Jacques Herbin Rue de la Verrerie / Bleu Verrerie (Couleurs de Paris) — Ink Review #148
Jacques Herbin – rue de la Verrerie — Bleu Verrerie
Ink Review # 148
Originally posted on FPN: Sep 21, 2024
Ink: Bleu Verrerie (Couleurs de Paris collection)
Brand: Jacques Herbin – rue de la Verrerie
Country: France
Availability: 10 ml, 30 ml bottles and a set of 5 × 10 ml bottles.
Pens Used: Pilot F3A, Lamy (EF/F/M/B, 1,1)
Description
Couleurs de Paris (Colours of Paris) is a five-set ink inks by Jacques Herbin:
Moulin Rouge - orangish-red.
Tour Eiffel/ Eiffel Tower - Sepia gold
Métropolitain - Paris subway/underground mint green
Les Toits de Paris (Paris rooftops)- Blue grey
Here is a snapshot of the colours:
They are also sold separately in 10 ml/30 ml J Herbin fbottles, which is kind of surprising, but a clever marketing move, IMHO. I prefer the small 10 ml bottles.
Of the 5 inks, 4 are Parisian icons/ landmarks. Rue de la Verrerie, one of the oldest streets in Paris (11th century) is in this collection because it was Jacques Herbin’s address in 1810. (
Goulet has marketed these inks differently. This one as Bleu Verrerie.
The colour reminds me of the blue in the enamel street signs of Paris, but it might be inspired by the stained-glass blue of Notre-Dame. In the 12th century several verreries or glassmakers, resided in this street.
I decided to start with this ink as it seemed a very typical /boring royal blue, even though the chroma seemed promising:
The top two swatches seem almost identical.
But boy, in writing these inks are so different. When I started writing, I was in awe. I didn’t want to empty my pens and wanted to savour every single drop.
It’s a very wet saturated royal blue. But it changes colour depending on the paper/pen combination you use. This ink sings on Japanese papers with dry pens and has maximum shading. It varies from pastel Royal blue, blurple up to navy. The wetter the pen, the darker the colour and the shading disappears.
Very long dry times on Rhodia, so lefty over-writers, this ain’t for you.
It has decent water resistance. Cleaning was easy but it needed a nice overnight soak. You can see the gorgeous chroma, on tissue paper when I finally cleaned the pen. ( for ink nerds )
My experience with royal blues has been limited in the past years, but this one has been a very pleasant surprise
Chroma
Writing Samples
Rhodia
Midori
Tomoe River 68 gsm
Iroful
Hammermill 20 lb
Photo
Comparison
Water Test
Left side 10 seconds under running water.
Artwork
Vitrail - Stained glass
This ink and Tour Eiffel /or Eiffel Tower Brown are complementary. So I had fun playing around, inventing stained glasses:
My first attempts. (Note the blue grey in the top right has a bit of Lexington gray in the mix)
Notre-Dame du Chat et de la Souris
Night and Day
Both inks with maximum saturation.
Ink Characteristics
Writing experience: Inky heaven!
What I liked: Colour, shading, writing experience.
What I did not like: Long dry times, wetness.
What some might not like: Same as above.
Shading: Subtle on Rhodia, amazing on Japanese paper.
Ghosting: Depending paper, nib size, wetness, yes on cheap paper.
Bleed through: Yes, with a wet pen.
Flow Rate: Very wet.
Lubrication: Excellent.
Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.
Start-up: Ok
Saturation: Saturated.
Shading Potential: Great on Japanese paper.
Sheen: No.
Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Depending pen, nib wetness, flexing etc.
Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice.
Staining (pen): No.
Clogging: Did not notice.
Cleaning: Not as easy as R&K royal blue. It needs a nice overnight soak.
Water resistance: Quite good.
Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments. The more the merrier. 😊
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