Jacques Herbin — Couleurs de Paris Fontaine des Quatre-Parties du Monde — Ink Review #271

Jacques Herbin — Fontaine des Quatre-Parties Du Monde

 

Ink Review # 271

 

Ink: Fontaine des Quatre-Parties Du Monde
Series: Couleurs de Paris
Brand: Jacques Herbin
Country: France
Availability: 10 ml, 30 ml bottles.
Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF Blue, Lamy Safari (EF, F, M, B, 1.1), Karas Kustoms Vertex

Description

This review is of the last of the 3 new Couleur de Paris inks by Jacques Herbin.

This is a lovely new ink. Lubrication varies from adequate to below-average depending on the pen used. Its flow is average with excellent shading. It doesn’t like copy paper, like most Herbin inks.

The 10 ml bottles are not easily available in North America. I got mine from Fountainfeder in Germany.

The ink is named after La Fontaine des Quatre-Parties-du-Monde in Paris.

Photo

Photo by Nikolai Karaneschev via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0

 

Chroma

Writing Samples

Photos LED and daylight

Translations from other languages are provided for reference only and may differ from published versions.

Rhodia

 “Don’t pick a fight with Mother Earth. You’re not going to win.” — Winona LaDuke, Anishinaabe writer and economist, born 1959.

Close-up

Iroful

“We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own.”
— Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel laureate (1940–2011).

Close-up

Midori

“In the beginning, a woman was the sun.”— Hiratsuka Raichō, Japanese writer and feminist (1886–1971).

Close-up

Tomoe River 68 gsm

Note: Tomoe River used here is 68 gsm, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews.

“Woman is born free and remains equal to man in rights.”— Olympe de Gouges, French playwright and political writer (1748–1793).

Close-up

Hammermill 20 lb

“Let no one say the past is dead. The past is all about us and within.”

— Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Noonuccal Aboriginal Australian poet and educator (1920–1993).

Comparison

Col-O-ring swatches. Scans are approximate.

Water Test

Artwork

Inktober52, 2026: Dive

During his dive, Cat found Mouse 20,000 leagues below the sea....

Tintenlabor Monte Rosa, Ostrich Purple Snowflakes, Jacques Herbin Fontaine, Passage des Panoramas and Bistro. Talens Mixed Media.

Panache

Partly inspired by the film Molière and its men's costumes. Cat and Mouse in their own rather loose interpretation of the period.

Jacques Herbin Fontaine, Bistro Parisien, and Passage des Panoramas, Octopus Gaia’s Grove, Tintenlabor Monte Rosa, Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook.

New Order

Cat & Mouse rewrote the world in their own image.

Jacques Herbin Fontaine, Talens Mixed Media Sketchbook.

Ink Characteristics

·      Writing Experience: Good.

·      What I Liked: For drawing. Lovely color.

·      What I Did Not Like: Very long name.

·      Shading: Lovely.

·      Ghosting: Yes, on copy paper.

·      Bleed Through: Same as above.

·      Flow Rate: Average.

·      Lubrication: Pen dependent. Better with M and above nibs.

·      Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.

·      Start-up: No problems.

·      Saturation: No.

·      Sheen: No.

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

·      Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.

·      Staining (Pen): No.

·      Clogging: No.

·      Cleaning: Easy.

·      Water Resistance: Quite good.

Closing

This is a nice new ink by Herbin. However, to make the writing experience enjoyable, one needs a nice soft nib, preferably in a wet pen.

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

Feel free to share your experience, feedback, or any other comments. The more the merrier. 😊