My Favorite Calligraphy Ink - Ferris Wheel Press Ink Review

Calligraphy is becoming more popular by the day and as a modern calligraphy teacher and artist, it is my responsibility to share all my great finds to ensure everyone has the best experience when practicing this beautiful art.

If you want to book my calligraphy services for your next event or activation, please complete this form or email me at hello@ahandfulofletters.com. Please feel free to contact me via Instagram or email if you have additional questions, I’ve also listed additional resources at the bottom of this blog post.

Tips for Success: 

• Breathe and lift! If you’ve taken one of my calligraphy workshops in Orlando (or know anything about calligraphy), you know I keep repeating those words, everyone laughs BUT it’s extremely important and guarantees your nib works properly and that you don't end up overworking your hand/body.

• Keep a scrap piece of paper next to you as this ink is very watery and you may get some blobs.

• Use the right paper!!!! These inks will only work well when paired with high quality paper.

• Shake shake shake! Most of the inks I’m going to talk about have some sort of shimmer which tends to sit at the bottom of the bottle. Transferring the ink into a dinky dip and mixing it constantly is the only way to guarantee you’ll get consistent shimmer.

Now, onto the good stuff! Here’s all the info on my new favorite inks from Ferris Wheel Press and why I choose them for all things calligraphy (+ a coupon code!)

• Why I love them

  • They come in the most incredible packaging and the ink bottles are a work of art, in fact, the illustrations for each box are different and oh-so incredible aka they’re great gifts!

  • Ink colors are EXTREMELY rich and pigmented and the color variety is overwhelming in the best way. I’ve never found a store that carries SO many beautiful colors! The also launch new inks (and products) monthly and have special collections with even more incredible shades (more on that later).

  • COLOR CHANGING PROPERTIES! How cool is that? Some of their inks have two tones and/or shimmer.

  • Incredible quality. I’ve tried hundreds, and I mean hundreds of inks and there's only a few that give me the consistent results I get from Ferris Wheel Press.

  • Compatibility. One of my biggest concerns before trying out these inks was their compatibility with pointed pens. I didn’t find much info online about it and wasn’t sure if my beloved ferris wheel press ink would work with my calligraphy nibs, but it does!! There’s no need to add gum arabic, but you may have to refill the nibs more often because of how watery and thin their inks are. In fact, I’ve successfully used these inks with my glass pens, several fountain pens, paint brushes and all of my favorite nibs!
    

• My favorite colors

  • The Velvet Ballet - a beautiful and deep merlot color with a lovely silver/lilac-ish shimmer

  • Blue Beryl Tonic - blue ink with a rose gold shimmer to it, once it dries and it looks like something out of a fairytale

  • Land of Shangri-La - look very antique and it’s great for copperplate and spencerian projects

  • The Purple Jade Rabbit - what lilac dreams are made of!

  • Lady Rose - perfect dusty rose shade, my personal fav!

  • Grape Ice pop - super rich purple shade

  • Blushing Mushrooms - just try it if you get the chance, these shimmery ink is indescribable

  • Spruce Country Post - nice forest green shade with red-ish shimmer
    

• Compatibility. like I mentioned, these inks are compatible with pointed, glass and fountain pens, as well as brushes, however, it is crucial that you use the right paper to achieve the best results. These are some of my favorites tools:

  • Always Right Feather Notebook from Ferris Wheel Press (my favorite is Lady Rose)

  • The Sketchbook A5 from Ferris Wheel Press

  • Brush Fountain Pen - perfect for calligraphy!

  • Fountain Pen

  • Rollerball Pen

  • Ballpoint Pen - I use mine almost every single day!

*Disclaimer* These are items I use everyday and a few of the links above are affiliate links. If you take action (i.e. make a purchase), I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you!

If you’re interesting in these incredible inks and want to support my creative journey, please visit https://ferriswheelpress.com and use the code “HANDFUL” for 10% off your order. You can use it on top of all their incredible sales!

If you want to add calligraphy to your offerings but don’t know where to start, email me at hello@ahandfulofletters.com to book one-on-one lessons virtual lessons.

Happy lettering!

XO,

Valentina