Inktense Sketches

"Inktense" is one of Derwent's brand names They found a way of locking up strong ink pigment in a solid form that could be released with water. A bit like blocks of watercolour, but using ink, not paint. And the colour can be used dry as well.

Derwent are best known for their pencils, so - naturally - they encased this interesting material in wood and sold it as Inktense pencils (as well as bars). I was a bit slow in picking up on Inktense, but I recently bought a tin of 12 pencils, and here are a couple of my exploratory sketches.

Inktense Sky - Sunset
7 x 10"

Natural History Museum Café
(A6 sketchbook)

Both were initially made dry and wetted later (in a different location!)

The sky picture was a brief sketch on watercolour paper of a stunning local sky; I had to return to the car to finish it because I had neglected to take water out with me.

The Natural History Museum cafe represents a moment of repose in a busy place. I had fondly imagined being able to draw part of a fossil dinosaur, but the lack of space around the key exhibits in the dinosaur hall, the enduring popularity of the exhibition, and the poor lighting all put paid to that idea. The building is a lovely subject, though, and the café area is no exception. I left the sketch dry until a subsequent stop for coffee later in the day. And no, it was not wetted with coffee. I had the previous day's spring water in my bag, still.