Hey guys! Sorry for the late update but today’s ink of choice is Rikyu-Cha, part of Sailor’s Jentle series which suppose to depict colors from Japan’s season shifting. It was later re-released to as part of Shikiori line on smaller glass bottles.
Image sketched on Rhodia pad with brush and Wooden Custom Pen with German Bock nib
Sailor is one of the most well know Japanese ink and pen manufacturer from their own line of pens and ink to exclusive inks made for specific department stores such as Bungbox/Bungubox.
Tested on Rhodia Pad and Borden & Riley Paris Paper for Pens paper.
Swatch made on Strathmore 300 Smooth Bristol Pad
I managed to get the 50ml bottle when it was on closeout at Jetpens.com ( some other stores such as Anderson Pens are still carrying it at the moment). This ink is now sold as part of the Shikiori line which comes in a 20ml glass bottle instead. What impresses me about the old 50ml bottle compare to the new classy 20ml ones was that it comes with an ink feed that I can fill my pen without any possible accident although 20ml definitely saves me a lot more cubicle spaces. My first impression with this ink (and other Sailor ink I’ve used so far such as Sailor Jentle Sakura-Mori and Sailor Shikiori Shimoyo) is the strong plastic like smell coming from either the bottle or the ink itself.
The ink’s color is fantastic as it reminds me of dried tea leave that my grandma likes to brew into drinks in the evening. When diluted it gives a full gamut of brown, dark green and a tinge of blue that would be interesting if you like to do a wash with it.
Drying time: Very Fast (3-5 seconds)
Water resistance: Pretty good (Will fade but still very much readable)
Feathering: None
Bleeding: None
Pricing:
$15-20 (50ml) at Pen Chalet, Anderson Pens and The Nibsmith
$12 (20ml) at Jetpens [Clearance]
(All pricing listed are taken off online information at the moment this post was written and only to be served as reference)
Thoughts
I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews on this ink and the actual product does not disappoint me at all. It flows really nicely on my M size bock nib and maybe next time I will fill this ink on a broad or even flex nib to fully showcase its range of colors.
This week’s color theme is blue and green so stay tuned for the next update!
