Recently, I’ve been practicing Spencerian calligraphy using Vinta inks. Vinta inks are high-quality fountain pen inks and work very well with super fine nibs. For those of you wondering, fountain pen inks can be used with dip pen nibs, but not the other way around! Pre-mixed calligraphy inks, more often than not, cannot be used with fountain pens.
But I digress.
So how do I find Vinta inks? I have three colors from their ‘sheening’ collection, and two have very obvious shimmery undertones. They are not water-proof but are highly pigmented. Don’t let the light consistency fool you—it was hard to wash the ink off my fingers!
Each ink colour is associated with Philippine history, and it’s a joy to read. Here are the inks that I have, which I’d love to share with you:
Teal (Andrada) is a very deep green ink. At first glance, it’s almost black, and I couldn’t get the sheen to appear.
According to the Vinta website, Andrada has specks of red highlights. It’s smooth to write with, especially when writing calligraphy on super smooth paper.
Blue Blood (Dugong Bughaw) basically means ‘blood of royalty’. I love this ink. It’s a dark shimmery blue with dark pink undertones. It brings out the beauty of calligraphy.
Sikatuna (Sandugo) refers to the ancient tradition in the Philippines called ‘blood compact‘.
Two individuals would slit their wrists and and pour their blood in a cup where it is mixed together with wine. And you guessed it—they both drink it to seal the deal. This ink is a deep red with green undertones.
These inks can be a bit selective when it comes to paper. In my experience, it would feather on my Rhodia dotted pad and regular copy paper. It still managed to have a bit of feathering on the premium Italian paper that I used. The good news is, it worked well on Tomoe River paper.
To make sure you get the sheen on your writing, shake the ink bottles well before dipping your nib. Experiment on different nibs as well to get the effect you’re looking for. In summary, I’d say give Vinta inks a try if you’re looking for pre-mixed inks in unique colours. The sheen and shimmer will surprise you, and you’ll come back for more.
Vinta inks are handmade in the Philippines and they ship internationally (yay!). This is not a sponsored post, and all comments made in this post are my own. Craving for more calligraphy product reviews? Check out the posts here.
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