BlueBlack x Diamine - Midnight New York
BlueBlack x Diamine - Midnight New York - Ink Drop
The BlueBlack-exclusive, Diamine New York City set adds a twist with the fourth ink, Midnight New York. It’s one of several dual-shading inks in the set. I don’t normally associate Diamine with dual-shading inks, and it’s nice to see! It shows up more in person than I was able to capture in the images, but there are hints in the Cosmo Air Light swatch, in the writing on Cosmo Air Snow, and in the swatch card.
Midnight New York on Cosmo Air Light
Midnight New York is a beautiful blend of lavender violet, soft blue, pastel pinks, and touches of orange. Depending on paper and nib that you use, the levels of each vary in stroke centers.
Midnight New York on Tomoe River Paper
Coated papers produce the most interesting and colorful results. Stroke centers swirl in a powdery mix of colors. It reminds me of some of Sailor’s dual-shading inks (Manyo Fuji and Manyo Nekoyanagi), and Vinta’s Violet Maskara. There’s a nice, darkened edge that frames each stroke, and pops of light stroke-end shading on coated papers, as well.
Writing Sample on Cosmo Air Snow
On uncoated papers, it’s more consistently a lavender violet with lots of shading from light to dark. I like it, but I recommend using coated papers to get the most interesting results.
Midnight New York - Writing Samples
Midnight New York performs well in writing. It’s wet in flow, but it dries in average or better times on all papers. It’s particularly sharp and crisp on coated papers, but there’s minimal spread and no feathering on uncoated papers, too.
Midnight New York - Ink Swatch Card
I like this ink. It’s similar to some very popular inks in the dual-shading category, and equally nice in terms of performance. I think it’s a welcome addition to BlueBlack and Diamine’s New York City set, too!
Midnight New York - Swatch Card Comparisons
Special thanks to BlueBlack for surprising me with this amazing set! Their store in Seoul is a must see for pen and ink lovers, and if you have a chance to stop by, definitely do!
BlueBlack x Diamine Midnight New York - Ink Bottle
BlueBlack x Diamine - New York City Set