Ink Review : Diamine Schubert (Music Collection)

[namrehsnoom]

Ink Review : Diamine Schubert (Music Collection)

 

 

Pen : Lamy AL-Star, M-nib

Paper : Rhodia N°16 notepad 80 gsm

 

 

Review

 

Vienna, autumn of 1821, banks of the Danube river

Greetings wanderer, my name is Franz Peter Schubert and I am enjoying my afternoon walk along the banks of our famous Danube river. Thunderclouds are gathering and the sky is gleaming with a magical light, that colours the river a deep green-blue. This setting inspires my muse - I've got an idea for a wonderfully complex piece. I think I'll call it "Wanderer Fantasy".

 

In 2015 Diamine released the Music Collection, a set of ten subdued and seriuous-looking inks named after well-known composers. In this review, we take a closer look at Schubert - after the above introduction, you're sure to remember that this is a green-blue ink.

 

 

Diamine Schubert fits in the spectrum of blue-green colours, but leans heavily towards the green side. Personally, I find it a rather dreary colour that's not really to my taste - dirty riverwater indeed ;-) Me, I like my blue-greens more on the bluish side, like Iroshizuku ku-jaku or Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine. In broader nibs, the ink looks more lively and exhibits more shading. But still, this colour is not really my thing.

 

OK - but how does it behave on paper ? For this, I did some tests:

• Rhodia N°16 notepad 80 gsm - drying time 15-20 seconds, no feathering, no show-through nor bleed-through.
• Paperblanks journal paper - drying time 10-15 seconds, no feathering, no show-through and no bleed-through. Looks better on this off-white paper.
• Generic notepad paper 70 gsm - drying time ~10 seconds, no feathering, no show-through, bleed-through only on the ink-swab.
• Moleskine journal - drying time ~5 seconds ! No feathering, significant show-through and bleed-through.
• Tomoe River paper - drying time ~20 seconds, no feathering, some show-through, no bleed through (with the exception of minimal bleed-through on the ink-swab).
• Original Crown Mill cotton paper - drying time ~10 seconds, no feathering, no show-through and no bleed-through.

Technically, Schubert does really well on a wide variety of paper, and even behaves on the lower quality ones. In a Moleskine journal, it is perfectly usable if you use only one side of the page. In my opinion, the ink looks nicer on off-white, more yellowish paper. On white paper, I'm not a fan of the colour.

 

The ink is reasonably smudge-resistant, and exhibits a fair water-resistance. Even after 30 seconds of running tap-water, I still had no difficulty reading what remains. On the 15 minute droplet test, the ink did behave poorly - in this case the text has all but vanished.

 

Conclusion

 

Diamine Schubert is a well-behaving ink on a broad range of paper, and has a fairly OK water resistance. Technically - I see nothing wrong with this ink. But for a teal ink, I personally find it too green for my taste. The resulting colour is not to my liking. In my opinion, blue-greens only look nice when they are closer to the blue side of the spectrum.

 

my overall score: B

 

 

 

 

 

[visvamitra]

Excellent review. I'll be honest thoygh - I really, REALLY, can't wait to see your reviews of L'Artisan Pastellier inks

[Kenlowe]

Interesting and comprehensive review, thank you.

[T4TEXAS]

Superb review! My eye agrees; I keep looking at it, trying to see more blue.

[lapis]

Thanks... I really, really like your review... but me, too, I really don't like the colour of the ink. I'd say that that does fit to a lot of his songs, maybe even to his Trout Quintet, but not to his later piano sonatas. Speaking of trouts, I wouldn't mind Diamine opting for further composers...

 

[Old_Inkyhand]

Great review! I agree with your opinion about the colour. I prefer the bluer teals. However, I have ordered an Xperia Z5 smartphone in greenish teal finish and I wonder if I'll be happy with the colour.

[0xabad1dea]

It's funny, I never would have named teal as one of my favorite colors until I started collecting inks this past year. (My favorite color is orange followed by pink.) But now I want every green-blue ink upon the earth...

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the review.

This is one I can pass on (not enamored of the color at all) -- but reviews of inks I *don't* want are better for my wallet than the ones which make me go "Waaaant! Must HAAAAVE!"

Ironically, I know someone who just dyed her hair about this shade of teal.... Looks great on her (if a little startling).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[fugel]

Thanks... I really, really like your review... but me, too, I really don't like the colour of the ink. I'd say that that does fit to a lot of his songs, maybe even to his Trout Quintet, but not to his later piano sonatas. Speaking of trouts, I wouldn't mind Diamine opting for further composers...

 

 

+ 1

 

possibly the best rock album ever made?

 

;-)