These water soluble drawing blocks and pencils can be use in countless different ways to create colourful artwork. Just add water to Derwent Inktense Blocks or Pencils to produce deep and vibrant permanent, waterproof ink colours on paper or fabric. If you choose to draw on fabric, your designs on cotton or silk will be hand washable at 30°C.
Different Ways of Colouring with Inktense Blocks & Pencils
Inktense can be used “dry on dry”. When used on textured paper, the soft creamy consistency tends to grab at the peaks while leaving lower areas without colour. To improve coverage, build up the colour in layers and blend with a tortillion, paper stump or blender pencil.
Transform the dappled effect of the dry drawing by painting over with a brush and water. This will dissolve the pencil marks and turn them into permanent ink. Subsequently the colours can be moved around with the brush to blend and completely cover the surface. When the ink is dry it will become waterproof so that further layers of colour can be added.
For permanent lines, use the Inktense Outliner pencil. It is made from non-soluble graphite and can be used with Inktense to provide permanent shading or outlines. In fact, this useful pencil can be utilised with any water-soluble media.
Used in the same way as a watercolour pan, ink colours can also be lifted directly from the Inktense Block or Pencil with a wetted paintbrush. Alternatively, the paper or fabric can be brushed or sprayed with water and Inktense applied directly onto the wet surface. Rubbing an Inktense Block with sandpaper creates fine dust which immediately dissolves into puddles of colour on the wet surface.
Painting with Powdered Derwent Inktense Blocks
The Derwent XL Sprinkler makes light work of grating a little powdered colour from an Inktense Block. Place the sprinkler over a palette dish or saucer to collect the powder and gently rub the Inktense Block over the grid.
Either add water to the powder and mix to make a solution or wet a brush to dissolve a little of the powder from the palette. Remember, the powder only becomes permanent ink once it is has been made completely soluble by the water.
The smooth cartridge paper below has buckled from the water. Choose a good quality watercolour paper for the best results.
