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J Herbin Café des îles According to the Herbin website: "Café des îles (Island coffee): a light brown color reminder of the great coffee smell enjoyed at the terrace of a café in a far away island." You be the judge 😛 This is a dryish, Ovaltine colored, reddish brown, which shines on Japanese paper, mostly with Iroful and 68 gr Tomoe River Paper. It doesn’t remind me of coffee. One can say, it's a lighter version of Private Reserve Vampire Red, but easier to clean. Surprisingly long dry time on Rhodia, so not suitable for lefty overwriters It's not a good candidate for copy paper. It ghosted and bled through Hammermill 20lb copy paper. I didn't bother to scan the horror show Chroma: Writing Samples: I've added Iroful paper to the lineup. For a lot of inks, it can bring out extreme shading and enhance colours. Note this paper is very sensitive to hand oils as you can see in the Stub and flex lines. The coating has been removed and the ink doesn't adhere to the paper. Close up scan of Tomoe River and Iroful. Note how shading is accentuated in Iroful. Photo: Comparison: Water test: Left side 10 seconds under running water. Paper is Mnemosyne Art Work: Café and Ovaltine - What happens if you order a Café des îles coffee in a Parisian café. They'll serve you Ovaltine Paper is a Talens Mixed media pocket book. I used different dilutions of Café des îles. At the bottom it is most concentrated. I used a glass nib tipped in bleach to create the "foamy" part on the top. Noodler's Lexington Gray / Polar Green Rohrer and Klingner Königsblau & Helianthus with bleach · Pens used: Lamy (Reverse EF/F/M/B, BB), Osmiroid Copperplate nib. · What I liked: Name. · What I did not like: Color doesn’t remind me of coffee. It's a bit reddish pale for my taste. · What some might not like: Dryish ink, It isn’t black coffee. · Shading: Very nice on Japanese Paper, especially Iroful · Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper. · Bleed through: Yes, on cheap paper. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: A bit dry · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Ok · Saturation: Pastel · Shading Potential: Great on Japanse Paper. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: Easy · Water resistance: decent. · Availability: 10 ml, 30 ml bottles and I believe cartridges. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Rouge Opera Many thanks to @Lithium466 for the sample. This is a more of a burgundy than a red. I’m assuming the colour was inspired after the plush seats of Paris Opera. It’s a wet ink, not suitable for copy paper, lubrication below average. I would say, if you’re an opera lover this might be the ink for you, if not prends garde à toi 🌹 (sorry, opera quotes will abound. The line is from Carmen's Habanera aria, which translate as Beware!) Chroma: Writing Samples: Photo: Comparison: Water test: Art Work: Queen of the Night This little fountain pen sketch was inspired by my cat, who sometimes "sings" in early mornings, to be let out. Her yowling reminds me of from Mozart's The Magic Flute: Other inks used: Graf von Faber-Castell Stone Grey Rohrer & Klingner Helianthus · Pens used: Pilot Kakuna Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B, BB), Nib Creaper semi-flex · What I liked: Nice colour. · What I did not like: It’s a pinkish red. Maybe I'm not much into reds · What some might not like: Very wet, low lubrication, longish dry times. · Shading: Subtle. · Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper, unless you write with Japanese Ef. · Bleed through: Yes, on cheap paper. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Slightly below average · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Ok · Saturation: Pastel · Shading Potential: Subtle · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Did not notice. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: Ultimately, it’s a dark pink ink. So, the more it stays, the more time it’ll take to clean. · Water resistance: Meh! · Availability: 10 ml, 30 ml and cartridges. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Bleu des Profondeurs (Ocean Depths Blue) Many thanks @Lithium466 for the sample. This is a very dark Royal blue /blurple. I realized that when cleaning my pen. If I was doing a blind test, I would’ve thought it a Diamine/ Pilot ink. It's not your usual watery Herbin ink. It has body, it’s juicy, wet and very pleasant to write with. It’s a great ink for dry pens. On the downside, it’s too wet and the colour turns into almost black. It’s one of the best Herbin inks for copy paper, ghosting and bleed through are minimal with copy paper. The colour also changes on absorbent paper into a nice “blue black”. Let's start with the gorgeous chroma: Writing Samples: Don't be fooled by the scan. Ghosting and bleedthrough is more than acceptable Photo: Comparison: Water test: @InesF Kitty wore protective gear Artwork: The name Bleu des profondeurs (Ocean depths blue) conjured the squid scene in 1954 movie with Kirk Douglas and James Mason, which I saw as a child. Here is an attempt to recreate that scene: Other inks used: Platinum Carbon Black / Sailor Kiwa-guro and De Atramentis Document orange. · Pens used: Pilot F3A (Ef /Semi-flex) Lamy (EF/F/M/B, BB) · What I liked: The writing experience, the chroma · What I did not like: It’s almost too wet. Color. · What some might not like: Not for leftie overwriters. · Shading: From M onwards. Also depends on how wet your pen is. · Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper. · Bleed through: Yes, on cheap paper. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Excellent. · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Great · Saturation: Saturated. · Shading Potential: Depending on pen and paper. · Sheen: Did not notice. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: Alright. · Water resistance: Quite good. · Availability: 10 /30 ml bottles / cartridges. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Bleu Myosotis (Cartridge) Thanks for @Lithium466 for the sample. After reviewing the complex Kobe #56 ink, it was difficult to warm up to this ink. There’s nothing inherently wrong about it, but the name! It doesn’t correspond to the sky-blue colour of forget-me-nots, unless in France the flowers are blurple or blue-black I think Herbin would have been better off exchanging this one with Bleu Pervenche. 😛 I had some problem with the cartridge and the flow. I pressed the cartridge, several times to prime the feed and finally, I realized I had managed to puncture ever so slightly the cartridge, a first. However, afterwards the pen wrote perfectly fine. The ink writes purple and dries to a muted blue-black. I didn’t bother to ink up a flex nib for this one. Also, the Japanese Ef line was created through reverse writing. In retrospect the colour looks like a nice blue-black on white Tomoe River paper, but I still can't warm to it. Let's start with the chroma: Writing Samples: Photo: Comparison: The R&K is Königsblau Water test: Ink is more water resistant than Éclat de Saphir and finally an artwork, Forget me Not on Fabriano Watercolour paper Other inks used are: J Herbin Bouton d'or De Atramentis Document Red SketchInk Klara + Marlene Noodler's Pasternak · Pens used: Kaweco (EF/F/M/B, BB) · What I liked: Putting my water brush in the cartridge and drawing with it · What I did not like: The name not corresponding to the colour 😛 · What some might not like: My review · Shading: It shades · Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper. · Bleed through: Yes, on cheap paper. · Flow Rate: It didn’t gorge the feed like some inks do. · Lubrication: A bit on the dry side · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Ok · Saturation: Pastel · Shading Potential: Nice. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: Easy · Water resistance: Ok, better than Éclat de Saphir. · Availability: cartridges, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Éclat de Saphir (Cartridge) Thanks to @Lithium466 for the cartridge. It’s difficult to review an ink which leaves your indifferent, when writing with. However, I truly enjoyed drawing and doing washes with it. It’s an happy blue It’s like most Herbin inks, it doesn’t like copy paper. I didn’t bother to ink up a flex nib for this one, and @LizEf has done an excellent review of this ink for a Japanese Ef nib. Let's start with the lovely chroma: Writing Samples: Photo: Comparison: Water test: and finally an artwork, Loving Blue The background is Éclat de Saphir, the darker blue is J Herbin Bleu Myosotis, and the outlines are done with Noodler's Polar Brown. and this one was done in homage of @LizEF new kitten, Smoke: the other inks are: Sailor Kiwa guro (Cats J Herbin Bleu Myosotis (Water) J Herbin Éclat de Saphir (Bathtub) J Herbin Bouton d'or Noodler's Polar Brown · Pens used: Kaweco (EF/F/M/B, BB) · What I liked: Chroma, Doing washes. · What I did not like: Writing with it. · What some might not like: The colour · Shading: I didn’t see much. · Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper. · Bleed through: Yes, on cheap paper. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: A bit on the dry side · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Ok · Saturation: Pastel royal blue · Shading Potential: Nope. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: Easy · Water resistance: Ok · Availability: cartridges, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Bleu Pervenche This is one of my oldest bottles of inks and a favorite. It’s a happy turquoise, wet, with below average lubrication. It doesn’t like copy paper, like most Herbins. If you want a turquoise with better lubrication, Monteverde Caribbean Blue is good option. I enjoyed it most with my wettish soft, Ef Japanese nib, and fine to broad nobs in Kaweco. With the TWSBI 580 Stub, it was unpleasant (So wet that I changed the nib to a medium), with the wet noodle flex nib it was not so pleasant flexing. A note about the name. I'm a bit perplexed about the name. Pervenche, which is named after Vinca or Periwinkle is a lilac colour. The dictionary describes the colour, as: Bleu clair tirant sur le mauve. Light Blue on the mauve side.... Let’s start with the chroma: Writing samples: Note the TWSBI is a very wet pen, so was the flex nib, hence the colour change. The colour is a true turquoise and there's no hint of green to the naked eye. Like most Herbins it doesn't like copy Paper. Photo: Comparison: Water test and finally a few artworks, a snowflake: and this little piece is entitled Elf, part of the inktober yearly challenge: Inks used: Brush pen: J Herbin Perle Noire + Bleu Nuit mix Fountain pen: De Atramentis Document Red J Herbin Bleu Pervenche Platinum Carbon Black · Pens used: Pilot F3A Ef, Kaweco (EF/F/M/B), TWSBI 580 Stub 1.1, and Unic vintage flex (wet noodle) · What I liked: Looking forward to emptying all my pens right away. Easy cleaning · What I did not like: Let’s say almost everything. · What some might not like: Dryness. · Shading: I didn’t see anything. · Ghosting: Doesn’t like copy paper very much. · Bleed through: Same as above · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Below average · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Did not notice. · Saturation: Watery coral red. · Shading Potential: Dismal. · Sheen: Faint · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Did not notice. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Easy · Water resistance: Non-existent. · Availability: cartridges, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Violette Pensée (Violet pansy) This is one of my oldest ink bottles (10-15 years old) and nearing the end. Pansy is derived from the French word Pensée (Viola × wittrockiana) There’s nothing much I can say about this ink. It’s wet ink, doesn't likes copy paper and like most purple inks it might stain, so bear that in mind, if using it in a transparent pen. Let's start with the chroma: Writing Samples: Photo: Comparison: Water test: and finally and ink art. I had lots of fun doing this going on a purple madness. I used some bleach to emphasis the mustaches. Note the sheen where excess ink has been put. As @InesF pointed out in this thread, the ink is set, but not dry · Pens used: Pilot F3A Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B, 1.1), Noodler’s Nibcreaper semi-flex · What I liked: A pleasure to write with. · What I did not like: Not waterproof. · What some might not like: It might stain. · Shading: I didn’t see much. · Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper. · Bleed through: Yes, on copy paper. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Decent. · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice · Start-up: No problems. · Saturation: Decently saturated. · Shading Potential: Not much. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): It might. · Clogging: Did not notice. · Cleaning: I used only water. · Water resistance: Ok, but don't bank on it · Availability: cartridge, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Rouge Caroubier I got this on a whim, knowing full well the colour is not the type I would appreciate. I couldn’t find anything redeeming about it, maybe you can 😛 It’s watery ink and lacks in the lubrication department especially if you use dryish pens and scratchy nibs. I was surprised that the other reviewers mentioned quick dry times, in my experience it wasn’t the case. I'm assuming that the colour is named after the Carob tree flower. If I was to get a colour in this shade, I would go for Octopus Koala Red. Let’s start with the boring chroma: Writing samples: I went for humorous Christmas quotes. The colour doesn't seem right here Photo: (artificial light) Comparison: Water test And finally, an "artwork", a quick sketch doodle in a lined notebook. Poor Kitty looks more like a cooked lobster · Pens used: Pilot F3A Ef, Lamy Safari(EF/F/M/B/Stub 1.1), Soennecken semiflex · What I liked: Looking forward to emptying all my pens right away. Easy cleaning 😛 · What I did not like: Let’s say almost everything. · What some might not like: Dryness. · Shading: I didn’t see anything. · Ghosting: Doesn’t like copy paper very much. · Bleed through: Same as above · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Below average · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Did not notice. · Saturation: Watery coral red. · Shading Potential: Dismal. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Did not notice. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Easy · Water resistance: Non-existent. · Availability: cartridges, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Vert Empire I was intrigued by the beautiful green-grey colour of this Herbin ink and I was not disappointed. For me it's an artist ink, mysterious, complex great for washes and very pleasant for writing. Ink is wet, with below average lubrication, massive shading that loves water. Though, like most Herbin inks, it doesn’t like copy paper. Let’s start with the complex chroma: Writing samples: The text is from Pierre Corneille's Le Cid, 1637 tragedy. I've added a link for an English translation for those interested. It doesn't like copy paper as you can see. Photo: Comparison: Water test And finally, an artwork. I’m assuming that Vert Empire is a reference to Napoleon III, hence using his emperorship portrait as a model The red ink is Red Koala by Octopus · Pens used: Pilot F3 Ef, Kaweco Sport (EF/F/M/B/Stub 1.9), Conway Stewart 330 with a oblique flex nib · What I liked: Gorgeous color, shading, drawing and doing washes. · What I did not like: Lack of waterproofness. · What some might not like: Slight dryness. · Shading: Excellent · Ghosting: Doesn’t like copy paper very much. · Bleed through: Same as above · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Slightly below average · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Did not notice. · Saturation: Nope. · Shading Potential: Excellent. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Did not notice. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Easy · Water resistance: Measly. · Availability: cartridges, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Bleu Nuit (Night blue) Is wet, when wet a blurple with low lubrication, transforming into a washed-out denim colour. The colour doesn’t remind me of night but maybe dusk. Ink shades and does not like copy paper. It has some water resistance and is easy to clean. It is one of my first bottles of inks (is over 10 years old), and while not my favorite, I’ve found a new life for it in my Kuretake brush pen to do artwork. It also can be mixed with Perle Noire, to convert it to delicious looking blue blacks. Let's start with the the complex chroma: Writing Samples: There are two texts which I've casually translated: The first, by the French surrealist poet Louis Aragon (1897 – 1982) When I speak of love, my love irritates you, When I say the weather is lovely, you shout "it rains", You say my meadows have too many daisies, and too many stars in my nights, and too much sky in my blue sky... The 2nd is from Pierrot, or the secrets of the night, by the French novelist Michel Tournier (1924-2016) Listen to a marvellous secret: my night is not not black, it is blue. A blue that one can breath... my oven is not black, it's golden, a gold one can eat.... Photo: Comparison: Watertest: and finally a whimsical artwork, named the Red Penguin musing at night. I was reviewing Octopus Brown Penguin and was practicing my penguins Inks used: J Herbin Blue nuit mix with Perle Noire (sky) J Herbin Blue nuit (sea) Octopus Brown Colibri (land) and De Atramentis Document Red Pens used: Pilot 3A Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B, 1.1), Conway Stewart 330 What I liked: Using it with a brush pen, mixing it. Easy cleaning, What I did not like: Dryness, the colour. What some might not like: Same as above, plus it doesn’t like copy paper. Shading: Yes. Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper. Bleed through: Yes, on copy paper. Flow Rate: Wet Lubrication: Low Nib Dry-out: In between nib changes. Start-up: No. Saturation: Low. Shading Potential: Yes, but not dramatic. Sheen: No. Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. Nib Creep / “Crud”: No. Staining (pen): No. Clogging: No Cleaning: Easy-peasy Water resistance: decent Availability: 6 pack cartridges, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Ambre de Birmanie This is a gorgeuos golden honey, warm and legible ink. It made my heart sing in happiness writing with it, despite its idiosyncrasies. It’s a dryish ink with a confusing flow. Let me explain, it was wet, very wet when I filled the pen, but over time the flow was dry. I never thought to say that about a Herbin ink, but it needs a well-sealed pen, otherwise it might have start-up issues, and it doesn't like copy paper at all. It has decent water resistance as you can see. Despite all the shortcomings it's an ink I'm glad I tried and have a 10 ml bottle of. Let's start with the intriguing chroma: Writing samples: It doesn't like copy paper: Photo: Comparison: Water test (24 hr minimum left to dry. I held the left side under running water for 10 seconds) and finally a tiny sketch, I entitled joy: · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B/Stub 1.1), Waterman W2 · What I liked: Color · What I did not like: Very long dry times on Japanese papers, inconsistent flow. · What some might not like: Same as above, feathering on copy paper, dryness · Shading: It’s there. · Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper · Bleed through: Surprisingly yes, on copy paper · Flow Rate: Very wet / Very dry, go figure · Lubrication: Lower than average. · Nib Dry-out: No. · Start-up: Sluggish. · Saturation: Nope · Shading Potential: It’s there. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Surprisingly yes on copy paper. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Easy · Water resistance: · Availability: cartridges, 10 ml, 30 ml. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Rouge Grenat (Garnet Red) I made a mistake between the words Grenade and Grenat (Pomegranate vs Garnet). You'll see a lot of pomegranates in my sketches,.Typical me. Sorry for the confusion. I corrected it, thanks to @Lithium466. I decided to put back the photo: It's kind of cool and the garnets resemble the pomegranate seeds As much as I love the colour in real life, it does not sing to me. Maybe I don’t like red inks and that is it. Let's start with the chroma: Writing samples: As you can see there's a bit of ghost & blood with Hammermill Photo (Tomoe River Paper) Comparison: Water test (After 24 hours) And finally an artwork, not my best, but it's to showcase the range of the ink. and a more humorous one for Inktober 2023 (Dodge) Octopus Fox Grey / Noodler's Bad Green Gator · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Stub, Kaweco Sport (EF/F/M/B), Osmiroid Copperplate nib · What I liked: Really nice with wider nibs, a pleasure to write with. · What I did not like: I thought this would be my colour but alas it isn’t. I'm looking forward to emptying my pens. · Shading: Yes · Ghosting: Yes, on thin copy paper · Bleed through: Same as above. · Flow Rate: Nice. · Lubrication: Good, but finer the nib, scratchy it’ll be. · Nib Dry-out: Not noticed. · Start-up: Not noticed. · Saturation: Yes. · Shading Potential: With wider nibs. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: No · Nib Creep / “Crud”: No. · Staining (pen): It can stain your transparent section. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Not bad for a red ink. · Water resistance: Not bad after 10 seconds under running water. · Availability: 30ml/ 10ml Bottle/6-Pack Cartridges Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

I got this one on a whim, thinking I might need a yellow. It's not suitable for writing as you cannot see what you're doing and while the scan and photos make it legible, I cannot read the page, over powered by this arguably bright yellow. It's a dry ink and wrote awful in the Soennecken. And it was awful to see the colour through the ink window, it looked like golden pee. Yuck! I believe it's only suitable for art work, or mixing to create murky greens for ex. (you know who you are) I'm not sure if you can use it as a highlighter, as it's not waterproof and loves soaking up cheap paper, meaning it'll bleed through. Oh and where sunglasses, you'll be blinded. 😎 Let's start with the Chroma: Writing samples: While it looks legible, it is not. I could not read what I was writing, hence my illegible handwriting. Hammermill 20lb back. This ink hates cheap paper Photos: Comparaison: Watertest: I was so frustrated with this ink that mixed the Lamy convertors of the pen filled with Herbin Perle Noire with this one. I also added a few drops of Perle Noire in the convertor of the Kakuna, and created a nice murky green. I did a writing sample on cheap Hammermill 20lb paper, and chromas of the different mixes: Note the blue in the first one, and fi And finally the only reason to have this ink: to draw the Minions and bananas Inks used: J Herbin Bouton d'or (yellow), Noodler's Apache Sunset A mix of Herbin Perle Noire + Bouton d'or (Murky green) Platinum Carbon Black Ink for the pants: Akkerman Delfts Blauw and water colour and pastel. · Pens used: Pilot Kakuna Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B), Soennecken school pen semi-flex, Jinhao 450 fude · What I liked: For drawing the Minions and bananas , mixing · What I did not like: Illegible, not water resistant and ugly through the ink window. · What some might not like: Illegible It doesn’t like cheap papers. · Shading: Are you kidding me? · Ghosting: On cheap paper · Bleed through: Same as above. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Dry · Nib Dry-out: None · Start-up: None · Saturation: Unsaturated · Shading Potential: You can’t see, so what’s the point? · Sheen: None · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: No · Nib Creep / “Crud”: No. · Staining (pen): No · Clogging: No · Cleaning: Ok · Water resistance: It doesn’t really make a difference does it? · Availability: 10/30 ml bottles, cartridges. I hope it's doesn't exist in 500 ml bottles Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

J Herbin Perle Noire (Black Pearl) My go to black inks for sketching and writing are Platinum Carbon Black and Sailor Kiwaguro. But I wanted to do some artwork and got this on a whim. I had forgotten how wonderful sometimes a shiny black ink can be (much like Japanese Sumi ink, or lamp black inks) and this one delivers. The chroma is unexciting, but there seems to be hint of yellow.... But this was the first ink that tamed the Ef Kakuna steel nib pleasurable. I also enjoyed using it with the Osmiroid with Copperplate nib but paradoxically less in Lamy Safari or the Jinhao with fude nib. Still I managed to use half of the 10 ml bottle. Writing samples: I used quotes by Josephine Baker, inspired by Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine, a tribute to her. Note the yellow in the smudging: It doesn't like Hammermill very much.. Ghosting and bleed through.... What was surprising was how easy it was to clean, despite being a very respectable water-resistant ink. Watertest: Comparaison And now a bit of artwork. The orange ink is Noodler's Apache Sunset. What is interesting is that it turns into gold when in contact with bleach. You can see the bleach/ gold reaction in this piece inspired by @LizEF Adventures of Quin & Makhabesh. (And a huge thanks for giving me permission to do so) The lower part of the page is all done with Herbin Perle Noir. The female Egyptian cat (Noodletitti ) , the little kitten and the lower background (diluted). The gold was created by a glass nib dipped in bleach. (other inks red: Organics Studio, Oscar's Copper, Dark Brown of the staff, and purple sphinx aka Makhabesh PIlot Yamaguri, Background dark brown (right) is Gutenberg Urkundentinte G10, and left is home made pomegranate ink) · Pens used: Pilot Kakuna Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B), Osmiroid Copperplate, Jinhao 450 fude · What I liked: Delicious black, reminds me of sumi ink, great for art, amazing lubrication. · What I did not like: You might have Startup issues if the pen is left uncapped. · What some might not like: It doesn’t like cheap papers. · Shading: No · Ghosting: On cheap paper · Bleed through: Same as above. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Excellent · Nib Dry-out: None · Start-up: None · Saturation: Beautiful shiny black · Shading Potential: Why would you want a black ink to shade? · Sheen: None · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: No · Nib Creep / “Crud”: No. · Staining (pen): No · Clogging: No · Cleaning: Very easy · Water resistance: Very good · Availability: 10/30/500 ml bottles, cartridges. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

A couple of years ago I bought a bottle of J Herbin Cacao du Bresil ink because a wanted a greyish brown ink. It turned out to be bluish grey. Have any of you bought this ink recently? What colour did it have? I am thinking of ordering another bottle but want the brown version.

Larmes de Cassis, translates to tears of blackcurrant, a poetic way of describing, crème de cassis, I assume, a liqueur added to white wine (kir) or champagne (kir royal). Note that in French, only the first letter of the title is capitalized only (Larmes de cassis). Writing samples: All quotes are by French authors, noblesse oblige Photo: Ink is on the dry side, wet, watery with low lubrication and is surprisingly water resistant. Left side was held under running water for 10 seconds. I enjoyed writing with it. I won’t recommend it for thin, absorbent paper, unless you have a light touch and use a finer nib. This is a Hammermill copy paper: First line is a medium nib. 2nd fude, third reverse fude, to create a fine line, quite a bit of ghost and bleeding.... Comparaison: And finally an art work. I participate in the yearly inktober. Here is a play on Giant and Tear: There are too many inks too name, but the giant tear is Larmes dec Cassis · Pens used: Lamy Safari (Ef/F/M/B), Conway Steward 330 (Vintage flex oblique), Jinhao 450, (Fude nib) · What I liked: beautiful colour, good water resistance, and poetic name. Easy cleaning. · What I did not like: Very long dry times, watery ink. · Shading: None · Ghosting: Not on good paper. · Bleed through: Not on good paper. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: On the dry side. · Nib Dry-out: None · Start-up: None · Saturation: Nice · Shading Potential: Dismal · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Not noticed. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: No. · Staining (pen): No · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Easy. A midnight soak for Safari and it was clean as a whistle. The vintage pen was a bit more time consuming. · Water resistance: Quite good. The more absorbent the paper, the better the water resistance. · Availability: 10 ml / 30 ml bottles/cartridges. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier