This is a very interesting ink. It’s the kind of color that you might not think is for you, but don’t give up just yet! Muddy Wine is part of the seven-ink Mudpack mini-series from Robert Oster. Of the seven, this is arguably the most unusual. When I first tried it, I thought it was similar to several others that came to mind, but when comparing swatch cards, it’s actually quite different.

There’s definitely a nice, deep wine-base here, but it’s balanced with several other influential components. It’s a nice shading ink, and it lightens considerably. I’d call it a burgundy with heavy aspects of brown, purple, grey, and even a little yellow. It certainly feels the muddiest of the series!

This is a very consistent, very pleasurable writing ink. The flow is nice, but overall, I’d call it a neutral-to-dry ink. There are no issues with feather or bleed. The splatter shows a brassy sheen edging to wetter areas, but little comes through in writing to the naked eye. Despite that, this ink produces a nicely defined stroke edge that gave it a clean, crisp profile on my test papers. There’s nothing not to like in terms of performance.

This series has more to offer than I first imagined! If the color appeals to you, I definitely recommend Robert Oster Muddy Wine. It’s unusual and quickly grew on me! Enjoy!