Kala - Mongolian Sandstorm

Kala - Mongolian Sandstorm - ink drop

Taiwan’s Kala Inks is best known for their muted colors and exploration of greys, but they’ve also released a very colorful series of bold neons. Today’s ink, Mongolian Sandstorm is part of their Nostalgia Abstraction series, a line of pigmented, water-resistant, muted colorations.

Kala - Mongolian Sandstorm - color range

Although violet is not a color that I immediately associate with either Mongolia or sandstorms, this is a very nice violet. Kala has taken their deep understanding of faded, muted coloration, and applied it very successfully in creating this violet. It’s bolder, and prettier than one night first expect from seeing the swatch. It’s a light to dark faded violet in swatch form, but in written strokes it summons a greater strength and grows bolder. There’s visible shading, especially from the edges inward, due to a nice halo effect. The centers are lighter, with a soft, powdery glow that gives a feeling of comfort and depth.

Other than on cheap office copy paper, I haven’t had any problems with feather or bleed. The crispness and clarity is partly due to the nature of its pigmented formulation. This makes the ink substantially water-resistant, something I always appreciate. As with any pigmented ink, regular cleaning is recommended.

Kala - Mongolian Sandstorm - ink swatch card

Other than in the Neon series, Kala doesn’t offer a wide variety of colors for sale outside of Taiwan (they offer a more extensive collection within the Taiwanese market), and very little in the way of traditional standards. Mongolian Sandstorm isn’t a standard violet, either, but it’s a wonderfully successful interpretation, and a great writing ink! Kala Inks is a master of mute and fade, and Mongolian Sandstorm demonstrates that expertise well in a lovely, expressive, semi-permanent violet.

September 2020