Dominant Industry Standard 118 November Leaves – 25ml Fountain Pen Ink

There's a particular colour that late-autumn leaves settle into after the bright reds and oranges have already fallen — pale, dry, a little dusty, more about texture than punch. November Leaves is built around that exact moment, and it wears its subtlety honestly rather than trying to be a bolder colour than it is.

Dominant Industry Standard 118 November Leaves is a 25ml fountain pen ink from the Standard Series, made in small batches at Dominant Industry's studio in Paju, South Korea. Like all Standard Series inks, it's built for everyday fountain pen and dip pen use — no shimmer particles, no special handling required.

Available at Shosai (shosai.ca) in Gatineau / Ottawa — with in-store pickup (J9J 0K6) and Canada-wide shipping.

The Colour

Base Tone

November Leaves is a pale, cool khaki-brown with a hint of orange running underneath — reviewers describe it as tan, sandy, or champagne-brown, with faint red or grey undertones depending on how it's applied. It's a genuinely muted, low-saturation colour, closer to a memory of autumn than a bright depiction of it.

Shading

November Leaves shows low, subtle chroma-shading — in areas of pooling, the colour gains warmth and separates into a range of tones: a soft, powdery grey-tan with a burnt-brown edge. Getting the full effect requires a wetter pen or a broader, stub nib; with a dry-flowing pen or a fine nib, the colour stays close to its palest khaki tone throughout.

Sheen

Here's a genuine surprise: individual ink droplets can dry remarkably dark, occasionally showing a black sheen. In practice, this effect is difficult to reproduce in ordinary handwriting, since it needs far more ink pooling than most pens will lay down — think of it as a curiosity for swatch cards rather than something you'll see in daily notes.

Shimmer

November Leaves has no shimmer. As a Standard Series ink, its character comes entirely from its subtle, shifting tone rather than added sparkle.

A Note on Legibility

Because the base colour runs pale, November Leaves can be genuinely difficult to read with a dry-flowing pen or an extra-fine nib — several reviewers and users have found it too light to be legible in these conditions. It performs best, and looks its most interesting, with a medium, broad, or stub nib and a pen that runs on the wetter side. If you're planning to use this ink for everyday notes rather than art or journaling accents, a wetter pen will make a real difference.

Ink Properties at a Glance

Flow & Dry Time

A dry, consistent flow, with dry time of approximately 20 seconds on a medium nib on Rhodia paper.

Water Resistance

November Leaves shows better-than-expected water resistance for a dye-based ink, holding a grey tone even after water exposure — not fully waterproof, but more resilient than its pale colour might suggest.

Formula & Safety

A dye-based ink, pH-neutral and safe for resin and celluloid fountain pens, with a good balance of permeability and viscosity.

Paper Performance

November Leaves performs well on fountain-pen-friendly papers, including Tomoe River and Midori MD, with no bleed-through or significant show-through reported.

Recommended Uses

• Art journaling and calligraphy — broader nibs and stub grinds bring out the full range of tone this ink is capable of
• Autumn-themed correspondence — a genuinely appropriate colour for anything referencing fallen leaves or late-season quiet
• Everyday writing, with the right pen — best paired with a medium, broad, or wetter-flowing fountain pen rather than a fine or extra-fine nib

About the Standard Series

The Standard Series is Dominant Industry's core lineup of everyday fountain pen inks — no shimmer, no colour-changing effects, just richly developed colour and shading built for daily use. November Leaves is one of the line's more understated entries, rewarding a slower, more deliberate approach to writing.

About Dominant Industry

Dominant Industry is a South Korean ink studio based in Paju, dedicated to small-batch production and colours drawn from natural light and landscape. Rather than working from a flat colour chart, the brand develops each ink around a specific visual idea, aiming for what they describe as "bottled light" — colour that can be felt as much as seen.

Product Specifications

Available at Shosai — Ottawa–Gatineau

Shosai (shosai.ca) is a fine stationery boutique serving the Ottawa–Gatineau National Capital Region. We carry a curated selection of premium fountain pen inks, papers, and writing instruments from the world's most respected stationery brands.

• 📍 In-store pickup: Gatineau, QC — J9J 0K6
• 🛵 Local delivery: Available in the Ottawa–Gatineau area
• 🚚 Canada-wide shipping
• 🇨🇦 Bilingual service — English and French

Whether you are new to fountain pens or a seasoned collector, Shosai is your local destination for inks that go beyond the ordinary.