The water soluble Derwent Inktense Pencils and Blocks offer the artist and textile designer exciting opportunities for experimentation. The colours can be blended together and when dissolved with water turn into permanent ink. They can be combined with other media to create a variety of stunning effects.
Inktense blocks are perfect for large expressive pieces, splashes and loose marks, yet they also make the ideal companion for watercolour artists who like to work directly with a brush on all sizes of artwork. They can be used like pans of paint, applied directly to wet or dry paper and use on their side to cover large areas quickly.
As the ink is permanent, Inktense blocks and pencils can be used on fabric. Designs can be washed at 30°C and the fabric retains a good handle. On silk fabric, gutta outliner can be used to define areas and stop the Inktense colours from bleeding. This canvas bag was created using Inktense Pencils and Blocks by Derwent’s Product Manager and Artist, Sarah Taylor.
The technique used by Sarah intends for the pencil marks to blend together to create subtle shading.
Derwent Inktense on Silk Fabric
I tried the following to retain the pencil marks on this finely woven Pongee silk fabric.
I then placed the silk fabric over a piece of folded cotton fabric (absorbent paper will work equally well) and used a fine spray of water to completely wet the drawing. The excess pencil dissolved through the silk and was absorbed into the cotton fabric beneath.
Once all the excess had been absorbed, I allowed the silk fabric to dry thoroughly and ironed over the sketches with a hot iron before rinsing the fabric under a running tap. When the silk fabric was dry, I ironed it again to remove the creases.
Permanent pencil marks on silk fabric using Derwent Inktense Pencils!
Please visit the Drawing section of the website to learn more about fabric pencils and pens, or to choose from the selection of Derwent Inktense products