WATCH this before buying the InkTense Blocks - Are they worth it?

Hey! In this video I share my impression of the InkTense blocks, I must admit that this isn't the video I thought I would be making as I thought that I would love them... but not everything is for everyone. They are not cheap, so I recommend watching this and a number of other reviews before buying! x

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[SketchesnScrubs]

They are not cheap, so I recommend watching this and a number of other reviews before buying! x

[windykellems]

In my observation after watching countless Inktense demos of styles different from my own, it looks to me like the struggle here is just unfamiliarity with the medium. I think you're expecting it to consistently behave like watercolor, or like ink, and it won't because it isn't either of those. What I have seen over the course of watching hours and hours of demos from others using it, along with my own approach and style, is that it's best thought of as a sort of chameleon. It can behave like ink under certain conditions, like watercolor under other conditions, like gouache or oil pastel or colored pencil under still other conditions. It's a great medium for people who like mixed media work and are comfortable with a variety of mediums and know how to apply each. I think at the beginning when you're experiencing streaks, it's because you're just grabbing it from the block without mixing it first. You absolutely can do that, but not for a thin glaze that you expect to be waterproof. You are not giving the pigment particles the chance to fully dissolve into the water, which is both why it is streaky and why it is not waterproof. If you want it to behave like ink or watercolor, I would suggest mixing in a palette first, making sure it dissolves thoroughly. You will get a much more smooth and consistent application, and you can still adjust opacity based on how much is dissolved into the water. When you take it directly from the block, use less water and expect it to behave more like gouache. It will not be waterproof if you do that because there will be a lot of undissolved pigment. You can also use the block wet directly on paper for more of an oil pastel consistency, or dry on paper for more of a colored pencil consistency. Neither of those will be waterproof, either. Paper also matters, but I think understanding how the pigments dissolve is the most important thing.

[marijohansson]

Thank you for your review. I have a few pencil but I dont like them so much, the look so flat. Glad that you have done this video. :-)

[Kelly-KAM]

I have all of the inktense range, I love the pencils and I really love the paint pans because the colours are so vibrant and easy to use. However I have always found the blocks give a weird texture, I always wondered if I had a faulty batch. I do use the blocks now and again if I do want some texture because I do kind of like how when you blend different colours together, they separate in an interesting way.

[ladyinblack]

I tried them but I seem to come back to the traditional watercolors and gouache all the time. I find that for most blocks and watercolor pencils don't dissolve fully if used directly on paper, therefore I had to use it on the Caran d'Ache rough palette first to get it fully dissolved. Or with a wet brush to the tip of the pencil or block. And if I have to go round about I can just go straight to WC or guache.

[ladyinblack]

That is why i have not bought the full set after trying 12 pencils. I also felt that there was not a real bennefit them.
There have been plenty of other videos and tests done by other artists on You Tube showing that they indeed are not permanent after getting in contact with water even after drying fully. That is also my experience. I feel however that modifying a painting before it is finished is easier with normal watercolor or even gouache before it is finished than with these . I think they are not bad but definitely for my use no need or desire to buy more of those.

[vickilee]

I understand. It's hard to say what sounds negative if you didn't like the supply because you really like the company. I don't like to come off as petty. But, since you asked, I bought a few Gelatos by Faber Castell and really don't like them. I think that maybe I just haven't figured out how to use them properly. See what I mean? I can't do it! haha

[aizlynnjohnston]

There IS an art supply that I really really did not get on with. So much so that I gave them away. They are called Brusho. My husband refers to them as blobo! When I was just starting out and had no idea about anything I saw this one artist using it then shortly after saw them in an art shop and impulsively bought them. Big mistake. As it turned out there were no other artists using Brusho that I could find. I did try it several times with no real success. I didn't seem to be able to control them and just made a big mess. Watercolour is my thing and I have improved over the years. Looking back I realise it was the art supply, not me that was the reason I was not getting the results I wanted. PS. I've tried the Inktense blocks and have had the same results you have. Don't beat yourself up about it. Enjoy what does give you pleasure!

[artbysolar-theresa]

I love inktense. A good cotton hot press paper is my favorite. Using the caran dache plastic (textured) pencil tray helps. You run your block or pencil on it and can get flat washes. For some good tips and tricks look at @paintingandchocolate She has some very helpful videos for tip and tricks. Cellulose paper imo is one of the worse papers for lifting and blotchy paintings. Also inktense is amazing for under paintings for chalk or oil pastels. Give it another try on different paper ;) it took me a few tries to love them.

[EAlabbasy]

I really wonder if the pans differ from the blocks, I'm so tempted- being that I love inks and painting with acrylic ink, to buy both blocks and pans to figure out this supply, I don't know I've seen many reviews but it feels like it's the kind of supply that I need to try to actually understand it better 😅 yet of course I can't justify buying them just for the sake of testing. Thank you for sharing your opinion, I like even though you didn't enjoy them you still shared your honest opinion, it helps us to get to know you better as an artist 😊

[attorneycarissa]

I struggled with the inktense pencils and have them in a box in my closet for now.

[samsig]

this was very useful to know! I had them on my list to maybe try one day but I don't think I would enjoy them

[ForestKraken]

Similar issues. I love the inktense pans and the pencils seem quite nice too, but I just can't with the blocks, they always end up too patchy and they seem to transfer a lot?

[JohnSmith-xbux]

I've seen somebody break the leads of the fc polychromos and use mineral spirits to blend them, it worked really nice as watercolor. Thank you for review, pretty hair lady 😊😊

[tealteatrees]

Thank you for your video! You may want to try acrylic inks (by liquitex for example). You can use them like watercolors and they don't reactivate at all. Downside is like acryla gouache they dry fast in the palette and cleaning the brush quickly is essential!

[Bloomkyaaa]

I think the blocks kinda suck compared to the pencils themselves, which are WAY better. I also like the inktense pans, which are more like a watercolor.

[dawnborchert]

I'm having a tough time with them myself but I intend to use mine as well

[TaraDreams]

I've not tried these before - they've never really appealed to me. If I want watercolour type effects, I'll use watercolours... if I want ink, I'll use ink. 😆
Art supplies I've not got on with are drawing nibs for an ink dip pens. 2 bought so far - 1 is kinda scratchy, so I brought another to try... It was 100x worse (nails on a blackboard bad 😬). Maybe just not my thing! At least they were cheap! The other is a watercolour tin I bought on ebay. Seller was great and tin as described, but it was one of the standard 12 half pan tins that did not have fully rolled edges. Sure enough, I promptly cut myself on it. 😂 It now (with the offending palette flap removed) holds my random extra neocolor 2s.😂

[margaretspringer]

Is there a good place to sell unloved art supplies? I've spent so much money on stuff I never use, including these. I just got out my huge collection of Copic and Ohuhu alcohol markers, for example, and quickly realized that the learning curve for creating something I'd really like with them would be too steep to justify the time taken. I think I'll just stick with more traditional and fun-to-use media like acrylic, oil, and watercolor paint. I experiment with mixed media too, and think the best waterproof underlayer is probably acrylic ink, fluid acrylic, or acrylic gouache.

[gabriellaritaart]

Hi, I'm sorry you had a bad time using these blocks. They were difficult for me as well when I first started using them. In my experience they look a ton better on high quality watercolour paper than a cheaper sketchbook paper. Also, I wouldn't recommend using smooth paper. If you happen to have 100% cotton cold press (any brand) or even Hahnemuhle Bamboo mixed media paper, these blocks will look much better on those. They are always going to look opaque, but the graininess and streakiness will be much less of an issue on a good paper. Anyways, that's just my two cents. I appreciate your video and your channel.