Jinchen Sea Color / 海色 (Hǎi sè) — Ink Review #258
Jinchen — Sea Color / 海色 Hǎi sè
Ink Review # 258
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🧾 Description
Ink: Sea Color / 海色 Hǎi sè
Brand: Jinchen
Country: China
Bottle size: 18 ml
Pens Used: Kaweco Sport Navy (EF, F, M, B, BB, 1.1, 1.9), Hongdian Forest Gold Fude, Ahab with a FPR ultra-flex nib.
This was another impulse buy. The ink is a lovely light petrol blue with a hint of pink/red chromo-shading with BB, 1.9 stub and fude nibs on most papers.
The ink is wet, with acceptable but below average lubrication. Despite its wetness it struggled with the flex nib and the colour became more saturated and all chromo-shading effects disappeared.
I believe this ink could shine with brush pens.
I most enjoyed drawing with it and ink washes were a dream.
Overall, an ok ink if you’re into calligraphy or drawing, but if you write mostly with F nibs and finer, you won’t enjoy it.
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🧪 Chroma
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✍️ Writing Samples (photos LED only and closeups)
JEF stands for Japanese EF nib.
Translations from language are provided for reference only and may differ from published versions.
For some reason the color is not right with Kaweco EF to M nibs. I believe my pen might have been wet, hence this weird teal color.
Rhodia dotpad
“When have my thoughts ever been without the clear sound of your waves?”
— Bing Xin, female Chinese writer, 1900–1999.
Iroful
“After the joy was spent, I returned late by boat and strayed deep among the lotus flowers.”
Li Qingzhao, female Chinese poet, 1084–c.1155
Midori MD Codex
“Tears have washed away what remained of my makeup.”
— Zhu Shuzhen, female Chinese poet, active 12th century.
Tomoe River 68gsm (Taroko Design Notebook)
Note: Tomoe River used here is 68 gsm, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews.
“Row on, row on; startled gulls and herons rise from the shallows.”
— Li Qingzhao, female Chinese poet, 1084–c.1155.
Hammermill 20lb copy paper
“On the pillow, tears fall in secret; among the flowers, the heart quietly breaks.”
— Yu Xuanji, female Chinese poet, c. 844–868.
🔍 Comparison
Col-O-ring swatches. Scans are approximate.
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💧 Water Test
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🎨 Artwork
Cat at Mouse at Tofino I
Jinchen Xi Xia, Jinchen Sea Color, and Noodler’s Lexington Gray on Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook paper.
A second take on Cat & Mouse at Tofino, with different paper and a slightly different ink mix.
Noodler’s Lexington Grey, Jinchen Sea Colour, Ostrich Sycamore Tree, Strathmore paper.
Bear
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- Writing Experience: Ok.
- What I Liked: Writing with fude, drawing.
- What I Did Not Like: Lack of lubrication.
🧷 Ink Characteristics
- Shading: Subtle.
- Ghosting: A bit on copy paper.
- Bleed Through: A lot on copy paper.
- Flow Rate: Wet but struggled with flex nib despite ebonite feed.
- Lubrication: Below average, but ok.
- Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.
- Start-up: No problems.
- Saturation: Saturated only with flex nib.
- Sheen: Chromo-shading with BB, Stub 1.9, fude.
- Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: With flex on copy paper.
- Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.
- Staining (Pen):
- Clogging: No.
- Cleaning: The pink dye can be persistent. So, you might need a pen flush.
- Water Resistance: Nope.
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💬 Closing
This is lovely blue ink, which in my opinion is best with BB and above nib.
No fountain pens were harmed 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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