While at the California Pen Show, I scooped up a bottle of the Ferris Wheel Press Festival Grove ink ($22.50). I admit that the name was appealing to me, still being cold and brownish February, I miss the green woodsy vibe of a Renaissance Fair.
The ink base color is deep mossy green with a twinkly gold shimmer reminding me of fairy lights hung in the trees of a Ren Fest. Every time I look at the ink swatch, I hear the tinkling flute of a performer dancing in pointy toed shoes and wearing pointy ears and a flower crown. Are you with me?
I tend to love lime/moss greens so I knew I had a few that might be similar.
My first guess was that Festival Grove would be similar to Diamine Olive Swirl but there is a distinct difference beyond just the shimmer color. Olive Swirl has a blue shimmer while Festival Grove has a gold shimmer. Sailor 50 States Wyoming is probably the closest color (without shimmer, if that matters to you).
Gluon is a more yellowy green with a reddish shimmer and the LE version of Gluon without shimmer is more similar to Robert Oster Chartreuse and both seem similar to the effect of the color in Festival Grove. The base ink color of Festival Grove may be a slightly deeper green but the golden shimmer makes it feel a little lighter. The base color of Pluto & Beyond is probably the most similar to the base hue of Festival Grove.
I think I will swap out my Olive Swirl, which has been my invoice signing ink for the next few months. I like Festival Grove and look forward to hearing dulcimer, pan flutes and Celtic folk songs. Until then, I’ll ink up my pen and imagine.
Tools:
- Pens: Dominant Industry Ink Muddler, Sailor Hocoro Dip Pens, Zebra G Dip Nib and Tachikawa T-40 Nib Holder
- Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Dromgoole’s for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.