Wearingeul Verethragna Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

A few weeks ago, I reviewed Wearingeul's Sedna ink, which is part of their World Myth Collection. This week, I'm back with another ink from that same collection, but this one is from the other side of the world.

Verethragna is a Zoroastrian deity that represents strength and victory, among other things. Reading up on this subject made me remember the world history classes I took in college, and it's also incredible to read about anything so ancient. In the case of the ink, though, it's a lot more straight-forward.

Wearingeul Verethragna is a subdued medium purple shade with mild shading and a dry flow. I typically prefer more saturated and punchy purple inks, but this one has a dusty, reserved tone that I've really enjoyed. It doesn't pop like the bright purples I normally prefer, but it's beautiful in a quieter way.

Despite the ink being a little on the dry side, it flows easily and encourages me to slow down and be more deliberate in the lines I make. It can certainly keep up with a fast writing pace, but the color becomes a good deal lighter with faster strokes.

The ink does shade a bit, but it's not dramatic. It shades plenty enough to set itself apart as a fountain pen ink and provides a pleasant amount of color fluctuation. To my eyes, I can't detect any other tones in this in besides purple and gray. There aren't any other effects (like sheening) present.

Like the other Wearingeul inks I've tried, this one also performs well when it comes to how it behaves on paper. I haven't seen any feathering or bleeding on the different papers I've tried. The edges of the nib strokes remain crisp and sharp.

Dry time for this ink is a little higher than I'd like considering it's a bit on the dry side in terms of flow. It typically dries between 20 and 30 seconds, though it's a little faster in smaller nibs. In a European EF nib, the ink was smudge-proof in as little as 15 seconds.

Being a part of the World Myth collection means that this is a limited offer. Vanness is already showing low stock for this ink, so act quickly if it strikes your fancy. Verathragna is currently on sale for $23 for a 30ml bottle. Like other Wearingeul inks, this is a great value proposition and one you won't regret if you like the color or the inspiration. Despite this being a more subdued purple, I've found myself reaching for it more than my standard bright purples lately. It's certainly a beautiful color, and I've really enjoyed using it during these past few cold and gray weeks.

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

---

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!

Wearingeul Sedna Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

It's not often that I come across products that are inspired by mythology, and even less often that the mythology in question is Inuit. With Wearingeul's Sedna ink, that's exactly what inspired this dusky blue ink. Sedna is actually the Inuit goddess of the sea and marine animals, so this cold blue fits perfectly with the choppy, cold seas of the north.

I've had the privilege of using several Wearingeul inks in the past, and I've always been impressed by their behavior and colors. The South Korean ink maker does a fantastic job, and I'm always excited to try new inks.

Sedna is part of the World Myth Collection, which draws inspiration from several mythical and religious deities from around the world. With Sedna, I'm really happy that it prompted a research session to learn about the background of the name choice and the Inuit culture and beliefs. And taking notes with a namesake ink feels appropriate in this case.

Sedna is a medium blue with a cool tone and dusty gray undertones. It definitely reminds me of the cold sea, but it simultaneously reminds me of my favorite pair of worn-in denim jeans. It's a cozy color that also manages to impart some mystique due to the unique color and slight shading.

Aside from the slight shading, this ink is a pretty normal performer. It dries in about 30 seconds in most cases, though it can take longer when using it with a wet nib and coated paper. In my swatch samples, I was able to detect a small amount of dark green/red sheening on the surface, but this only happened when I was heaping ink onto the same place on the page. I wouldn't expect to ever see the sheening effect in practice.

Normally, I lean pretty hard toward the lighter, brighter hues of blue ink — or in the opposite direction to darker, moodier blue-blacks. With this middle-of-the-road shade, I've been surprisingly picking it up more often than not over my other pens just because the unique shade of blue makes me happy for some reason. Just like how I can get rid of that old pair of jeans because I still like how they feel.

If you'd like to pick up a bottle of this ink, you can purchase a 30ml bottle for $22 from Vanness. And, I'd recommend checking out the other World Myth inks in the collection. With Wearingeul, it's safe to assume that you'll get a great ink, so it's just a matter of choosing the colors that speak to you.

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

---

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!

Did Less, Swatched More, First Impressions

(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!.)

In the vein of last week’s article where I drastically reduced the number of steps to swatch inks, I am happy to report that I have made progress! From the first of January until last week, I had swatched 7 inks (and yes, that included the ones I did for reviews). Since last week, drumroll please, I’ve swatched 20, yes TWENTY, more inks!!! Woohoo!

As you may already know, I like to be matchy matchy with my pens and inks (black, white, clear, silver, and gold pens are the exceptions). Which means I usually start with “what general color pen do I want to use”, then I go through my swatches to find the best match, which is either an exact match, if possible, or slightly lighter or darker depending on mood. Occasionally, I like to go the other route and start with an ink that I really want to use and then pick the pen after. Don’t worry, I’m neither reviewing nor inking up all 20 inks because that would take too long; instead I’ll share some first impressions. Who knows, maybe some of these will jump out and demand to be inked!

A few things to note: (1) Some of the pictures are at an angle because the shimmer showed up better than with head-on photos, (2) even with angled pictures, shimmer is hard to pick up in photos, (3) the picture below has a different colored mat than the other swatches, hence the vastly different background color, and (4) a lot of these are Wearingeul swatches because that’s what I bought samples of and happened to trade with a friend.

Look at all these swatches - I am SO happy to be over the swatching slump!

Here are the 20 inks that I swatched in the past week, sorted roughly by color:

-- Montblanc Le Petit Prince, Rose Burgundy - I knew that I would be inking up a LPP pen since I am nearing the completion of writing out the book, but I had to make sure it matched the pen first. It is a nice shade of burgundy with a hint of copper sheen on very wet swatches. I can’t wait to use it!

-- Wearingeul Anna Karenina - This is a rich red, but not quite burgundy, ink that also has red shimmer and a touch of green sheen on wet swatches. Pretty color but I don’t need to ink up any more red pens right now.

A bit hard to see the shimmer near the bottom.

-- Wearingeul Anne of Green Gables - Yes, this is a red ink, which I was not expecting. Yes, I know that the gables are green but still, it messes with my mind. The ink is actually named “Lucy Maud Montgomery”, and is a bright red ink with some greenish-gold sheen. Off the top of my head, it reminds me a bit of Iroshizuku Momiji.

Anne of Green Gables shows up as a bit more orange than in real life but you can still see the gold sheen in the swatch.

-- Wearingeul Wendy Darling - I am so glad I got a sample of this because I would be a little annoyed with myself if I bought a whole bottle. It is a really pretty, but extremely light, pale, borderline invisible, pastel blue ink with hints of pastel pink, and has silver and turquoise shimmer. I don’t know how readable it is, especially after seeing Kelli’s review from Mountain of Ink, but I’m kind of tempted to put it in a wet Pelikan, but not now, as there are too many other colors that are catching my eye.

Wendy Darling is way too light at any angle.

-- Robert Oster Romeo & Juliet - Ooh, now this one is different, especially from Robert Oster, who isn’t typically known for chromashading. This one is a dusty blue with grey shading that is visible in swatches and I suspect, fairly visible with a wetter pen on Tomoe River and similar papers. This is definitely a contender for “ink it up”!

I really want to see Robert Oster Romeo & Juliet on some Tomoe River!

-- Wearingeul Tinkerbell - Another ink from Wearingeul’s Wendy & Peter collection, this is a light muted, dusty green ink with pearlescent (silver? gold? both?) shimmer and is surprisingly readable. Not my usual jam but that might make it a contender as well?

Wearingeul Tinkerbell looked more readable than I expected.

-- Wearingeul Tick Tock Croc - Also from Wearingeul’s Wendy & Peter collection, Tick Tock Croc is a slightly teal leaning green ink. It looks alright, but it’s not jumping out at me. And yes, silly me forgot to get Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

-- Inkebara #236 Sand - A warm yellow-brown that has some green chromashading in wetter swabs. I’ve got a lot of brown inks in pens right now but this is definitely high on the list for the next light brown pen inking.

The “line” near the light part of the swatch is where there’s some green in Inkebara #236 Sand.

-- Sailor Moroccan Mint Tea - This ink is a touch darker than the Inkebara Sand and doesn’t seem to have the green hint to it either. I’m very curious to see how it compares to Sailor x Tinterias Homemade Tortilla.

-- Diamine Tobacco Sunburst - Part of the Gibson Les Paul series of inks from Diamine, Tobacco Sunburst is a medium golden brown. I wasn’t expecting much but was pleasantly surprised at the golden tone and how nicely it shades. Again, if I didn’t have so many browns inked up already …

-- KWZ x Newcastle Pen Show, Newky Brown - A kind friend surprised me with this ink and I am over the moon because I loved drinking Newcastle in my (much) younger days and I also love KWZ ink! This is a darker reddish/orangish brown ink that could potentially show some nice shading in a drier pen.

-- Franklin-Christoph Bronze Age - Was anyone surprised that I bought this one? Me neither. The color isn’t one that instantly grabs me but it is more interesting than the photo shows - it is a darker chocolate brown that has very slight green undertones, like patina’d bronze.

-- Wearingeul 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Ooh, this is a pretty royal blue ink with gold shimmer. I am VERY curious to see how this compares to Pelikan’s Ink of the Year, Golden Lapis, which looks quite similar (I can’t wait to get my bottle). This is a contender since I will be need to ink up a mid-toned blue soon.

The shimmer is much more pronounced in real life.

-- Wearingeul Iaros Orna Eperanto - This is a darker, richer blue with gold shimmer and a hint of red sheen in wetter patches. It reminds me of a shimmery Diamine Blue Velvet.

-- Lamy Pink Cliff - One of those instances where I can’t get past the name because it’s not remotely pink. Not a contender for near-term inking but I will be curious to see how it compares to Lamy Blue Black, which is a favorite.

-- Wearingeul Frankenstein - A slightly blue-leaning, royal purple ink with a hint of copper sheen? Yes, please, but is it unique? Not so much, but I still love the color!

-- Color Traveler Miyoshi Pione Purple - A little moodier and more red-leaning purple than Frankenstein, this is right up my alley, but I’m looking at 8 pens with purple ink right now, so this one has to wait a bit. I’m curious to see if it sheens or has shading properties on TR paper.

Oops, accidentally added an extra “L” in my Color Traveler Miyoshi Pione Purple swatch.

-- Wearingeul Persephone - Ok, Wearingeul, I love this one. Dusty purple with purple shimmer? Yeah, short list. I don’t care which purple pen I have to clear out to make room for this one.

Don’t see purple shimmer that often!

-- Wearingeul x EndlessPens, The Black Cat - My witch-crazed friend shared a sample of this one with me and I’m glad that it’s not a “plain black ink” but has a subtle purple and grey tint to it, as well as some pink (?) shimmer. Not in any rush to put black inks in any pens but this one could pass for almost purple-black.

-- Wearingeul Hades - I got a sample of this because I was hoping it would be more blue, but it’s really a dark black ink with blue shimmer, which is kinda cool.

One of the few ways to get me to use a black ink is to put shimmer in it!

So, out of these 20 swatches, which ones am I most eager to ink up?

Top 3 picks:

Montblanc Rose Burgundy - I already knew this was going into a pen, so maybe this is an unfair pick.

Montblanc Le Petit Prince, Rose Burgundy ink with the Le Petit Prince, Red Planet pen.

Robert Oster Romeo & Juliet - the chromashading looks promising

Robert Oster Romeo & Juliet pairs pretty well with S. T. Dupont D-Inital in Shark Blue.

Wearingeul Tinkerbell - This one is giving me all the feels and I don’t know why.

It’s like Wearingeul Tinkerbell and Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Solar Term, Fuki were made for each other!

Honorable mentions:

• Inkebara #236 Sand - I wanna see how this ink shades on TR or Cosmo Air Light paper.
• Wearingeul Persephone - I know, I said shortlist but there are too many purple pens inked up!

There you have it, some (relatively) quick thoughts on 20 different inks. Now to write some more pens dry so I can start using these inks, and get back to swatching!

(Disclaimer: All inks are my own, either purchased from various retailers at recent pen shows including Jimmy Dolive, Franklin-Christoph, and Vanness Pens, or samples swapped with a pen friend.)