(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)
If you look up photos of a Macleay's Swallowtail Butterfly, you'll see that this is the perfect match for it. A little touch of springtime jewel captured in a bottle.
Graphium macleayanus, the Macleay's swallowtail (via Wikipedia.)
The Van Dieman's Tassie Seasons series has lots of lovely colors. The Spring line dismisses the trend of pastels and instead boasts a number of bright, vibrant colors that I think properly encapsulate the excitement of winter's end.
This color is a vivid, bright green, paler than apple--almost a viper color, or the color of a brand new leaf. Chromatography shows a blend of lime and sea glass colors that can both be spotted when the ink shades, which it does do in a very pretty way. The downside, though, is that this is a very pale ink. It works better as a highlighter color than a writing ink. It definitely puts beauty over practicality, which isn't inherently bad, but it doesn't work super well for me.
Apart from the difficulty in reading the pale color, it behaves well as an ink. As mentioned, the shading is top tier. It also has a reasonable dry time--not fast, but not super slow--at around 25 seconds. It did not feather or bleed, even when the ink was pooled. There was no water resistance--drips erased the lines completely. There is no sheen on this ink, but the layering of the shading is enough of a special effect that sheen isn't missed.
The ink comes in a glass jar with a sturdy base and an opening wide enough to accommodate most pens. The bottle holds 30 ml of ink and sells for around $11, which is a great value for any ink.
I think this ink would be perfect for journal washes or highlighting. And it certainly can be used for writing--you'll just need a good light source when you're reading it later. It's a lovely addition to the Spring lineup and it's making me eager for our own Spring season to bless us with new leaves and bright butterflies.
(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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