Journalize Starwave Meadow

[yazeh]

Journalize Starwave Meadow

 

Ink Review # 210

 

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🧾 Description

 

Journalize is a Hong Kong-based company. Inks are made in Hungary, boxed in France, and stamped in Hong Kong. 

 

Ink is lovely sea-glass blue-green colour with gold shimmer. 

 

Ink was atrocious with Pilot Kakuno, great with Kaweco Sport, and OK with Kanwrite flex. 

The amount of shimmer in the feed is frightening. (Check photos)

 

There’s some shading. Dry times are relatively long on Rhodia. Colour is not suited for cream-coloured papers like Midori. It behaves decently on copy paper, though I cannot fathom why anyone would like to write on copy paper with shimmer ink.   

 

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🧪 Chroma

 

 

 

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✍️ Writing Samples (scan)

Rhodia  / Iroful

 

 

 

Midori  /Tomoe River 68gsm

Colour is off.  

 

 

Hammermill 20lb  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 📸 Photo

Rhodia/ Iroful

 

 

 

Midori / Tomoe River 68 gsm

 

 

 

Shimmer

 

 

 

 🔍 Comparison

 

 

 

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 💧 Water Test

 

 

 

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 🎨 Artwork

Eternal, in Life and Beyond

The brand Journalize was inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night, so I decided to attempt a drawing in his style with my cat and mouse in a psychedelic mood.

 

I took multiple photos to show off the shimmer. 

 

Inks:

Journalize Starwave Meadow (shimmer)

Tintenlabor Basalt (iron gall)

Paper:

Talens Mixed Media

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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- Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Kaweco SPort (EF/F/M/B/ BB/Stub 1.9) Kanwrite with a FPR Flex.

- What I Liked: Colour. Ink washes, drops of inks.  

- What I Did Not Like: Shimmer, clogging. 

- What Some Might Not Like: Same as above. 

- Writing Experience: Ok with some pens. So, so with others. 

- Pros: Lovely colours. 

- Cons: Shimmer, price. 

 

 🧷 Ink Characteristics

 

- Shading: Yes. 

- Ghosting: Decent u to M nib. 

- Bleed Through: From BB onward.

- Flow Rate: Ok. 

- Lubrication: Ok. 

- Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. 

- Start-up: It can clog. Needs either a water brush or a bit of priming. 

- Saturation: Nope. 

- Sheen: Don’t be so greedy. 

- Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice.

- Nib Creep / Crud: Shimmer, baby, shimmer.

- Staining (Pen): Nope. 

- Clogging: Yes. 

- Cleaning: I used pen jacuzzi with this one. 

- Water Resistance: OK. 

 

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 🛒 Availability

 

- Available in 30ml bottles worldwide. 

 

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 💬 Closing

 

If you like shimmer inks and Van Gogh, this ink is for you. If not it’s not for you.  

 

No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review.

 

Please don’t hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments — the more the merrier.  

 

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

Interesting color (not sure I care for it, although it *is* interesting.  But between the shimmer particles and what appears to be a very slow dry time with a nib that might be able to handle the particles?  This is an ink I can pass on.  

Thanks as usual, though, for the comprehensive review and the fun artwork.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

  Oh, that’s a lovely ink, and your art in this psychedelic style with this ink is stunning! I’m a big Journalize Inks fan, but I haven’t tried any in a pen, just the Hocoro fude. While I think some of my pens can work with it, they are still being used with other inks. 

[yazeh]

18 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Interesting color (not sure I care for it, although it *is* interesting.  But between the shimmer particles and what appears to be a very slow dry time with a nib that might be able to handle the particles?  This is an ink I can pass on.  

I'm happy that your wallet is happy!  

18 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Thanks as usual, though, for the comprehensive review and the fun artwork.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Most welcome. Glad my art work is fun. 🙏

 

[yazeh]

13 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

  Oh, that’s a lovely ink, and your art in this psychedelic style with this ink is stunning!

Thanks! I was just trying to badly imitate Van Gogh. 🙏

13 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

I’m a big Journalize Inks fan, but I haven’t tried any in a pen, just the Hocoro fude.

I recently discovered them. I like to live dangerously and use fountain pens.  

13 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

While I think some of my pens can work with it, they are still being used with other inks. 

I would only use a pen that can be easily dismantled and ideally if you have a pen jacuzzi for afterwards. It's frightening when one sees the shimmer particles in the water afterwards. It'll like a shimmer pool party. Give me IG ink any day.

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

I love the artwork, but waved byebye to shimmer inks a while back.   Though I'm staring at the inkdrop.   👀

 

Thanks, @yazeh, for boldly going where no pen has gone before!

[yazeh]

6 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I love the artwork,

  

 

6 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

but waved byebye to shimmer inks a while back.  

Me too. But as a reviewer, I get dragged into it.  

6 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Though I'm staring at the inkdrop.   👀

It's pretty isn't it. Beware of shiny things. They are not all equal. Settle for diamond.  

6 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

Thanks, @yazeh, for boldly going where no pen has gone before!

Most welcome. Glad it was entertaining and useful  

[LizEF]

Thanks, @yazeh!  This is a brand I've heard of, fairly recently, but never tried (and likely won't for at least 4 years  ).  It's nice to see some less-familiar brands getting some coverage.

 

I'm guessing the scans are closer to the actual color, but I do like the blue shade in the photograph of Iroful.  

 

But the real fun is that drawing!  I love it!  Starry Night is my favorite Van Gogh, and I recognized your "spin" on it right away.

 

Great drawing, and great review!

[yazeh]

10 hours ago, LizEF said:

Thanks, @yazeh! 

 

10 hours ago, LizEF said:

This is a brand I've heard of, fairly recently, but never tried (and likely won't for at least 4 years  ). 

Four years is a long time. Hope you'll have fun inks to review.

 

 

10 hours ago, LizEF said:

It's nice to see some less-familiar brands getting some coverage.

I enjoy doing them. It expands my horizons.

 

10 hours ago, LizEF said:

I'm guessing the scans are closer to the actual color, but I do like the blue shade in the photograph of Iroful.  

Actually the photographs are closer. Its somewhere between green and blue.

 

10 hours ago, LizEF said:

But the real fun is that drawing!  I love it!  Starry Night is my favorite Van Gogh, and I recognized your "spin" on it right away.

 

Wow. I'm amazed. I had the thought a few weeks ago. Did a preliminary draft and then got caught in Inktober. It was frightening to try to emulate Van Gogh. But I did it.

10 hours ago, LizEF said:

Great drawing, and great review!

Thanks!

[knarflj]

Well, the shimmer's not for me, but it's lovely to look at--especially the artwork!  Thanks for another excellent review.

[yazeh]

20 minutes ago, knarflj said:

Well, the shimmer's not for me, but it's lovely to look at--especially the artwork!  Thanks for another excellent review.

Most Welcome! Glad it was useful.