Wednesday 2 November 2016

Derwent 'Inktense' workshop - a real hit with artists in Wetherby!

Wonderful vibrant colours created with Derwent Inktense blocks. A joy for all to see how exciting and easy they are to use and create with
What a great workshop we all had recently near Wetherby painting with Derwent Inkense pastels and Inktense pencils. 

The colourful, responsive and versatile media of Derwent Inktense was a real thrill for us all to explore to create bright, vibrant and expressive Autumn landscape inspired mixed media paintings that positively glowed!



Everyone in the 'Inktense zone' enjoying using them to create superb, vibrant Autumn inspired paintings that positively glow!

The carefully designed sets of Derwent Inktense colours created by Derwent seamlessly blended one into the other and were an absolute joy to use on different types of support - even canvas!

Jackie creating her innovative and atmospheric Derwent Intkense painting...on canvas!


Jackie's lovely finished Derwent Inktense painting on canvas. Great depth and layering even on such a smooth linen surface

The lovely cosy and historical Walton Village Church Hall was the perfect venue for our workshop teaching all the friendly members of Walton Group of Artists who came lots of creative techniques showing just how great Derwent Inktense are to use. 


Derwent Inktense Pencils - superb for detailing and linear blending over fixed layers of Derwent inktense Block washes and watercolour colours. Derwent Inktense Pencils and Blocks are so versatile  - they are amazing!

The full range of Derwent Inktense coloured blocks right there at your finger tips to dive straight into. Used dry, wet in wet, broken and dissolved to create sumptuous coloured reservoirs of colour...the versatility of them is truly astounding! A real joy to creatively explore and paint with

From pencil to ink
Having deliberately avoided anything 'pencil' for ages in favour of more expressive media such as paint and pastel, I thought I'd never say that a pencil is fantastic... 
but Derwent Inktense really are!  


Derwent Inktense pencils - great to paint and draw with in so many exciting ways

You can use them dry to draw with and blend colour easily one over the other one into the other or mix them with water and create amazingly bright flowing colour with them which then becomes vibrant ink! Magic!


Perfect control achieved with Derwent Inktense Blocks to create even the most delicate of marks and fine detail lines


Once layers are dry the colour is fixed and you can work over the top of layers and glazes and, because it permanent it’s fixed into the sheet.

A really lovely mixed media painting in the making. Watercolour and Gouache washes used effectively with Derwent Inktense Blocks to create the first deep and rich coloured washes on which to work

Choice of colours
There are 72 coloured Derwent Inktense coloured pencils in the range, carefully chosen across a spectrum for versatility for different subjects. Tins of 12, 24, 36 and 72 colours are available to choose from and 48 as well as the full range of 72 colours available in lovely wooden boxes.

Detailing with Derwent Inktense Pencils - really impressive and addictive to use

Check out these names for the 48 colours in the box set for starters:

Sherbert Lemon, Sun Yellow, Sicilian Yellow, Sienna Gold, Cadmium Orange, Tangerine, Scarlet Pink, Poppy Red, Chilli Red, Cherry, Crimson, Shiraz, Red Violet, Fuchsia, Thistle, Mauve, Deep Violet, Peacock Blue, Iron Blue, Iris Blue, Bright Blue, Deep Indigo, Sea Blue, Green Aquamarine, Teal Green, Iron Green, Ionian Green, Apple Green, Field Green, Hooker’s Green, Felt Green, Spring Green, Leaf Green, Mustard, Amber, Tan, Saddle Brown, Baked Earth, Willow, Madder Brown, Bark, Indian Ink, Charcoal Grey, Payne’s Grey, Ink Black, Antique White and Outliner.

With names like that who wouldn't be inspired to use them!


Two at once! See how easily they blend together - we cannot get enough of them!

Detailing with Derwent Inktense
One great advantage we all found for our Autumn river themed workshop was how useful Derwent Inktense pencils were for detail in our vibrant paintings. Used in all sorts of ways within our successful paintings these linear, cross hatched and blended marks wet and dry in creation were really easy to create with both the pencils and the sharp edges of the Derwent Inktense blocks.

Flamboyant and vibrant colours continued with Derwent Inktense Blocks working on their sides which covered large areas quickly. Used either dry or with the addition of water, deep intense colour washes were a joy to create! 

Fantastic deep rich colours achieved with layers of Derwent Inktense Blocks. Colours 'Iron Blue' and 'Deep Indigo' Inktense Blocks in particular here used very effectively together to create the sumptuous darks over the delicate watercolour washes. A great success!


Combined easily with other media such as Watercolour and Gouache the versatility of the Derwent Inktense blocks was highlighted even further too. 


Lovely effective layering with Derwent Inktense Blocks - the entire painting created almost entirely using them - now that's what I call Ia great Inktense painting!

A really successful day with everyone at Walton Group of Artists hooked on just how good they were to use. Great paintings created by everyone using Derwent Inktense pencils and Inktense blocks creating vibrant and colourful Autumn paintings to be proud of.

We loved using them and I'll sure you will too!

To find out more about the amazing Inktense pastels and pencils from Derwent visit https://www.pencils.co.uk

1 comment:

  1. Nice article! I'm interested in using inktense pencils on a cotton canvas board. Is there anything I need to do to prep the surface? Do I use gesso or matte medium, or nothing at all and draw/paint right on the bare canvas?
    Thank you.

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