Windsor and Newton makes the best calligraphy ink I’ve found so far. The color is great, and freely flows from the pen nib. What makes this product so great is that it is not waterproof. While you may think that you would want a waterproof ink- you don’t. Waterproof inks will clog up your pen nibs, and even regular cleanings won’t completely stop it. Do yourself a favor and buy non-waterproof inks. Ever since I’ve found this Windsor and Newton ink, I won’t use anything else.
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This review is from: Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink Bottle, 30ml, Blue Black (Misc.)
To preface, I’m still a beginner in pointed pen calligraphy. I spent awhile on a Nikko G but moved to other nibs that worked better for my style. I bought this ink (was gifted by my specific request) looking for a bit of color to offset the black I’ve been using (Sumi premixed). I went with the blue and the violet and while I’ve only used the blue so far, I must say the color is beautiful and everything I hoped for. It’s vibrant and pops out when used properly.
That said, the viscosity is a little off for me. For my writing style, the ink is far too thin. I have nibs in every size from extra-fine up to extra-wide broad tip (for italic style) and in each case it runs off and pools the moment I touch the nib to the paper. I can alleviate this by dipping less ink of course, but then I only get 1 or 2 letters per dip depending on the nib. Very disappointing. Maybe for other writing styles or fine brush calligraphy this will work better, but for my heavy handed style of pointed pen it just won’t. I’ll keep at it though and see if I can make it work somehow.
I also use a cartridge fountain pen when I can get away with it. It took a fair amount of effort to get the ink through the first time. But now that it has, as long as I don’t go too many days between uses, it flows perfectly. The few times I went too long and it dried up on me, I had trouble getting it going again even with nib cleaner and cleaning. Eventually I figured out I can get it to flow properly after drying out by dipping the nib once like any other dip pen directly into the ink, wiping off the excess, and it’s good until I stupidly let it dry out again. I will also add that my fountain pens are all medium point and considering the issues I had with the pointed pens, I fully expect this ink will not work with a fine point.
For my use, it’s more of a 3-star but I can’t fault the ink’s quality just because it doesn’t fit my specific style of use. After all, “calligraphy” is a very broad range of instruments and mediums so no one ink will fit all types.
Edit: Out of sheer determination (or stubbornness), I’ve kept at it, trying to make this ink work for pointed pen. I’ve finally started making progress after simply rotating the nib another few degrees. I’m still far away from ready to use this regularly but it’s coming along.
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Wonderful Ink,
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|Great Brand Ink,
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|Gorgeous but not appropriate for my style,
That said, the viscosity is a little off for me. For my writing style, the ink is far too thin. I have nibs in every size from extra-fine up to extra-wide broad tip (for italic style) and in each case it runs off and pools the moment I touch the nib to the paper. I can alleviate this by dipping less ink of course, but then I only get 1 or 2 letters per dip depending on the nib. Very disappointing. Maybe for other writing styles or fine brush calligraphy this will work better, but for my heavy handed style of pointed pen it just won’t. I’ll keep at it though and see if I can make it work somehow.
I also use a cartridge fountain pen when I can get away with it. It took a fair amount of effort to get the ink through the first time. But now that it has, as long as I don’t go too many days between uses, it flows perfectly. The few times I went too long and it dried up on me, I had trouble getting it going again even with nib cleaner and cleaning. Eventually I figured out I can get it to flow properly after drying out by dipping the nib once like any other dip pen directly into the ink, wiping off the excess, and it’s good until I stupidly let it dry out again. I will also add that my fountain pens are all medium point and considering the issues I had with the pointed pens, I fully expect this ink will not work with a fine point.
For my use, it’s more of a 3-star but I can’t fault the ink’s quality just because it doesn’t fit my specific style of use. After all, “calligraphy” is a very broad range of instruments and mediums so no one ink will fit all types.
Edit: Out of sheer determination (or stubbornness), I’ve kept at it, trying to make this ink work for pointed pen. I’ve finally started making progress after simply rotating the nib another few degrees. I’m still far away from ready to use this regularly but it’s coming along.
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