Posts filed under Colorverse

Colorverse Brunch Date - An Ink Review

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

As I mentioned in the 2023 Atlanta Pen Show Recap, I had the pleasure of meeting Akhila Sheth who is the driving force behind Smruti Pens. Brad and I also got to meet her “assistant” (and husband) Nirmal and their two kids at the show, and they provided this Colorverse Brunch Date ink for us to review.

Colorverse Brunch Date is No. 80 in the Colorverse lineup and is part of their Season 6 - Earth Edition. It is part of the Joy in the Ordinary series along with No. 76 Under the Shade, No. 77 Walk the Dog, No. 78 Rainy Day, No. 79 Coffee Break, and No. 81 Delicious Sleep. I had heard that this could be a good match for some rose-gold trim pens so I was eager to test and review it.

Colorverse No. 80 Brunch Date.

A-ha! Now we know how the bread got stolen!!

Since my TWSBI Go pens were already inked up, I picked the TWSBI Swipe with a Medium nib and used that for the writing samples in the notebook. For the other writing samples, I used the Kakimori steel dip nib on the Col-O-Ring cards, as well as the 52 gsm, 68 gsm Tomoe River and Cosmo Air Light 75 gsm papers.

Writing sample and swatch on 68 gsm Tomoe River Paper.

52 gsm TR paper.

Cosmo Air Light 75 gsm paper.

Writing sample and dry times on 68 gsm Tomoe River Paper.

Chromatography showed a pink with hints of orange on the upper portion, which I didn’t expect.

Brunch Date had an average flow, though it felt wetter than I expected based on what a lovely shader it is. Shading inks are usually drier than their more saturated counterparts, so I was a little surprised that it took ~30 seconds to dry on 68gsm TR, which is neither too fast nor too slow given the wet TWSBI Medium nib. It would definitely dry faster like Rhodia, copy paper, Cosmo Air Light or with drier or finer nibs.

Inks similar to Brunch Date: Robert Oster Melbourne, Kobe #54 Goshikiyama Ocher, J Herbin Rouille D’Ancre, Sailor Ink Studio 273, Papier Plume Maroon, Ferris Wheel Press Lady Rose, PenBBS #178 Rose Quartz.

This category of inks is so hard to describe and match! It’s sort of pinkish, brownish and in some cases, almost orangish. It really depends on what other pens or inks are next to it and then you can see how it differs. It is definitely not as orange as the Robert Oster Melbourne, nor as pink as the FWP Lady Rose or PenBBS Rose Quartz, nor is it as brown as Sailor Ink Studio 273 or Papier Plume Maroon (which is much lighter than I expected a Maroon to be). The two that are the most similar to it are Kobe #54 Goshikiyama Ocher and J Herbin Rouille D’Ancre - both of which are my favorite inks to match with rose gold trimmed pens.

Just for funsies, here are some Kawecos (AL Sport Ruby, AL Sport Rose Gold, and Sport Macchiato) that could work with Colorverse Brunch Date.

Colorverse Brunch Date, along with the other Colorverse Joy in the Ordinary series inks, can be purchased for $14 for 30 ml at Smruti Pens. You can also purchase 3ml or 5ml samples from them for $3 and $5 respectively. I am glad I have now added another option for matching with my rose gold pens!

(Smruti Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)


Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on May 19, 2023 and filed under Colorverse, Ink Reviews.

Colorverse Long Trail Ink Review

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

In most parts of North America, plants are blooming and there's plenty of rich green and other vibrant colors popping up everywhere (along with the not so desirable pollen). With the latest Colorverse ink that I'm trying out, its name pays tribute to a hiking trail in Vermont. Perfect forest green color to pair with a long hike in rural Vermont.

Colorverse Long Trail is named after the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the US. Located (and spanning) Vermont, this trail winds 273 miles through the longest part of the state. Tackling the trail in one go often takes weeks, and there are countless awe-inspiring vistas along the way. All that to say, this ink has quite a heritage to live up to in its namesake.

I have several Colorverse inks in my collection, and I've always had really good experiences with them. I love how specific and intentional their ink names are — I always learn something new when researching where the name came from. Long Trail is a deeply saturated forest green ink that fits the landscape of lush forest and dewy undergrowth perfectly. Upon first inking and trying this ink out, I was really happy with the deep green lines that came out of the pen.

As far as forest green goes, this is a dark one. It's so dark that you could definitely use this in an office setting where they frown on bright or non-standard ink colors. There's just enough enough color in the depths to quickly let you know that this isn't a black ink. The rich color also gives way to some shading that adds a little character to the lines.

The ink also behaves well. It's well-lubricated and flows easily. With the Monteverde Omniflex nib I used in the photos, the ink has no trouble keeping up with the wet nib even when the tines are spread to the max. The lines are also crisp and sharp — no feathering or bleeding in sight. Dry time is a little slow — somewhere between 15 and 30 seconds in this wet medium-ish nib, but your results will vary between different nibs and paper types. Despite whatever pen and paper combinations you try, this likely won't be a good pick for lefties.

The saturation in this ink is so rich and deep — it's really beautiful (especially when using a paint brush to swatch the ink), but it can be a little annoying to clean out of pens. It washes out easily, but it takes several rounds of flushing to get it all. Definitely plan on taking the pen apart to really clear out the feed if you can. If you can't, it's really not a big deal — just means you'll spend an extra minute or two flushing it out. I have zero concerns with putting this ink in any pen I own.

Long Trail comes in a 15ml bottle for around $13.50, which is right on target for Colorverse inks. Their inks are high quality, so the price is great. And I love that the bottle is so small because I really have no need for large amounts of ink when I already have so many bottles.

I have a handful of dark green inks, and I enjoy using them from time to time. Out of all of them in my collection, I think Long Trail is my new favorite. It really is a beautiful forest green with lots of murky character.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)


Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on May 10, 2023 and filed under Colorverse, Ink Reviews.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy Ink Review & Chromatography How-To

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

As soon as Lauren Elliott, AKA FlygirlElliott and Lucky Star Pens posted about the latest addition to the Lucky Star Colorverse lineup, I knew I had to buy one, which is exactly what I did at the recent Baltimore Pen Show. Colorverse Lucky Galaxy is the third exclusive release for Lucky Star Pens and was created to celebrate its 3rd anniversary. The prior two releases were Lucky Star and Lucky Star II. Like the other two before it, Lucky Galaxy is a shimmer ink, or what Colorverse calls “Glistening”. The ink comes in a 30ml glass bottle and sells for $20.

Colorverse Lucky Star Ink Series

The 3 Colorverse x Lucky Star Pens inks: Lucky Star, Lucky Star II and Lucky Galaxy.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy

I inked up my trusty TWSBI Go with a Medium nib and used that for the writing samples on the Col-O-Ring cards. For the other writing samples, I used the Kakimori steel dip nib with 52 gsm and 68 gsm Tomoe River and Cosmo Air Light 75 gsm papers.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy Ink Review

In large swatches, Lucky Galaxy leans more red than pink.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy Ink Review

Writing sample on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy Ink Review

68 gsm TR.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy Ink

Cosmo Air Light 75 gsm paper.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy Ink

In the writing samples, the pink is more pronounced.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy Ink

The shimmer is there but not in-your-face, which I like.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy Ink

The turquoise/blue shimmer can make it look kind of blurple but what you see near the nib is the real ink color.

Lucky Star Galaxy had an average flow when writing but definitely took a while to dry on 68gsm TR. Dry times may be a bit slower on 52gsm TR or faster on papers like Rhodia, copy paper, Cosmo Air Light or with drier or finer nibs. The ink has blue/turquoise shimmer, minimal shading and no sheen.

Colorverse Lucky Galaxy Ink

Inks similar to Lucky Galaxy are Diamine Pink Glitz (gold shimmer), Diamine 2019 Inkvent (Blue Edition) Candy Cane (no shimmer), Sailor Ink Studio 731 (no shimmer but gold sheen), Colorverse #49 Felicette (no shimmer), and Diamine 2021 Inkvent (Red Edition) Pink Ice (silver shimmer.)

While I have similarly colored inks in my collection, it’s not often that non-gold or silver shimmer is used so I’m glad that Lucky Galaxy has a different shimmer. This ink sells for $20 per 30ml bottle on the Lucky Star Pens website, which is about the perfect amount for a bottle of ink.

BUT WAIT! There’s more!! Just when you thought this article was over, it’s not over!! I thought I’d share something new that I decided to do for ink reviews - chromatography! Basically, chromatography is a way to show the various components of a mixture (in this case, ink) as different parts get drawn up the strip via capillary action at different rates. As it relates to ink, this means chromatography allows you to see the colors that make up the ink.

What you need to do ink chromatography

  • Chromatography strips - You can find them on Amazon - the ones I have (which are out of stock) are about 6” x 0.75”. I have not tried these personally but I have heard that white coffee filters (cut into strips) or even paper towels, can be used in lieu of chromatography strips.
  • Cup - I use glass so there is no risk of staining if I accidentally get ink in there
  • Rod - A chopstick, slim pen/pencil, wooden dowel, or in this case, a paintbrush, will work
  • Clip - You will need a clip to secure the strip. I use binder clips because I can suspend the strip from the rod.
Chromatography

Wine glass (cuz I’m bougie that way), binder clip, chromatography strip, paintbrush.

How to do ink chromatography

  1. Put some water in your glass
  2. Depending on how tall your glass is and how much water you put in it, you may need to trim your strips or add/remove some water. You want the strip to touch the water a bit but you don’t want to submerge the ink.
Fountain Pen Ink Chromatography

Strip is on the outside of the glass so I can see if it will touch the water.

  1. Draw a line across the strip about ½” from the bottom (does not need to be exact.)
Fountain Pen Ink Chromatography

Testing this outside the glass so I can add/remove water as needed.

  1. Put the rod through the binder clip and rest it on the glass such that the strip touches the water, then you wait.
Fountain Pen Ink Chromatography

You can see the ink line is above the water line and is already beginning to “move up.”

Fountain Pen Ink Chromatography

Roughly 4 minutes in.

I waited until 5 minutes when the ink “stopped moving” before removing it from the glass. Duration of wait time will vary based on how quickly the ink is separating up the strip. If you wait too long, the colors may get too diluted and be harder to detect.

Fountain Pen Ink Chromatography

Letting the strip dry on a paper towel (no, those aren’t blood stains, just Lucky Galaxy!)

Fountain Pen Ink Chromatography

Closeup reveals a hint of shimmer at the base where I drew the line and basically pink ink throughout.

Fountain Pen Ink Chromatography

Contrast that with a multi-shading ink (or chromashader) like Sailor Manyo Fuji which shows shades of magenta/pink and blue, with a bit of yellow above the pink.

While chromatography isn’t necessary to enjoy inks, it is a fun way to see how similarly colored inks may have underlying differences that aren’t as noticeable in writing samples or ink swatches. I can’t wait to see my future ink chromatographies.

(Disclaimer: I purchased Lucky Galaxy ink at regular price from Lauren Elliott at the 2023 Baltimore Pen Show.)

Posted on March 24, 2023 and filed under Colorverse, Ink Reviews, Chromatography.