Jacques Herbin – Iris Sagesse

[yazeh]

Jacques Herbin – Iris Sagesse

 

Ink Review # 229

 

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 🧾 Description

 

 

This ink is part of a new series available in 10 and 30 ml bottles. It appears that newer bottles in the classic line are now labelled “Jacques Herbin.”

 

 

 

This ink is just gorgeous. With dry pens like a Lamy, it writes a pinkish colour and dries into a lovely spring iris blurple. 

The writing experience is out of this world, especially after reviewing several inks lacking in the lubrication department. It made most of my nibs sing. 

 

The ink can stain transparent sections and it’s a pain to clean. I needed a cleaning solution. Despite that, I really enjoyed writing, sketching, and drawing with it. 

 

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🧪 Chroma

 

 

 

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✍️ Writing Samples (scan)

Quotes: 

 

“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”

Albert Camus, (1913–1960) — philosopher, novelist

“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Jean Giono (1895–1970) — novelist

“The beauty of a flower lies in its fragility.”

Paul Valéry (1871–1945) — poet, essayist

“To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees.”

Paul Valéry (1871–1945) — poet, essayist

 “The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”

Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) — philosopher, essayist

 

Rhodia / Iroful

 

 

 

Midori /Tomoe River 68gsm

Note: Tomoe River used here is 68 gsm, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews.

 

 

 

Hammermill 20lb  

 

 

 

 📸 Photo

Rhodia/ Iroful

 

 

 

Midori / Tomoe River 68 gsm

 

 

 

Hammermill 20 lb copy paper

 

 

 

Closeup

 

 

 

 🔍 Comparison

Col-O-ring. Scans are approximative. 

 

 

 

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 💧 Water Test

 

 

 

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 🎨 Artwork

Too Much Sake in the Iris Garden!

I copied and combined two different Japanese art forms with my cat & mouse theme.

 

Jacques Herbin Iris Sagesse (purple), Gris Galet (grey), and Vert Forêt (green), Octopus WD Bunny Orange, Uniball Signo White gel pen, Fabriano watercolor paper.

 

 

Dreaming of Spring

I used a mix of water colour and ink with my Cat & Mouse theme.

 

Watercolour, mauve and yellow, Inks: Jacques Herbin Iris Sagesse, Vert Fôret, Girs Galet, Sailor Shikiori Sasabune, Tintenlabor Lärchengold, Fabriano watercolour paper.

 

 

Iris

Miniature: A play of words with iris.

 

Ackerman fountain pen with Leonardt Principal nib, Diamine Grey, Jacques Herbin Iris Sagesse, Bleu Azur, Talens Mixed Media Square Sketchbook. 

 

 

 

Inktober Prompt 8: Pretend

 

Cat & Mouse love to pretend they are heroes from a different time & age.

 

Inspired by an 18th century painting.

 

Ackerman fountain pen fitted with Leonardt Principal EF nib.

Jacques Herbin Iris Sagesse (purple), Inkebara Sand (golden tan), Fanyantan Sakura Blizzard (murky tan), Diamine Grey.

 

 

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- Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1), Hongdian Forrest Blade nib, Noodler’s Nib Creaper with Waterman W2 nib

- What I Liked: Lubrication, Lovely colour. 

- What I Did Not Like: Lack of water resistance. Cleaning. 

- Writing Experience: Cushiony, pillowy. 

- Pros: Beautiful rich colour, lubrication. Price, small bottles. 

- Cons: Can stain and needs cleaning solution.  

 

 🧷 Ink Characteristics

 

- Shading: Subtle. 

- Ghosting: Faint

- Bleed Through: A bit on copy paper.  

- Flow Rate: Wet.

- Lubrication: Out of this world. 

- Nib Dry-out: No.

- Start-up: No.

- Saturation: Gorgeous. 

- Sheen: No.

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

- Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.

- Staining (Pen):

- Clogging: No.

- Cleaning: A pain. Ok with a cleaning solution. 

- Water Resistance: No. 

 

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 🛒 Availability

 

- Available in 10/30 ml bottles worldwide. 

 

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  💬 Closing

I enjoyed using this ink despite its flaws. The lubrication and the vibrancy of the colour were a pleasure to use, and I was sorry to flush my pens.  It’s for those who look for a vibrant purple. 

 

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.  

 

 

 

[Lithium466]

Excellent review, thank you! Love the flower art!

So fantastic lubrication? It seems Herbin really turned around on that lately, with several of their ink releases.

 

[yazeh]

9 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

Excellent review, thank you!

Welcome!

9 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

Love the flower art!

Thanks!

9 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

So fantastic lubrication?

Yes many of them have better lubrication. All of this series but Vert Forêt, which was surprising.  

9 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

It seems Herbin really turned around on that lately, with several of their ink releases.

Yep it's a far cry from the watery inks of the classic line.  

[Lithium466]

Oh that is surprising for vert forêt, it seems less frequent for dark saturated inks to lack lubrication.

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Oh that is surprising for vert forêt, it seems less frequent for dark saturated inks to lack lubrication.

I was surprised too. Vert Métro was so juicy and lovely to write with.

 

[LizEF]

Great review, @yazeh!  As you know, this is one of my favorite colors!  I mean purple and blue, what's not to love!

 

Great quotes.  I particularly like the "To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees." What fabulous insight!

 

Apparently this flower doesn't like water.  Good thing mouse brought his umbrella!

 

But of course, we're here for the drawings, and I absolutely love them, especially the flower drawings.  And are those Mousecateers in that last one? 

 

Wonderful eye-candy and a happy good morning.  Thanks!

[inkstainedruth]

@yazeh -- OOOOOOOH!  Love the color of this one!  And the artwork is exquisite!  

This one is definitely getting added to the "Want!  Must HAAAAAVE!" list  I tend to over-flush pens in general, so suspect that this one won't be any worse than flushing Noodler's Akhmatova out of something that seemed to be leaking from the section (sigh -- Yet Another™ pen for the "to be repaired" list; probably will cost more to fix than I paid for the pen -- a Sheaffer No Nonsense -- in the first place...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Sailor Kenshin]

Waterproof?  I think not!  
 

Pretty spring/floral color, even though I am not a blurple fan.  But it makes the sketches and artwork sing!  

 

We once had irises growing.  Can't recall what happened to them, but this is nostalgic.

 

Thanks for this review, @yazeh.  They are always a treat.

[inkstainedruth]

Well, depending on where you live, marauding deer may have gotten to them, like they did with the ones I planted after getting the bulbs at a thing at Phipps Conservatory a number of years ago.  Planted them in a circle around a little pillar that had a gazing ball on it in my front yard.  And just as they were starting to bud the following spring?  Some "hoofed rat" went around and bit all the buds off one night.... 😡

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

Great review, @yazeh!  As you know, this is one of my favorite colors!  

It's not ball pointy, if you used with a wet nib. 😛

 

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

 I mean purple and blue, what's not to love!

What's love got to do with it?

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

Great quotes.  I particularly like the "To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees." What fabulous insight!

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

Apparently this flower doesn't like water.  Good thing mouse brought his umbrella!

Actually some Iris love water and grow in bogs. But I know what you mean.

 

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

But of course, we're here for the drawings, and I absolutely love them, especially the flower drawings. 

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

And are those Mousecateers in that last one? 

You got that one.

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

Wonderful eye-candy and a happy good morning.  Thanks!

Thanks Hope you had a good morning too.

 

[knarflj]

I don't think it's my colour, but I really love all the drawings.  Thank you!

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

@yazeh -- OOOOOOOH!  Love the color of this one!

Glad you like this one! Plus you can get the 10 ml bottles. Your wallet would love this.  

 

5 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

 And the artwork is exquisite!  

Thanks!

5 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

This one is definitely getting added to the "Want!  Must HAAAAAVE!" list  I tend to over-flush pens in general, so suspect that this one won't be any worse than flushing Noodler's Akhmatova out of something that seemed to be leaking from the section (sigh -- Yet Another™ pen for the "to be repaired" list; probably will cost more to fix than I paid for the pen -- a Sheaffer No Nonsense -- in the first place...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

The purple dye is persistent. It's best to have the ammonia mix or any commercial pen flush nearby. I recently cleaned a Preppy out of a dried out De Atramentis Document Red. Lots of soaking at first, then pen flush and pen jacuzzi, relieved the pen of its gunk.  

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Waterproof?  I think not!  

 

5 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Pretty spring/floral color, even though I am not a blurple fan.

To my eyes it's more of a purple.  

5 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 But it makes the sketches and artwork sing!  

Yes. It's fun ink for ink washes

5 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

We once had irises growing.  Can't recall what happened to them, but this is nostalgic.

There are so many. I personally love the tiny Iris reticulata in spring. Pity they could be sometimes unreliable.   

5 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thanks for this review, @yazeh.  They are always a treat.

Most welcome. Appreciate your comments. 🙏

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Well, depending on where you live, marauding deer may have gotten to them, like they did with the ones I planted after getting the bulbs at a thing at Phipps Conservatory a number of years ago.  Planted them in a circle around a little pillar that had a gazing ball on it in my front yard.  And just as they were starting to bud the following spring?  Some "hoofed rat" went around and bit all the buds off one night.... 😡

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I get you. Thankfully dear aren't in the city. But we have one hungry groundhog that ate the one time I tried to grow Kale. Now we seem to have a wayward "wabbit".  

 

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, knarflj said:

I don't think it's my colour, but I really love all the drawings.  Thank you!

You're most welcome. 🙏

[Theotime]

Like knarflj said. Not a color for me (it feels like a weird in-between), but the drawings are amazing. Thanks for the review!

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, Theotime said:

Like knarflj said. Not a color for me (it feels like a weird in-between),

 

2 hours ago, Theotime said:

but the drawings are amazing.

Thank you so much. 🙏

2 hours ago, Theotime said:

Thanks for the review!

Most welcome. 🙏

[Baggins]

Just got to this review now.

The staining bit makes it a no-go for me, the color though is quite nice 👍 

Your art is so, so good 😊!

Thank you for sharing 🙏

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, Baggins said:

Just got to this review now.

The staining bit makes it a no-go for me, the color though is quite nice 👍 

 

1 hour ago, Baggins said:

Your art is so, so good 😊!

Thanks!

1 hour ago, Baggins said:

Thank you for sharing 🙏

Welcome. 🙏