(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!.)
Yes, Part 3!! I know I originally said it would be a 2-parter but I bought more Wearingeul accessories and thought it would be fun to share using the Wearingeul Macbeth & The Phantom of the Opera inks from part 1 and part 2!
The Wearingeul Four Photos Color Swatch cards are available in white and black (which is being reviewed here). Like the Instant Film cards from part 2’s review, the Four Photos cards also have a shiny, textured border around the swatching area. They measure roughly 2” x 5.75” (50 mm x 150 mm).
Shading, sheen and shimmer all show up well on the card.
I wrote the ink names on the back and there was no feathering or bleeding.
Comparison of the Four Photos cards with the Col-O-Ring; once again, the swatches matched (the Phantom swatch was a thicker/wetter swatch so the color is a bit off on this Col-O-Ring swatch compared to the others.)
Like the Four Photos Color Swatch cards, the Impression Color Swatch Book and loose leaf sheets are made with 200gsm paper, so they have a nice thickness to them without feeling like cardstock. Both have the same bottle design on them but the Swatch Book pages have 9 slightly larger bottles with two lines beneath (3 rows of 3 bottles), while the loose leaf pages have 10 bottles with two lines to the right (5 rows of 2 bottles). In addition to the bottle design, Wearingeul also makes the loose leaf sheets with Rounds, Rectangles or Ink Vials. The paper is a nice bright white, showing colors that matched what I saw on my Col-O-Ring.
Swatches of Wearingeul Macbeth and The Phantom of the Opera on both the Swatch Book (top) and loose leaf, alongside Col-O-Ring Swatches (right.)
A few thoughts/observations:
- The pages on the Swatch Book are NOT perforated, so if you prefer the 9 bottle layout but want loose leaf sheets, you’d have to cut them out yourself. Note: the paper on both are the same size, so if you cut out the Swatch Book pages, they will be narrower than the loose leaf sheets.
- I liked having the lines so I could write straight but 2 fairly short lines isn’t enough for many ink names. It was barely long enough for “Wearingeul Macbeth”. I’m not sure if I would have preferred no lines (but then my writing would be crooked) or more lines and with slightly narrower spacing between them. The loose leaf layout, where the lines are to the right of the bottle, definitely would have a lot more room for another line.
- I don’t know what to do with my loose leaf swatch page. The left margin isn’t very wide so I hesitate to use a hole punch. I wonder if Wearingeul has a binder for storing these sheets?
Wearingeul Four Photos Color Swatch Cards are available in black or white and are sold in packs of 30 sheets (4 swatches each) for $5. The 40-page Impression Color Swatch Book sells for $10.50. And lastly, the loose leaf Impression Color Swatch sheets are available in several designs and sells for $5 for a pack of 20 sheets. I like that all of these items are so reasonably priced that you can try a few different swatching items without breaking the bank.
Ok, I swear, I’m really done with this series! I hope you enjoyed the ink reviews and the various Wearingeul swatching products!
(Disclaimer: The Wearingeul Four Photos Color Swatch cards were purchased from Dromgoole’s for a discount at the 2023 Atlanta Pen Show. The Swatch Book was purchased from Vanness Pens and the Loose Leaf sheets from Pen Chalet - both of these are my purchases at regular price.)
