thINKthursday
Diamine Raw Sienna
Diamine Raw Sienna is an understated brown that has some beautiful subtleties. As always, Diamine is a safe bet when it comes to ink – there is a huge selection of colors that behave well, and the pricing is quite reasonable. Raw Sienna is part of Diamine’s standard line of colors and comes in an 80ml bottle that makes pen filling easy. This review was done with a Edison Beaumont F and Lamy Studio B on Rhodia blank no.18 paper.
Sienna is a naturally occurring earth pigment and is used in two different forms – raw or burnt. Raw sienna is a gold-pecan color. When heated, it becomes a rich reddish brown that is appropriately called burnt sienna.
Diamine Raw Sienna is an excellent example of how an ink’s appearance can differ, depending on the nib used. In a fine nib, the ink was a light caramel brown with little differentiation in the areas where the ink pooled. In the broad nib however, the ink shaded well and allowed the ink to show its full range of color. Areas of golden caramel transitioned to rich walnut browns, creating a beautiful effect.
Like most Diamine ink, the flow was excellent and the dry times were normal (around 20 to 30 seconds). The water resistance was low, but I could make out the lettering after the ink had washed away. Feathering and bleed-through were low and shading was largely influenced by nib choice.
Some users may be tempted to write off Diamine Raw Sienna as a boring brown, but I really enjoyed it in a broad nib. The subtleties in shading produced a warm and inviting range of colors that drew me in. Using the ink to draw allowed for a wide variety of shades and washes, and created a classically inspired effect.
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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