Derwent Inktense: pencils and blocks explained
Derwent Inktense is one of those products that genuinely confuses people the first time they encounter it — and then genuinely surprises them the first time they use it. It looks like a watercolour pencil. It behaves like a watercolour pencil in several respects. But it is not a watercolour pencil, and understanding the difference is what unlocks what Inktense can actually do.
The critical distinction is in the pigment. Standard watercolour pencils use the same pigments as watercolour paint — stable mineral and synthetic dyes suspended in a water-soluble medium that produces washes when activated with water, but remains resoluble and liftable indefinitely. Inktense uses water-soluble ink pigments — a fundamentally different chemistry that produces a vivid, ink-like wash when water is added, and then becomes permanent and waterproof once dry. You cannot lift a dried Inktense wash the way you can lift dried watercolour. You can layer over it without disturbing the colour beneath. It behaves, once activated, like drawing ink rather than like watercolour.
This single difference — permanent when dry — opens up creative possibilities that watercolour pencils cannot offer, and it is the reason Inktense has built such a devoted following among illustrators, mixed media artists, fabric painters, and watercolour artists who want to work in a different way.
We stock Derwent Inktense Pencils in a tin of 12 at £23.99 and Derwent Inktense Blocks in a tin of 12 at £31.99 at Craft and Canvas. This post covers what Inktense is, the key differences between the pencils and blocks, how to use both, what surfaces they work on, and what to make with them.
Derwent: the Lake District pencil maker
Before getting into the product itself, it is worth knowing something about the company behind it. Derwent has been making pencils in the Lake District since 1832, drawing on the tradition of the Borrowdale graphite mines that gave the region its status as the original home of the pencil industry. Nearly two centuries of pencil-making heritage underpins the Inktense range — the quality of the pigment cores, the consistency of the product across colours, and the innovation that produced Inktense itself all reflect that long tradition.
What happens when Inktense gets wet
The behaviour of Inktense when water is applied is the thing that most surprises people encountering it for the first time — particularly those coming from conventional watercolour pencils.
With a standard watercolour pencil, the dry colour you see on the paper is brighter and more saturated than the wet wash it produces. Water dilutes and spreads the pigment, producing a lighter, more transparent result than the dry mark.
Inktense does the opposite. The dry marks are relatively muted and unimpressive — the ink pigment sits on the paper surface without the luminosity it will develop. When water is applied, the pigment dissolves instantly and intensifies dramatically, producing a vivid, ink-like wash that is considerably brighter and more saturated than the dry marks suggested. This intensification is one of the most distinctive and exciting qualities of the medium — the transformation from dry mark to wet wash is genuinely startling, particularly with the more vivid blues, reds, and oranges in the range.
The second key thing that happens: once the water evaporates and the ink dries, it is permanent. The pigment has bonded to the surface and cannot be reactivated by subsequent washes. This means that layers built up in Inktense stay exactly where you put them — subsequent washes sit cleanly on top of dried Inktense rather than disturbing the colour beneath.
One important caveat: the permanence only applies when the pigment has been fully dissolved in water and allowed to dry completely. Inktense marks that are only partially wetted or only surface-moistened may not be fully set and can reactivate with subsequent water. The rule is to wet the marks fully, allow to dry completely, and only then apply the next layer.
What surfaces Inktense works on
Watercolour paper is the standard and most rewarding surface for Inktense. The texture of cold press paper produces attractive granular effects as the ink settles into the tooth of the paper. Hot press paper gives a smoother, cleaner wash. Both work well — the choice depends on the quality of mark you want.
Fabric is one of Inktense's most distinctive applications and the one that most sets it apart from standard watercolour pencils. Because Inktense becomes permanent when dried, it can be used to colour and decorate natural fabrics — cotton, silk, and linen all accept the ink pigment. Simply apply the Inktense dry to the fabric, then activate with water and allow to dry. The dried colour is reasonably wash-fast, though heat-setting with an iron through a pressing cloth after drying improves longevity for items that will be washed regularly. Suitable natural fibres only — synthetic fabrics do not absorb the pigment in the same way.
Card and illustration board work well, particularly for mixed media projects where Inktense washes provide a permanent coloured ground for subsequent work in other media.
Black paper — the Antique White pencil and lighter colours in the Inktense range work on dark and black paper, producing a distinctive effect that combines the opacity of the dry pigment with the ink quality when activated with water.
Inktense and layering
The permanence of dried Inktense is what makes complex layering possible in a way that conventional watercolour cannot achieve. In traditional watercolour, each subsequent wash risks partially lifting and disturbing the layers beneath — experienced watercolourists develop considerable skill in managing this. With Inktense, once a layer is fully dry it is fixed, and subsequent layers sit cleanly on top without mixing with or disturbing the colour beneath.
This makes Inktense exceptionally well suited to built-up, complex colour work — botanical illustration where multiple layers of colour create depth and variation in leaves and petals, portrait work where skin tones are built up through successive transparent layers, and any illustration style that depends on layered colour for its richness and depth.
The key discipline is patience — each layer must be completely dry before the next is applied. Working on multiple small pieces simultaneously, allowing one to dry while working on another, is a practical approach for those who find waiting for layers to dry frustrating.
Combining Inktense with other media
Because dried Inktense is permanent, it combines cleanly with a wide range of other media applied over it. Pencil, coloured pencil, ink, watercolour, gouache, and acrylic can all be applied over dried Inktense without reactivating or disturbing the ink layer beneath. This makes Inktense particularly useful as a base layer or underpainting in mixed media work — vivid, permanent colour established quickly with Inktense, then refined and detailed with other media on top.
Inktense also works well under watercolour — the Inktense layer provides vivid colour that subsequent transparent watercolour washes modify and enrich without muddying. Some artists use Inktense specifically for the most vivid passages of a watercolour painting — blues and greens in water reflections, bright highlights in flowers — where the intensity of the ink pigment exceeds what conventional watercolour can achieve.
Inktense Pencils — tin of 12 — £23.99
The Inktense Pencils have a 4mm core and work exactly like conventional coloured pencils in their dry form — they can be sharpened, used for dry drawing and sketching, and produce clean coloured lines and marks on paper. The dry marks have the quality of a soft, slightly waxy coloured pencil — smooth application, good coverage.
The pencil format gives you considerable control over how the ink is applied before water is added. You can draw precise lines, hatch, cross-hatch, apply tone with varying pressure, and use the tip for detailed mark-making — all of which translate directly into the wet wash stage when water is applied. The more precise your dry application, the more control you have over where the activated ink goes.
A waterbrush — a brush with a water reservoir in the handle — is the most practical tool for activating Inktense pencil marks for artists who work on location or outdoors, as it eliminates the need for a separate water pot. The Derwent Push Button Waterbrush we stock at £28.00 is an excellent companion to the Inktense range.
The 12-colour tin covers the most useful working range — vivid blues, reds, yellows, greens, and several mixed colours and neutrals. The Antique White colour included in the Inktense range is worth particular note — white ink pencil that can be used for highlights on dark paper or for mixing with other colours to produce lighter, more opaque tints.
Inktense Blocks — tin of 12 — £31.99
The Inktense Blocks are the same ink pigment as the pencils but in a solid block format — an 8mm square cross-section stick that can be used in several ways the pencil cannot.
The most immediate difference is the ability to cover larger areas quickly. The broad face of the block can be used on its side to lay down wide, even areas of colour without the need for many pencil strokes — useful for backgrounds, large colour washes, and any work that needs coverage at a scale where pencil would be too slow.
The blocks also unlock a distinctive technique that the pencils cannot achieve: the paint well method. The wells inside the tin lid can be used to mix dissolved Inktense — rubbing a damp brush directly on the block surface dissolves the ink, which can then be applied as a fluid, paint-like wash rather than as a pencil mark. This brings Inktense into the territory of fluid ink drawing and wash painting, where the consistency of the colour can be adjusted by how much water is used. Very concentrated block washes produce extremely vivid, saturated results; more diluted washes produce lighter, more transparent effects.
A third technique unique to the blocks: grating. The blocks can be grated over a surface using a fine grater or the edge of a knife, producing a fine powder of dry ink pigment that can then be activated with water spray or a damp brush. This technique produces soft, atmospheric colour effects and textures that are quite different from anything achievable with direct pencil or block application.
The block format is particularly well suited to larger scale work, fabric painting, and mixed media projects where the ability to cover ground quickly is more valuable than the precision of a pencil tip.
Frequently asked questions about Derwent Inktense
Are Inktense pencils the same as watercolour pencils?
No — they are related in format but fundamentally different in pigment chemistry. Standard watercolour pencils use watercolour pigments that remain resoluble indefinitely. Inktense uses water-soluble ink pigments that become permanent once fully activated and dried. The colours also intensify dramatically when wet, which is the opposite of conventional watercolour pencils.
Can I use Inktense on fabric?
Yes — this is one of Inktense's most distinctive applications. Apply dry to natural fabric (cotton, silk, linen), activate with water, and allow to dry. Heat-set with an iron through a pressing cloth for improved wash-fastness. Not suitable for synthetic fabrics.
What is the difference between the pencils and the blocks?
The pencils have a 4mm core in a standard pencil format — ideal for precise dry drawing, fine detail, and controlled mark-making before water is applied. The blocks are larger solid sticks that can cover ground more quickly, can be used to create paint-like washes by dissolving directly with a brush, and can be grated to produce dry ink powder for spray and texture effects.
Can I use Inktense dry, without water?
Yes — the dry marks are perfectly usable as coloured pencil marks. The ink pigment is not activated and will not be permanent, but the dry medium works well for sketching and dry colour work. Adding water transforms and intensifies the marks and makes them permanent.
What happens if I only partially wet the marks?
Partially wetted marks may not be fully permanent — if the ink pigment is not completely dissolved in water before drying, it can reactivate with subsequent water. Always wet marks fully for reliable permanence.
Can I lift Inktense once it has dried?
No — once fully activated and dried, Inktense marks are permanent and cannot be lifted with water. Any corrections or changes must be made while the marks are still wet or by layering over the dried surface.
Is Inktense lightfast?
Derwent states that Inktense colours have good lightfastness for an ink-based product. They are more lightfast than many dye-based inks but somewhat less so than the highest-rated artist watercolour pigments. For work that will be displayed long-term in strong light, framing behind UV glass is recommended.
Shop Derwent Inktense at Craft and Canvas
We stock Derwent Inktense Pencils in a tin of 12 at £23.99 and Derwent Inktense Blocks in a tin of 12 at £31.99 at Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge and online at craftandcanvas.co.uk.
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