Shanghai Stationary - Western Hills

Shanghai Stationary Western Hills - Ink drop

Shanghai Stationary’s Western Hills is much of what you may imagine in a deep green inspired by forested mountains, but there’s a subtle, yet important twist that sets it apart. The Western Hills west of Beijing are mixed forests largely consisting of pine and cypress trees, and this ink brings together the colors of both.

Ink Swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River

The forest green base color is cool on most papers and shades nicely, which brings out a smoky, ethereal quality. Compared to a typical forest green, yellow undertones are more forward here, and for me that adds an organic comfort to the ink’s personality. I found this on to some degree on Tamoe River paper, but the yellows are especially proud on Bank paper. On Cosmo Air Light and Iroful, the smokiness is dominant. I like both presentations.

Ink Swatches on Iroful and Takasago Bank papers

Writing performance was pretty consistent. I’d call it a neutral to slightly wet ink in flow, which isn’t always the case with forest green inks. All-in-all, the ink was very well behaved, with crisp stroke profiles across most papers. There was a bit of micro-feathering on Iroful, but on all others strokes were clean and sharp. Chromatography shows the complexity of the color and suggests some water resistance. Drying was fast on uncoated papers, and just slightly longer than average on some coated papers. It’s a nice writing ink with a lot of interesting potential for artists and water brush techniques.

Writing sample on Cosmo Air Snow paper

Shanghai Stationary offer two bottle sizes and both are nicely priced. I’ve pictured the 10 ml which comes in 3-ink sets, but it’s also available individually in a beautiful 50 ml bottle. For people in the ink and stationery community, the company ticks all the boxes. From hand-bound journals, to art tools, to their wide selection of inks there’s a lot to explore. Check out @shanghaistationary on IG or their website for more details.

Shanghai Stationary Western Hills ink writing samples

Special thanks to Shanghai Stationary for sending this and several other inks over to try! As usual, when I accept inks or pens to try, it is always with the clear understanding that I may or may not review them. If I do, I will always include all the negatives and positives that I find. I write these reviews based solely on my own user experience, and to give people the info that I’d want as a potential customer. Enjoy!

Shanghai Stationary Western Hills - Swatch Card

Shanghai Stationary Western Hills - Comparisons

Shanghai Stationary Western Hills - 10 ml bottle