Derwent Inktense

Derwent Inktense comes in two different forms: pencil & block. I chose the blocks because of their similarities in appearance to hard pastels and possible similarities to crayons.

I purchased the 12 pack thinking they would be close in texture to a hard pastel. Instead they are more fragile, dusty and not as easy to layer. However, I did not find that the dust bothered my allergies unlike hard pastels so that was a plus.

I find the Derwent Inktense blocks to be difficult to blend and they stain immediately- making it difficult to correct mistakes. They are essentially solid blocks of ink and a unique product.

These are the colors that are in the 12 pack : Sun Yellow, Tangerine, Poppy Red, Fuchsia, Deep Indigo, Sea Blue, Teal, Apple Green, Leaf Green, Baked Earth, Bark and Ink Black. I personally think that the "Leaf Green" and "Apple Green" are rather unpleasant but that is just my opinion.

This was done on Fluid Hot Press paper

Strathmore cold press

As you can see the colors are very intense and bright with a good assortment.  I think this a product that takes some time getting used to but can be used in many different ways. Derwent also sells a "grater" that you can grate the blocks and spray the ink in a spray bottle to make watercolor-like effects. Overall something worth trying if you like to experiment with fun and new art supplies

Here is a quick sketch I did in Inktense. I outlined the rooster in Micron pen














So overall....
Pros: unique & unlike any other product on the market, good color assortment, fairly easy to find, can achieve fine details
Cons: expensive, stains immediately & color cannot be lifted, dusty, breaks easily, don't blend very easily

The Derwent Inktense blocks can be purchased on www.dickblick.com  & www.amazon.com