Using Derwent Inktense Pencils for Adult Coloring Pages

I tried the Derwent Inktense Pencils for the first time on one of my coloring pages to see if these popular colored pencils were as good as people say. They are NOT wax, not oil, and not watercolor – so what makes the Derwent Inktense pencils so special?

Check out my written Derwent Inktense Pencil review on my blog:

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Disclaimer: I have purchased these for myself and have NOT been compensated or asked by Derwent to do this review. I have used my affiliate links to Amazon above so may receive a commission if you purchase from my links, at no cost to you!

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#sarahrenaeclark #derwent #inktense #adultcoloring

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[jacquihastewell]

Perk of living where I do - the Derwent factory is about 8 miles away, and at their Pencil Museum in Keswick (Cumbria UK) a little further away they have their factory shop. They sell pretty much every item open stock, and when the packaging changes, a lot of the old stock is reduced (sometimes up to 50% off). The product inside is the same, so a real bargain!

[angelajclarkson]

I've found that super light layers make for wonderful art. Some tips....inktense Will reactivate from a plastic palette. Keep any broken leads...you can use them in a palette with some water...just like a block. If you scribble some pigment or scrape it with a knife into a palette you can still create larger quantities of ink for your projects

[dees]

If anyone is interested, the artist who did the art on the new tins is Lisa clough. She has a YouTube channel called lachri fine art and there are lots of videos on there about different options for inktense. My favourite inktense piece of hers is a super adorable red panda, but you’ll have to scroll back a few years for that.

Enjoying your experiments Sarah.

[angelashortall]

I love my Inktense so much. I can use them dry, I can use them on a separate paper like paint, I can do anything with them, and I love that.

[tabbylynn]

Absolutely amazing!!!! I thought “oh no! It looks Awful!” But then BAM!!! You made it AMAZING!! Excellent job! Really enjoyed watching you work through your mistakes!! It taught me a lot. I would have ripped it up and been done but seeing you push past the “mistakes” and making something beautiful in the end is very inspiring. Ty

[Christodophilus]

I love inktense, because they are so intense. But therein is the key. Always go lighter than you think! Also stop short of where you want the colour to end, leaving white. Because it allows you to gradient the colours, without having to go way too dark than you want, to compensate. So use the pigment sparingly.

[SarahRenaeClark]

ATT: Derwent. I apologize for not doing these pencils justice. Please don’t hate me, I love your stuff. Let’s be friends?

[SheilaLandry]

I am so happy that you included the Inktense in the color palette! I have the full set and this will make it easier for me to use them more often. Thank you also for explaining the astericks and why you used the same number sometimes twice. It is a wonderful and helpful resource and I love mine! You put a lot of thought into it (AND TIME!) and it is much appreciated!
I LOVE the color catalog so much! :)

[nancyhappily]

Thanks Sarah. Yout color choices are beautiful. I love my Inktense pencils. Whenever I'm going to use them, I copy the image on to heavier weigh paper or even watercolor paper. They layer so well and the heavier weight paper makes layering easier.

[travelwell]

I got the small tin of Inktense for Christmas. I look forward to having a go at recreating your jellyfish illustration. And that definitely answers the question I was asking myself about whether I own a good quality set of pencils. :-)
The colour palette thing you did at the beginning was great - really useful. Imagine I've done two years at art college and I'm feeling like I learnt more in this half-hour video.

[MelanaC]

You are now my absolute goto for learning about pencils! I’ve been using Faber Castell Albrect Durer watercolour pencils for about 5 years and I love them!
But I’m very keen to learn more about the intense range and I knew that *you* would be the lovely lady to help me!
I’ve discovered so much just by watching your channel 🥰
I recently finished a piece using my Ohuhu as a base and adding pencil on top. It gives such amazing depth to my art!
I’m so happy I found you 🎨💜🤗

[charmsm]

That was interesting. I purchased these in 2015 and the tin is exactly the same as the first battered item you recieved. I hated these when I got them, and I think I swatched them and then never touched them again. I was not able to continue with my hobby beyond 2015 due to circumstances but I am just trying to get back into it and how things have changed! Having watched your review and one other I saw yesterday I now understand how you are meant to use these, so I will give them a try . I now know why I did not like them and it was because I did not understand how to use them. Out of curiosity I looked at how much I paid for them in 2015 on Amazon (I am in the UK) and how much they are now...glad I purchased them when I did because I would have to think hard about paying out for what they cost now.

[l]

I absolutely love my derwent inktense pencils I have used them in my colouring books particularly those with intricate designs like ones by Kerby Rosanes. I hope one day I will have enough to buy the 72 set. A little suggestion those pencils a bit like an oil pastel, a little bit of colour also goes a long way. They are really versatile.

[jessbl]

I love inktense but a lot of people don't get on with them. They Do take a bit of water to activate properly, especially if you want to layer colours over them. If you don't use enough water, you will reactivate the layer underneath and end up with a muddy mess. On colouring books you are limited to how much water you can use but a little bit of these pencils goes a long way. Light layers work best and go from light to dark. Clean your brush off again before going in and work slowly. You can then go over your dark areas with the pencil, using a light hand to help build up your shade. You can go over with water again but you need to be careful not to pull the colour through to your lighter areas. Clean your brush off regularly.

You can also pick colour off the pencil nib directly with your brush.

I find that these don't work so well on larger areas in colouring books because you can't use enough water without the page buckling. I wouldn't use them for backgrounds like in this video.

They are very hardy though - my set looks like they've hardly been used - I've had them about 4 years now and I use them quite often.

[TwistedArtdesigns]

I love that they are permanent when they dry! They blend well and you can use a water brush to tip off the end of the pencil! 💚💚

[katyratyra]

Nice! I like how you added the details at the end. You were so brave to do this on camera as your first go at these. There is a definite learning curve to them, but there is nothing else out there like them. :)

[cindyderosier]

I got 3 Inktense pencils as a sample and am really eager to try them properly. Fun seeing your adorable son in this video!

[eileenrockwell]

Sarah, Could you please do another video(s) on the Derwent Inktense Pencils? I would love to see additional techniques, tips, and tricks these pencils provide. I love using these pencils in my card making and would love to do more art work using them.
Thank you for all your lovely videos! I love them and learn many little tips!

[annihilator]

I love inktense! My favorite aspect of the derwent inktense is that you can ink over any color if you first allow the bottom color to thoroughly dry. The white, in block form, allows you to white over paint underneath and when its dry you can paint something else on top. The white will go over all the darkest of colors! Great for any mistakes.

[catlady]

Beautifully done, I bought the 24 set first loved them and bought the big set they are going to last forever, then recently I bought 24 Inktense blocks and now I want more of them 🤗🤗 because they are so easy to use. But you can also use a wet brush on the pencil to get the same effect.