An object of the present invention is to provide an ink composition that enables high-quality images having no white stripes or roughness to be obtained even when the images are printed on printing paper, such as art paper, at low resolution, and the ink composition is an ink composition for ink jet recording containing at least a coloring material, water, an alcohol solvent, and a surfactant, wherein the alcohol solvent contains an alkanediol sparingly soluble in water, a water-soluble 1,2-alkanediol, and a water-soluble 1,3-alkanediol.