Jacques Herbin Bleu Azur

[yazeh]

Jacques Herbin Bleu Azur

 

Ink Review # 234

 

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🧾 Description

As of this date, all J Herbin inks are marketed as Jacques Herbin. 

 

Bleu Azur is a light, bright turquoise. It has decent lubrication and was pleasant with most nibs. I preferred it with F, M, and B. 

 

It would not be legible with Japanese and Western EF nibs, as it’s pale and harsh under some lights (normally, with finer nibs, lines are darker, but not in this case).

 

It needs a wet pen, soft, wide nib, and white paper to shine.

 

It was most pleasant on white paper, especially Iroful and Tomoe River 68gsm. 

 

It has no water resistance and is awful on copy paper. 

 

If I were to choose one turquoise from Herbin, it would be Bleu Calanque. 

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🧪 Chroma

 

 

 

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✍️ Writing Samples (photos only)

- Pens Used: Pilot F3A EF, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ stub 1.1), Kanwrite Desire

 

I took only LED and daylight photos. 

Quotes: 

English translations provided by ChatGPT; they may differ from published translations.

Rhodia

“Light illuminates things, but it is shadow that gives them depth.”
— Paul Cézanne, French painter

Iroful

“One must imagine the sky as a promise that begins again each morning.”
— Albert Camus, French writer and philosopher

Midori

“In the blue of the sky there is a gentleness nothing can disturb.”
— Victor Hugo, French writer and poet

Tomoe River 68gsm

“Each dawn is a birth, each blue sky a recovered innocence.”
— Romain Rolland, French writer and Nobel laureate

Hammermill

“The sky, always the sky, reminds us that all things pass and all things begin again.”
— André Gide, French writer and Nobel laureate

 

Rhodia 

 

 

 

Iroful

 

 

 

Midori 

 

 

 

Tomoe River 

Note: This is the 68 gsm paper, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews.

 

 

 

Hammermill 20 lb copy paper

 

 

 

Closeup

 

 

 

 🔍 Comparison

Col-O-ring swatch cards. Scans are approximative. 

 

 

 

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 💧 Water Test

 

 

 

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 🎨 Artwork

In my previous reviews there were several artworks (either skies or balloons with this ink). Here is one final art work with this ink. 

 

La Madrague

Inspired by photographs of Brigitte Bardot at La Madrague on the Mediterranean coast, and moments with Roger Vadim.

 

Jacques Herbin, Bleu Azur, Bouquet d'Antan, Kitty InkPot, Unstoppable Snake. Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook. 

 

 

 

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- What I Liked: Descent lubrication, small bottles, easy to clean. Price availability. 

- What I Did Not Like: Paleness, fluorescent quality, lack of water resistance. 

- Writing Experience: Decent.

 

 🧷 Ink Characteristics

- Shading: Yes. 

- Ghosting: Yes.

- Bleed Through: Yes.

- Flow Rate: Wet

- Lubrication: Decent.

- Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. 

- Start-up: No problems. 

- Saturation: Pale. 

- Sheen: None. 

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

- Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.

- Staining (Pen): No. 

- Clogging: No.

- Cleaning: Very easy

- Water Resistance: None.  

 

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 🛒 Availability

 - Available in 10/30 ml bottles, and cartridges. 

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 💬 Closing

Jacques Herbin has managed to capture the brightness of a summer vacation at the Mediterranean with this bright turquoise, which is perfect for those who like punchy colours.

 

No fountain pens were harmed in preparing this review.

 

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

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

I mentioned elsewhere having a cute little tin with a few of the Bleu Azur carts.  Can't find them, must have used them up.  Or else I'd load an italic and go to town.  
 

This is a summer swimming pool color.  MV Caribbean and JH Prevenche are the comparison colors I have.  Both are darker, easier to see.

 

Pale pale chroma.  Beautiful quotes.  And art!  Thanks, @yazeh.  It's fun when you review an ink I knew and worked with.

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I mentioned elsewhere having a cute little tin with a few of the Bleu Azur carts.  Can't find them, must have used them up.  Or else I'd load an italic and go to town.  

It should look lovely with an italic.

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

This is a summer swimming pool color.  MV Caribbean and JH Prevenche are the comparison colors I have.  Both are darker, easier to see.

Yes they are.

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

Pale pale chroma.  Beautiful quotes.  And art!  Thanks, @yazeh.  

Thanks!

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

It's fun when you review an ink I knew and worked with.

Hope my observations correspond to yours.

 

[inkstainedruth]

This seems to be a pretty color, but except in the bottommost written exemplar with the flex nib, it's not awfully legible looking.  But thanks as usual for the review and (of course) the fun artwork.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[yazeh]

46 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

This seems to be a pretty color, but except in the bottommost written exemplar with the flex nib, it's not awfully legible looking.

It needs a very wet pen. Otherwise with so many turquoise inks available this seems unnecessary to burden our wallets.

 

46 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

 But thanks as usual for the review and (of course) the fun artwork.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Most welcome. 🙏

[LizEF]

Thanks, @yazeh!  Absolutely love that water-test drawing and buff Mousey showing off.   La Madrague is fun, too!

 

Good quotes. Ink is too blue for me.  I agree with your preference.  

[Lithium466]

Thank you @yazeh for your review

One pale ink, but with decent lubrication, surprising!

[yazeh]

7 hours ago, LizEF said:

Thanks, @yazeh!  Absolutely love that water-test drawing and buff Mousey showing off.   La Madrague is fun, too!

Thanks! Not the easiest ink to draw with. I did my classic test, cat and mouse in turquoise, i had to put my sunglasses. 😎

7 hours ago, LizEF said:

 

Good quotes. Ink is too blue for me.  I agree with your preference.  

I'm just doing my rounds of J Herbin, much like your Pilot Mixable inks.  

[yazeh]

2 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

Thank you @yazeh for your review

Welcome. 🙏

2 hours ago, Lithium466 said:

One pale ink, but with decent lubrication, surprising!

I was surprised too. But Calanque is much better.  

[USG]

Comprehensive review, but I'm with @Lithium466 and you.  Another pale blue turquoise ink with so many other turquoise inks around..  🤷‍♂️

[yazeh]

 

2 hours ago, USG said:

Comprehensive review, but I'm with @Lithium466 and you.  Another pale blue turquoise ink with so many other turquoise inks around..  🤷‍♂️

You said it all. 🙏

[Baggins]

Your preferences are on point!

usable for art…maybe…🫤

I loved mousey’s clothes 👌

As usual very grateful for yet another great review!

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, Baggins said:

Your preferences are on point!

usable for art…maybe…🫤

😊

1 hour ago, Baggins said:

I loved mousey’s clothes 👌

😊🙏

1 hour ago, Baggins said:

As usual very grateful for yet another great review!

Thank you for taking the time and commenting. 🙏