In terms of global awareness, French ink maker L’Artisan Pastellier doesn’t get the attention that they truly deserve. They offer a wide variety of high-quality ink types and some of the best prices on the market.

Aurora is from their Callifolio line. The weathered red orange reminds me of traditional, earthen clay pottery. It’s a powdery pastel that is maybe best described as a terracotta. The color has a calm, very comfortable personality.

Although Aurora isn’t really a prolific shading ink, you do get some nice pops of light on stroke ends on coated papers. Much more consistent, however, is the dark, stroke profile edging on the same papers. Strokes are surrounded by a thin ring of almost charcoal black. It adds a lot of depth and clarity, and it helps showcase the attractive base color, like a slice of beautifully seared beef cooked rare on the inside and fire-blackened on the outside.

Callifolio inks are reliable in both performance and writing experience, and Aurora lives up to that reputation. It’s wet in flow and smooth on the page. With that delicious, dark edging, strokes are razor-sharp on coated papers. On cheap copy paper, you might notice a little bit of micro-feathering and some show through, as well. On higher-quality uncoated papers, neither are much of an issue, though. Drying is a bit longer than average on some papers, but never really unreasonable.

If the color appeals to you, I think you’ll enjoy Aurora. You can find Callifolio inks for US$10-13 for a 35 ml bottle at some of the popular online retailers. However, if you want the best deal, order direct from L’Artisan Pastellier for only €6, or the 50 ml plastic “pack” for only €4.80. It comes in a plastic pouch, rather than a bottle, but what an amazing price!