KWZ Ink - Grapefruit

KWZ Ink Grapefruit - ink drop

KWZ Grapefruit is a vibrant, saturated siren. The name Grapefruit was an interesting choice. To my eye, this ink lacks the pinkness that influences the red of a grapefruit’s flesh. Nevertheless, this is a very attractive ink.

KWZ Grapefruit is an intense, unusual color. Certain varieties of tomato match this color, but this isn’t tomato red. It most reminds me of red carrots, or red carrot juice. It’s quite striking! If you want a bold, red-orange ink, you won’t find a more powerful example, and it’s much more interesting than the average mid-red. The orange aspect adds a lot of punch.

KWZ Ink Grapefruit - ink swatch card

Grapefruit is also a very nice writing ink. Feathering wasn’t a huge problem on any of my five test papers. There was a bit on Mnemosyne, and a bit more on office copy paper, but both are usable options, and drying times were 5 seconds. I had best results on Rhodia, as it was the only paper that showed a halo edge on strokes, but Apica, and Kokuyo were also excellent. I didn’t have any problems with feathering, and stroke profiles were clean and crisp. A subtle, gold sheen was visible on the edges of some strokes, too. This isn’t a strong shading ink, but there was some visible shading on Rhodia and Kokuyo. Drying times ranged from 20-40 seconds.

If you’re looking for soft, subtle, and sedate, KWZ Grapefruit is definitely not for you. There is, however, a lot to like in this ink. It jumps off the page, and it’s very clear and legible. It would make a great editing or grading ink. It’s a strong accent color, too. If you’re looking for something bold that stands out, then this gorgeous red-orange may just be perfect!

October 2020