Scribo Ink Review
I was delighted to receive a set of Scribo ink review samples via United Inkdom, and even more delighted when I’d swatched them.
The colours are vibrant, saturated and really beg for a much broader nib than I normally use. Nonetheless, they perform beautifully, exhibiting some. Nice shading, even with a fine nib. In the image below, I swatched them with water to see the potential range of tones. I was quite impressed.
The Blues and Greens
I must admit to being particularly taken with the Verde Mediterraneo, which I have had in a pen for a number of weeks*. I have written several letters with it and really love the shading that is evident, even with a fine nib. I’m a sucker for a nice teal or blue-green ink, so that I love it is not entirely surprising.
*Yes, I have rather dragged my feet over writing this review, I’m afraid.
The Scribo ink greens and blues are rather nice. Verde Bosco is, as the name suggests, a deep, forest green with a touch of red sheen. It’s another colour I really like. Verde Prato is grass green and less to my taste, being rather lurid, reminiscent of the less palatable shades of Lycra. If you like bright, almost flourescent greens, this one might appeal to you. Finally, the Blu Capri is a rather splendid bright blue, similar to Iroshizuku Ama -Iro or Kon-Peki.
I’ve put the remaining Scribo blue(s) in the next section, as they are quite dark (though not in the macabre sense).
The darks
Blu Cosmico is a very dark blue-black with some reddish-brown sheen. It’s almost black on the page, but with enough of a twist to make it interesting. Nero Nero or, as you might expect, is black. I’m not sure I can say much more about it without comparing it to other blacks to see where it falls on the “blackness” scale.
Scribo Grigio is a difficult one to pin down. Initially, I had it down as a grey-green (in low light it had a sage-like quality), so forgive the erroneous assessment in the image below. Further swatching suggests that it is more of a grey-blue. I have to say that I rather like it, despite not being much of a fan of grey in any walk of life. I will be inking up a pen with it for further experimentation.
The Earthy Colours
I perhaps should have included Classico Sepia in with the darks above, as it is quite a deep brown. I don’t normally opt for brown ink, but I can see myself using this one. The Giallo Canella is, I’m afraid, what I would describe as a shitty brown. I definitely can’t see myself using this one, and the ink itself, like the Verde Prato, seems really watery. It reminds me of the water I’ve cleaned my paint brushes in (not to mention something less savoury). As you can gather, I’m not a fan. Lastly, there is the Arancia di Sicilia. I’m not keen on orange as a colour, in ink or otherwise, so I’d be unlikely to use this one, That said, as orange inks go, it is quite a robust one, so perhaps I could be turned to the orange side…a little.
The Reds and Purples
These are much more like it. I love the Rossi Chianti which is in the Scribo Tropea that I will be reviewing next. With its 1.4mm nib, it certainly shows of the shading and the lovely deep red colour. The Rossi Melograno is a brighter, more “bloody” pomegranate red. I’m quite partial to pomegranates and I also rather like this colour. Finally, there is Notturno Viola, another one that perhaps belongs with the “Darks”, as it is quite close to black in normal writing mode.
`in summary
I haven’t used the inks extensively enough to form a definitive opinion of their properties beyond their colour. They do appear to be quite wet, and some are positively watery, but they do feel like quality inks. There is a reasonable spread of colours which are mostly fabulous. I plan to test them all more extensively over the next few weeks/months, as and when I get the opportunity. I’m certainly very taken with a couple of them already and the Verde Mediterraneo is definitely high on my wish list.
The lowdown
These samples for this Scribo ink review were supplied by courtesy of Write Here in Shrewsbury, who are stockists of Scribo pens and inks. They don’t come cheap at £35 for a 90ml bottle, so you may want to pick a colour you will be happy using for a while if you are going to treat yourself.
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