Each year I approach Inkmas with a single goal in mind: find the ink to address this year’s holiday cards. While I don’t write messages to each person on my list, I do sit down and hand address each envelope, so each year I try to find the perfect ink for the job.
This year I started by ordering some samples, and Ferris Wheel Press’s Wondrous Winterberry (38mL for $22) was the first on the list.
Wondrous Winterberry is an orangey-red with fabulous gold shimmer. Yes, that’s the gold shimmer in the upper corner of the swatch. When I laid down lots of ink, there was lots to look at!
In writing with finer nibs, not much of the shimmer came across but it was still a nicely shading red ink.
The first thing I thought of when I ordered it was that it would be a little bit like Papier Plume’s Heart of Gold, but it was much darker red (whereas Heart of Gold was a lighter and more orange red). I really have nothing comparable in my stash. Mont Blanc William Shakespeare was closer to the red shade, but of course no shimmer. Sailor Shikiori Yodaki leaned slightly more orange. And Birmingham Pen Co Mt. Washington Sunset was in the right intensity, but a bluer red. So basically this one is in a class of its own!
Thank you. This is a beautiful ink. All of the other samples are inks I’d consider adding to my red collection. One quick observation: The apostrophe in “IT’S” is the contraction of “IT IS.” “ITS” own class means a class of its own. Apostrophes have become victims of computer/tablet/mobile phone writing, I think.