(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
Lennon Toolbar is a Taiwanese company founded in 2014. Originally, their focus was Indigo Dyeing, but recently they've branched out into fountain pen inks.
Night Sky, Blue Sky, and Sunset Glow are the three newest inks in the Atmospheric Series, which emphasizes colors inspired by atmospheric phenomena. The inks in this series are waterproof.
Night Sky
Night Sky is a grey-blue ink that reminds me of new denim blue jeans or the deep blue of the sky just after sunset. The ink offers good shading in swabs and wide nibs, but it has no sheen.
On Rhodia paper, the ink is a dusky blue with a bit of shading. It dries quickly and, as you can see in the water test, is completely waterproof.
Even on legendary Tomoe River Paper, Night Sky does not exhibit any sheen, but the ink and paper interact beautifully, offering a wonderfully smooth writing experience. The ink looks its best on Tomoe paper.
MD Cotton paper along with a juicy ruling pen bring out the shading and pooling properties of the ink. Even where the ink pools, however, there's no sheen.
Of the three inks reviewed here, Night Sky is my favorite. It is the most saturated, and it is easy to read on all the papers tested.
Blue Sky
Blue Sky is a light blue shade reminiscent of old, faded blue jeans or the soft blue color of the sky on a moody winter day. Using a dip pen fitted with a Brause Blue Pumpkin nib, the ink exhibits shading and color variation. There's no sheen, however.
On Rhodia paper, Blue Sky is very light, and there's not much color variation or shading. This ink was a bit wetter than Night Sky, taking slightly longer to dry. It also is waterproof.
Blue Sky is a little more legible on Tomoe River paper. The paper brings out some subtle shading as well.
This ink definitely looks best on MD Cotton paper with a ruling nib. If you want to enjoy the shading and pooling characteristics of the ink, you'll need to use it with wide nibs.
Blue Sky is too light in my opinion, at least for use in fine, medium, and broad nibs. It interacts best with Tomoe paper and, in combination with wide nibs (BB, BCI, and wider), it is more saturated.
Sunset Glow
Sunset Glow makes me think of an Orange Julius and my mouth starts watering. It's a peach-orange that, when it pools, becomes a striking red-orange. Again, using the Brause Blue Pumpkin dip nib brings out some nice shading in this ink. A tiny bit of sheen appears on the edges of the ink splats.
Sunset Glow appears rather light on Rhodia paper, but it is legible and exhibits some shading. Like the other inks, it is waterproof and has a fluorescent green afterglow that made me think it might glow in the dark, but it doesn't.
On Tomoe River Paper, Sunset Glow flows well and exhibits some shading.
This ink looks most spectacular on MD Cotton Paper with a ruling nib. The dark, rich oranges develop where the ink pools and shading is quite striking. Of the three inks, Sunset Glow is my second favorite.
You can purchase Night Sky, Blue Sky, and Sunset Glow from Shigure Inks ($24.00 for 35ml).
(Shigure Inks sent Pen Addict these three Atmospheric inks at no charge for review purposes.)
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