Ink Review - J. Herbin Verte Olive

Aside from having a rather hard-to-pronounce naming system, and a poorly designed bottle, J. Herbin is a really great ink manufacturer. After trying 3 of their inks now, I feel ready to review this one. So far, my impressions are very positive!

J. Herbin Verte Olive is one of those "They really nailed that color" inks. It looks just like olive oil, and I find it quite appealing.


Read on, for the full review!
Overview:

Definitely an 87/100 for me! I really like this ink.

J. Herbin has really created a winner here, in Verte Olive. The color is perfect for the name, and the ink is well behaved to boot!

One of the reasons I love this ink so much, is that it's a nice quiet understated ink, and yet it still remains vibrant and beautiful. It's a strange combination, but I really like it. I feel like this ink would be appropriate for letter writing, but not quite for business. It's right in between the boundary of understated, and saturated/popping colors.

The good:

• Beautiful color.
• Shades in a delightful manner. :)
• Dries extremely quickly!

The bad:

• The name of this ink would be considered easy to pronounce in comparison with other J.H. offerings. Still, I find the names somewhat odd, and non-descriptive. Verte Olive is ok (makes me think of olives), but what about "diablo menthe"? I would never have guessed that it was an ultra-bright green/blue color...
• The ink is a tad watery feeling - not thick and smooth like Noodlers inks. This could be considered a plus however, as it makes washing it out of pens extremely easy, as well as improving it's dry time.

The ugly:

• The bottle it comes in is horrible for filling from. You will need another bottle if you ever want to use more than half of a J. Herbin ink...

Now for the details:

Ink Review: J. Herbin Verte Olive.

Pen and nib: Stipula Passporto - 1.1mm cursive italic.

Color: Just like olive oil!

Dry time: 3 seconds!

Smear when dry: No.

Shading: Light to moderate - Very beautiful though...

Lubrication: Good, but a little "watery" feeling, if that makes any sense.

Bleed through: A very tiny amount.

Feathering: None that I can see, or at least an extremely minimal amount. I am using fairly cheap paper too.

If you want to see the real color of the ink, see the photos below. This scan is only here for reading purposes, not color accuracy. :)

This shows off what think really looks like. It's quite beautiful really.

This last shot is the most accurate one. The perfect olive color, with shading to spare, and wonderful performance.

After trying my first J. Herbin ink, I'll say it: I'm sold! I really enjoyed this ink. The color is just right for me, and while it feels a bit watery, the quick dry time definitely justifies that for me. Overall, this is a fabulous ink, and I'd be in the wrong to not recommend it to you.

That concludes this review! I hope you enjoyed it, cause I sure enjoyed the ink! I am looking forward to reviewing more J. Herbin inks in the future - I've got quite a few sample to go through now. In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don't miss out on those when they come. 

And don't forget to leave me acomment and let me know what you think of the review, and/or the ink. Do your experiences with J. Herbin Verte Olive match mine?