Vinta - Mermaid Green Sirena
Vinta Inks - Mermaid Green Sirena - Ink Drop
Today’s ink, Mermaid Green (Sirena 1952), is part of the Carnival series. Carnival is a line of gorgeous, muted, unsaturated inks, and includes some of my most and least favorite from Vinta. The name Sirena pays homage to Dyesebel, a 1952 Filipino comic about a mermaid. Sirena is a soft, muted, light mint green, with prominent tan and pink undertones.
Vinta Inks - Mermaid Green Sirena - Shades Light to Dark
In terms of color, it’s a beautiful and unusual ink. It’s quite watery, but it can actually write a bit dry. There’s an enormous amount of shading as the ink hits the paper, but it balances out nicely as it dries, and the undertones really come to the surface.
In terms of writing performance, results were mixed. Feathering was a significant problem on Mnemosyne, Kokuyo, and Apica papers. Switching to a fine nib reduced the feathering slightly, but also reduced the color variation and shading. Color variation and shading are really a large part of what makes this ink special, so this is a big price to pay.
Vinta Inks - Mermaid Green Sirena - Strokes on Rhodia
Two papers produced better results. On Rhodia (80g), lines were crisp with no feathering, and coloration was high. I also had good results with HP BrightWhite 24 (90g). Lines weren’t quite as crisp, but were still very nice, and there wasn’t any feathering or bleed. Shading was high, but coloration was only fair. (The 2nd picture shows a closeup of Rhodia, and the 3rd shows a closeup of the HP BrightWhite 24.) [If you don’t know HP BrightWhite 24, I highly recommend it! It’s fountain pen friendly, brilliant white, and a pack of 500 sheets is US$7 to $15!]
Vinta Inks - Mermaid Green Sirena - Ink Swatch Card
Vinta Inks Mermaid Green Sirena is a tricky ink, but I do recommend it. On the right paper, with the right nib and feed, it’s a really beautiful, unusual ink. When the combination is wrong, the results instantly make that clear. I’m glad that I gave it a try. It could be great for art projects, but if it’s for writing, be sure that you’re willing to meet its demands.