Organics Studio Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue Ink Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Organics Studio inks are made in Maryland by Tyler Thompson. He offers several different series: Elements, Masters of Writing, Masters of Science, and Vintage Writing Ink. The Masters of Writing inks “attempt to merge a famous writer from previous centuries with a color that brings them to mind” (from the Organics Studio Masters of Writing page).

Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue is a dark blue ink with intensive magenta sheen. In fact, the ink is so sheeny, it’s actually hard to see the blue, especially in sunlight or bright light.

The ink comes in a brown cardboard box with a photo of Ralph Waldo Emerson, his signature, the dates of his life, and the date the ink was introduced (2017). The bottle is plastic and has a simple sticker with “O.S.” and “Ralph” with the photo of the writer.

For ink testing, I used my Oldwin fountain pen with a fine nib and Maruman Septcouleur paper white paper. Sometimes sheen doesn’t show up with fine nibs, but Ralph Waldo Emerson’s sheen certainly did. You can see the blue color best in the water test (the ink is not waterproof). The ink is also very wet. Even after 30 seconds of dry time, it smudged easily.

The chromatography test shows that Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue contains a base of peachy-pink with turquoise and blue tones.

The most striking feature of this ink is its exceptional sheen. I must say this is the sheeniest ink I’ve encountered so far. The magenta is so intense that it overwhelms the dark blue color.

Here are some close up photos of the sheen.

Although I am a big fan of sheen, Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue is actually too sheeny for me for a couple of reasons. First, I love blue inks, and I want to see the blue, but as I said before, the magenta sheen overwhelms the blue in this ink. Second, the sheen makes this ink sticky on the page. I used it in my Nanami Seven Seas journal, and it stuck to the facing pages and to my hand when I rested it on the page to write my next journal entry. Even after several days of drying, it still smudges and gets on my hand. Because of this, I doubt I will use this ink as a daily writer.

I wrote this journal entry on June 1 and on June 3 it still transferred to my hand

The ink also smudges even after days of drying

I love the innovative inks produced by Organics Studio. If you want an ink with intensive magenta sheen, then Ralph Waldo Emerson Twilight Blue is definitely the perfect choice. Just be aware that the ink smudges and is sticky even after several days of drying. You can purchase a 55ml bottle from Vanness Pens for $15.00.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Organics Studio Blue Merle Ink Review

I didn't go to this years Atlanta Pen Show with much of a shopping list but one ink was definitely on the radar: Organics Studio Blue Merle. I assumed the Anderson's would have it at their table, and with an exchange of American currency a bottle was mine.

Organics Studio bills Blue Merle as a recreation of vintage Carter's ink. I'll admit I have no idea what Carter's ink is/was, but the goal was to create an ink with very few ingredients that behaves well and is easy to clean. In my testing so far, all of these things are true.

What drew me to Blue Merle, of course, is that is a blue black ink. Yet another one added to my collection! Blue Merle leans heavy on the grey side of the spectrum, making for a nice rain cloud type of color. Grey is one color I can handle in my blue black inks and this one is nice.

The behavior of this ink is a huge selling point. It flows great (I used my Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a bold CI nib), shades wonderfully, dries reasonably fast, and cleans well. I've used it in a range of pens so far and have had zero issues wherever I have tried it.

In the grand scheme of things, Blue Merle probably will not crack my Top 5 blue black inks, but that's not a mark against it. It is a fun ink that is in the rotation often and always provides a great writing experience.

Organics Studio Edgar Allen Poe Ink Review

Say hello to one of my new favorite inks. Edgar Allen Poe is part of the Masters of Writing Series from Organics Studios. This is my first time trying any inks from Organics, and I'll definitely be trying more after this. In short, this is a dark red, bloody ink that can be used in most occasions, behaves well, and just looks awesome.

I was given a sample of this ink by Joe Lebo, a gentleman extraordinaire (Thanks, Joe!). He sent a couple of other samples as well, but the E.A. Poe sample was a surprise. Joe has great taste.

So, how does this ink perform? It's been fantastic in the few pens I've tried and I've had no complaints so far about how it behaves on paper. Let's get into the details.

The color is subtle, but deep. At first glance, you know it's a deep red with some brown hints, but then you start to notice the character. It's similar in color to a lot of the oxblood inks out there. If you like dark reds, you'll probably like this.

In the pens I tried, this ink had very good flow. It's a tad wet, but it doesn't create pools of ink when writing slowly. It's right in the middle of the scale for me. I haven't seen any bleeding with this ink, and show through is minimal. There's no sheen to the ink once it dries, which is a shame because it looks better when it's wet. This ink dries with a nice color though, unlike some inks that dry lighter or less saturated than when they are wet.

A favorite quality of the ink for me is the shading. There isn't a ton of shading -- it's subtle, but I love it. Dark red to lighter red and brown, and sometimes just a hint of pink in some situations. It's a lovely characteristic, and it does well in special nibs (stubs, italics).

Overall, this is a great ink. It's well-behaved and has great characteristics. It's a new favorite for sure!

If you're interested in trying this ink yourself, Goulet and Anderson both stock full bottles as well as samples. At somewhere around $14 for a 55 ml bottle, that's a pretty good value. It's not cheap, but it's also not expensive. Definitely worth it.

I'll be purchasing a bottle of E.A. Poe as well as a few more samples from Organics very soon.