A New Phidon-Exclusive Ink: Grand River Sunset
If you are an ink enthusiast, you most likely have at least one bottle of Troublemaker fountain pen ink, which is a company from the Philippines, that is well-known for their amazing shading and sheening fountain pen inks. The ink colours are often named after surrounding landscapes, which greatly inspire their work. We wanted to create something that reflects downtown Galt, where the brick-and-mortar location of Phidon Pens is situated. We live in a beautiful community, and wanted something for our latest Phidon-exclusive fountain pen ink that would reflect the stone architecture typical of our hometown. And so, the Troublemaker x Phidon Pens Grand River Sunset fountain pen ink was created.
The ink colour itself is hard to describe; it changes depending on the type of paper being used, as well as the nib size. Grand River Sunset ranges from a grey in writing, with a pink undertone. In larger concentrations, a grey undertone will appear, with even more contrast between the grey and pink ink pools. It was very important for us to have an ink that would be very functional and legible enough for everyday use, yet still something different that represents us and the downtown landscape. In the image below, you can see how different the ink looks on some of our favourite paper. Various tones are represented, and we can’t wait to see what fun everyone has experimenting with this latest Troublemaker creation. A previous Phidon-exclusive fountain pen ink we created, A Leap of Faith in collaboration with Diamine, is a darker, more intense sheening ink, and we knew that we wanted our next ink to be just as captivating. We wanted to try something different and have a softer, shading ink that was equally impressive in a wide range of nib sizes and on a variety of paper. We specifically chose Troublemaker Inks because we knew they have done lots of amazing work with gorgeous shading inks, and they did not disappoint!
A lot of thought went into not only creating the colour, but also giving it a name that accurately describes the inspiration behind the ink. The Grand River is a major feature of our downtown neighbourhood, and it starts near Grey County and flows through many communities before emptying into Lake Erie. For those who have visited Cambridge- and more specifically Galt- in the evening you'll be familiar with the picturesque scene as the sun dips behind the many trees and church spires that line the river banks. We thought the lovely pink and grey notes in the ink perfectly captured some of these colours that we encounter day after day.
Inspiration for the pink undertones in the Grand River Sunset ink. Photo taken by Phil Carr-Harris.
We are super grateful for the hardworking team at Troublemaker, who were so accommodating to our specific requests and sent us multiple rounds of swatches to get everything just right. They even created an adorable graphic on the label to match the name of the ink. It truly is a privilege to work with people who are just as passionate about pen, paper and ink as we are.
We would love to hear your first impressions on our Troublemaker Grand River Sunset fountain pen ink, so please feel free to email us or tag us on Instagram @phidonpens to share your own photos of this new release!