Wearingeul The Autumn Night After a Thousand Years Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Wearingeul is quickly becoming my favorite ink brand, largely because their inks are fun and interesting, but also because they have the best ink names. The Autumn Night After a Thousand Years is part of their "The Color of Literature" line, in which all the colors are inspired by lines from Korean Literature. This color is inspired by Lee Yuk-sa's poem "Musa" which means "the dancer." The poem features starlight shining through tree leaves, and the ink invokes this imagery with its dark olive color and gold shimmer.

The color is subtle and stunning. Chromatography shows a charcoal grey base, with a slate blue tint, then sand brown, pine green, and a shock of teal. I want this chromatography strip as a tie-dye shirt immediately. The ink does have some water resistance, though not much. The grey base color stays put while the rest of it washes away. If you spilled your water on your writing, there's a chance you could still make out your words.

The ink has a reasonable dry time of just over 20 seconds, and while it does have a dry feel to it when writing, it flows very well. I had no issues with the shimmer causing any clogging. It does show some shading where the ink pools, but the real star here (pun intended) is the gold shimmer. It's not obtrusive, but it does show up in the written lines. It's very difficult to photograph the effect, but when the light hits the writing, it glistens. It's more pronounced, of course, in larger pools of ink. It's a serious ink with a bit of lovely whimsy, and I think it's fantastic.

This line comes in cube-shaped blown glass bottles with plastic lids and nice labels. The bottle's opening is wide enough for most pens and the bottle is sturdy. The 30 ml bottle costs $27 at Vanness Pen Shop, which puts it at the pricier end of inks in general. I would judge the quality of this ink as worth the cost. All the swatch images I've seen of it do not do it justice, and I found it almost impossible to accurately photograph. I highly recommend seeing this one in person, and using it to write some beautiful nature poetry.

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DeAtramentis Absinthe Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

If one wants to write strange and unusual things in strange and unusual ways, one needs strange and unusual ink. That's just math. And this is chemistry--a weird form of chemistry where they make bright green ink that looks and smells like Absinthe (but you're not supposed to drink it).

DeAtramentis is delightfully experimental in their scented ink line, with fragrances ranging from the expected, such as rose and cedar, to the downright odd, like cannabis and banana. Absinthe is on the odder end of the spectrum. But I love a glass of absinthe, and I love to write in green ink, so this was a must-try for me.

The ink comes in a glass bottle with a black plastic cap. The bottle is mostly cylindrical, with a wide base and shoulder. It's not tippy, and the deep design makes it easy to fill your pen.

You notice the fragrance as soon as you remove the cap. It's not too strong, though. It's pleasantly subtle. And while the scent doesn't linger on the page once the ink is dry, it makes for a fun writing experience.

The green color of this ink is a bit pale. In a fine point, it might be difficult to read in low light. But this isn't a practical ink, and I think we knew that before we began. While it can be quite pale on the page, it does shade nicely to a deeper green that is really lovely. Chromatography shows a dominantly yellow undertone with a touch of teal.

The ink dries very quickly, somewhere between 10 and 15 seconds. It has no water resistance, and because of its pale color, it almost completely vanishes in the water drop test. I did not see any sheening with this ink. Its attitude is all in its shading, which is my personal favorite ink property.

The bottle is 45ml and costs $14 at Vanness Pen Shop, which is one of the most affordable inks out there right now. While this isn't the best writing ink, due to its pale color, it's perfect for washes or art projects. I'll still write with it anyway, of course, likely with a wet broad nib, to make the most of the shading and enjoy the lightly spiced fragrance that takes me back to New Orleans.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Platinum Classic Lavender Black Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Platinum Classic Lavender Black Ink is like writing with black cherry juice. It goes down bright magenta, dries to a rich purple, and it has some permanence to it. It's a gorgeous ink and it's a pleasure to write with.

The black base of this ink is a water-resistant modern form of iron gall ink, so it remains when the magenta-lavender dye washes away. You can see the base color stay put in chromatography, and where I dropped water on the grid and wiped it away. While the pigment washes off, the ink's base stays visible. I love that quality in an ink, as I'm always a little worried about my notebook surviving a sweating water bottle, sudden rain, or tippy cup of tea. Often, permanent inks are dull colors, so I was very excited to try this bright one. It does not disappoint.

It's common for inks to only have one rad feature: sheen or shimmer or shading or permanence, etc. But this ink has two--permanence and shading. The pale earthy pink to deep cherry color is gorgeous, and watching the ink dry into its ombre shades is hypnotic. Sometimes I forget to keep writing because I'm watching the ink dry. It's also a good color for readability and would pass the professional test, I think. It has some whimsy and character, but looks serious enough.

This ink does have a longer dry time, which surprised me, because it's a fairly dry-feeling ink. It isn't scratchy, but it doesn't feel slick. It does take between 20 and thirty seconds to dry, depending on how much ink is laid down.

The ink comes in a sturdy blown glass bottle with a black plastic lid. The bottle is a rounded, smooshed cube shape, so there's no danger of tipping. And though the squat shape isn't ideal for filling, it comes with an inkwell insert that provides the perfect nib-shaped well to fill from. The bottle is 60 ml, and it sells for $32 at Vanness Pen Shop, which is a good deal. That much ink will last a long time, which is great, because I can see myself using this one often.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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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!