thINKthursday
Faber-Castell Violet Blue

Maybe you didn’t notice, but Graf von Faber-Castell just came out with a new color – Violet Blue.

thINKthursday – Faber-Castell Violet Blue

Faber-Castell doesn’t offer the largest selection of ink, but the colors they have are all well behaving and standard colors.

While the $30 price tag might seem high, you’re getting 75ml of ink, which works out to the same price per ml as J. Herbin and De Atramentis. This review was done with a Faber-Castell Loom F, Lamy Safari 1.1, and on Rhodia No. 18 blank paper.

The first thing that should be noted is this is not a violet blue ink, it is just violet. The only reason I can think that they would use the word blue to describe this ink is that the namer was color blind. I would suggest that you continue reading this review under the assumption that this is a violet ink, and not a violet blue one.

Faber-Castell’s Violet Blue had a considerable difference in color depending on which nib was used. In a finer nib, the ink was a pastel lavender/lilac that didn’t offer a lot of shading. With a broad nib, the ink was a darker plum color that had a slight magenta undertone. The ink also shaded a little better, but it was still on the low side.

Like other Faber-Castell inks, Violet Blue had good flow, low feathering and bleedthrough, and easy clean up. Saturation was moderate, and the dry times were in the normal range at 20-25 seconds. Shading was low to moderate. Violet Blue is not water resistant, but one could still barely make out the writing

For all intents and purposes, Violet Blue is a nice violet ink, but it’s hard not to be let down when it’s name suggests something it doesn’t have. Compared to other purple inks, it has an interesting magenta undertone that gives it some warmth and depth.

As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the color for you.

Ink it Up!
Chris

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