BlueBlack x Diamine - Roosevelt Is. Tram

BlueBlack x Diamine - Roosevelt Island Tram - Ink Drop

This lively red is Roosevelt Island Tram. It’s from the BlueBlack exclusive, New York City set. The ten-ink set is part of the City series (with sets for London and Seoul) and features inks by Diamine themed around notable landmarks and cultural pieces of New York City. I think BlueBlack’s attention to detail makes these some of the most beautifully presented ink sets.

Roosevelt Island Tram on Cosmo Air Light

Roosevelt Island Tram is a bold, confident red. It reminds me a lot of Diamine’s very popular Poppy Red. While Poppy Red leans slightly pink, here the influence is towards orange. There are subtle hints of orange in areas of shading, but the base color shows as a sunny, mid-red in writing on most papers.

Roosevelt Island Tram on Tomoe River Paper

On coated papers, there’s a nice, dark, defining stroke edge that adds depth. Stroke centers are strong and pure with pops of shading on some stroke ends. On uncoated papers, shading is more gradual, but more consistent. This means more color variation across strokes on uncoated papers, too.

Writing Sample on Cosmo Air Snow

Writing performance does not disappoint. It’s nice and wet in flow, but it doesn’t lack control. Across the seven papers that I used for testing, there were no problems with feather or spread. It has all of the consistency of other great Diamine inks. From drying times to feel on the page, this is a very comfortable ink.

Roosevelt Island Tram - Writing Samples

Roosevelt Island Red is a very nice ink. If you like Poppy Red, but prefer orange undertones to pink, you’re in luck. These are equally enjoyable inks. On coated papers, the undertones are very subtle, and that makes this a strong choice for a classic red.

Keep scrolling for the ink swatch card, color comparisons, the bottle, and a look at the entire, beautifully packaged set.

Roosevelt Island Tram - Ink Swatch Card

Special thanks to BlueBlack for surprising me with this amazing set! Their store in Seoul is a must see for pen and ink lovers, and if you have a chance to stop by, definitely do!

Roosevelt Island Tram - Swatch Card Comparisons

BlueBlack x Diamine Roosevelt Island Tram - Ink Bottle

BlueBlack x Diamine - New York City Set