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".

LAMY Joy 1.1 and 1.5: A Comparison

I received these Lamy Joy italic fountain pens from Lily at JetPens, who was gracious enough to send them to me for review on my amateur little blog here.  I have had a lot of fun with these pens, as I have been curious about them for some time, now.  Until this point, I have been using LAMY italic nibs in my regular LAMY Safari fountain pens.

LAMY Joy is typically used for calligraphy, or sketching (if using an extra-fine nib), and it is shaped differently from the iconic LAMY Safari because the barrel of the pen is slightly longer and tapered, which contributes to ease of use when engaging in more creative activities.  Below, the LAMY Joy is featured on the left with black body and red clip; LAMY Safari featured on right with red body and black clip.  Note that the caps look similar, but the barrel on the Safari is round-ish and somewhat blunt, whereas the Joy features a narrowed tapering.

Otherwise, the overall properties of the LAMY Joy are quite similar to the LAMY Safari fountain pen which many of us have grown to love.  It has the shaped grip section for easier handling, it is a cartridge/converter fill, features an ink view window, and is capable of swapping nibs with Safari, and several other LAMY fountain pens such as Vista, Studio, Pur, and others.

This review focuses specifically on the LAMY italic nibs.  I decided to do a side by side comparison of the 1.1 and 1.5 italic nibs using Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun (greyish/blue/black) and Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same (a pinkish/brownish/grey).  I had a lot of fun completing this review, and learned quite a bit along the way.

I am by no means an expert calligrapher, or expert on any matters pertaining to fountain pens or calligraphy.  However, this year, I decided to improve my handwriting which led me to the world of italics and calligraphy.  As mentioned in other posts, I have been using Fred Eager's "The Italic Way to Beautiful Handwriting" and he teaches improvement in handwriting through the teaching of italic and calligraphic principles.  I have by no means been terribly disciplined, as he encourages practice every day, which I have not been doing religiously.  That being said, I do practice and have seen improvement by following the exercises.  In fact, the other day, someone told me that my handwriting actually looked "stylish".  I took that as a compliment.  Thank you, Fred Eager.  =)

So, getting down to the review: I decided to engage in my regular handwriting exercises but using both pens instead of the 1.5 italic, which is generally recommended.  As a beginner, I found that the 1.5 was much easier to use than the 1.1 for the purposes of completing the exercises.  The 1.1 is much finer, and actually required more exacting skill to use.  I had to focus a little bit harder to achieve the same effect.  However, when it comes to general handwriting, the 1.1 is far better and easier, and just plain more fun.

I also found that the 1.1 almost did not look like an italic per se when compared to the 1.5, and I did not see as much shading in the 1.1 either.  On the flip side, the 1.1 is much smoother and of slightly better quality than the 1.5.  I say this, and feel confident in doing so, because I have heard this remark echoed in other reviews and posts on the Fountain Pen Network, and elsewhere.  In the end, both are a "joy" to use, and I would not hesitate to use either when practicing my handwriting, or in personal correspondence, or journaling.

Here are a couple of samples so that you can see some of the differences for yourself:

The paper used here is Strathmore Calligraphy 400 series.

Here is another sample on Rhodia.

Again, on Strathmore Calligraphy 400 Series.

Handwriting practice with LAMY Joy 1.5, Iroshizuku Kiri-Same, and HP#24 paper.  HP#24 showed slight feathering with Kiri-Same, but was otherwise a pleasure to use.  Much more shading and line variation is apparent with the 1.5 italic nib.

A closer look: LAMY Joy 1.5 with Iroshizuku Kiri-Same.

Handwriting practice with LAMY Joy 1.1, Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun, and HP#24 paper.  No feathering here.  Shading and line variation is apparent, but not as dramatic as the 1.5.  

(Side note: please kindly overlook the fact that I misspelled "cacophony".  Much appreciated.)

A closer look: LAMY Joy 1.1 with Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun.

As far as the inks are concerned, both Kiri-Same and Fuyu-Syogun were a pleasure to use, and display the shading and behavior properties that Iroshizuku inks are known and loved for.  They are both gorgeous colors and shade beautifully, but when used here, it was simply more apparent with the larger nib size.  

In conclusion, I highly recommend LAMY Joy.  I much prefer it for handwriting practice and calligraphy because the tapered barrel does give a bit more "grace" to the writer, shall we say.  It's easier to use, allowing the writer to achieve more exacting precision with this type of writing.  Overall, I was more pleased with the shading seen with the 1.5 nib, however I enjoyed the 1.1 a bit more since it was smoother and simply glided on the paper.  I will be using both nibs again, but will likely incorporate the 1.5 into my handwriting practice and the 1.1 into my journaling and personal correspondence.  

Thanks again to Lily at Jet Pens for for being so gracious and sending these pens!  The inks used were from my own stash, but can be purchased at JetPens also.  

Cheers!

-kp

Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun

This ink is very new to me. I recently tried a sample and fell in love with it instantly. It is a greyish, blue-black with excellent flow properties and lovely shading. I used a 1.1 italic here, and unfortunately you can see my pen beginning to "blob" a little as I wrote the words "blue-black". Oh well. I highly recommend this one. Enjoy!

Happy Trails-

kp