Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo: Revisited

Earlier this year, I purchased a sample of the fabled Tsuki-Yo, a fountain pen ink that (by popular opinion) exudes subtle and complex qualities, and is much adored at FPN.  My week with Tsuki-Yo was underwhelming, and I've not written with it since.  However, I continue to see remarks and ongoing conversations at FPN about how lovely this ink is.  As I read, and re-read, I am compelled to find out what I'm missing.  (Read Sandy1's review: here and saskia_madding's review: here.)

My first encounter with Tsuki-Yo was with a Broad-nibbed TWSBI 540.  I enjoy my 540 and had initially thought that the nib was somewhat juicy.  But, since that time, I revisited Tsuki-Yo in two different pens.  That changed my opinion of my TWSBI, and the ink.  I have no issues with my TWSBI, but I now think it does write more on the dry side thus when I inked it with Tsuki-Yo, it went down onto the paper with a greenish, or "teal" cast.  I like teal, except that in some of the reviews I'm reading on FPN, the reviewers refer to it as "blue" and not "teal".  So what am I missing?

I switched to two pens that I find to be very wet writing.  I also tried writing samples on various papers such as: Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917, Apica and Clairefontaine Graf-it.

White Paper
On Rhodia, it does have a little tiny bit of a slate hue, that if viewed at a certain angle, and with one eye closed (*wink!*), could translate greenish (to some!).  Overall, however, it does "read" blue.

Rhodia.  Photo is slightly out of focus at the top, but the ink shade is accurate.

Rhodia.

Ivory Paper

In my use of Tsuki-Yo earlier this year, when used on ivory colored paper, the teal hue was over the top.  Here, in my Leuchtturm1917 journal which has ivory pages, the green is not apparent at all.  I do think that the difference can be attributed to the use of a wetter writer.  In the samples below, I definitely see more of the fabled blue complexity for which Tsuki-Yo is known.  YAY!  In fact, on Leuctturm1917 it's absolutely lovely.  I think I even prefer it to the Rhodia, because, yes, the complexity really comes through.  I like it.  This was a total surprise, because during my initial experience with Tsuki-Yo + TWSBI = I avoided ivory papers.  What a surprise to see that I cannot see green here at all.  

Leuchtturm 1917.

I thought a side-by-side comparison might be interesting, thinking that a green cast would jump right out at me.  It doesn't.  

Grey paper.  Lovely Apica 6A10.  Italic nib in first sample; fine nib in second.

Slightly textured, white sketchbook paper.  Clairefontaine Graf-It.   Italic nib in first sample; fine nib in second.

The moral of the story:
Pen+paper+ink combo really does make or break it.

Here, wetter writing pens made all the difference.  The greenish-hue was far less apparent - if at all.  I'm enjoying Tsuki-Yo, and it is now on my "To Buy" list.  

Mooka + Assunta

For me, Mooka + Assunta = a. hot. mess.

But, for what it's worth, I decided to venture into the Diva's Weekly Challenge anyway.  Why?  Because, Assunta is a completely new pattern for me, and I actually tried to spend some time working with it.  In the end, I went simpler and tried to utilize shading, a Zentangle skill that I rarely employ.  I found that shading can really enhance a drawing without needing to "add" anything else to it.  Sometimes, with Zentangle, I think the tangle looks too plain, so I keep adding to it, but the end result looks "busy" which I don't care for.

I learned a few things this week, and while my art project isn't the prettiest one in the class, I made a sincere effort.


For the challenge:

I think it has a little bit of a celtic knot "feel" to it.  

Other attempts:

Busy.  Busy.  Busy.

Vintage Camera fun:

love the sparkles.

All of these tangles were drawn in my Clairefontaine Graf-It sketchbook with a Sakura Pigma Micron.

Diva's Weekly Challenge #78 - Auraknot

The first photo is for submission to the Diva's Weekly Challenge.  The challenge is to use the new tangle pattern Auraknot.  I spent time this week trying to get to know this pattern, and attempting several different drawings.  This pattern inspires me to draw in color, thus there are several attached here.  Perhaps due to the fact that it's summer, several drawings took on either a flowery or beachy feel.  I am still getting the hang of this one, and tend to make a lot of mistakes with it.  I think this pattern is easy to over-do, and, ultimately, it seems as though less is more with this one.    

Spirit Smile.  I am calling this tile "Spirit Smile", because for whatever reason, it makes me think of a person's spirit bursting out of them with joy.  When I started drawing this tile, I didn't have anything in mind, but while drawing I simply wanted to keep adding auraknots.  As an aside, I used to draw flowers with this same type of petal shape when I was in high school.  Interesting that I wanted to keep using it with this pattern.   

A lone flower in a secret garden.   (Esterbrook Transitional 9461 with J. Herbin Perle Noir and Platinum Preppy with Noodler's Saguaro Wine.  Clairefontaine Graf-it.)

This pattern makes me want to add Mooka.  All the time. (Pilot Iroshizuku Kosumosu and Lamy Vista EF.  Clairefontaine Graf-it.)

Starfish.  I felt that it was lacking something, so I went back and added the grounding effect that you typically see in Betweed.  (Lady Sheaffer Skripsert EF with Sheaffer Turquoise.  Clairefontaine Graf-it.)

Hydra.  While this isn't exactly a serpent with many heads, it is a bit of a water beast.  :D  I changed the way I drew Mooka here and wanted to add in the layered effect that you see inside the auraknot.  (Lady Sheaffer Skripsert EF with Sheaffer Turquoise.  Clairefontaine Graf-it.)

Iroshizuku Tsutsuji (Azalea / Japanese Townflower / Deep PInk)

I'm back with another pink ink.  I guess I really like pink.  Which is interesting, because in real life, I don't really do much pink.  There is a lot of black, navy, turquoise (or Robin's Egg for those of you who care about that type of thing), and golden-green such as sage, for example.  I also prefer darker wood furnishings.  Generally, I'm pretty neutral and conservative.  But, with inks, I can't get enough pink.  I don't know.  I can't explain it.  =)

I must extend a heartfelt thanks to my pen friend, Shaylen, for sending me a generous sample of this luscious stuff.  Thank you, Shaylen!  

I had the pleasure of playing with Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji this weekend, and I've been using it at work for the last week for note taking and editing (just to shake things up a bit!!!).  As an aside, the paper at work is really poor quality whether note tablet or copy paper.  I have found that I have needed to "dial back" the ink flow on all of my pens to prevent feathering and the like.  Same here.  I used both a LAMY Al-Star and LAMY Vista.  I typically don't have trouble with my Lamy pens or Pilot inks on cheaper paper, but I guess there is an exception if the paper happens to be exceptionally cheap.  

So, once I dialed back the flow on my pens, it was smooth sailing even on the sub-par, cheap paper.  When weekend time came, I needed to dial the flow back up on the LAMY Vista, because it was sporting an Extra Fine nib, and I wasn't getting enough inkflow when I tried to draw tangles with it.  

So, now that we have the technical formalities out of the way...phew!  This is a really fun ink, and if you like the Pilot Iroshizuku line, and you like pink, or you just want something a little different to spice up your ink drawer, why not take this for a whirl?  It's summer time, and this is a "summer-y" color.

I find that although the Iroshizuku inks are expensive ($28.00 - $35.00 USD per bottle), you at least get a value for your money.  Some folks balk at the price.  But, since I have begun using inks, I have to say...you really do get what you pay for.  I don't mind paying a premium, if what I will receive is quality.  

Pilot Iroshizuku Inks come in a 50 ml per bottle, which is a decent volume.  Pilot Iroshizuku inks tend to be known for being exceptionally well lubricated with "just right" flow properties making writing and other creative activities a pleasurable experience.  Tsutsuji follows suit.

Tsutsuji, specifically, is a very saturated pink.  I've read reviews where the authors have indicated that this is the "pinkest" ink they have ever used, and that it's so bright that it's eye searing.  I would not go that far.  Certainly, while it is bright, it is not offensively so.  It does jump off the page, but I don't find it screaming at me.  It is a bit brighter coming from an Extra Fine nib, as shown in the photos below.  However, my LAMY Al-Star Fine nib is a bit of a wetter writer, and the line it laid down with Tsutsuji is simply dark and luscious.  Because it is more saturated, there is a bit less shading with Tsutsuji.  Shading is not non-existent, but you will not find the type of dramatic shading that you would see with Yu-Yake.  Yu-Yake (or Sunset) is Iroshizuku's orange-y/yellow (or is it yellow-y/orange?) that gives such amazing shading that the words on the page appear to be on fire.  At least to me.  With Tsutsuji, there is much more subtle shading, but it is shading nonetheless.  I think choice of pen makes a big difference with the satisfaction you find with this ink, and I've provided a side-by side comparison so that you can get an idea. 

Wider, wetter nib = deeper pink, more saturation, a little more shading.  Finer, dryer nib = brighter pink, lighter pink, still shading, but less pronounced. (Please excuse the shadow/ showthrough on the reverse side of my notebook page.  lol.)

I liked this ink so much, that I decided that I wanted to draw some tangles with it this weekend.  So, I drew a few things.  I found Tsutsuji to definitely be a "summery" color so I tried to draw a couple of "summery" things.  The photos I've included here were drawn with a LAMY Vista EF. 

This is the tangle pattern "Sanibelle".  You can see a nice range of color with this doodle.  The range of pink that Tsutsuji has to offer is evident, and shows that it's shading can be dramatic after 2 or more passes.  I really like the range of pink here.  It can be bright and it can be dark.  I think that helps to give this drawing a more animated appearance.

This is the tangle pattern "Squid".  Again, you can see the range of pink from bright to dark.  This drawing was also done with a LAMY EF; the ink gets darker after more passes.  The arms were generally one pass, thus lighter and brighter.  The circles drawn on the inside were often drawn over more than once to give them more emphasis, so they appear darker and shading is more evident.

Additionally, Tsutsuji did not clog and rinsed out of my pen relatively easily.  

Tsutsuji is probably best used for such activities as editing and drawing.  I have received personal correspondence where the writer used Tsutsuji and it was very pleasant, but I might limit its use to personal correspondence as opposed to business, and perhaps a notecard instead of an entire letter.  If you are a creative person, I think Tsutsuji is a nice-to-have because of its saturation and gentle shading properties.  The ink is not too difficult to manipulate when drawing, and doesn't "pool" like greater shading inks.

I liked Tsutsuji so much, that I have become much more willing to dip my toes a little deeper into the Iroshizuku waters and try Yama-budo (Wild Grapes, also referred to as Crimson Glory Vine).  Yama-budo seems like a purple (which I tend to dislike), and a bright purple (which I tend to dislike even more), but now that I take a second look at it appears to "read" magenta, which sorta straddles pink territory and I'm motivated to check it out.  Having experienced the bright and luscious Tsutsuji, I have acquired a "bright ink" addiction, and need more.  So, I will be trying to acquire a sample for myself in the near future.

Inks are fun!  Treat yourself to some samples of "fun" ink this week.  Set a limit of $10.00 or $20.00 and choose a few things that you wouldn't normally pick for yourself.  I often find that I am very surprised, and enjoy the trip down "the road less traveled".

Every Drawing Is Like a Rorschach Test For Me.

This week, I, again, tried to get up the nerve to submit a tangle drawing to this weekly challenge.  I am still unsure whether I will or not.  But needless to say, I enjoyed this week's challenge and it helped me discover that you can draw a lot of different things with the same design, which was really interesting.  The challenge called for this pattern which I quickly began to enjoy.  Because I enjoyed it, I ended up attempting several different ways to use the pattern.  I found that I want to "connect everything" inside the tangle, which produced some neat results.  Then I tried to do the opposite, and not connect everything almost leaving a skeleton-like appearance (to me at least).  Then, I decided that I really like making lines with circles at the end, so I just played around with it while listening to the FPGeeks Fountain Pen Radio broadcast this morning, and really enjoyed the end result.

I think that because I learned the pattern this week, and realized its versatility, and became comfortable with it, I ended up actually kind of drawing something.  When I began this journey, I thought I couldn't draw.  I am learning that drawing, like everything else in life, requires practice.  And patience.  Practice and patience.

The last photo is just me trying two new patterns in one drawing: Inapod and Printemps.  You can find the instructions for each here and here, respectively.

Out of all the drawings this week, I think that I like this one the best.  It's really a variation of the Bridgen pattern because at some point, I stopped drawing lines and circles and simply began drawing new lines to connect the existing circles.  This drawing definitely evokes a feeling of unity and interconnectedness.  Several years ago, I took the "strengths" test in the book "Now Discover Your Strengths".  My primary strength, according to the authors, is connectedness.  After reading their explanation of the strength, I agreed with them.  I was reminded of this quality while drawing this tangle.

Same with this version, except I tried to make sure that all of my lines were straight and not curvy.  Depending upon which way I turn this one, it either reminds me of the Millennium Falcon, or the cartoon kid from Where's Waldo.  

I made myself stop connecting everything and simply did what the pattern called for.  I think this "bare bones" type appearance gives the pattern a very Eames-ish feel to it.  It also leaves me feeling uncomfortable because the drawing feels naked and unfinished, and just...lacking in general.     

This is just my "wing it" attempt while listening to the FPGeeks Fountain Pen Radio broadcast.  It's freehand and whatever I felt like doing at the moment.  This sorta reminds me of a science project that I did back in the sixth grade.  In reality, it is likely close to the pattern Tink which I haven't "studied" but was the precursor to this week's pattern, Bridgen.  I really like this drawing.  It has both connectedness and a sense of flow at the same time.

Drawing with fountain pens: LAMY Vista EF / J. Herbin Vert Empire.    Like I said, I'm just learning and there is a lot of room for improvement.  I need to pay more attention to "closing my circles" and staying inside the lines.  Or maybe I need an eye exam, which very well could be true.  I enjoyed drawing with an EF LAMY nib, but think it's still too wide.  I will likely try to acquire some type of Fine nibbed pen from Sailor.  This drawing makes me think of the old Twizzler's commercial that featured a big claymation mouth chewing on Strawberry Twizzlers.  

Today's Discovery in Creativity

This is today's tile.  I tried several new patterns such as "purk", "paradox" and "facets".  I'm not doing so great with designs that are heavy on the squares and triangles.  That doesn't come naturally for me.  Not sure why.  So, I decided to practice some geometric designs. 

This is what I got.  I tried doing the lines differently so that it created varied shading.  I wasn't crazy about the end result.  So, I tried to do just one square at a time.  This practice was done with a Platinum Preppy inked with R&K Verdigris.   

This was the result.  Do you remember Spirograph?  I reminds me of that.  I just took a square and then made arcs from corner to corner, turning the page to draw each arc.  It's not facets.  It's different.  There is probably a real name for this tangle pattern, but for now, it's my breakthrough in perseverance and giving myself some grace.

Happy with my "outside the box" thinking with the squares and arcs, I decided to try a tile that focused on square or triangle patterns.  The square/arcs experiment can be seen in the middle/upper right.  I purposely chose an odd shape with four sides for that particular exercise.  Then, to the left of that, I tried to do half of facets, but in my own way.  I drew lines from the center to the corners.  It's definitely not "facets", but it was more fun for me.   I realize that the result does look borderline "swirly", but really it's triangles with lines drawn from corner to corner.   I used an Esterbrook with 9461 nib (dry pen) and Diamine Eclipse (wet ink) for this exercise.

And so, that's sort of where the transformation took place today.  I couldn't get the hang of "facets".  So, I attempted my own interpretation.  So, then I decided to try some other new things.  I combined "feathers", "fescu" and "sez" and made this.  You can see my humble beginning in the upper left corner.  I didn't care for the end result, so I tried again.  and I liked it.  So, I did some more.   I really like peacock feathers, and that's what this reminds me of.  This was very pleasant and made me feel as though I had a breakthrough today.  I almost actually drew something.  By myself.  I can't remember the last time that I drew something that I liked, or drew something without "copying".  If that makes sense at all.  

I was so happy that I had a little fun with Instagram to memorialize the occasion.

Tangles with Pens and Inks

I am new to the world of Zentangle, but was encouraged to do so in an effort to try and "find my inner artist".  I have always said, "I can't draw".  But, now I'm making progress.  I have only been trying my hand at this for about a week, but I am enjoying this activity, and learning to do something that I didn't know how to do before.   

I like swirly things.

This reminds me of the Death Star.  Kinda.  =)

For this tile, I decided to "tangle my name", meaning that I chose a tangle pattern that began with each letter of my name.  I think the end result looks like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.  I laugh every time I look at it.  No, seriously.  I'm LMAO.   

This was an effort to participate in a weekly tangle challenge.  Don't think I'll be submitting it, but most of these patterns here are patterns that I had not attempted before.

The drawings above were done with a Pigma Micron and pencil.  Here, I decided to have a little fun with R&K Alt-Goldgrun.  Just because it happened to be loaded in a pen within arms reach.  To be honest, it's not one of my favorite inks to write with, but was great fun to draw swirly things with.  

I used a Levenger True Writer with medium nib, because it happened to be within arms reach.  The True Writer was very lovely to draw with, but if I were to attempt something like this again, I would use a pen with a fine or extra fine nib. 

I really enjoyed drawing in color.

Two Sunsets on a Clear Day in May

I decided to spice things up for handwriting practice today and inked up my calligraphy pens with sunset-themed fountain pen inks.  Caran d'Ache Sunset recently became a surprise favorite of mine over the winter, and since I was so enchanted with it, I decided to try Iroshizuku Yu-Yake (which means "sunset" in Japanese).  They are both quite different, but a pleasure to use.  Caran d'Ache is a deep red-ish, pink whereas Iroshi is a yellow-orange, with deep orange shading.  Where the Caran d'Ache is slightly on the dry side, the Iroshi is neither too dry, nor too wet.  

In terms of personal preference, I enjoy the Caran d'Ache more because perhaps I am simply more inclined towards reds and pinks, as opposed to orange shades of ink.  However, the shading with Iroshi Yu-Yake is really gorgeous, and really "one-ups" the Caran d'Ache in that respect.  There is just this beautiful interplay of yellow and orange within the same letter that it makes the entire word appear to be on fire.  

One of the qualities I enjoy most about the Caran d'Ache is that evokes memories of one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen.  Last fall, I was traveling regularly and had to wake up very early in the morning (3:00 am) to catch an early flight to Atlanta which connected in Philadelphia.  When I arrived in Philly, it was still dark.  It happened to be a Monday morning, and there were hundreds of people at the gate waiting for this flight; it was wall to wall people.  Standing room only.  Business people, college students, vacationers.  I was lucky to get a seat and even better, it was facing the tarmac, but I happened to be engaged in conversation with the person next to me.  She stopped talking mid-sentence and pointed to the glass windows and said, "Look at that sunrise!"  I turned and the sky was flooded with deep pink and dark grey.  Sitting in front of those large airport windows, it was as if we had a front row seat in front of this large expanse of sky.  It was amazingly beautiful, and we just sat there looking at it for quite some time.  I don't think I have ever seen a sunrise that breathtaking before or since.  What I remember most distinctly aside from the beauty of that morning, was that there were so many people at that gate who were entirely disinterested, or playing with their iPad, or iPhone apps, or talking business on the cell phone, or talking business with the person at their side.  It was as if this young woman and I were the only people in the world who saw it, and it was both strange and wonderful at the same time.  I felt transported from the chaos for just a few moments, and yet I was still sitting right there.  The shade of Caran d'Ache Sunset is amazingly similar to that pink sunrise that I saw that morning, and, as a result, I do have a fond affection for it.

Caran d'Ache Sunset on Clairefontaine Graf-it.

Iroshizuku Yu-Yake on Clairefontaine Graf-it.

I had fun with handwriting practice today, but my handwriting really needs some work.  Today's exercise was "horizontals and v-shapes".  I really need to get into the discipline of playing with my calligraphy pens once a day.  I always enjoy handwriting practice, because it's very relaxing but I have long struggled with perfecting "s", "t", "q" and "x".  I really need to exercise a bit more effort in this regard. 

Iroshizuku Yu-Yake / Lamy Joy 1.5/ HP#24

Caran d'Ache Sunset / Sheaffer Calligraphy pen Broad 1.8mm/ HP#24

On Rhodia.

On Rhodia.

05/20/12: edited to add samples on Rhodia.

Pilot Iroshizuku Kosumosu (Cosmos Flower)

I won this bottle of ink from an FP Geeks giveaway.

I have to admit that I am impressed by the stature of the bottle itself, and with the quality textured paper that the ink label is printed upon. It's a very striking bottle indeed. Although Kosumosu is named after the Cosmos Flower, this light pink shade is reminiscent of cherry blossoms that bloom here in the Northeast U.S. during springtime. Cherry blossoms are one of my favorite spring things. Kosumosu displays beautiful shading in a darker pink. There is also a fleck of orange that comes through and it is not unattractive. I say this, because I really don't like orange, but I quite like it here. It is not overpowering. I tried to capture this by taking a photo of the ink on the inside of the cap, and on a paper towel.

I inked my Pink LAMY Safari which was waiting patiently on stand-by for Kosumosu to arrive. My first test drive was with a 1.5 italic. Thus far, this is the only pen I've used Kosumosu in, so I cannot speak to its performance in other pens. I did adjust this nib to write on the wetter side. I very much like the shading. It also played well in my Leuctturm1917 dot notebook, which can sometimes get fussy with pens or inks that are too wet.

Everyone always comments on the nice behavior, and excellent lubrication of the Iroshizuku line. I'm still relatively new to fountain pens, and I'm still trying various inks from various manufacturers and such. Prior to this bottle, I had only tried 2 ml samples of Asa-Gao, Ku-Jaku, and Kon-peki; all displayed nice behavior with excellent lubrication. Thus, I have only a few inks in the line that I could possibly compare this to, but that being said, I think it holds the line in terms of the behavior standard that Iroshizuku is known for. It is definitely smooth and enjoyable.

Drying time with this wet writing 1.5 italic and Leuchtturm1917 paper is approximately 13 seconds. I've tried Kosumosu on both white and ivory papers. I prefer the ivory; it gives it a little extra something. Although, the orange tint does come through a little bit more on white paper (see sixth photo down from the top which was written on Clairefontaine Graf-It). I enjoy using Kosumosu in my journal. I wanted something cheery as we enter the New England winter months. Because of its whimsical nature, it's unlikely that I will use Kosumosu at work. Here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure. If you wouldn't mind, please forgive my terrible handwriting.

[Those "things" you see on the page are a weak attempt at drawing cherry blossoms.]

Cheers and Happy Trails and all that.

-kp