Kala Nostalgia Gemstone Sillimanite — Ink Review #165

Kala Nostalgia Gemstone Sillimanite

Ink Review # 165

 

Originally posted on FPN: Jan 2, 2025

 

Ink: Sillimanite

Brand: Kala Nostalgia Gemstone

Country: Taiwan

Availability: 30 ml bottles.

Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Lamy Safari (EF / F / M / B / Stub 1.1), Kanwrite with semiflex Ahab nib.

Description

According to the Shigure website: "The KALA Nostalgia Gemstone Series is themed around precious gems. These practical water-proof inks use black and gray pigment to create 12 unique greyscale and dark colors. KALA Nostalgia inks are made in Taiwan."

You can check the whole lineup at https://www.kalaink.com/gemstone-series_en/

I have been enjoying Kala pigment inks for some time and it's a pity they are not as readily available as other inks. I believe they are only sold by Shigure inks and JetPens in the US.

For a cute 30 ml bottle, you pay the same amount as a bottle of Noodler's 90 ml bottle.

Inks are waterproof / resistant, i.e. if you use them in watercolour a bit of ink is removed if not dry enough. They are dream inks for inspiring artists, especially for cross hatching. They are also fabulous for everyday writing, if you like different shades of grey.

Now for Sillimanite: it's a pure pencil grey with excellent lubrication, making the scratchy Kakuno EF nib sing. For me it's drawing / doodling / sketching ink. I enjoyed this ink so much that I've been procrastinating posting this review, filling my pens twice.

Dry times are short on Rhodia, but the wetter the pen, dry times lengthens as usual on Japanese paper. If you want it a pencil hue, go for a dry pen, otherwise a wetter pen might be needed.

There's subtle shading but let's say it won't win any prizes.

Ink in general is well behaved and there's acceptable ghosting on copy paper, unless you use a gusher.

Chroma

Writing Samples (scan)

Rhodia

Midori

Tomoe River 68 gsm

Iroful

Hammermill 20 lb

Photo

Comparison

Water Test

Left side: 10 seconds under running water.

Artwork

I practiced different styles of drawing with this ink. Most are rough sketches. I can blame the rough quality on the holiday season, but to be frank it's mostly because of my impatience and lack of experience.

Lady Eve

Octopus Write & Draw Red Duck.  De Atramentis Document / Artist Cyan in a brush pen, which is very difficult to control as it binds immediately to the paper. Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook. 

Lady in Grey

A quick sketch with a Pilot Kakuno EF. Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook. 


Shop around the corner

Inspired by the 1940 movie. Sketch was done whilst watching the movie. The background ink is J Herbin Terre de Feu.

 

Ink Characteristics

What I liked: Colour for drawing, behaviour.

What I did not like: Maybe price. For me it's a drawing ink. Learning to spell Sillimanite. Very long name.

What some might not like: Pigment ink, colour doesn't change much even with a wet pen.

Shading: Subtle.

Ghosting: Faint on cheap paper, unless using wet pen and are heavy handed.

Bleed through: Same as above.

Flow Rate: Wet.

Lubrication: Excellent.

Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.

Start-up: Great.

Saturation: Medium.

Shading Potential: There's some.

Sheen: No.

Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: A bit with a wet flex, applied heavily.

Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.

Staining (pen): No.

Clogging: Did not notice.

Cleaning: Surprisingly easy, but with pigment ink.

Water resistance: Very Good. Some ink will wash away.

Availability: 30 ml bottles.

 

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments. The more the merrier. 😊

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