Sepia – L’Artisan Pastellier Callifolio ink | Wondernaut in the world of stationery wonders

L’Artisan Pastellier is french ink / calligraphy materials producers. They offer two lines of inks suitable for fountain pens: Callifolio (inks made for fountain pens, neutral PH and so on) and Encres Classiques.

L’Artisan Pastellier inks don’t get much love or attention here. I understand this as they’re not easily obtainable. You may buy them directly from the producer’s on-line/stationery boutique.

L’Artisan Pastellier inks cab be bought in nice triangular glass bottles (40 ml), packs alu (60 ml) and small bottles (30 ml). The 36 colors are:

Anahuac
Andrinople
Aurora
Bleu Atlantique
Bleu Azur
Bleu Equinoxe 5
Bleu Equinoxe 6
Bleu Mediterrannee
Bleu Pacifique
Bleu Ultramarine
Baikal
Bonne Esperance
Bordeaux
Bosphore
Botany bay
Bourgogne
Byzance
Cannelle
Cassis
Grenat
Gris de Payne
Havane
Heure Doree
Inca Sol
Inti
Itzamna
Noir
Oconto
Ohlanga
Olifants
Olivastre
Omi Osun
Sepia
Teodora
Violet
Yalumba

Let’s start with a name.

Sepia means a variety of things but when it comes to inks and colors it’s, more or less, clearly defined. Sepia is a genus of cuttlefish in the family Sepiidae encompassing some of the best known and most common species. Cuttlefish ink was formerly an important dye, called sepia. Today, artificial dyes have mostly replaced natural sepia. Unfortunately, true sepia is blanched by exposure to light, so that original sepia drawings by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci need to be kept in the dark and viewed in dim light only.

Below you can take a look at picture made with real cuttlefish sepia:

source

And here, Leonardo’s sepia toned drawing:

L’Artisan Pastellier Sepia is far from thrilling. The ink feels dryish and is weakly saturated. In theory sepia should be close to following color coordinates:

As you’ll see nelow Callifolio ink isn’t really that close to it. I remember that two years ago I had a sample that looke and felt different. However recently I got alupack from a friend who’s got rid of some of inks and the color I see is rather pale. I guess it can find some use in drawing but in writing it’s not particularly exciting.