(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
Robert Oster Sushi is a pink shade that definitely evokes the color of salmon or raw tuna you might find in sushi. The ink offers good shading in flex and wide nibs, but has no sheen, as you can see on the Col-o-dex card.
In my ink tests, I found the color to be a bit too light for use in extra fine and fine nibs, but in wider nibs it is readable and exhibits good shading. The ink dries very quickly which means you won’t have difficulty with smearing. The ink is not waterproof.
Chromatography shows little variation--just light and darker pink tones.
The beauty of this ink really comes through in wide nibs. I used my Handwritmic Ruling Pen on Midori Cotton paper and love the shading and pooling exhibited.
Unless you’re using a dip pen, flex nib, or broader nibs, you may find this ink too light for every-day writing. Still, it’s such a unique color, I think it’s worth having in your collection, especially for ink washes, italic, flex, and large lettering, and for drawing/art. (In the photos below, Vanness White Lightning Ink Additive was added to the ink before writing.)
When I started inking my mandala (below) with Robert Oster Sushi, the ink was so dry that I feared I was going to scratch through the paper. I wound up adding Vanness White Lightning for better flow in my TWSBI 580 with an EF nib and was able to complete the mandala without any more dryness problems. I was pleased with the results.
I am quite taken with this beautiful shade of pink. It reminds me of well-worn ballet shoes or a ripe grapefruit cut in half. You can purchase Robert Oster Sushi from Vanness Pens for $17.00 for a 50 ml bottle.
(The Pen Addict purchased this ink at a discount from Vanness Pens.)
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