I am a dip pen calligraphy beginner, and I started out using a bottle of India ink. It seemed to work passably well, but it was a bit thick and could probably have benefited from dilution. I purchased this Kaimei sumi ink after seeing that many people recommend sumi ink for calligraphy beginners. The difference is like night and day. The Kaimei sumi ink flows easily from the nib, and I feel like I can write twice as long without having to re-dip. It is also much easier to clean off of the nib than the India ink. I found myself getting frustrated while trying to learn and practice with the India ink, but this sumi ink makes it enjoyable. I absolutely love this stuff. The ink is a nice dark, opaque black. The no-drip cap is awesome and allows you to dispense the ink into a smaller container without any mess. I think the price for the amount of ink that you receive is a great deal.
As far as the odor that many reviewers have complained about, there is a rather pungent, organic/earthy smell to it; however, I don’t find it to be unpleasant, and I can only smell it when I hold my ink jar right under my nose. I had to take a good whiff just to see what all the fuss was about, and I was really surprised that so many people seemed to find the odor offensive. I don’t smell it at all with the jar sitting on my table as I write, so it’s not as if the ink is giving off fumes into the air that will stink up an entire room. I consider myself to be someone who is sensitive to odors, and I have no problems with this ink. If you make it a point to take a big whiff, the smell will definitely grab you by the nose, but it is very much an earthy, dirt/plant scent, and not anything like a chemical or dead animal smell.
I highly recommend this Kaimei sumi ink for calligraphy beginners, and I might even try using it in my paintings. The large bottle will last a long time, and I’ll definitely reorder it once I run out.
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Reviews with images
Opaque, quick drying, 6 oz, non-waterproof, nice for calligraphy
This is interesting, non-waterproof, ink. I went online looking for ink people use specifically to practice calligraphy and this was recommended in a good number of places.It's a thicker ink, and by that I mean it doesn't run off the nib so quickly that you have to dip it constantly like I have to with thinner fountain pen ink. It also dries very opaque and quite quickly. If I spend too much time dawdling it will dry on the nib and I need to redip. I haven't needed to water it down to make it usable though, which is good. The problem with it being thick (sticky?) is it's harder to get off the nib when it comes time to clean up. You can't just swish it in water and say you're done. It really likes to cling. I guess that's because it's probably made with soot.It comes in a black opaque plastic bottle with an L-bend top. With it, you squirt the amount of ink you want into a container so it keeps what's left in the bottle from drying out. It's a small hole so you can easily control the amount. I use small containers with air-tight lids to put ink into.Moon Palace works really well on a variety of papers and so far hasn't bled. I've used it on HP Premium Choice printer paper (for copperplate practice especially), Strathmore mixed media paper, and parchment paper.The ink flows as evenly as any others I have, in thick and thin lines, is opaque, comes in a large enough amount (6 oz) you don't have to feel stingy using it. I see why people recommend it to practice with. Really the only drawback is you have to pay attention to getting your nibs clean.
