Imagine going out on a beautiful, cloudless summer day. It’s a day that isn’t too hot, but warm enough to wear something comfortably light, like a pair of shorts and sandals. The breeze is pleasant, and every now and then, you get whiffs of freshly cut grass. The color of the sky is a vibrant light blue.
Many fountain pen ink makers have tried to bottle that very same blue hue. If you’re a fan of blues but haven’t given lighter shades a try yet, then this article is for you. Here are some of the best sky-blue fountain pen inks you can use.
1. Diamine Turquoise
Although it is called Diamine Turquoise, this ink is closer to a bright sky blue. Like many Diamine inks, it has excellent properties. It dries fairly quickly, behaves well, and works with different pens. Used with different nibs and slower strokes, it lays down a line that has noticeable shading that looks beautiful on fountain pen-friendly paper.
2. Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-Iro
Ama-Iro is a light bright blue from Pilot that will certainly catch your eye. This incredibly well-performing ink will give you a great flow and lay down a crisp, clean sky blue color. This isn’t just a flat blue but one that has richness and depth. It has the ability to shade to a medium blue, especially when used with wetter, broader nibs. This ink also has a dry time ranging from 10 to 15 seconds — not the fastest, but quite good. Ama-Iro has no bleeding or feathering and minimal show-through as well.
3. Pelikan 4001 Turquoise
If you want a drier ink, then try Turquoise from the Pelikan 4001 line. It’s quite an affordable ink with great quality. This sky-blue ink leans ever so slightly turquoise as its name suggests, and it lays down a bold, saturated line. The ink is also well-behaved on most types of paper, with minimal to no bleed-through. If you want just a touch of something different in a mostly sky-blue fountain pen ink, then this is the perfect option for you.
4. Sailor Souten
One of the darkest sky blues on this list, Sailor Souten is not one ink to be missed. This ink performs well with no show-through, bleed-through, or feathering on paper. It has a very good flow and is quite wet in most pens, which lubricates the nib nicely. But it’s the color that really stands out when you try his ink. Souten can shades from a lighter blue to a darker blue as you write, and depending on the pen and paper you use, you can see a good amount of red sheen too. If this sounds like what you want to get out of a sky-blue ink, then Souten is a great choice.
5. Robert Oster Australian Sky Blue
Going back to brighter and lighter blues, Robert Oster’s Australian Sky Blue concludes our list as a vivid sky-blue and turquoise hybrid with some shading. This is the perfect color for spring, but it can also look beautiful in the winter. This ink has an average flow but is wetter than some other Robert Oster shades, such as Bondi Blue. When used with a wider nib, it shows off a pretty pink sheen. This is a great pick if you want a beautiful, bright blue with some shading and sheen.
And there you have it! There are an endless number of sky-blue and other blue inks out there. Starting out with this list can lead you to more exciting discoveries. As always, don’t forget that cleaning your fountain pens between inks is essential to keep it tip-top condition so that you can use it for many more years to come.
Happy inking and happy writing!
Written by EndlessPens Blogger Ramona Kabigting
