Moodtape Grand African — Ink Review #199

 Moodtape - Grand African

 

Ink Review # 199

 

Originally posted on FPN: Aug 21, 2025

 

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🧾 Description

 

Ink: Moodtape - Grand African

Available: ✔ Available in 15 ml bottle

Pens Used: Pilot 3A EF semi-flex, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1) , Kanwrite Ultra-flex

 

Moodtape is a Chinese brand best known for washi tapes, PET tapes, stamps, and other journaling accessories.

 

This is their first foray into fountain pen inks. I find the naming of these inks puzzling and frankly distasteful. 

Ink is decent, with slightly below average lubrication. It comes in 15 ml bottles. It's supposed to have a faint brown sheen, which I didn’t observe.  Ink has no water resistance. 

I used a Pilot F3A, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B/1.1) and a Kanwrite with FPN flex nib. With a wet pen it's a dark green, with a dry pen it has teal-mint color with some shading. It worked well on all pens but Kanwrite.

Ink has minimal ghosting with most nibs, unless with the Kanwrite, bleeding through Rhodia. I put the blame on the pen. 

 

Ink is downright ugly on Midori, so avoid cream paper. 

In washes it turns into light mint/sea foam green, which is surprisingly nice, but not a colour I would associate with their hunting theme.  

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 🧪 Chroma

 

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 ✍️ Writing Samples (scan)

 

JEF stands for Japanese EF nib.

Rhodia  / Iroful



Midori  /Tomoe River 68gsm

 

Hammermill 20lb

 

 📸 Photo

 

Rhodia/ Iroful

 


Midori / Tomoe River 68 gsm

 

Hammermill 20lb copy paper

 

🔍 Comparison

 

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 💧 Water Test

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 🎨 Artwork

 

Landscape

 

Talens Mixed Media


Hunter 

 

Tintenlabor Schokolade and Canson Watercolour paper

 

This drawing was inspired after my cat brought a live mouse in the house to play with. I had to finally catch the mouse and release it into the nature, 3 days later. Ironic for someone who draws cat and mice.   The drawing inspired a fable; 

 

Once upon a time a cat played with its supper, instead of eating it. Maus was kept hostage for years, mock eaten and released. One day Maus broke free, killing its tormentor and mounting its head as a reminder. However, he couldn't stop himself from hunting and protecting his children. The Animal Rights Activists proclaimed that Maus should be more benevolent than its predators. Otherwise, he would be worse than them. But Maus didn't have to learn lessons from those hunters, had he?

 

Ink separation (closeup) 

 

Note how ink separates into tinges of yellow and blue.

 

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- What I Liked:   Ink Washes.

- What I Did Not Like: Name, No water resistance. 

- What Some Might Not Like: Name. 

- Writing Experience: Ok.

- Pros: Drawing.

- Cons: No water resistance.

 

 🧷 Ink Characteristics

 

- Shading: With a dry pen. 

- Ghosting: Depending pen wetness and nib size.

- Bleed Through: Same as above.

- Flow Rate: Wet

- Lubrication: Slightly below average. 

- Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. 

- Start-up: Ok

- Saturation: Depends on pen. 

- Sheen: Faint

- Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice.

- Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.

- Staining (Pen): No. 

- Clogging: No.

- Cleaning: Moderately easy.

- Water Resistance: Non-existent. 

 

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 💬 Closing

 

This is an ok ink from Moodtape. My review was skewed by my aversion to the name. 

 

No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review.  ;) 

 

Please don’t hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments — the more the merrier. :) 

 

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