Derwent Inktense Color Pencils Review

36-Piece Tin Set

Hello Everybody!

I have tried out and made a review of the water-soluble Derwent Inktense Pencils and like to share my first impression. Water-soluble pencils can offer the best of both worlds. When used without water, the Derwent Inktense Pencils will perform in the same manner as other colored pencils. You have the control of drawing, and when they are wet the colors spread easily and smoothly without any mess or waste. Do not confuse Derwent Inktense Pencils with watercolor pencils, Inktense is more like a translucent ink-like effect.

I have included color examples used with and without water.  For the charts, I am painting on Canson montval watercolor paper. It is a great value for money. It comes in blocks and is acid-free and naturally white. Montval is a top-quality watercolor practice paper and is perfect for beginners and improvers. It is suitable for all wet techniques including watercolor, gouache, and ink. Montval is a forgiving paper that allows you to correct your work. You can use Derwent Inktense Pencils on lots of different types of paper, but for maximum layering and best results, use watercolor paper.

The Derwent Inktense Pencils are permanent and will not be activated or lifted off the paper. But, be aware and this is important that any sign of the pencil lines will indicate that they are not fully activated I’ve found they still bleed slightly if they come in contact with water a second time. So, when they look like they are pure watercolor and have no pencil marks they will be permanent.

If you get these pencils I can recommend creating a swatch with these pencils for reference.  The unique thing about them is that when wet the colors change dramatically from when drawn. It gives a lot of opportunities, especially for layering and expressions. But, for me, this is not always good, I like to have control over the colors when I work with botanical artwork or naturalistic portraits. So surprises like this are absolutely not welcome. that they get permanent is also problematic if you are into details and want to change something.

If you get used to them you can find some techniques that let you work more soft, Eg by using your brush to pick up color directly from the pencil and then applying the color to the paper. Or make a palette out of some scribbles on paper and pick up the colors and then apply the color to your artwork.

Very little color needs to be laid down on the page to get a large vibrant swash of color when wet.

Good side

• The colors are very vivid once wet
• Once they’re dry, they are permanent Inktense Pencils, stays put once it has been activated with water and dried. 
• They dry quickly
• Perfect for color layering.
• You can create custom shades by mixing colors.
• you can go over and add finer details with a different shade or color without those details blending into the layers below.
• They blend easily.
• You will obtain beautiful lighter shades of the same color by adding water.
• Perfect for students.
• Minimizing color bleeding.

Bad side

• Permanent, so you are in trouble if you make a mistake.
• Since the color dries quickly it can be difficult to work in a large area.
•  Not all the colors are lightfast.  They are not for professional artists since the colors will fade or change. (of course, we can play with them)
• Prone to flaking a little.

They are called Inktense Pencils and not watercolor pencils, but maybe they are not that different. Still, I am sure it depends on what you want, but for most beginners, I don`t think there is a huge difference between them.

If you are looking for your very first watercolor pencils, or like the translucent ink-like effect these are perfect. They are beautiful colors for any sketchbook, adult coloring books, or expressive drawings and mixed with water to create bright colors.  

The water-soluble Derwent Inktense Pencils can be bought in sets of 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72.