PenBBS ink 413 is Cervantes. It honors Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes and is from season 29. This is an unusual ink in terms of base color, and I really like it!

When I see this ink, I think of lightly roasted tomatoes. It feels like an orange at first, but really there’s too much red here to call it an orange. As it dries, it darkens and the red identity becomes more obvious. It shades nicely on many papers, but more so on uncoated papers. On coated papers, there is a prominent burnt edging that really adds drama and texture. You see this in the word “Cervantes” above the splatter image, and the close up image of written strokes. I love this ink on coated papers like the Rhodia in those two images!

Cervantes is a good writing ink, always legible and at times quite striking! The stroke edging makes it particularly well-defined on coated papers, but the shading is stronger and more consistent on uncoated papers. It’s a fairly wet ink, but overall, I’d say that it feels more neutral in writing. I didn’t have any problems with feathering, but there was a bit of bleed-through on uncoated papers. Drying was reasonable.

PenBBS inks are always well-priced, and you can find some amazing deals on AliExpress and other sites, if you don’t mind the shipping time uncertainty. Cervantes came in the nice, 60 ml bottle shown. I have a couple of inks that are close in color, but nothing exactly matched. 413 Cervantes is unusual. I really like it, and I think you will, too! Enjoy!