Monteverde Jungle Ink Collection

It’s finally here, folks! I’ve been waiting with eager anticipation over the last several months for the new Monteverde Jungle Ink Collection. Ever since I heard that these inks were in the process of production (back in March or April, I think), I’ve been so excited for them. I always love exploring new inks to begin with, and the idea of jungle themed inks is so fun. After getting my 10 piece Monteverde Jungle Ink Collection set, I was not disappointed.

First of all, since most of us are familiar with Monteverde’s 30mL bottles by now, I’m not going to focus on that or the box set. I’ll only mention that the box from the 10 piece set is reusable as a snap valet tray (type of container) for smaller objects. The Monteverde Jungle Ink Collection is only available in the 30mL bottles. Therefore the main focus is on the colors of the inks themselves. Also, I should point out that I created the swatches pictured using q-tips and Rhodia paper as a standard medium.

Secondly, I was so hyped for these inks because of their new colors and shades. It’s important to look at the inks in three ways: the colors themselves, how well they match the corresponding animal names, and how well they match the actual color names. With 10 colors in the collection, Monteverde did a great job overall. Choose from: Toucan Black, Hippo Dark Blue, Zebra Blue, Turtle Turquoise, Lion Yellow, Crocodile Green, Elephant Purple, Gorilla Red, Chameleon Burgundy, and Giraffe Orange.

Starting with Toucan Black, I was skeptical of having another black ink released. Yet it has a wonderfully rich color to it that starts on the lighter side, yet darkens as it dries. It definitely matches both the animal name and the color name. After a quick Google search to confirm, I found the majority of a Toucan’s body is black.

Hippo Dark Blue is beautiful to say the least. It’s definitely a darker blue, yet not too dark to be unable to appreciate the blue hues. I love how vibrant this ink remains. Hippo Dark Blue also matches the color name (dark blue) as you can see. As for matching the animal name, I feel like Monteverde took some creative liberty here. Hippos are more of a grey color overall. And as I’m not a big fan of grey inks, I’m glad they matched Hippopotamus with dark blue.

Zebra Blue is very interesting. It has a lot of character, with great depth and shading. When it comes to matching the Zebra animal with this color, I feel like they don’t match. Perhaps a blue jungle frog would’ve paired better? Also, I don’t see this blue ink as a normal blue range. So, despite both names not matching as well, I still love this color of ink. Zebra Blue has got so much potential – especially in a fountain pen that has a softer nib to show its color variation.

Turtle Turquoise is a winner. This is a very light turquoise, which reminds me of Sea Turtles. The color itself is a light and easygoing shade, which is great for fun and playful writing (not necessarily as much for office work). I say this ink matches the animal and color names in every way.

Lion Yellow is a strong yellow. I was curious which direction Monteverde would go with the shade of yellow here. And they went with a darker yellow, which is wonderful because you can still easily see it on paper. Yet it’s not too dark to start being considered another color. Well done with matching the animal name and color name here.

Crocodile Green is so cool. As I expected, it’s a deep, dark green that looks great on paper. I’m a huge fan of this one – especially since green is my favorite color in general. This Crocodile Green ink is also so appropriate for the overall jungle theme as a jungle green. It’s exactly as I’d imagine green to be found in the wild (yes, even among the many potential shades of green that exist in the jungle). Therefore, it completely matches the animal name and color name.

Elephant Purple makes me need to address the “elephant in the room” first. Elephants are not purple obviously. Yet many cartoon illustrations depict elephants with a purple hue, so I suppose that’s okay. Plus, there really aren’t that many purple animals in the jungle to choose from to represent this purple ink. However, that being said, the color itself is wonderful. I like how the ink is a rich, deep purple and matches the color name very well. Darker purple inks like this are fantastic to use in everyday writing, and provide lots of character.

Gorilla Red is an interesting color. I wasn’t sure what to expect when opening this bottle of ink (obviously other than it being in the red family). This is a deeper red, which looks fantastic on paper. I like the many shades and depth of this ink. And it completely matches the animal name of a strong red paired with such a strong animal as the Gorilla. However, I wouldn’t say it matches the color name of red since it’s so dark.

Chameleon Burgundy is a wonderful color. I’m really excited to use this in some of my pens that have stub/italic nibs because of how much shading (and possibly even sheening) potential there is. As for matching the animal, I think they did a great job here. It’s one of those colors that can easily fit that of a Chameleon. And this even matches the burgundy namesake.

Last but not least is the Giraffe Orange ink. Wow, this orange is so impressive. I love how rich and deep the color is overall. When you use this ink, prepare to enjoy every aspect of it. Not only does the Giraffe Orange ink match its animal name, but also the color name. I’m glad it’s not a brighter orange.

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