Troublemaker Inks is one of those Filipino fountain pen brands that quietly sneaked into the global pen community and created a good international following. Founded in Cebu as a tiny hand-mixed ink studio, the brand became beloved for its experimental shading, sheen, and shimmer inks that look less like office supplies and more like bottled weather phenomena. Everything is mixed, bottled, and packaged by hand, which honestly explains why using their inks sometimes feels like participating in an artisanal science experiment.
Among their shimmer offerings, Butterfly Dream feels appropriately named because this ink absolutely refuses to sit still. One second it looks deep forest green, the next it flashes blue shimmer like a beetle wing under sunlight. In large swabs using a Dominant Industry glass muddler, Kakimori brass nib, and Moonman glass dip pen, the ink opens up dramatically—a deep neutral green base drenched with cool blue shimmer that almost looks like someone dissolved tiny sapphires into swamp water. Which, surprisingly, is a compliment.
In actual fountain pen use, however, Butterfly Dream becomes more restrained and practical. The color shifts into a dark moss green very reminiscent of Rohrer & Klingner SketchINK Lily, though with a more mysterious personality. What I genuinely appreciate is that the ink remains readable even in finer nibs. Some shimmer inks become unreadable glitter soup the moment you put them in a pen, but this one keeps enough darkness and depth to remain usable for everyday writing—provided your definition of “everyday writing” includes wanting your grocery list to look like it was written by an enchanted forest ranger.
The shimmer itself, sadly, behaves like an introvert at a party. It exists, technically, but it does not always want to socialize in fountain pens. Unless paired with a broad, wet nib, the blue sparkle tends to stay subtle, and the ink itself leans noticeably dry. This seems to be a recurring personality trait among several Troublemaker Inks colors, something fountain pen users frequently mention in the community as well like Reddit and a local fountain pen network.
That said, Butterfly Dream truly comes alive with dip pens, glass pens, and brush work where the shimmer can stretch its legs properly. Watching the ink pool and separate during swatching is half the fun anyway. Honestly, this is not the kind of ink you buy for sterile office notes or signing bank forms. This is the kind of ink you use because your inner stationery goblin saw blue shimmer suspended in dark green ink and immediately lost all financial self-control.
Here’s a video of me swatching the ink:
I bought this ink at the Manila Pen Show last March and filled my new Wancher Moful pen in Vanilla Milkshake color. In a recent watercolor landscape practice, I used my Mofu pen filled with Butterfly Dream ink to sign it. With the fine nib, the ink appears dark and can easily be mistaken for black at first glance.
How about you? Which Troublemaker Ink have you tried so far and what do you think about it?
Discover more from The Fabulous Scientist
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The Fabulous Scientist 