Rohrer And Klingner Sketchink - Thea

[ErrantSmudge]

Rohrer & Klingner SketchINK - Thea

This is from Rohrer & Klingner's new line of "Sketch" inks. These are nano-pigment based inks that work in fountain pens. This is different from most other fountain pen inks, which are dye-based.

I picked up two Sketch inks at the the LA pen show from the Anderson Pens booth, and I wanted to write this quick review to share my thoughts on one of them. (The other was Marlene, a bright blue).

Color

Thea is a complex grey, with warm undertones. I bought it thinking I could use it for sketches, with grey being a versatile color to work with in combination with other colors.

Shading/Sheening

Thea does shade a bit on both Clairefontaine and Tomoe River, but I would say it puts down a flatter line than many other inks . I haven't seen any sheening on the papers I have tried it with.

Dry Time

Dry time is on the fast side of inks I have tested with Clairefontaine paper.

Pen Friendliness

I'm currently using the ink in a $1 Jinhao pen I picked up at the show. The pen has a transparent barrel. After sitting in the pen for a few days, I can see sediment collecting in the converter and the feed. If I shake the pen, the sediment goes back into solution. This is also the case with the ink in the bottle; R&K advises shaking the bottle before filling.

I would not allow this ink to dry out in any pen I care about. I will to confine its use to inexpensive pens.

Water Resistance

Thea is permanent (waterproof) when dry, but you can do washes with a water brush before it dries. Here's a sample of some doodles on Tomoe River paper, washed with a Caran D'Ache water brush.

Edited March 2, 2018 by ErrantSmudge

[Inkling13]

Interesting. I wish it was a bit more saturated, but I am glad there are other pigmented inks out there as options.

[linearM]

It looks like an interesting ink. Most of the browns I use for sketching give a yellow, green, or red tone when I use a waterbrush on them. I like the fact that Thea seems to stay a more or less neutral tone. One disadvantage is the fact that going over the ink to create a wash must be done while the ink is still wet rather than doing it when the ink has dried which I am able to do with most dye based inks.

 

It sounds like an ink for an inexpensive pen and one worth trying. Thanks for the review.

[visvamitra]

I like these inks. I'd like to try this one as well.

[Torrilin]

I don’t have a sample of this. Thought HARD about it, but I tend to get upset at grey lines for being too pencily. I’m not sure if this will set me off or not, but maybe not? It feels a lot warmer than most graphite greys, edging towards brown.

 

(Matters not helped by the fact that a lot of greys edge towards blue, and I’m even fussier about blue)

[ENewton]

How would you compare this ink to Rohrer and Klingner Sepia? It looks quite similar.

[rudyhou]

a nice greyish-brown. reminds me of J.Herbin cacao de brasil.

[ErrantSmudge]

How would you compare this ink to Rohrer and Klingner Sepia? It looks quite similar.

 

Unfortunately, I don't have a sample of R&K Sepia to post a comparison.

[brandoncahall]

I've never posted any photos before, but because I have both of these inks I thought I should try. I just took a photo with my phone of the two inks on Tomoe River paper (Seven Seas 5mm Crossfield) and Caliber Note paper (just cheap CVS Store brand paper which is actually quite good for fountain pens - rarely does any ink feather, even in a flex pen, but there is some showthrough with some inks and some bleedthrough with flex). I've no idea how this will look posted, but perhaps it will be helpful to someone.

 

Edited March 8, 2018 by brandoncahall

[ENewton]

I've never posted any photos before, but because I have both of these inks I thought I should try. I just took a photo with my phone of the two inks on Tomoe River paper (Seven Seas 5mm Crossfield) and Caliber Note paper (just cheap CVS Store brand paper which is actually quite good for fountain pens - rarely does any ink feather, even in a flex pen, but there is some showthrough with some inks and some bleedthrough with flex). I've no idea how this will look posted, but perhaps it will be helpful to someone.

 

 

Thank you for this helpful comparison!

[lgsoltek]

Thanks for the comparison! Just as I suspected, these pigmented inks are quite undersaturated. I think they are made this way to reduce the risk of clogging.

[brandoncahall]

Thanks for the comparison! Just as I suspected, these pigmented inks are quite undersaturated. I think they are made this way to reduce the risk of clogging.

 

You're very welcome. That makes sense re the clogging. I do rather like several of the Sketch Inks, but much like the OP's experience, the ink separates, showing sediment/pigment, rather quickly and requires some shaking of the bottle/converter after sitting for even an hour (perhaps sooner, but that's what I've noticed). I've not seen that with other pigmented inks (Sailor Nano / Platinum).

[amberleadavis]

Thank you!

 

My daughter tried these thanks to ES and she was surprised they were so unsaturated but then she plays with my extreme inks.