Ever since I watched the Speed Colouring of The Magical City with Derwent Inktense pencils (Hyde Park), by Peta Hewitt, I was intrigued with Derwent Inktense Pencils. I was in awe of the way the dull pencil shades would activate into vibrant hues with the touch of a magical water pen. For a long time, I held back buying more pencils. However, when Peta brought out her step-by-step tutorial series in The Magical City using Derwent Inktense Pencils I knew I had to give it a try.
Recently I have been practising and experimenting with Inktense pencils and I now feel more confident using them. The colouring experience with these pencils are much different to normal colouring pencils. They can be activated using a water brush, water-based blending marker or paint brush with water. The water makes shades more intense and is easily blended and create gradients.
Derwent Inktense Pencils are similar to water colour pencils, except they are made permanent when dried. This makes layering more effective. They can be bought loose or in fixed packs of 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72. I prefer to use the pencils with the Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush. However, I have also experimented with a Tombow Blending Marker, which is also very effective and better for paper that can’t handle water as well. Just note that the water can wrinkle the paper and the colour can bleed through if too much water is used. So always try your materials in the back of a colour book before painting with them. For a complete list of all the materials I used refer to the bottom of this post.
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