I recently acquired some ‘dark’ papyrus from Egypt. On my third attempt I found the ink that gave the best result. As a comparison, also pictured is the papyrus I usually work on. Both examples feature my shadow glyph style and are fragments of the Maxims of Ptah-hotep, which advise against being arrogant in one’s knowledge and to seek wisdom in all places. The bottom right example shows a lighter section of fibres running through the papyrus sheet. Papyrus is a beautifully organic and natural surface to write on, but its irregularities can be problematic for the unwary.
At the bottom left is my hand made Tasmanian Oak and North African Blackwood papyrus burnisher.
The front of papyrus is usually considered the one where the fibres run horizontal against the text.

Media: White and Turquoise Shellac based ink, gum arabic based watercolour on papyrus.
(Taken with iPhone 3GS in 2011 for demonstration purposes)