For their anniversary last March, Vinta Inks celebrated with the Fairytale Collection. Before that, they launched their first Capsule Collection. Since its launch four years ago, Vinta Inks have introduced many fountain pen ink colors that are now favorites of many fountain pen users here and abroad. Now, the ink fairies at VInta Inks have mixed another colorful surprise for us.
Have you heard about Vinta Inks' recently-launched ink collection? Surprise! Early this October, Vinta Inks launched The Awareness Project, a collection of five brand-new ink colors that take inspiration from selected vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, and critically depleted animals in the Philippines. With the launch, Vinta Inks donated part of the sales to three of their chosen primary foundations to recognize and help further their courageous conservation efforts! Vinta Inks chose the World Wildlife Fund-Philippines, the Philippine Eagle Foundation, and Haribon Foundation as the recipients of their donation from the sales of The Awareness Project Collection. Each of the three foundations received PhP10,000 from Vinta Inks to support their conservation efforts.
Want to see the five beautiful ink colors? Read through this review and browse the photos to see the beautiful colors of Tandikan, Nahan, Isabela, Haribon, and Ibid. Also, I added information for each of the animals that the inks took inspiration from.
| The ink colors from The Awareness Project were launched in early October and all five colors are now available through Vinta Inks online store. |
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| The ink collection from The Awareness Project is available in 30ml spill-proof amber glass bottles with plastic caps. Vinta Inks sends their ink bottles wrapped in Saran Wrap to prevent leaks and spills. |
The Awareness Project by Vinta Inks
The Awareness Project by Vinta Inks have five unique, enigmatic, and extraordinary colors that took inspiration from selected endangered animals in the Philippines. These inks are shading, sheening, and shimmering all at the same time. The five ink colors are the following:
- Elusive Blue [Tandikan 2000] – dusky, purplish blue with pink shimmer
- Solitary Teal [Nahan 2010] – teal with silver shimmer
- Liquid Sepia [Isabela 1999] – sepia-toned with gold shimmer
- Apex Silver [Haribon 1994] – grey with silver shimmer
- Sailfin Green [Ibid 1829] – light green with electric blue shimmer
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| Please click this image to see the different expressions of the five colors. Each ink swatch in this set has two parts: the upper half is a swatch of the ink without or less/fewer shimmer, while the lower half shows the shimmer. |
Elusive Blue | Tandikan 2000
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| Elusive Blue | Tandikan 2000 |
Elusive Blue | Tandikan 2000 is a delicate, dusky, purplish blue ink with a pretty pink shimmer. It shades well and has a darker undertone of the same color, which makes it all the more beautiful. The shading and shimmer will be more visible in wider nibs, but I used it in a pen with a fine nib and the shading and shimmer were both visible. Tandikan has excellent flow and wrote smoothly.
Tandikan 2000 is inspired by the Palawan peacock-pheasant. The Palawan peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis), locally known as Tandikan, is a medium-sized bird endemic to the Philippines and found in the humid forests of Palawan Island in the southern part of the Philippine archipelago. Adult males have highly iridescent electric blue-violet, metallic green-turquoise dorsal plumage. The female is slightly smaller than the male. Its contour plumage is cloudy silt in coloration. Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, and limited range as well as hunting and capture for trade, the Palawan peacock-pheasant is classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (Palawan peacock-pheasant. (2022, May 1). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palawan_peacock-pheasant)
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| Tandikan is a dusky purplish blue ink with a pink shimmer. |
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| This blue ink shades well and has a darker undertone. |
Solitary Teal | Nahan 2010
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| Solitary Teal | Nahan 2010 |
Solitary Teal | Nahan 2010 is a soft teal ink with a light green undertone and fine silver shimmer. The combination of teal, light green, and the silver shimmer gives this ink an almost pink-to-orange overlay. In a medium Lamy nib, it looks darker than the ink swatch, but the silver shimmer is very visible. Nahan is a wet ink and has excellent flow.
Nahan 2010 is inspired by the pygmy blue whale. The pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), first identified in 1966, is a subspecies of the blue whale found in the Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean. It has a large head and a shorter tail giving it a tadpole-like shape. The pygmy blue whale appears blue when it is underwater, but appears grayish blue when it rises above the water. Recent studies have confirmed sightings of a pygmy blue whale in the Bohol Sea between 2010 and 2019 -- a first in the Philippines since the 19th century. (Pygmy blue whale. (2022, October 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_blue_whale)
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| Nahan is a soft teal ink with a light green undertone and fine silver shimmer. |
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| Nahan appears darker in a medium nib with the silver shimmer very visible. |
Liquid Sepia | Isabela 1999
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| Liquid Sepia | Isabela 1999 |
Liquid Sepia | Isabela 1999 is a sepia-toned ink with pink tones and rich gold shimmer. It appears earthy and light golden brown. It has beautiful shading and an almost green overlay where it pooled and dried. This ink flows well and wrote smoothly from a medium Lamy nib.
Isabela is inspired by the Philippine freshwater crocodile. The Philippine freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis), also known as the Mindoro crocodile, is one of two species of crocodiles found in the Philippines. It is endemic to the Philippines and is a relatively small, freshwater crocodile. Philippine crocodiles are golden-brown in color, which darkens as they mature. C. mindorensis is considered to be the most severely threatened crocodile species in the world, listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. Since October 2021, the IUCN has classified C. mindorensis as Critically Depleted. (Philippine crocodile. (2022, October 1). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_crocodile)
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| Isabela is a sepia-toned ink with pink tones and a rich gold shimmer. |
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| Isabela has beautiful shading and an almost green overlay where it pooled and dried. |
Apex Silver | Haribon 1994
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| Apex Silver | Haribon 1994 |
Apex Silver | Haribon 1994 is a grey ink with hints of purple and green and silver shimmer overlay. It shades well and shows the purple and green tones beautifully. The silver shimmer gives the grey color an elegant finish and also makes it look like a festive ink color. Haribon has a good flow and wrote well in a medium Lamy nib.
Haribon is inspired by one of the world’s rarest birds of prey, the great Philippine Eagle, also known as the monkey-eating Eagle, or by its native name, Haribon. The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is a critically endangered species endemic to Philippine forests in eastern Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. It has brown and white-colored plumage and a shaggy crest. In 1994, the IUCN and BirdLife International listed this species as critically endangered, with about 600 estimated to be left in the wild. (Philippine eagle. (2022, October 14). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_eagle)
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| Haribon is a grey ink with hints of purple and green and silver shimmer overlay. |
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| The silver shimmer of Haribon gives it a festive look. |
Sailfin Green | Ibid 1829
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| Sailfin Green | Ibid 1829 |
Sailfin Green | Ibid 1829 is a "light-hearted and playful" green ink with a brown sheen and an electric blue shimmer. It shades well and has a beautiful darker green halo when it dries. The brown sheen and electric blue shimmer give this ink a bright pattern that changes intensity depending on the light. Ibid is nice flowing and smooth ink, and of all the five colors of The Awareness Project, this color is my favorite.
Ibid is inspired by the Philippine sailfin lizard. The Philippine sailfin lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus), locally called Ibid was discovered by Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz in 1829. It is an oviparous lizard endemic to several Philippine islands. Ibid is a protected species in the Philippines as it is a target for exotic pet collectors and is sought after in the international pet trade. It is now classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. The Philippine sailfin lizard is large and usually grows to a length of two and three feet and has very bright color patterns. (Philippine sailfin lizard. (2022, September 20). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_sailfin_lizard)
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| Ibid is a "light-hearted and playful" green ink with a brown sheen and an electric blue shimmer. |
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| Ibid shades well and has a beautiful darker green halo when it dries. |
I have absolutely enjoyed working on the swatches and writing samples for these five lovely, beautiful, and meaningful inks from Vinta Inks. All five ink colors show the endangered animal that inspired them, and they are all fabulous!
Do you want to contribute to the cause of the three foundations and their conservation efforts? Do you want to experience these lovely inks? Get them now! All five inks are available from the Vinta Inks online store. Vinta Inks ship their inks internationally through regular mail or courier. You can also get Vinta Inks in selected retailers in the US, Australia, Europe, South Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand. Here is a list of these retailers.
Rants of the Archer thanks Vinta Inks for providing The Awareness Project Collection for review purposes. To see their ink collections, visit the Vinta Inks website or follow them on social media:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inksbyvinta/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inksbyvinta/
Too bad. No shimmer inks for me. Colors /are/ nice, though.
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