The Ultimate Game-Changer: Dye That Breaks Down into Blue and Purple in Water - and Even Underwater!

I've been itching to try liquid ink for drawing for ages, but the ones that completely dry out freak me out. I finally decided to take the plunge and bought a few shades, including the 'Magic of Dreams' from Malovich, which I'd been eyeing for a while.

Malovich's liquid ink is a game-changer for anyone looking to add some magic to their creativity. These special inks are made with high-quality materials that bring your artwork to life.

Malovich 'Magic of Dreams' liquid ink for drawing and calligraphy, 30mlBrand: Malovich.Country of origin: Russia, but they're produced on order in China.Price: 160+ rubles (depending on the store). On Ozon, it's around 300 rubles.Where to buy: You can find them on almost any marketplace. But they're currently selling out really fast. I got them as a gift exchange before New Year's.Packaging and design

The packaging for all the inks is a cardboard box. It's slightly elongated, made of cardboard, and about the size of a box for some medication in a bottle. And the color of the box depends on the shade of the ink when it dries. We have the blue spectrum, so the box is blue too.

Malovich Ink for Drawing and Calligraphy 'Magic of Dreams', Bleeding, 30 ml It looks really nice, with the brand logo, name, and volume on the front sides. Both sides are identical, except for the language. Malovich Ink for Drawing and Calligraphy 'Magic of Dreams', Bleeding, 30 ml But the sides are different. One has information about the manufacturer, and there's also a note that this product is suitable for refilling pens. Malovich Ink for Drawing and Calligraphy 'Magic of Dreams', Bleeding, 30 ml The other side has the production date, shade, and volume. Volume: 30 milliliters.

Composition:

colorantwaterdiethylene glycolfunctional additivesShelf life: 3 years.

Ink for drawing and calligraphy Malovich 'Magic of Dreams', dissolving, 30 mlThe ink bottle just sits inside the box. It's like the outer protection is the plastic wrap on top, and inside, there's nothing else. The box opens easily, but the lid starts to rattle quickly, so it'll get damaged if you store it in the box and take it out regularly. That's why I chose a different storage method - I put them in a desk drawer without the box. Ink for drawing and calligraphy Malovich 'Magic of Dreams', dissolving, 30 mlThe bottle looks like a real inkwell - square shape, thick glass, with a wide mouth, only the top is a plastic screw cap. The label on the bottle is designed in the same color as the box and the contents. Based on dyes. Works recommended to be kept from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

Ink for drawing and calligraphy Malovich 'Magic of Dreams', dissolving, 30 mlThe other walls are transparent, and through them, you can see the ink consistency, amount, and condition well. But the dissolving in the bottle is not visible. It creates the impression that the ink is illuminating the edges of the bottle.

Ink for drawing and calligraphy from Malovich 'Magic of Dreams', dissolvable, 30 mlInk for drawing and calligraphy from Malovich 'Magic of Dreams', dissolvable, 30 mlAt the bottom, there's nothing. But it reminds me of playing with fountain pens as a kid, where the ink containers were these tiny bottles. Ink for drawing and calligraphy from Malovich 'Magic of Dreams', dissolvable, 30 mlDescription of the inkConsistency and density of the ink reminds me of strong coffee. It's like it's watery, but you can feel the thickness. I weighed it, and I didn't notice any air pockets or anything like that in the ink.

Smell of the ink is there - distinctive. I'm not sure how to describe this smell, but it reminds me of calligraphy ink from my childhood, which I used to draw posters for school. It's chemical, with a slightly iodine-like undertone, but not harsh - you can sniff the bottle. However, it doesn't linger on the paper.

Ink for drawing and calligraphy Malovich 'Magic of Dreams', dissolving, 30 ml Pigment and shades I dug into this and I was curious about the palette of Malovich ink. They've got a few different ones - I've got the dissolving ones, and then there's a neon line, and one with a sheen. But today I'm talking about these specific inks.

22 unique colors: dusk, ash, dance of indigo, depths of the ocean, magic of dreams, jellyfish, techno, artificial intelligence, lagoon, whisper of moss, kelp, mermaid's grotto, bog queen, pyramids, dandelion jam, coral reef, heart of the dragon, wild mustang, sunset of an empire, Ursula, unicorn tear, ghost of the opera.

I'm intrigued by all these colors and names, but I've only got a few of them so far. And honestly, you can't just call it one color. My inks can't be just called 'blues' because there are a few different shades, and the shades are all double, so to give the customer an idea of what the color dissolves to, it's easier to just call it that. Yeah, it's a bit romantic.

My shade is 'Magic of Dreams'. It's ultramarine if you look at it in a thick layer.

Maliavin Inks for Drawing and Calligraphy 'Magic of Dreams', Fading, 30 mlThis ink is incredibly rich in color, and the saturation level depends on the thickness of the layer. If one thin layer of color isn't enough, you can add another layer. But when it dries, the cobalt blue will be the deepest, most saturated. It's a rich, neutral blue. To get the opposite effect and make them lighter, try applying the ink first and then quickly running a dry brush over the area. With a pen, the saturation level will depend on the pen's nib characteristics. These inks can be refilled in fountain pens or used with a brush. However, they're not water-resistant and have weak lightfastness.

Maliavin Inks for Drawing and Calligraphy 'Magic of Dreams', Fading, 30 ml The Magic of Fading

Fading inks aren't about a single splash on the page turning into a fireworks explosion. They're still a writing and drawing ink, after all. So, you can either let them fade or choose not to.

One of the captivating properties of these inks is how they spread on a wet sheet of paper. They'll take on the shape of a blob, and it's hard to correct. These inks are extremely acidic, and while you can protect your hands, the ink-stained page is a lost cause.

I love how these inks break down into multiple shades. Check out the description:

These inks separate into different hues, giving your work a unique playfulness and charm. You can fully appreciate the result once it's dry. These inks really help you let go and tap into your creative side.

My ink breaks down into a bright blue (ranging from light turquoise to indigo) and a pastel pink (ranging from pale lavender to amethyst).

This process is hard to control, and the result is always the most unpredictable part. You can only slightly guide it in the right direction.

But there's a rule - water is key. To get these inks to break down, you need to use them on a wet surface, or add water after applying them to the paper, or do both. That's the power of water!

You can control the water's spread, but you can't influence the behavior of the inks themselves. And you can only see the fully dry result after it's completely dry.

But even after it's dry, you can still change the shade by adding more ink or water. These inks aren't lightfast, so they'll fade over time.

So, how does it work? For example, I quickly wet the paper with a broad brush, and then, dipping the tip of the brush in the ink, I draw a line on the paper. The ink immediately spreads in all directions and the reaction begins.

If the result isn't enough, or I want to change it again, I add a drop of water to the already colored, wet area. The result of the breakdown also depends on the chosen paper.

Thanks to its unique formula, the ink behaves interestingly on different paper, giving the result a special charm and unpredictability.

Before this, I showed the swatches on smooth, dense paper (and you only need dense paper, because thin paper will immediately disintegrate from moisture).

But the result after complete drying on very dense, but textured watercolor paper (magic, right?):

I've had my fair share of ruined artwork with these bleeding pens. I'm not proud of most of them, but there are a few that turned out okay. I'll show you those. Bleeding pen artwork Since it was my first portrait with these pens, I learned a few things.I've found that once they're dry, you can safely layer markers or fineliners on top without any issues. They don't clog markers and don't mess with the ink flow of pens, so it's easy to add details or correct mistakes.

The result on a smoother paper, but still with some texture, so there's some bleed, but I wasn't blown away by the effect:Lee Know art From there, I got the hang of it and started experimenting. What else I learned from my experiments: Don't rush to add more ink if it seems like the colors aren't vibrant enough. In wet form, the ink looks darker, but once it's dry and absorbed into the paper, it reaches its final, rich tone. So, if it's not about the bleed, wait for it to dry first.

Bleed Check out the planetarium drawing – the lower part of the building is a dark blue. It should be even darker, almost black. And in wet form, it looked that way too. After it dried, the color ended up lighter, and I added more ink. And waited for it to dry again. After a few more attempts, I realized that's as deep as the color gets in dry form. But it's really clear where the bleed is:

Check out how they look in action - the paper's still damp, and you can see the blue pigment being pushed aside by the water, leaving a pale blueish tint behind. And another thing I noticed - even though they do bleed into the paper, they don't break down the ink lines. That's a really cool quality that not every watercolor has. I was blown away when I used them in the most textured sketchbook I had at the time - it was a perfect match. The paper's texture, the way the ink spreads, the shadows... everything just worked beautifully together. Even the edges of the ink bleeds looked great.Risunkov raspadaemyisya chernyalyami Check out how I layered a new, almost-dry wash over a section of broken-down ink:But then my expressive side kicked in, and I started experimenting with combining ink with other dyes, techniques, and so on. I ended up reworking a lot of the pages to give them a cosmic feel.

The ink bleed effectInterestingly, I found that you can actually draw over the dried ink with pencils, markers, or even sketch markers – but it all depends on the quality of the paper. In this case, I used an acrylic paper:

The ink bleed effectAnother option:

The ink bleed effectTo create the star, I followed these steps:

I left a light area after the ink bleedI made it as light as possible using a gel penUsing a damp brush, I blended the blue towards the center of the star to create the edgesI drew a line with a white penI've rubbed it in with my finger from the center, and it smears easily (done it so many times).

Picture of bleeding ink I've had my fair share of messy days with this product. Some days are worse than others. When I'm working with the ink, it's like magic. The bleeding effect is so cool, even when it doesn't look like a complete picture, it's still an awesome sketch that shows off the nuances of my color choice.Picture of bleeding ink The time it takes for the ink to spread, break down, and dry depends on the thickness of the paper and the amount of water used. I've noticed that the thicker paper dries out in just a few minutes when I touch it. But I know that after 5 minutes, it's not fully dry yet, so I shouldn't be drawing on top of it with an acrylic pen.Picture of bleeding ink And then there were the weird and wonderful moments:Picture of bleeding ink This one barely bled at all, because I used almost no water. You can only see it up close, but it's there.Fading Ink Art I've got to say, I was experimenting with a few different shades, and this one - Magia Somnium and Galaxy Lighthouse - really caught my eye. It's not like the blue is totally gone, but it's faded to a gorgeous, pastel purple hue that I just love. Now, let's talk about my favorite thing: using these inks as a background. It's just so easy - I don't have to think about it, the ink does all the work. Or take a look at this: And then there's this one, which I'm absolutely proud of: My Verdict on the Fading Inks 'Magia Somnium'Of course, I loved them. I'm always up for trying new things, and this was a real treat. Plus, I'm glad I got to know this particular shade, because it turns out it's not the most intense of the bunch. And that's exactly what I like about it. Because later on, I found out it's not the most aggressive of the colors. And that's exactly what I like about it. Because it's just so me.

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for the blue, pink, and purple shades. There's just something about them that draws me in!

The standout features that I'd like to highlight are:

The fun, stylish, and functional design of the bottleThe wide mouth makes it easy to get a good gripThe amazing color paletteThe beautiful hueThe fantastic textureThe quick-drying formulaThe space for creativityIts versatility when paired with various artistic materialsThe value for moneyAs for the downsides:

It can be a bit of a pain to clean if it gets on your handsI think it's worth noting that any paint is going to get messy, and that's just part of the process. So, it's not really a con in my book.

Ink for drawing and calligraphy Malovich 'Magic of Dreams', watercolor, 30 mlIf you're interested in taking a closer look at this cosmic concoction in a bottle, I highly recommend it! My rating is 5 out of 5.

Thanks for sticking around until the end! That's all from me.

Stay tuned for the promised video review!