Vinta - Terracotta Damili

Vinta Inks - Terracotta Damili - Ink Drop

Today’s ink is another beautifully rich creation from Vinta Inks. Terracotta [Damili 1572] is part of Vinta’s Heritage series. This ink honors Vigan City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the capital of Ilocos Sur province on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Founded in 1572, Vigan is widely regarded for its architecture, and its terracotta pottery and ceramics (damili).

Vinta Inks - Terracotta Damili - Color Range

Visually, this is a lovely, rich, burnt orange-red. It doesn’t particularly remind me of terracotta, but that’s not a disappointment, as I like what I see. To me, this is a much prettier ink thanks to the heavy scorched tomato red influences. It’s earthy, but pops in a way that terracottas sometimes lack. It’s a nice shading ink, and the ebb and flow of citrus orange lights and charred red darks is quite attractive. The splatter shows a thin, blackened edging, and in writing this becomes a stroke halo edge on some premium papers. This really is a delicious, deep orange-red!

Vinta - Terracotta Damili - Ink Swatch Card

Vinta makes some nice writing inks, and Terracotta Damili is very enjoyable. The ink flows smoothly, and it glides across the page. Strokes were sharp on all six test papers, with not even a hint of feather or bleed. Shading was visible on all, but it was more dramatic on coated premiums. Kokuyo had the strongest shading. Halo was strongest on Mnemosyne and Apica, but was weak on Rhodia, and absent on office copy. Kokuyo was the fastest drying premium at 15 seconds. Most coated premiums were 20-25 seconds, while uncoated premiums were 20 seconds, and office copy was 5-10 seconds. This is a great writing ink.

Vinta excels at creating rich, vibrant inks. Although they make some interesting sheens, I’m glad that with this ink, they let the color and beautiful shading enjoy the spotlight. I really like Terracotta Damili, and I’m certain that you’ll enjoy it, too!