Pilot Iroshizuku - Ama-iro (Sky Blue) Ink

Iroshizuku Ama-iro fountain pen ink is a beautiful sky-blue that I find truly heavenly. It has a bit of shading and dries quickly. I like it in thicker nibs (medium, broad, or stubs); be warned that it can look quite light out of fine nibs.

Pilot's Iroshizuku line of fountain pen inks are the gold standard for a reason. They're well-behaved, wet-writing, generally quick-drying (<20 seconds), and come in an assortment of stunning colors. Because of how Iroshizuku inks tend to be, they can often be some of the most reliable inks to give you a great writing experience with dry-writing pens (think Japanese <Fine> and <Extra-Fine> nibs).

The only place I'm careful with them is in vintage sac-filling or celluloid pens: Iroshizuku inks can be quite alkaline, which can harm these sensitive vintage materials. See my guide on vintage-safe fountain pen inks for more information.