30 Days, 30 Inks: Day 24
The Ink
Day 24: Sailor Manyo Ume
A while ago when Wearingeul Dracula and Robert Oster New Year, New Hue were released, I began a hunt for red inks that I would actually like to use. I had tried other red inks like Diamine Red Dragon (which I don’t mind; it is one of the first fountain pen inks in a bottle that I bought when I started my fountain pen collecting), Robert Oster Red Gold (whose base color I didn’t like, and seemed to be lacking in gold shimmer), and others which didn’t appeal for one reason or another.
I also looked at the famous Diamine Writer’s Blood which I really do not like. I tried swatching and writing with it multiple times and just think it looks like actual blood, which I suppose is the point, but just grosses me out. Sometimes when I swatch it, it has a nice berry-ish/purplish-red shade, but when I write with it, it does not. It’s such a wet ink that it automatically looks like very dark blood red on the page, ick. I’ll keep trying with it; perhaps eventually I’ll find a pen that brings out its burgundy, purpley colors.
Anyway, during this search, I saw a video where someone wrote with Sailor Manyo Ume where it looked like a lovely burgundy or maroon color. When I got it (why did I not start with a sample? Sheesh), I was horrified to see pink and brown tones (neither being my regular color preferences) in the shading, in addition to a dark red or brown-red base color. This is not what I thought I bought!
But surprisingly, when I was shopping my collection for fall colors recently, that shade variation is exactly what appealed to me. It reminded me of a leaf I took a picture of years and years ago (was kinda hard to find this dang picture).
I inked a Jinhao 9019 with this ink and was delighted at the different shades that would come out when I wrote with it, particularly on Regalia paper (since it makes nibs write wetter/broader than on Tomoe River paper). Again, I was very surprised at how my seasonal mood changed how I felt about a particular ink. You can’t see all of the color variation in the writing sample above, only hints of it. But on certain paper with broader nibs, you’ll probably see it better.
The Quote
“I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. If you fucking like something, like it.”
- Dave Grohl
I heartily agree, cursing and all! 😀 Why feel guilty about something you enjoy? Who’s to say what you “should” like or not like? As long as it’s not hurting others, and it isn’t problematic in some way, don’t let others rain on your parade.
For example, I get super annoyed when people look down on adults collecting toys and playing video games, etc., as if it’s not a “grown up” thing to do. Well, I’m an adult and I love those things, so it’s an adult thing to do. 😝 (And yes, I will stick my tongue out at you in real life.) There isn’t much more to say, Dave Grohl nailed it.
