May Sponsor Spotlight

Sponsor support is very important to me here at The Pen Addict. My sidebar advertisers put their faith in me to deliver good value for them month in and month out, and I want to shine the light on the best of the best for you. If you are shopping for pens, paper, inks, and more, please check out these great companies and see what they have to offer. Some recent highlights:

Goldspot has all of the new Retro 51 models ready to ship, including the Tornado Metalsmith Cursive Rollerball and the super-hot Desk Sets.

Anderson Pens has recently updated the Anderson Outlet, a page I was unaware of until today. This is no normal outlet page either, with one-offs and rarities just waiting to be discovered.

JetPens has all 15 of the just released Uni-ball Signo Needle UM-151ND Gel Pens. The original model is my all-time favorite gel pen, and the 0.38 mm needle tip in the new model is fantastic as well.

Pen Chalet has the perfect program for ink junkies like myself. Ink Rewards lets you earn points for free bottles of ink based on your purchases. Check out the details and sign up today.

Anderson Pens

If you are a paper and ink junkie like me, you definitely need to check out the products Anderson Pens is featuring this week.

Hugo Boss paper, in both A5 and A6 sizes, is a standout for fountain pen inks. There is no feathering, bleeding, or ghosting, and the sheen pops right off the page. You can even grab one of their new rollerballs to match.

The Original Six Sailor inks have made a triumphant return as well. Now is your chance to try colors you have only seen and heard about, like Apricot, Grenade, and Sky High.

My thanks to Anderson Pens for sponsoring The Pen Addict this week.

Kyoto Kyo-Iro Higashiyama Moonlight Ink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Kyoto Kyo-Iro inks are plant-based inks inspired by places in Kyoto, Japan, sold by the TAG Stationery Store. Higashiyama is a ward within Kyoto, and Moonlight is a color based on moonlight reflected off the Kyoto style houses. All the colors in this series are muted, earthy tones.

Higashiyama Moonlight is a terracotta color with peach and deep orange tones.

The ink is an unusal color with excellent shading properties. It is a fairly dry ink, even in my Pelikan medium italic. Nevertheless, it flows well and retains its rich color even after drying. It is not waterproof.

In wide nibs, like the Pilot Parallel 2.4mm, the ink exhibits gorgeous shading.

It also has a beautiful dark brown sheen in ink splats and wherever the ink pools with wide nibs.

I much prefer terracotta-colored inks over bright oranges, and Higashiyama Moonlight is an absolutely gorgeous shade. If you like earthy, muted inks, you’ll like the Kyo-iro line. My next bottle will be Soft Snow of Ohara. You can buy these specialty inks from Vanness Pens, $28.00 for a 40ml bottle or $3.50 for a 4ml sample.

My wonderful husband purchased this ink for me for Mother’s Day from Vanness Pens.

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