(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
Colorverse is an ink company in South Korea that is well-known for their innovative inks that draw inspiration from space. I've always enjoyed seeing the collections they come up and reading about the source material from different space programs. The latest ink pairing I've had a chance to try out is from the seventh season of Eye on the Universe. These inks are inspired by findings from the Hubble Telescope, which is particularly interesting to me since I have family members that worked on the Hubble program at NASA. And, just like every other Colorverse ink I've tried, these don't disappoint!
This collection is made of two inks: eXtreme Deep Field and NGC 1850. The former is a deep teal with red sheen, and the latter is a dark teal with a silver shimmer material. As a pair, they look great together and seem to be based on the same deep teal color. I'm blown away by how many little surprises are tucked away in both inks.
With both inks, they are incredibly dark and somewhat boring when wet. I was a little disappointed by both until I gave the ink a few seconds to dry, and then I was blown away by what I saw. The eXtreme Deep Field has a dark red sheen that isn't shy at all as long as you find the right viewing angle. The NGC 1850 is even more stunning after it dries. The shimmering silver bits are hard to miss, but it's the stunning variation from dark teal to lighter teal and even some purple sheen that make this ink pop. When I made the first swatch with this ink, I accidentally created a piece of art that reminds me of a nebula photo. Such beautiful colors and shades! The shimmer on top looks like distant stars. Needless to say, I'm in love with this ink.
While both inks swab and swatch really well, they're a little less interesting when writing with them in normal nibs. I still enjoy using them, but you can't really see the full potential of these inks without using a large nib or just brushing this stuff all over the paper. It's just gorgeous and I'm a little bummed that it doesn't come out more easily in normal writing.
Gripes aside, both inks perform beautifully. They're incredibly wet and well-lubricated inks, making the writing experience really smooth. They dry fairly quickly at the 15-20 second mark, but I doubt they'll work well for left-handed writers.
Both inks have a fair bit of shading, which comes out easily in larger nibs (anything medium and above). The red sheen of the eXtreme Deep Field comes out easily in areas where the ink pools, adding a good deal of visual interest to your writing. The NGC 1850 is a beautiful dark teal with plenty of silvery shimmers on top that instantly grab your attention. It's also worth noting that I didn't have to shake the NGC 1850 bottle prior to filling the pen to ensure I got plenty of shimmer materials. I filled a pen both unshaken and shaken and the writing results were identical.
Both inks take a little bit of work to clean out of your pen's feed assembly. It took a few flushes of clean water until the water coming out of the nib and feed ran clear. It wasn't the most difficult ink to clear out of a pen, but it definitely wasn't the easiest. This should bode well for the longevity of the ink once it's dried on paper!
The eXtreme Deep Field ink comes in a 65ml bottle and the NGC 1850 comes in an adorable 15ml bottle. I wish they were both the same size — maybe a 30ml bottle each? Either way, 15ml will still go a long way, and I'm sure I'll get plenty of enjoyment out of this shimmery beauty.
The set costs $36, but you can normally find these on sale for a few bucks less. If you're interested in space exploration, NASA, or just interesting ink combinations, I highly recommend this set. It's a dark and mysterious combo that makes me smile every time I use it.
(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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