BlueBlack x Diamine - Light Under Waterloo 2
Light Under Waterloo 2 is the middle blue of the three inks in the Waterloo Bridge set from the BlueBlack Pen Shop and Diamine, but it’s really on the dark end of the blue range. Part of the Art Collection series, this set honors artist Claude Monet, and the palette was inspired by the painting that gives it its name.
Light Under Waterloo 2 is a medium-dark to dark blue. I have to say, there are a number of inks that are similar in overall tone. Based on the paper and width of the nib you choose, you’ll get slightly different results in writing. In certain circumstances, a hint of yellow breaks through in stroke centers, giving the ink a gentleness that isn’t found in the darker examples You can see a bit pf this in the Cosmo Air Light swatch above, and the closeup of strokes on Rhodia below.
The swatch macro shows a nice dark red sheening. In writing, it is very visible on on some papers, less so on others. On Rhodia in the image below, there are subtle hints of sheen on the ends of strokes. As you’ll see in images further down, sheen is a big feature on the Apica writing sample. Kokuyo and Mnemosyne also showed a little. Fabriano didn’t really show any sheen at all.
This is a very nice writing ink. It’s wet and a bit syrupy in feel. That’s pretty common for inks that have some sheening. In this case, it’s smooth and very comfortable to use. I didn’t find even a hint of feathering. Stroke profiles were very sharp and crisp. Drying was average overall, so no problems there. This is an ink suitable for fun or work situations.
All of the Art Collection sets are beautifully packaged, and that’s true for Waterloo Bridge. They all seem to be great writing inks, too. They’re available at BlueBlack’s beautiful shop in Seoul, through their website, or on international shopping site GMarket Global (for inexpensive US shipping cost choose “USPS” for your shipping method). You can also find them at PenGallery in Malaysia.
Keep scrolling down for the swatch card, swatch comparisons, the bottles, and the packaged set.
Special thanks to BlueBlack for sending me these inks as a surprise gift! As usual, my reviews reflect my honest opinions, and I always include both the good and bad based on my experience using the ink.