KWZ Ink - Walk Over Vistula

KWZ Ink Walk Over Vistula - ink drop

Walk Over Vistula is from Polish ink maker, KWZ. It’s one of three inks first released in late 2017, that were themed to celebrate Polish Independence Day. Each of the three feature an ink drawing on the label, and originally came with a postcard that matched. Walk Over Vistula’s label features the Świętokrzyski bridge. Built in 2000, it’s a beautiful addition to Warsaw’s skyline, especially when illuminated at night. The bridge links two popular districts, and with its bike lanes and pedestrian path, it provides wonderful views.

Visually, this is a gorgeous, complex blue. The base color is rich and textured, and it runs from dark turquoise to deep blue. Far from standard, there’s a subtle, yet influential yellow undertone that makes this an unusual, attractive color. It’s a moderate shader, but it shows a surprising amount of variation. It also features a strong and fiery, but never overwhelming plum-red sheen. It’s a visually complex ink, but it really works!

KWZ Ink Walk Over Vistula - ink swatch card

As a writing ink, it performed well on all test papers. It has a medium-high viscosity, which often helps keep strokes clean. I liked it on all premium papers tested. A stroke edge sheen was seen on each, but it was strongest on Rhodia and Mnemosyne. Shading was present on all, as well, but it was never very prominent. Drying was fastest on Fabriano and Apica at 10-20 seconds, and longest on Rhodia at 25-35 seconds. Overall it performed pretty well on office copy. Strokes suffered with some feathering, but it wasn’t too bad. Sheen was absent, but shading was quite nice. Drying was under 5 seconds.

KWZ Walk Over Vistula is a very attractive blue, and a very attractive ink. KWZ inks are consistent and perform well. For me, this is a far more interesting alternative to standard blues, and it definitely gets my recommendation!

December 2020