Derwent Inktense Pencils Art Set, 100 Permanent Watercolor Pencils Set in Tin, Premium Colored Pencils for Adults, Water-Soluble Indelible Pencil Collection, 4mm Core, Professional Quality (2306130)

Admittedly, I am a very amateur artist. Yet, I have always had a desire to be able to express myself pictorially. To that end, I have read multiple books on drawing and painting in the last 20 years, but I felt I was always handicapped by what I believed to be a lack of small motor coordination. Nonetheless, I persisted. Knowing that one of my failings was a refusal to specialize in a particular area. Thus, reaching all the way back to my roots and my undergraduate education as a Biology major, I decided that I would try to concentrate on "Botanical Drawing." It is not that Botanicals are an easy representation, but it is rather that the majority of Botanicals have the same basic structural elements. Thus, I purchased several books on Botanical Drawings and spent a considerable amount of money on a vast variety of drawing mediums.In accordance to the teaching of the books I bought, I first started with pencil sketches. As I progressed through the books that discussed Botanical representations, it turned out, that my initial believe was in fact true. The very best and most renown Botanical Artists who have written books about how to draw plants and flowers have developed systems and methodologies that have a certain amount of commonality. It turns out, that if one can draw three dimensional representations of cones, cylinders, spheres and a few other special elements, one can make pictorial representations of most Botanicals. Thus, I spent some time perfecting my ability to draw non-Euclidian geometric shapes, which I had learned how to do when I took my 3 semesters of calculus in college. And then, building upon that, I started to move into color mediums.First, I started with colored pencils. Then I worked with 'nu-pastels' and pastel pencils. Then I progressed into Aquarelles. And from there, I started to work with watercolors. But the most impressive medium of all, were these "Derwent Inktense Pencils" which are 4 mm core pencils, but with a special character. While when one uses these pencils to draw, it feels very much like one is using a "soft core pencil." However, there is an amazing, dazzling difference between these pencils and regular soft core pencils.These Inktense Pencils are truly like drawing with watercolor pigments. And the concept is, that the artist uses these pencils and their knowledge or color and form to create drawings that are then bought to an unbelievable level of intensity when they are brushed with water. All of a sudden, what looked like just regular soft core pencil drawings take on an incredible illumination which is even more intense than using watercolor paints. Yet, they have a special character to them that is not present with regular watercolors, be they pan watercolors or watercolors in tubes. They first come alive under the wet brush. But then, rather quickly, they dry to a permanent state, so that additional water no longer changes their hue and beauty. It is so intense, that it defies a written description. Yet, I am willing to attest to the fact that I have never seen anything like it.There are two things that one should know about this medium though before embarking upon giving it a go. The pencils are expensive, but they are worth every penny. And, because of the way they come alive, the precision with which water is added to the dry image is of the most important and delicate process. So much so, that not only is it expensive to buy the pencils, but it is almost a requirement that the artist utilizes the very best brushes to animate the pigments. Personally, I have found that they only brushes that truly are worth using in order to get the most out of this medium are high end Sable Brushes. Personally, I prefer pure Kolinsky Sable and Ussuri Sable brushes ONLY! Many artists are quite familiar with these sable brushes and most watercolor and even acrylic and oil painters swear by sable brushes and will not use anything else. The same is the case when using the Derwent Inktense Pencils. Sable is rare and expensive. Thus, not only are the pencils expensive, but so are the brushes. Yet, the serious artist or even the aspiring serious artist must look upon the expense as an investment. In fact, the more one gets into art supplies, the more one finds that the better supplies are the ones that cost the money. Even the use of a palette made from white china, as opposed to the plastic kind is something that makes a significant difference, as the china does not stain, like the plastic ones do.Nonetheless, I cannot recommend any other medium as highly as I can these special pencils. And Derwent makes a very wonderful version of them. While one can mix the colors before wetting them, it is very difficult to do so after they have been wet and then dried. So, the artist will want to be careful in their selection of the specific colors that they choose and would be well advised to test the colors on another piece of watercolor paper before committing it t their actual drawing so they are sure that they have the right colors and hues.I would whole heartedly endorse these Inktense Pencils by Derwent over every other medium I have yet to try. The artist will NOT be disappointed!

Absolutely! Here’sVibrant, Versatile, and Seriously Impressive!Derwent Inktense pencils are an absolute dream to work with! The colors are incredibly rich and bold—way more intense than regular watercolor pencils. Once activated with water, they transform into vibrant ink-like washes that dry permanent, which means you can layer without worrying about smudging or reactivating your previous work. Huge win!They glide on smoothly, blend beautifully, and are perfect for everything from fine art to coloring books, mixed media, and even fabric work. Whether you're using them dry for sketching or wet for painterly effects, they’re super versatile and fun to experiment with.If you’re looking for a set of watercolor pencils that deliver both punch and precision, Inktense is totally worth the hype. They’ve definitely earned a permanent spot in my art supplies!

I'm gonna add a "tl;dr" to this for right now. If you're interested, keep reading!!I cannot think of one thing I do not like about inktense pencils, except that I wish there were more colors... But I jump the gun, because that isn't a valid compliant anymore....(keep reading!).... I initially bought the 36 set, but regretted not getting all the colors, so I came back for the 72 set a few months ago (which is actually 71 colors, plus a non water soluble pencil). You can use in the exact same way you would any water color pencil, with a variety of different techniques. YouTube is choc full of tutorials and examples, for those in need of a little direction.The moment you drag the pencil across the paper, it is surely to bring about that blissed out feeling us artists get when using our favorite supplies, but rest assured, the fun has only just begun.... When you hit it with water, it activates and this is when the colors really come alive!!!!Great news for those who seek to sell their work: these are mostly light-fast. Derwent has all the information you need on their site...Of course, this is going to change/vary based on how much pigment you lay down, and how much water you add to spread that pigment around... You'll probably want to conduct your own tests though, based on your own art style. A non-issue if you are using in a sketchbook or journal (just be sure to let it fully dry before closing the pages...talking to you, genie ADHDers! )...I also own the full kohinoor mondeluz line, and all the Albrecht Dürer pencils, and I can say they are equally beautiful, yet very different in some of their properties and at times, in finished looks as well. These pencils are pigment based, and are designed to look like ink.... They behave Like ink on a stick... in the sense that they are permanent, and with even just one layer, the colors are deep and dimensional. If you're covering large areas, you may end up seeing a slight mark from your drying edges, while moving from section to section... But since you can reliably place layer upon layer, upon layer of these without activating the one below, any seams could be covered by saturating the area, melting harsh edges away completely. This means, you can change your mind and change a color, by layering a different one....you can do an entire underpainting of shadows, and then use Albrecht Dürer, or other watercolor pencils, layered over top.... You can do so many things and come up with new ways and places to use them.... They are so versatile, it would drive me crazy to think of all the uses.... Like Bubba Gump, and his many ways to eat shrimp..I could go on and on... But I will very briefly state my negatives.. They are in no way a reflection of the product itself, they are more a refection of the company's QC, and also of Amazon.1. The tin has a dent in the corner and it makes it so the lid doesn't stay on. It was most likely dropped along the lines...2. My set of 72 came with 2 red violets. It took me a min, but I discovered that I'm missing Dusky Violet. There isn't a way for me to contact Derwent through Amazon, nor is there a way to reach out to the seller. I'll rectify those myself, when I have a large enough order, by buying it from blick instead for $1.30 per pencil. When your get to the bottom of my review, I'll order it then!!)Do not buy these open stock on Amazon, they are 10x the price they should be! My suggestion is, if your are in the fence about spending the cash on the full set, it is worth it! It's wonderful these are available open stock, but it's a lot of money. Your best and most valuable offer, is to get the 72 outright, and then you only need to replace a pencil here, a pencil there... That will save you a lot long term, and will also satisfy the part of you that's drawn to colorful art supplies... If you're at all like me lolYou can use these are lots of different types of paper, but for maximum layering and best results, use on watercolor paper! The pics I attached are on sketchbook paper.To anyone else out there who LOVES inktense, they just dropped a whole bunch of colors and extended the, I heard, to around 100 colors.. Finally!!!! They are not available yet in the US, nor is there any mention of it on their US website, but they are on the UK site and there are already ppl showing them on YouTube. I hope Derwent at least packages them in a new add-on set.... So, they are coming!!!!!Happy Painting Everyone :)***It's been a long time since I've purchased my first two sets (at different times, obviously for more colors), and I now have come back to purchase the newest released pencils. Unfortunately, the 2023, 28 new colors are only included in the set of 100 for an additional, whopping $120 more than the 72 set. I think I will either wait to purchase them when the price comes down, or order then open stock directly from blick. I just can bring myself to spend that kind of money. Maybe someone should tell Derwent that these prices are a bit of a slap in the face....I had heard they aren't going to sell the new colors in a set of their own and I think they are missing out on sales here, by not doing that. Unless their intention is to collect all this extra money from their existing customer base, who may only have access to the sets for purchase, or not know that the new colors are around $2.15 a pencil... And that's on the high end. The prices of the single pencils has risen in the wake of the new color release in the spring.If you've had the pleasure of working with the new colors or have the full range of 100 colors already, I envy you (in the best way!!!)...