Environmental Conditions as Variable Systems in Volatile Ink Observation

In the long-term observation of volatile ink behavior, beyond the ink itself, diluents, substrates, heat tools, auxiliary tools, and human operation, the external environment itself constitutes a set of variables.

These variables include seasons, climate, weather, temperature, humidity, and different times of day. In long-term records, the direct impact shown by environmental variables remains relatively limited. While continuously present throughout the observation process, records show they do not consistently or noticeably alter the primary behaviors of volatile ink. Therefore, environmental variables are better suited to be recorded as background conditions rather than primary control variables.

1. Stability of Geographical Location

All observation records were conducted in a relatively fixed geographic location, without long-term cross-regional or international relocation.

Consequently, changes in seasons, climate, weather, temperature, and humidity are natural time-based shifts occurring within the exact same baseline geographic environment, rather than variables driven by regional environmental differences.

2. Expressions and Categorized Roles of Environmental Variables

1. Seasons and Climate

• Seasonal Coverage: Observation records cover all four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. For volatile ink inside sealed containers, liquid contact with the external environment is restricted, and no noticeable seasonal impact was observed; for ink in open environments, no season was observed to cause a fundamental change in its overall behavior.
• Climatic Conditions: Climatic variations accompanied the observation process long-term, but no sustained or noticeable changes to the primary behavior of volatile ink were observed. Climate acts primarily as an accompanying background condition.

2. Weather and Air Environment

• Ink Performance: Under varying weather conditions—including sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, and windy days—the primary behaviors of volatile ink showed no completely distinct changes.
• Impact on Operational Environment: Weather conditions (such as poor weather) alter ventilation conditions and air circulation. Because volatile ink produces a noticeable odor, weather shifts act mainly on the operator's environment, respiratory comfort, and environmental judgment, indirectly affecting observation conditions rather than directly altering ink dynamics.

3. Humidity

Air humidity fluctuates across seasons, weather, and time of day. Across long-term observation records under varying humidity conditions, humidity did not show a capacity to cause consistently noticeable differences in volatile ink behavior, nor did it stably account for major material phenomena.

4. Distinguishing Temperature from Applied Heat

• Localized Drying Speed: Under higher ambient temperatures, thinner ink areas exhibit faster boundary shifts and enter the drying stage earlier. Temperature exerts a directly observable influence on the rate of localized evaporation and drying progression.
• Distinction from Primary Behavior: Ambient temperature showed no capacity to consistently govern line formation, overall flow paths, large-scale backflow, or primary structural formation.
• Distinction from Localized Heat Displacement: Ambient temperature is a global background condition present throughout the entire space; heat applied by heat tools is an active, localized, and directional external variable. A clear boundary separates the two in terms of variable properties.

5. Time of Day

Observation records across morning, noon, afternoon, and evening showed no regular, systematic differences in ink behavior. Shifts in time of day primarily affect ambient air circulation and human physical comfort, indirectly influencing whether an observation takes place and the environmental conditions during that observation.

3. Action Paths of Environmental Variables Across Phases

Environmental variables operate across three distinct phases, with different action paths in each:

1. Pre-Behavior (Selection and Preparation Phase)

Environmental conditions (such as weather, time of day, and ventilation) enter human operational conditions, affecting whether an observation is initiated, as well as operational comfort and environmental judgment.

2. Mid-Behavior (Ink Action Phase)

Temperature, humidity, weather, and time of day exist as background conditions alongside ink behavior. Apart from temperature influencing localized evaporation and drying speed in certain cases, the direct impact of other factors on primary ink behavior remains limited.

3. Post-Behavior (Results Preservation Phase)

After material action terminates, environmental exposure—especially direct sunlight and strong light—exerts a subsequent influence on the formed marks. For instance, extended summer exposure to direct sunlight can lead to color shifts, fading, localized color variation, or changes in surface state. In this phase, environmental variables act upon physical preservation rather than the ink behavior process itself.

4. Hierarchy and Overall Relations of Environmental Variables

Based on long-term observation, environmental variables can be categorized into four distinct levels:

Variable Level	Included Factors	Primary Action Path
Background Variables	Seasons, Climate, Weather, Time of Day	Function as global background conditions; show no dominant control over primary ink behavior.
Localized Variables	Temperature, Humidity	Temperature affects localized evaporation and drying speed in certain cases; humidity shows no distinct direct impact.
Human Operational Variables	Ventilation, Air Circulation, Comfort Level	Enter the observation system indirectly by affecting human physical state, judgment, and operational conditions.
Post-Preservation Variables	Sunlight, Strong Light, Long-Term Exposure	Act upon completed material results, affecting long-term preservation state and surface changes.

Summary of Action Paths

• Seasons / Climate / Weather / Time of Day → Alters human operational & ventilation environment → Indirectly enters material observation process.
• Ambient Temperature → Influences localized evaporation & drying speed.
• Light / Sunlight / Long-Term Exposure → Influences long-term preservation state after material action ends.

Summary Definition

Environmental variables refer to the collection of external spatial conditions present throughout the long-term observation of volatile ink, changing across seasons, weather, temperature, humidity, time of day, and long-term storage conditions.

These variables do not show a direct impact comparable to ink composition, concentration, substrate properties, or applied heat displacement; they function primarily as background conditions and indirect variables. Among them, temperature can be observed to influence localized evaporation and drying speed in certain instances; weather, seasons, humidity, and time of day exhibit no clear patterns capable of governing primary ink behavior; following the termination of ink action, light exposure, direct sunlight, and environmental exposure become key variables affecting the color, surface state, and long-term stability of the remaining marks.

The environment is an external system spanning pre-behavior, mid-behavior, and post-behavior phases, entering through distinct paths and exerting varying degrees of impact at each stage.

Observations of alcohol or volatile ink behavior and extensive experiments have been conducted over many years. Portions of these observations have been recorded on video—including complete and incomplete, single or consecutive experiments, as well as successful and unsuccessful outcomes—and compiled as archival records within the Ink Behavior Records.