This started as a red-only colour chart, since I haven’t done that before, but as I made the
colour samples I felt I wanted some reference colours, so I added yellow, orange, cerise/pink, purple and a dark blue as references and to make the chart even more tasty – I think it looks like – particularly the upper 3/5 – a chart of assorted candies. The samples were made with a drawing brush on aquarelle paper. The dots are supposed to mimic the colour variation in a fountain pen (and it is also very nice to dot and doodle, so I suppose that is the main reason, actually). It is always good to see related colours side by side. This photo is quite accurate except for the Amazing amethyst which is much more like a true, purple amethyst – not as blue as here. It is a very elusive colour. It seems like particularly elusive purples are hard to capture. The Rohrer and Klingner Morinda and Noodler’s Tulipe Noir FPN exclusive was sent to me as samples from a kind person – thank you! The undisputed most saturated inks in this chart is the J Herbin 1670 and Diamine’s Majestic blue. If you watch the sample above closely you see that this blue shimmers a little in a red hue. The “thinnest” real red is the Stipula Calamo Red – it is a quite non-saturated ink and the red leans towards pink – without turning into pink.

The Morinda is a good standard red. The Visconti Bordeaux is a rather light and cold Bordeaux that is more red than Bordeaux, but it is a pleasant colour. The Herbin is the king or queen among these reds. Rich, warm, vibrant – it feels like one could warm one’s hands on it. The Monaco Red is a warm brownish red – like an aged, dark brick red. Nice and well behaved. The Montegrappa Bordeaux and the Tulipe Noir are quite similar in hue. The Tulipe is darker, but both feels like true wine-reds. I like them very much and they might just be my favourite wine reds so far. Lots of red thus! And so many more to try out there!