Diggin’ These Amarillo Vibes

(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!.)

I know, I know, I just did an ink review a couple weeks ago - Sugar Turtle Studio’s Slowpoke inks - but I just got these from the Bossman at the Philly Pen Show and I just HAD to check them out asap! These aren’t the first inks with Amarillo Stationery’s name on it (they’ve collaborated with Pennonia for three inks) but this is their first private label release, which is exciting.

The Amarillo Vibes set of inks launched a few weeks ago on January 13, 2025 and come in 30ml glass bottles. Despite the bottles looking like those of Birmingham Pen Company, Erick Gama (the guy behind Amarillo Stationery) confirmed that the inks are NOT made by them. Good luck getting him to spill the beans!

Rotating the boxes gives you a fun look at the inspiration behind these inks!

The boxes don’t have the ink names on them, but there are colored swatch stickers to identify them.

I love the doodle art on the bottles!

Here are the bottles with their Col-O-Ring swatch cards.

As in the past, all swatches were done on Col-O-Ring cards using a Kakimori steel dip nib, while writing samples were done with a TWSBI Go with a Medium nib and a Lamy Vista with a steel Medium nib. The TWSBI Go is a wetter writer and the Lamy is a drier writer, so these two give me a good idea of how an ink will look from different pens. The notebook used for writing samples is the Endless Recorder with 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. Dry times for the Vista are shown with “(V)” and the Go will be below that and might also be shown with “(T)”. Dry times may be a bit slower on 52gsm TR or faster on paper like Cosmo Air Light, Rhodia, copy paper, or with drier or finer nibs, etc.

The Amarillo Vibes series includes Blue Suntan, Teal Waistband, Toasty Joggers, and Urng Kicks (pronounced like a mix “urn” and “orange”). I will admit that it took me way too long to figure out where these names came from (this is what I get for not reading the posts and listings until I started swatching, lol).

Amarillo Blue Suntan Amarillo Blue Suntan is inspired by Amarillio’s “skin”, which is a light-to-medium dusty blue. It has nice shading, especially in drier pens.

Writing sample of Blue Suntan on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook.

You get a bit more shading from the drier-writing Vista compared to the wetter Go. As expected, the ink is a bit darker and a touch more saturated in the Go, but the main color is still the same. (Some inks can look very different in drier/wetter pens.)

Blue Suntan’s chromatography has both light blue and grey tones. There is just a wee hint of pink just above the ink line.

Inks similar to Amarillo Blue Suntan: Kyo-no-oto 07 Hisoku (closest in color but is a drier ink), Graf von Faber-Castell Deep Sea Green (which is less green than the name implies), Kobe 68 Nishimaiko Pearl Blue and Colorverse Tar Heel (a bit too light), Sailor Mayo Koke (too green and too dark.)

Amarillo Teal Waistband.

Teal Waistband takes its inspiration from Amarillo’s teal equator belt. It is slightly darker and greener compared to Blue Suntan.

Writing sample of Amarillo Teal Waistband on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. The writing is a bit more teal, while the swatches are more green.

Like Blue Suntan, Teal Waistband is a bit darker and slightly more saturated with the Go, but the underlying teal color is the same.

Hard to believe how bright the turquoise is on the strip. The hint of yellow gives the ink its slight greenness, but the amount of pink was definitely a surprise. I wasn’t able to see any of the pink in the writing samples or swatches.

Inks similar to Amarillo Teal Waistband: Waterman Harmonious Green (too green), Jacques Herbin Vert Metropolitain (touch too green and dark), Wearingeul Tick Tock Croc and Diamine Velvet Emerald were the closest, and Iroshizuku Sui-goku (a bit too bright.)

Amarillo Toasty Joggers on 68 gsm TR. Toasty Joggers is described as “yellow/brown color with a hint of pink”, but depending on the light, can look a bit orangey too.

Writing sample of Toasty Joggers on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. It is a very readable yellow/brown, even in a drier pen like the Vista, but might be a touch on the light side for a Japanese Fine or Extra Fine.

The Vista shows a bit more yellow than the Go, which shows it a bit more brown leaning. The pink isn’t obvious like a sheen or chromashader, but more as an undertone.

A mix of yellow and brown, but the chromatography is also showing that “hint of pink”, which can give it a bit of a dusty orange feel.

Inks similar to Amarillo Toasty Joggers: Jacques Herbin Tour Eiffel and Franklin-Christoph Honeycomb were the two closest, Diamine Three Kings (too yellow) and Tono & Lims Toyoma (too light and not quite brown enough.)

Amarillo Urng Kicks on 68 gsm TR.

Urng Kicks is inspired by Amarillo’s shoes and is described as “a bright and bold orange”.

Writing sample of Amarillo Urng Kicks on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook.

Unlike the other inks, Urng Kicks is a fair bit lighter with the Vista than the Go, with shading prominent in both print and cursive. It looks a bit more coral in the Vista’s drier nib, and more of a red-orange with the Go.

A fair amount of pinkish red and a bright streak of yellow at the top.

Inks similar to Amarillo Urng Kicks: Van Dieman’s Golden Nugget Pumpkin (a bit too red and saturated), Bungubox Omaezaki Sunset (the closest), Diamine Celebration (good match colorwise but too light). It was hard to find matching inks as others were either too orange, too red, or too pink.

Swatches of Blue Suntan, Teal Waistband, Toasty Joggers, and Urng Kicks on 52 gsm TR in a 2021 Hobonichi Weeks.

Swatches on 68 gsm TR in the Endless Recorder.

All 4 inks behaved well and wrote nicely. Dry times weren’t bad at all, but I did expect Blue Suntan and Urng Kicks to dry faster than they did, given how much shading it had from the Vista. Toasty Joggers was the fastest to dry around 30 seconds, while the other two were 45-60 with a wet writer.

The Amarillo Vibes ink series is currently available on the Amarillo Stationery website for $18/bottle (shipping is not included.)

(Disclaimer: Thank you to Erick Gama of Amarillo Stationery for providing these inks for review. All other inks and notebooks are my own, including the Amarillo patch and sticker which I bought from their website last year.)

Amarillo Stationery Beanie Giveaway

It’s officially beanie season in the Northern Hemisphere, and what better way to stay warm than with this Amarillo Stationery Beanie. This Olive Green knit hat will keep you warm and stylish, especially with the fresh new Amarillo logo across the front. I have one to give away this week, so read the rules below and enter away!

Amarillo Stationery Beanie Giveaway

Pairings Party: Waldmann Xetra Vienna, Amarillo Stationery Azul Frida

I did my first pairings party a few weeks back with the Onoto Scholar and Ferris Wheel Press Central Park Greens, and this week I’m back with another matchy-matchy combination that I’m loving in the Waldmann Xetra Vienna and Amarillo Stationery Azul Frida.

Beginning with the Waldmann, the Xetra Vienna puts the brand’s craftsmanship on full display. I knew this pen was a stunner with its polished blue lacquer and platinum plated parts, but I had no idea the cap pattern was hand-engraved. Not only does it look amazing, but it makes each pen in this series unique.

The Xetra Vienna is a standard length fountain pen, but with a narrow diameter. This shape leads to a requisitely narrow grip section, and #5-sized nib. My review model features an 18k Fine gold nib, but there is a stainless steel option as well.

This narrow barrel fits right into my preferences for writing. While I am comfortable using many pen shapes and sizes, I do prefer the narrow side of the ledger, so keep that in mind when I tell you how much I enjoy writing with this pen. Those who prefer bigger, wider pens may want to wait and see about the next Waldmann I will be reviewing.

I’ve had the Xetra Vienna in my writing rotation for a few weeks now, and it has been great. The added weight of the metal barrel balances out the narrowness, making for a comfortable writer. I mixed in a longer copy writing session for my long-running “The Bone Weaver’s Orchard” project, and the feel of the pen removed itself completely from the occasion. It morphed into my hand, the ink flow never stopped, and I had nothing to think about other than the text I was reading, and writing.

It was a great experience.

Adding to the writing experience was the perfect match of Pennonia Azul Frida, made for Amarillo Stationery. Inspired by Casa Azul, the long-time home of artist Frida Kahlo, this is a classic, bright blue that will feel right at home in any pen, especially one as perfect as the Xetra Vienna.

I’ve used a couple of Pennonia Inks, and the consistent performance of Azul Frida matches my experience with the rest. Great flow, excellent color saturation, and good dry time - all universally loved ink properties. As a bonus, what looks like a basic blue has hints of purple underneath, as seen in some of the ink swatches on different paper types - Yamamoto Bank Paper, for example.

I always want a classic blue on hand, and one with and added story and added character, like Azul Frida, is right up my alley.

Top to bottom: Sailor King of Pen Sky, Platinum 3776 Chartres Blue, Waldmann Xetra Vienna, Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel.

My first experience with Waldmann was last year, when Kimberly let me test out one of hers. In general, the designs of this 100 year-old German brand aren’t a perfect style match for myself, but my goodness was the writing experience nice. That alone put them on my radar, especially as they continue to release interesting models.

The Xetra Vienna runs $319 with a steel nib, and $439 with an 18k gold nib, as seen in this review. The price feels right for the level of quality and craftsmanship. And Waldmann has well over a dozen different styles to choose from, ranging from $200 on up. While I don’t have one in my collection today, it won’t me long before one makes the cut and I add it to list.

(Luxury Brands of America loaned the Waldmann to The Pen Addict. Amarillo Stationery provided the ink at no charge.)

---

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!