Penwoman

Category: Ink Reviews

  • FWP Cabernet on the Lake and Brilliant Beanstalk

    FWP Cabernet on the Lake and Brilliant Beanstalk

    These two inks, and a fountain pen, were in my latest package from Ferris Wheel Press.

    Yes, a red and a green- absolutely perfect for someone who starts feeling Christmassy way too early (but this is a Filipino thing).

    I’ve talked about the Carousel fountain pen in a previous review. It’s only of my favorite “grab and go, and don’t worry about scratching it up” pens- and am thrilled to have it in another color.

    But these inks!

    Cabernet on the Lake, one of their new “regular collection” inks, is so wonderfully pigmented, a gorgeous red wine color that’s easy to dip into, and is especially good for for those of us who like finer nibs. It is a shimmer ink- with rose gold particles that add just the right amount of subtle shine- but as in all Ferris Wheel Press shimmer inks I’ve tried so far, the shimmer particles are very fine, and have not clogged my pens.

    The second ink is a Ferritales release, coming in one of their adorably small round bottles. It’s named Brilliant Beanstalk, and it’s a dark sage with high shading and champagne shimmer. In this one, the shimmer talks– I have trouble photographing it because sometimes on camera, it’s All Champagne.

    Of course I love it.

    And of course, given the fairytale theme of the ink, I had to write the lyrics to a song from Into the Woods.

    Disclaimer: Ferris Wheel Press sent the pen and ink set to me for review. I am always completely honest about what I like / dislike about all products, whether I paid for them or not.

  • FWP Poison Envy Pen & Ink

    FWP Poison Envy Pen & Ink

    Like many old-timer fountain pen users, I’ve learned to be careful with shimmer inks. They’re beautiful, yes- especially on certain types of paper- but they can also clog a feed. I’ve filled several pens with shimmer ink in excitement, only to have them stop writing after a word or two- or worse, never write at all.

    But I still love shimmer inks- I just usually reserve them for dip pens (of which I am also quite fond of), glass pens, or TWSBIs with stub nibs (which take them wonderfully!).

    Imagine my delight, then, when I inked up the Poison Envy pen (with a fine nib!) with its accompanying Poison Envy ink, which contains both green and pink shimmer, to find that it wrote beautifully!

    The Carousel pen is made of light, but sturdy, plastic- and feels like a “starter” pen, but I love the nib performance so much that I’ve added it to my EveryDayCarry. Having a pen I’m not afraid to break that gives me reliability and beautiful shimmer? A dream come true.

    The ink, like all Ferris Wheel Press inks, comes in the most beautiful box, with design details such as these (description from FWP’s website):

    At the centre, the magic mirror cracked but still functioning gives vision to your deepest desires. Cathedral rose windows hide the secrets of Ferris Wheel Press icons, such as nibs, and the iconic hex nut.

    Doesn’t that sound magical?

    And now for my writing sample:

    Disclaimer: Ferris Wheel Press sent the pen and ink set to me for review. I am always completely honest about what I like / dislike about all products, whether I paid for them or not.