Vinta - Sunrise Hanan

Vinta Inks - Sunrise Hanan - Ink Drop

Today’s ink, Sunrise Hanan 1964, is from Vinta’s Carnival series of delicate, muted inks. The name Sunrise Hanan 1964 comes from Philippine mythology, fine art, and their connection to harvest season. In Philippine mythology, Hanan is the Goddess of Morning. People traditionally offer prayers to Hanan before the start of harvest season. 1964 comes from renowned Philippine National Artist, Fernando Amorsolo, and is the year of his famous painting The Harvesters.

Sunrise Hanan is both beautiful and unusual. Unlike most yellows, it doesn’t lean golden or orange. At its lightest, it’s the muted, powdery custard yellow of the flesh of a durian. At its darkest, it’s the much richer, chalky yellow of a just ripe banana.

Vinta Inks - Sunrise Hanan - Ink Swatch Card

As a writing ink, Hanan is a reliable performer. I found excellent results on Rhodia, Kokuyo, and Apica papers, with no feathering, crisp, razor-sharp stroke profiles, and shading. The subtle brown halo was strongest on Rhodia giving it a slight edge. Drying times ranged from 20-35 seconds. Mnemosyne and office copy paper were less impressive, with no halo and less defined profiles. However, they are both usable options, and drying times were an amazing 5 seconds! Legibility is often a factor with yellow inks. It wasn’t a problem with the darker shades that broader, wetter nibs promote, so stay away from fines or extra fines. Stick to Rhodia, or one of the other papers that maintain sharp stroke profiles and haloed edging. It makes all the difference.

Vinta’s Sunrise Hanan is a very attractive ink, and a color profile that is rarely suitable for writing. Hanan is very usable in the right conditions, but I can’t recommend it for extended writing on many papers. It’s ideal for artistic lettering, and creative projects. As usual, for each bottle sold, Vinta donates P25 (US$.52) to support access to education in the Philippines.