USD from the better known online retailers in the United States, making it a very good deal. Monteverde touts their "ITF Technology". From Monteverde's promotional material, here's how it claims to benefit us writers: At my recent visit to the 2017 LA Pen Show, Monteverde gave a free bottle of Malibu Blue ink to all show attendees. A company representative had all their inks available for sampling with swabs, as well as show discounts. I brought home four bottles of Monteverde ink, and post-show I've purchased a few more online:Malibu BlueCapri BlueHorizon BlueSapphire BlueMonteverde also offers two blues I am missing: Caribbean Blue (turquoise), and a Blue-Black. I am posting individual reviews for each of the four Monteverde inks I have. I filled a variety of pens with these four inks, with nibs ranging from fine to double-broad stubs. Here's a snapshot from my Bullet Journal Ink Log, showing the pen/ink assignments and a writing sample from each. Monteverde Sapphire Blue This one is my hands-down favorite of the Monteverde inks I have tested. If I could have only one of these four inks, it would be Sapphire for sure. Clairefontaine paper sample. Color/Saturation Sapphire Blue is a rich, dark ultramarine blue. It reminds me of Levenger Cobalt Blue but without Cobalt's issues (very long dry time, smearing even after dry). I compared my writing sample of Monteverde Sapphire to Levenger Cobalt, and they're very close. Cobalt has a touch more purple. Otherwise they're dead ringers in terms of vibrancy and saturation. Shading/Sheening Shading is light to moderate on this Tomoe River sample. A little bit of a reddish-purple sheen appears in the wide lettering. Flow This ink flows beautifully from both my Pilot 78G BB Italic, and from the Lamy Safari. It is the best of the blues in this comparison. Lubrication Lubrication is also great with this ink, and is the best of the Monteverde inks I have tried so far. Like the other Monteverde inks, this one has a slight stiction feel with my Lamy Safari pen. Dry Time Dry time for this ink is very quick, under 15 seconds on Clairefontaine paper with the Lamy Safari. I should give this ink a try for note-taking. Feathering Sapphire Blue performs well in the feathering test on cheap office paper. Bleedthrough There is a medium amount of bleedthrough on the other side of the page on the cheap office paper. Water Resistance Sapphire Blue is not a water-resistant ink in the 10 second immersion test. Before After Comparison to Other Inks Here is a comparison with other ultra-marine type inks and related blues. Click on it for an enlargement.

Monteverde's revamped line of inks recently got my attention for their comprehensive lineup of clear, distinct hues, as well as good value. A 90ml bottle can be had for about $13-$15 USD from the better known online retailers in the United States, making it a very good deal. Monteverde touts their "ITF Technology". From Monteverde's promotional material, here's how it claims to benefit us writers: At my recent visit to the 2017 LA Pen Show, Monteverde gave a free bottle of Malibu Blue ink to all show attendees. A company representative had all their inks available for sampling with swabs, as well as show discounts. I brought home four bottles of Monteverde ink, and post-show I've purchased a few more online.Malibu BlueCapri BlueHorizon BlueSapphire BlueMonteverde also offers two blues I am missing: Caribbean Blue (turquoise), and a Blue-Black. I am posting individual reviews for each of the four Monteverde inks I have. I filled a variety of pens with these four inks, with nibs ranging from fine to double-broad stubs. Here's a snapshot from my Bullet Journal Ink Log, showing the pen/ink assignments and a writing sample from each. Monteverde Malibu Blue This is a "washable" blue ink, that is very much like the standard blue ink you see from most pen manufacturers. Monteverde sells an ink eradicator that can "erase" this ink. Monteverde gave away sample ink eradicators at the show, but I haven't tried mine yet. Clairefontaine paper sample. Color/Saturation Monteverde Malibu Blue is a light blurple, or "blue-purple" ink. This ink goes down deep and dark, and lightens considerably as it dries. The scan here is the dried writing on Clairefontaine paper. Shading/Sheening Malibu Blue has a light amount of shading on Tomoe River paper. I didn't notice any sheening. Flow This ink ranked third amongst the inks tested for flow and wetness. Loaded in my Cross ATX, wtih a super-wet, medium nib, it puts down a slightly wet line. Lubrication Malibu Blue is noticeably more lubricated than the average ink that I put into my cross ATX. Lubrication is good. This ink has some "stiction" to it - there's a little bit of resistance at the beginning and end of every pen stroke, though mid-stroke the nib feels lubricated. I've only noticed this with Monteverde inks, and it's common to them. In this review, I've noticed it with Malibu, Horizon, and Sapphire Blue. Dry Time Dry times with this ink were moderate, about 30 seconds, on Clairefontaine paper. Feathering Malibu Blue performed medium-well in the feathering test on cheap office pad paper. Some feathering is noticeable but isn't too objectionable. Bleedthrough Malibu Blue has light bleedthrough on cheap office pad paper. Water Resistance Malibu Blue is not a water-resistant ink in the 10 second water immersion test. Before After Clairefontaine paper sample.