(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)
I don't often buy ink anymore because I likely have enough ink that I'll never use it all before I die, even if I live to be 150. But every now and then, a color calls to me, and, well. That's what happened here with Madam Mulberry. I got too close to the Atlas Stationers booth at the Chicago Pen Show. It happens.
Ferris Wheel Press has made quite a splash with their ink offerings the past few years. They have fun, creative colors, elegantly designed packaging, and reasonable prices.
To get my only criticism out of the way up front, that elegant packaging drove me bananas. The cardboard box was like a puzzle box that I ended up just hulking open. The beautiful bottle is too narrow to be sturdy, with an opening too small for nearly any pen, and the lid doesn't seal as well as I'd like, which led to some leaking. This bottle is the high heels of ink bottles--lovely, but hardly functional.
But once you get past the box and the bottle, you get to the beautiful ink, and that's the whole point.
If you could bottle Victorian Gothic, it would be this. It's a soft, smokey purple-rose color that looks like antique dried flowers. Chromatography shows a lilac base with pink, gold, and sky blue all making color magic together. The overall tone has a lot of character that looks different depending on the angle, lighting, pen, and paper you use.
In addition to lots of subtle color shifts, the ink shades beautifully. The dark spots show an almost grey color with a hint of lilac, and the pale spots are a light amethyst. It can be a bit faint for reading in low light when used with a fine nib, but unless you're a nocturnal creature writing by candlelight, you should be fine. I was fine just adding an extra candle.
The ink does have a bit of a dry feel to it when writing, and it has a quick dry time of just over 15 seconds. It's not unpleasantly dry, though. It had some resilience when faced with water spills, as well. It washed out a bit, but some faint lines were still visible.
Overall, it's a great writing experience, and this is one of my favorite ink colors. I purchased it for $22, which is a fair price for 38ml of lovely ink. It's not inexpensive, but it's not the most expensive, either. I would definitely try other FWP inks based on this experience, though I'll likely decant them into a different container for use. In any case, I'm looking forward to getting too close to the Atlas table again this year, and hopefully coming home with another ink to try.
(I purchased this ink at regular price from Atlas Stationers at the 2023 Chicago Pen Show.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
