Multi-Layered, Multi-Color Inks

[HalloweenHJB]

I just acquired a Kobe ink that started me thinking about certain inks that are a combination of colors, but the colors are actually distinct —like a Seurat painting, your eye blends them.

 

I noticed it first with R&K Alt Goldgrün, and now it's even more pronounced with Kobe #57 Hydrangea [Himeajisai]. You can see the layered colors very clearly with a drop on a paper towel:

 

 

Kobe #57 is very obviously a lilac violet color AND a brilliant blue. The light was not as good to show Alt Goldgrün, but there are several different colors of green that separate out on the paper towel.

 

Has anyone else (Visvamitra, for certain) noticed this with other inks?

[Tas]

I adore these complex ink formulas and am always facinated by the way they play tricks on us.

Complex blacks, Ellis Island, Nurebairo by Kyonooto, Leipziger Schwarz, even good old Parker Quink Black etc are amongst my favourite blacks because of it.

Just flicking through my swatches . . .Sailor Cigar, Brown Algae, Rikyu Cha, Diamine Earl Grey, the brand new KWZ Confereration Brown, Stipula Grigio Fumo, Cacao de Brazil, KWZ Hunter Green and Zhivago all seem to have a halo of seperate colour around them when seperated by water or paper towel.

 

I wonder what others members will discover . . . Thank you

Edited November 24, 2017 by Tas

[Jan2016]

So many.....

 

Look at my compact reviews, at the right side of the page there is a chromo.

 

Some are pieces of art....

 

Just posted Alt-grun

[Jan2016]

Just a few picks:

 

Noodler's Rome Burning

Iroshizuku Ina-Ho

Sailor BungBox Omaezaki no Yu-yake

Noodler's Red Black

Robert Oster Green Olive

Kobe Ink Taisanji Yellow 21

Kobe Ink Shinkaichi Gold 22

Sailor Tokiwa Matsu

Pelikan Edelstein Smokey Quartz

J. Herbin Lie de The

KWZ Brown Pink

Noodler's House Divided

J. Herbin Rouille D'Ancre

KWZ Ink Honey

Sailor Waka Uguisu

[chromantic]

Yama-dori and Tokiwa Matsu. For a chromagraph, though, it's hard to beat Kana-cho Midnight - black > violet > green > turquoise.

 

Oops, guess I was mis-remembering, tried it again and there's no green, just black, violet and turquoise. Still very pretty. Petrol has the same black and turquoise, but no violet.

Edited November 24, 2017 by chromantic

[HalloweenHJB]

No wonder I hadn't noticed it very often before —I have almost none of the inks that have been mentioned by Tas or Jan2016. I may have to investigate some of these...

[Jan2016]

So many inks, so little time....

[Jan2016]

And now I want to have Kana-cho Midnight - black

[chromantic]

And now I want to have Kana-cho Midnight - black

 

See my edited post. Kana-cho is still worth having, though.

[crahptacular]

A lot of inks which have multiple dye components show them in washes as well as in their chromatography. I try to make a note of that sort of behavior in reviews whenever I notice it. Some of the more memorable ones from reviews I can recall (most have been mentioned already) include Oconto, Nurebairo, Kanocho Midnight, MInatojima Island Blue, Waterfront Dusk, Himeajisai, and Tokiwa-Matsu. Earlier today, I was just playing with the new Franklin-Christoph ink Honeycomb, which has at least three distinct components, and Rikyu-Cha, which, rather unusually, looks just as complex in ordinary use as it does in washes/chromatography. I'll probably review Honeycomb soon, once I get back to my scanner; it's quite interesting when playing with water.

 

Based on personal experience, I think browns and dirty greens are probably the most likely colors to have complex formulae. Deeper blues also seem to commonly have either blue/purple or blue/green dual compositions. Purples tend to separate slightly into the lighter red/pink portion and a deeper purple. On the other hand, I can't recall seeing a single red ink display this sort of behavior.

 

 

 

@Jan2016 - Kano-Cho Midnight is highly recommended

[Jan2016]

@chromantic:

too late... you already planted the seed

I have to get it....

 

@crahptacular:

you sum it up pretty good.

 

Franklin-Christoph Urushi Red is interesting

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/326559-franklin-christoph-urushi-red-compact-review/?p=3905634

 

but that is already not a " real" red

 

Kobe Ink Ijinkan Red

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/326726-kobe-ink-ijinkan-red-4-compact-review/?p=3908085

 

and that pretty much sums it up for the reds I have

[HalloweenHJB]

 

Based on personal experience, I think browns and dirty greens are probably the most likely colors to have complex formulae. Deeper blues also seem to commonly have either blue/purple or blue/green dual compositions. Purples tend to separate slightly into the lighter red/pink portion and a deeper purple. On the other hand, I can't recall seeing a single red ink display this sort of behavior.

 

 

Interesting. I'm taking note of some of the inks that I would use on a regular basis.

 

And, yes, I think you're right about reds in general (except for red-pinks and perhaps red-oranges). I'll have to try some more experiments this weekend...

[Jan2016]

Was thinking a little bit more...

 

In general:

 

Robert Oster: most of his inks are "complicated" and have complex formula's

 

Noodler's: talking about complex formula's... he has a lot of very interesting and complex inks

[wallylynn]

Yeah, many Noodlers are marketed and sold specifically for the multi color aspect. Whaleman sepia has 3 layers of colors: a washable, a bleachable, and lastly bulletproof. Blue Nosed bear was designed to halo when writing (not just during paper towel chromatography). I had a sample but never got it to work right. Dry pen - no halo. Wet pen - too much bleedthrough.

 

 

[Jan2016]

On the subject of Halo....:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/329891-halo-ing-inks/?p=3954976

[displacermoose]

I love these kinds of inks, too. In general, I avoid "pure" colors. Jetpens had "last chance" on all of my favorite complex Sailor inks this morning leading me to buy backup bottles in a panic.

[Margana]

[HalloweenHJB]

 

 

NICE!!

[Jan2016]

BTW all of my "Compact Reviews" have a chromo on the right side of the page, which can give an impression about how "multi-layered" or " multi-colored" an ink is