(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
With all the vibrant, gorgeous ink colors available on the market today, it's a wonder anyone tries the browns and blacks to uncover the subtle treasures they offer, but I'm always glad when I take a trip to the dark side of ink. DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough is my latest experiment, and I've been pleasantly surprised.
DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough, part of the famous people collection of inks, is a rich black-brown ink that reminds me of caramelized sugar or bourbon when writing. My expectations were a little harsh on this ink just because of the name. When I think of a black-brown, I think of the inks I've tried that so dark that you can barely see the chocolate colors coming through. In the case of this black-brown, the brown is still the star and main attraction. The color reminds me very much of Monteverde Scotch Brown, but just a tad darker.
Along with the sultry color, the ink exhibits some lovely shading. The amount of variance isn't dramatic, but it's just enough to add some visual interest on the page that alters between a dark and medium brown. I was surprised (again) to see this much variation in such a dark color, but these types of unexpected features are always welcome.
It's not often I find an ink that dries in less than 15 seconds, but this ink easily fits in that category. Using the 1.1mm stub nib on my test pen, the ink was typically dry in 15 to 20 seconds. But, when using a smaller medium nib, it was dry between 10 and 15 seconds. Not bad!
The Monteverde I use to test inks can also lean toward the dry side, but this ink does a good job of lubricating the nib and keeping the flow of ink steady and dependable. Using the pen after a long period of rest was also no problem — after a few test strokes, the ink starts flowing easily.
This ink is also incredibly easy to clean out of pens. It washes out quickly and doesn't leave behind any pigment. Overall, it's extremely well-behaved.
DeAtramentis Thomas Gainsborough is available in a 35ml bottle for around $14. It's a beautiful but subtle color, and I can highly recommend it if you're a fan of brown inks.
(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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