The Perfect Periwinkle

[sombrueil]

Periwinkle isn't merely my favorite color, it's sort of a primal urge. I'll buy almost anything that color. So it's good that it's rarely found. In ink as well, I have not found my periwinkle, and I wonder if there's any I have not tried.

 

Periwinkle is a blued violet. Or, a cool medium violet blue.  It is the color of the periwinkle flower, Vinca. 

Inks I have bought in the hopes of finding periwinkle in ink form:

Pilot Iroshizuku Ajisai: this is close, but too blue to be true periwinkle. It's vibrant and in fact a gorgeous color.

Robert Oster GoGo: even closer in color, but rather pale. I wish it wasn't so pastel.

Sailor Manyo Nadeshiki:  paler and bluer than Go Go. Wild shading though. 
Diamine China Blue: this is blue, not periwinkle.

I tried Robert Oster Cosmic Swirl as a sample and it was very very light, almost too light to read. It's the right color and maybe in a different pen ... but now I don't have it any more. The other I have not tried which appears likely is Pilot Iroshizuku Jirojin. That will be my next purchase. 

Are there others out there? 




 

[InkyProf]

Only thing I have that comes close is Montblanc Masters of Art Homage to Jean-Pierre Renoir Bleu Outremer, but I think it's probably still not quite violet enough for you. I'll be interested to see what else turns up here.

[sombrueil]

Interesting color! But I'm not paying $55 bucks for a bottle of any color of ink.

[Lithium466]

Maybe Kobe #56?

[Penguincollector]

Faber -Castell Violet Blue?

[Lithium466]

1 minute ago, Penguincollector said:

Faber -Castell Violet Blue?

+1, and the cheap version, Jinhao violet blue.

Diamine Jacaranda too, perhaps.

[Penguincollector]

Just now, Lithium466 said:

+1, and the cheap version, Jinhao violet blue.

Diamine Jacaranda too, perhaps.

  Ooh, I forgot Jacaranda- I like that one, and Gala from last year, if Jacaranda is too blue. I think I have a cartridge of the Jinhao, might have to try it soon. 

[InkyProf]

5 hours ago, sombrueil said:

But I'm not paying $55 bucks for a bottle of any color of ink.

 

Is that what it's selling for now? I wouldn't buy it at that price either, which (he said in his defense) is 37% more than I paid last year (and I also found the special edition MB packaging a little precious: it's a consumable, people, not an heirloom). Sorry for the lavender herring. 🙂

 

 

[sombrueil]

I love that Kobe #156, but I can't find it in the States, it's out of stock in the few places that carries it. I can't find Diamine Jacaranda or Gala either. But I have not given up!

[InkyProf]

2 hours ago, sombrueil said:

I love that Kobe #156, but I can't find it in the States, it's out of stock in the few places that carries it. I can't find Diamine Jacaranda or Gala either. But I have not given up!

 

https://yosekastationery.com/products/nagasawa-kobe-ink-no-56-rokko-shichidanka-1?srsltid=AfmBOopVieS9AxZDpmMDX4G0XDtZBEeSgAhWYtKYlnzYCROSPXJhBOao

[Carrau]

 Noodler’s used to make Periwinkle, but if I recall it had performance issues.

 

https://www.dromgooles.com/products/noodlers-periwinkle-1oz-

bottled-ink

 

Another possibility is Sailor Manyo Nadeshiko

https://www.jetpens.com/Sailor-Manyo-Nadeshiko-Ink-50-ml-Bottle/pd/29935

I think it may be a bit bluer and less saturated than in Jet’s swatch-still, a beautiful color (as is Ajisai).

[Penguincollector]

  Diamine Inkvent Jacaranda is available from Atlas Stationers, Goldspot, and Vanness. $18-19 for 50mL. Goldspot also carries GvFC Violet Blue, a bit expensive at over $40, but it’s a 75mL bottle. I think there are also international cartridge packs that are less expensive, if you’re intrigued by the color. 

[yazeh]

I tried to extract the hex # and check it through: 

https://inkswatch.com/choice.html?hexColorChoice=9C87F8

It gave me mostly shimmer inks, and when it comes to pale, pastels, the algorithm has difficulty discerning the right colour.

J Herbin Bleu Pervenche (Periwinkle Blue) is a turquoise byw. 

Instinctively I would go towards Asian inks and I would buy, a lot of samples. Traditionally, these ink might have below average lubrication. 

Buy a lot of samples until you can find the colour which please you and your pens: 

Here are a few: 

https://mountainofink.com/blog/sailor-nekoyanagi

 

https://mountainofink.com/blog/vinta-maskara

 

https://www.stiloestile.com/en/inks/bottled-inks/lennon-tool-bar-2025-autumn-limited-penghu-ink-bottle-30-ml

 

Two  European inks: 

https://mountainofink.com/blog/octopus-fluids-pastell

https://mountainofink.com/blog/diamine-inkvent-2023-6-10

 

One American: 

https://mountainofink.com/blog/monteverde-purple-mist?rq=mist

 

Check Yoseka: 

https://yosekastationery.com/collections/ink?filter.v.availability=1&filter.v.price.gte=0.00&filter.v.price.lte=120.00&filter.v.t.shopify.color-pattern=gid%3A%2F%2Fshopify%2FMetaobject%2F106045669589&page=2&sort_by=created-descending

 

and Vanness  and get as much of samples you can.

And finally you can look into chromo-shading inks. But these demand specific conditions (wet pens, the right paper (Japanese) and lighting), and many of them are just marketing hype. 

Good luck and have fun, but don't expect to get the nuances of a flower in an ink. I've tried it and failed.  

[sombrueil]

Thank you for all the suggestions -- most of these are very light, and my ideal periwinkle is medium-saturated. I avoid  the lovely but barely-visible inks. 

There seems to be a real dearth of Japanese inks in the US right now. Everyone's out of stock on everything I check.

 

I have a number of light blues that have a sort of violet tinge to them already. Mostly that's what comes up when I search for periwinkle. That's not what I'm looking for ....

[InkyProf]

Yoseka did have that Kobe you were looking for.

[yazeh]

And Vanessa has Jacaranda:

https://vanness1938.com/en-ca/products/diamine-purple-edition-standard-jacaranda

[sombrueil]

20 hours ago, InkyProf said:

Yoseka did have that Kobe you were looking for.

Yes, it's their website that is glitchy for me. I will order samples directly via email from them.

[Alexandra]

I just saw this at Goulet Pens. I never heard of this brand before but it looks worth trying. I have Noodler's Periwinkle which is waterproof but dusty in appearance. Lovely color though. 

[sombrueil]

Dominant Industry Periwinkle Twinkle is a shimmer ink, like so many lavender inks. Dunno why. 

I love shading, I like sheen, I do not care for shimmer. Also it is too blue. But thanks for trying!

[Runnin_Ute]

I no longer have it, but once upon a time had a Pennonia ink that if I recall was at least in the neighborhood. Unfortunately I don't recall it's name. It was sent to me by our dear departed Amberlea Davis once upon a time. I didn't use it much and passed it on to someone who would. 

 

Found it. Might be too grayish 

Edited March 24 by Runnin_Ute
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