At last! I have been banging on about Diamine Forever Ink for quite some time and finally it’s produced and on the shelves. The initial collection of nano particle pigment fountain pen ink consists of sixteen colours and, for me, these are a game changer. They are available in 50ml bottles and come packaged in the recognisable Diamine brand style.
Fountain Pen Ink Art is a project that I began in 2015. Its purpose is to re-imagine fountain pen ink, a product produced for a now increasingly obsolete purpose, and explore possibilities to enhance its potential for uses within other creative contexts and to hopefully expand and prolong its relevance.
The vast majority of fountain pen inks that I have investigated over the last ten years have been dye base and the results have been impressive particularly when using inks with chromatic qualities and subjecting them to bleach.
Pigment inks are not the same as dye base inks. They are made with pigment colour particles that when dry are permanent and waterproof. They do not have any chromatic qualities and are resistant to bleach and other agents. The pigment particles often have a habit of choking up pen feeds, sometimes, rendering them useless. They also have a habit of drying on paper leaving particles on the dried ink surface as a dust, which can often smudge when over washed. And occasionally not drying completely leading to smudging and smears. Irritating!
In 2022, Octopus Fluids released a fantastic range of ‘fountain pen friendly’ Write & Draw pigment inks which I use and still recommend. Click for my review. But, they can’t be left in a fountain pen if not being used for a while and a couple of the inks when dry, can smear when overwashed.
So, what is so great about Diamine Forever Ink?
In the autumn of 2024, Phil at Diamine asked me if I’d like to test drive some of these new pigment inks. These are made with nano particle pigments. And this is where these inks become a game changer. Because the pigment particles are invisible to the naked eye, they are small enough not to dry in a pen feed and they are small enough to completely dry on paper without leaving a dust that can later smear when over washed.
And you can use these in many different ways. If I choose, I can illustrate with a fountain pen* and then paint tonal washes using the other Forever Ink colours. (See above). But I can also illustrate with the Forever Inks and overpaint with dye base inks. Because the Forever ink is permanent, it acts like a resist. So I can overpaint with dye base inks and still get the benefits of chromatography and using bleach! (See below). And click here to see how I used them to record my trip around the Outer Hebrides.
*I now use a Herbin acrylic fountain pen which I have customised with a Fountain Pen Revolution 5.5 Ultra Flex Nib. All art shown has been created with this pen. Review to follow.
The combination of pigment and dye base inks not only expands the possibilities for Fountain Pen Ink Art but literally squares the circle, in that we now have a Fountain Pen Medium that is a unique and versatile creative genre with unlimited creative possibilities. Which also means that I can now complete and deliver my next online course!
See below for the range of colours available:
The last four inks I have enlarged as they are in effect CMYK primary colours. And they mix together beautifully. So if you are planning on just getting a few bottles, do consider these because you can then mix your own secondary colours with them. Check out the colour wheel below to prove my point.
And if you want to see how a few of the other colours blend together, see below. They are impressive.
I think you can tell that I’m very very very impressed with these. And did I forget to mention that they are lightfast too! These inks have seriously cheered me up! And I will be blogging about these again – very soon.
The Forever Inks have now been released. If you’re in the UK I know that Cult Pens have them for sale. Click here if interested
HEY! If you’re interested to know more about how to use fountain pen inks in more creative ways – whether it’s simply to observe their chromatic behaviours, or, to recreate one of my swatch cards, or, to learn how to use them in watercolour painting, illustration and calligraphy, why not check out my online course or, even better, sign up for a workshop?
DISCLOSURE: Please be aware that I may possibly be remunerated should you click the link(s) above to make a purchase.
FOUNTAIN PEN INK ART 