{"product_id":"derwent-inktense-blocks-tin-of-12","title":"Derwent Inktense Blocks — Tin of 12","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eDerwent Inktense is one of the most genuinely innovative drawing and painting products to come out of the Lake District in recent years — a water-soluble medium that behaves quite differently from conventional watercolour, and opens up creative possibilities that neither watercolour nor coloured pencil alone can offer. The Inktense Blocks bring everything that makes the pencil range so compelling into a chunky 8mm square block format that covers ground quickly, works on large surfaces, and offers a satisfying hands-on directness of application.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe defining characteristic of Inktense — in both pencil and block form — is what happens when water is introduced. Dry, the blocks draw and mark like a dense, richly pigmented drawing crayon. Wet, the colour transforms into something much closer to ink than watercolour — intensely vibrant, staining, and translucent in a way that has a depth and brilliance that conventional watercolour washes cannot match. And crucially, once dry, Inktense colour is permanent. It does not reactivate with subsequent washes, which means layers can be built up without disturbing what is beneath — a fundamental advantage over standard watercolour for anyone who works in multiple layers or wants to combine wet and dry techniques in the same piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe 8mm block format adds versatility beyond what a pencil can offer. Use the edge for line work and fine detail, the broad face for quickly covering large areas, or grate and shave the blocks to create coloured dust that can be spritzed with water, scattered, or worked in mixed media applications. Blocks can be picked up directly on a wet brush from the block surface, used like pan watercolours, or applied dry and worked with water on the paper. The tin itself includes four palette wells for mixing colours — a useful practical detail that makes the set genuinely self-contained.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe permanence of Inktense also makes it unique among water-soluble drawing materials in being suitable for use on fabric. On silk and cotton, the colour bonds permanently on drying, making it ideal for fabric decoration, textile art, and surface design work as well as conventional drawing and painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eMade in the Lake District, UK, by Derwent — a company with a heritage in pencil-making stretching back to 1832.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe tin of 12 contains: Sun Yellow, Tangerine, Poppy Red, Fuchsia, Deep Indigo, Sea Blue, Teal Green, Apple Green, Leaf Green, Baked Earth, Bark, and Ink Black — a balanced, well-considered core palette spanning warm and cool tones, darks and lights, with a good range for landscape, botanical, and illustrative work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat makes Inktense different from watercolour?\u003c\/strong\u003e When activated with water, Inktense produces a colour that is closer to ink than watercolour — more intensely pigmented, more staining, and with a brilliance that conventional watercolour cannot easily match. Most importantly, once dry it is permanent and will not reactivate, allowing subsequent layers to be applied without lifting or disturbing what is beneath.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan Inktense Blocks be used on fabric?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes — this is one of the most distinctive qualities of the Inktense range. On natural fabrics including silk and cotton, the colour bonds permanently on drying, making it suitable for textile decoration and fabric art. It is not suitable for synthetic fabrics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do you use Inktense Blocks?\u003c\/strong\u003e They can be used dry as drawing crayons, wet with a brush directly on the block surface to pick up colour like a pan watercolour, applied dry to paper and then worked with a wet brush, or grated and shaved to create coloured dust for mixed media and spray effects. The tin includes four palette wells for mixing colours directly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan Inktense Blocks be used alongside Inktense Pencils?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes — blocks and pencils use the same Inktense formulation and are fully compatible. The blocks are particularly useful for covering large areas quickly where pencil work would be slow, while the pencils offer greater precision for detail and line work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat surfaces work best with Inktense Blocks?\u003c\/strong\u003e They work well on paper, watercolour paper, Derwent Inktense Paper, card, wood, canvas, ceramic, and natural fabrics. For wet techniques, a heavier paper of at least 300gsm is recommended to prevent buckling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow many colours are in the full Inktense Blocks range?\u003c\/strong\u003e The full range extends to 72 colours. The tin of 12 contains a carefully selected core palette.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"What makes Inktense different from watercolour?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"When activated with water, Inktense produces a colour that is closer to ink than watercolour — more intensely pigmented, more staining, and with a brilliance that conventional watercolour cannot easily match. Most importantly, once dry it is permanent and will not reactivate, allowing subsequent layers to be applied without lifting or disturbing what is beneath.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Can Inktense Blocks be used on fabric?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Yes — this is one of the most distinctive qualities of the Inktense range. On natural fabrics including silk and cotton, the colour bonds permanently on drying, making it suitable for textile decoration and fabric art. It is not suitable for synthetic fabrics.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"How do you use Inktense Blocks?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"They can be used dry as drawing crayons, wet with a brush directly on the block surface to pick up colour like a pan watercolour, applied dry to paper and then worked with a wet brush, or grated and shaved to create coloured dust for mixed media and spray effects. The tin includes four palette wells for mixing colours directly.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"Can Inktense Blocks be used alongside Inktense Pencils?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"Yes — blocks and pencils use the same Inktense formulation and are fully compatible. The blocks are particularly useful for covering large areas quickly where pencil work would be slow, while the pencils offer greater precision for detail and line work.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"What surfaces work best with Inktense Blocks?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"They work well on paper, watercolour paper, Derwent Inktense Paper, card, wood, canvas, ceramic, and natural fabrics. For wet techniques, a heavier paper of at least 300gsm is recommended to prevent buckling.\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Question\",\n      \"name\": \"How many colours are in the full Inktense Blocks range?\",\n      \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"The full range extends to 72 colours. The tin of 12 contains a carefully selected core palette — the range is also available in tins of 24, 36, and 72 for artists who want a wider colour selection.\"\n      }\n    }\n  ]\n}\n\u003c\/script\u003e","brand":"Artstat","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57073693622647,"sku":"TAAIBT12","price":31.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/craftandcanvas.co.uk\/products\/derwent-inktense-blocks-tin-of-12","provider":"Craft and Canvas","version":"1.0","type":"link"}