Robert Oster Muddy Crown is part of the special edition MudPack series, and it’s still widely available online. This is a cool, powdery, faded violet. There’s nice shading which brings out a dusty grey-violet in lighter areas. It’s also a nice sheening ink. The splatter shows the heavy bronze-gold sheen prominently, but in writing, it’s far more reserved. On some papers, it decorates stroke edging in a thin band of sparkle, but it’s never enough to make the ink unusable for professional needs. This is a restrained violet, that visually feels very Robert Oster.

Muddy Crown is a smooth-flowing ink, wetter than some from Robert Oster, but neutral overall. It’s lovely on the page with no real feather or bleed problems at all. It’s sharp and clean with average or better drying times. It’s a very nice writing ink.

I like Robert Oster inks, and with its slightly wetter flow, Muddy Crown should please most people. The color is reserved and refined, and it has just enough shine. It’s very easy to like this one!