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Glossary

Sheen

A metallic glint where ink pools and dries.

Sheen is the metallic-looking sheen of a different color that appears where ink pools thickly and dries slowly — classically a red-gold glint riding on a deep blue. Dye concentrates at the drying edge and crystallizes into the effect.

It shows best from wet nibs on slow-absorbing coated paper (Tomoe River is the showcase). On copy paper the same ink dries flat: sheen is a pairing, not a property.

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