Ostrich Cinereous Phoenix / 青鸾 — Ink Review #252
Ostrich Cinereous Phoenix
Ink Review # 252
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🧾 Description
Ink: Cinerous Phoenix / 青鸾 — Qīngluán
Series: 24 Solar Terms
Brand: Ostrich
Country: China
Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Kaweco (EF/F/M/B/BB, stub 1.1, 1.9), Hongdian Long Knife, Blade, fude and Karas Kustom fitted with an FPnibs Ultra-flex nib and very wet ebonite feed.
After the poem by Li Bai, Fènghuáng Qǔ — “Phoenix Song”:
Nongyu, daughter of Qin, plays the jade flute,
singing amid heaven’s spring.
The phoenix does not depart alone;
the lovers rise hand in hand.
Their shadows vanish; colored clouds break apart,
and the lingering flute-song drifts over western Qin.
This is a watery medium grey ink, with below-average lubrication. I went a bit overboard with this ink and tested it with 12 different nibs, from Japanese EF to stub, three different Chinese nibs (Long Knife, Blade and fude) and flex.
Despite the chromo-shading claims I only managed to capture the subtle yellow dye with a 1.9 stub nib, Long Knife or heavy application.
Despite the three-channel ebonite feed, the ink could not handle the flex nib and railroaded often.
If I wanted to use an ink in this tone, I would stick with Herbin’s Gris Nuage.
The Ink is very well behaved on copy paper with minimal show-through. Bleed-through occurred only with the flex nib.
Overtime, I enjoyed reproducing Chinese style ink drawings and washes, but I did not enjoy it for writing.
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🧪 Chroma
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✍️ Writing Samples (photos LED, Daylight )
Translations from language are provided for reference only and may differ from published versions.
Rhodia dotpad
“Nongyu, daughter of Qin, plays the jade flute.” — Li Bai, Phoenix SongLink
Iroful
“She plays and sings amid the spring of heaven.”
Midori MD Codex
“The phoenix (Qīngluán) does not fly away alone.”
Tomoe River 68gsm (Taroko Design Notebook)
Note: Tomoe River used here is 68 gsm, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews.
“The lovers rise together, hand in hand.”
Hammermill 20lb copy paper
“Their shadows vanish; the coloured clouds break apart.”
Closeup
🔍 Comparison
Col-O-ring swatches. Scans are approximate.
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💧 Water Test
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🎨 Artwork
Two Heads, Not Too Many Ideas
Cat & Mouse take on an imperial eagle.
Octopus Write & Draw Green Eagle, Ostrich Cinereous Grey, Jinchen Xi Xia, Talens Mixed Media.
Cinereous Spring
Monochromatic drawing inspired by Chinese landscape painting, using a grey fountain pen ink that gives spring a misty, subdued mood.
Ostrich Cinereous Phoenix, Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook.
Return of the Phoenix
Karas Kustoms, Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook
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- Writing Experience: Ok to good.
- What I Liked: Learning about the poem, Chinese phoenix and copying 8th century Chinese art.
- What I Did Not Like: Colour, wateriness.
🧷 Ink Characteristics
- Shading: If there is, I didn’t see it, do you?
- Ghosting: No.
- Bleed Through: Very faint.
- Flow Rate: Very wet.
- Lubrication: Below average.
- Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.
- Start-up: No problems.
- Saturation: No.
- Sheen: A hint of yellow halo with Long Knife and stub 1.9.
- Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice.
- Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.
- Staining (Pen): No.
- Clogging: No.
- Cleaning: Needs a few flushes, maybe an overnight soak.
- Water Resistance: Decent.
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🛒 Availability
- Available in 10/30 ml bottles.
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💬 Closing
This is an OK grey ink by Ostrich, but I’m sure there are many similar inks available by other manufacturers.
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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