J. Herbin Verte Réséda Ink Review

As I venture into more non-standard ink colors, I'm discovering that I really have an affinity for red and green inks in particular. They've become the main focus of my obsession lately, and I don't see any signs of it losing steam. One of the first inks I tried in this vein was J. Herbin Vert Réséda.

Vert Réséda is a light-medium green ink that makes me think of spring bloom. It's a happy, beautiful color and always puts me in a better mood when I start writing with it. It seems silly, but it's actually a real "property" of the ink in my book.

I don't have any pure greens to compare this ink to, but this one is a well-behaved easy-going ink that has worked perfectly in every pen I've tried – even the ones that tend to write on the dry side.

It's a well-lubricated ink that never stutters or skips, and it does a great job of not bleeding through the page. Even the ink swap I did in the writing sample is hard to see from the other side of the page. I haven't seen another ink do that. Most of them bleed through a bit.

There are some things it lacks, however, and I call those things "flair." Saturation, sheen, and shading are light or non-existent in this ink. I don't know enough about this color range to tell you if that's normal, but for this particular ink, it's very lightly-saturated, has no sheen, and has very light shading properties. The shading is hardly there at all in a regular nib, but it comes out more in the 1.5 mm nib I used. Personally, I would love more shading in this beautiful color. I think it would give it more character. I'd love to find a similar ink with more shading properties.

Overall, I've been very pleased by this ink. When I ordered it, I didn't think I would use it very often, but I've actually used it quite a bit for general writing and notes. It's an everyday ink for me. It's not eclectic enough to take a backseat for special occasions.

I'm happy with my initial dive into the green inks, and I'm pretty sure I'll be trying more. I think I'll set my sights on some of the Diamine offerings next.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)

The Pen Addict Podcast Is Back!

Monday, August 18th marks the return of The Pen Addict Podcast as part of Relay FM. Myke Hurley and Stephen Hackett have been working hard on launch prep, and we are about to cut the ribbon and invade your earholes.

Myke and I will be recording Wednesday night for the big Monday rollout of the new network. Following that, we will be back to our weekly schedule as usual, primarily recording on Tuesdays. I'll share more details as we prepare for launch but I'm excited to be back and I hope you are too!

(P.S. How sexy is the new podcast artwork?)

Rhodia Ice Pad Review

Upgrading your paper from the poor selection at the office supply store is a challenge. The good stuff isn't readily available to the masses, and when you hunt it down it is often more expensive than imagined. There is a difference though - a real tangible difference. This is why I tell people new to the pen and paper scene to buy some nice paper early on, and I always recommend Rhodia.

Why is Rhodia so good? It provides the best writing performance for the price. The paper is ridiculously smooth and will make even your worst pens feel and perform better. Yes, the right paper can actually make your pens write better. There is less bleed, no feathering, and their pads have the best perforations in the business. I mentioned it is smooth too, right?

That smoothness does come with one downside you should be aware of. Since the paper is higher quality than most it is not as porous, meaning the ink sits on top of the page for seconds longer than with inferior paper. Lefties especially should beware. This is one tradeoff I can live with.

The Rhodia Ice Pad has been around for a few months and I finally got my hands on my favorite No. 16 Graph size from my friends at JetPens. Rhodia Orange is so ubiquitous it should be its own Crayon color, but I like seeing these alternate covers. The white is wonderfully clean and the metallic silver accents are perfectly understated in typical Rhodia fashion. Plus, the lines are grey instead of the traditional violet, which I think I prefer.

Overall, this is exactly what I expect from Rhodia, if not more. The design is clean and beautiful, and the functionality is top notch. This is how you do paper. Do yourself a favor and add some to your arsenal.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)