Derwent Inktense Ink Pencils Set - 72 Vibrant Watercolor Pencils for Drawing & Art - Premium Metal Tin Case - Perfect for Sketching, Watercolor Painting & Mixed Media Art Projects

Admittedly, I am a very amateur artist. Yet, I have always had a desire to be able to express myself pictorially. To that end, I have read multiple books on drawing and painting in the last 20 years, but I felt I was always handicapped by what I believed to be a lack of small motor coordination. Nonetheless, I persisted. Knowing that one of my failings was a refusal to specialize in a particular area. Thus, reaching all the way back to my roots and my undergraduate education as a Biology major, I decided that I would try to concentrate on "Botanical Drawing." It is not that Botanicals are an easy representation, but it is rather that the majority of Botanicals have the same basic structural elements. Thus, I purchased several books on Botanical Drawings and spent a considerable amount of money on a vast variety of drawing mediums.In accordance to the teaching of the books I bought, I first started with pencil sketches. As I progressed through the books that discussed Botanical representations, it turned out, that my initial believe was in fact true. The very best and most renown Botanical Artists who have written books about how to draw plants and flowers have developed systems and methodologies that have a certain amount of commonality. It turns out, that if one can draw three dimensional representations of cones, cylinders, spheres and a few other special elements, one can make pictorial representations of most Botanicals. Thus, I spent some time perfecting my ability to draw non-Euclidian geometric shapes, which I had learned how to do when I took my 3 semesters of calculus in college. And then, building upon that, I started to move into color mediums.First, I started with colored pencils. Then I worked with 'nu-pastels' and pastel pencils. Then I progressed into Aquarelles. And from there, I started to work with watercolors. But the most impressive medium of all, were these "Derwent Inktense Pencils" which are 4 mm core pencils, but with a special character. While when one uses these pencils to draw, it feels very much like one is using a "soft core pencil." However, there is an amazing, dazzling difference between these pencils and regular soft core pencils.These Inktense Pencils are truly like drawing with watercolor pigments. And the concept is, that the artist uses these pencils and their knowledge or color and form to create drawings that are then bought to an unbelievable level of intensity when they are brushed with water. All of a sudden, what looked like just regular soft core pencil drawings take on an incredible illumination which is even more intense than using watercolor paints. Yet, they have a special character to them that is not present with regular watercolors, be they pan watercolors or watercolors in tubes. They first come alive under the wet brush. But then, rather quickly, they dry to a permanent state, so that additional water no longer changes their hue and beauty. It is so intense, that it defies a written description. Yet, I am willing to attest to the fact that I have never seen anything like it.There are two things that one should know about this medium though before embarking upon giving it a go. The pencils are expensive, but they are worth every penny. And, because of the way they come alive, the precision with which water is added to the dry image is of the most important and delicate process. So much so, that not only is it expensive to buy the pencils, but it is almost a requirement that the artist utilizes the very best brushes to animate the pigments. Personally, I have found that they only brushes that truly are worth using in order to get the most out of this medium are high end Sable Brushes. Personally, I prefer pure Kolinsky Sable and Ussuri Sable brushes ONLY! Many artists are quite familiar with these sable brushes and most watercolor and even acrylic and oil painters swear by sable brushes and will not use anything else. The same is the case when using the Derwent Inktense Pencils. Sable is rare and expensive. Thus, not only are the pencils expensive, but so are the brushes. Yet, the serious artist or even the aspiring serious artist must look upon the expense as an investment. In fact, the more one gets into art supplies, the more one finds that the better supplies are the ones that cost the money. Even the use of a palette made from white china, as opposed to the plastic kind is something that makes a significant difference, as the china does not stain, like the plastic ones do.Nonetheless, I cannot recommend any other medium as highly as I can these special pencils. And Derwent makes a very wonderful version of them. While one can mix the colors before wetting them, it is very difficult to do so after they have been wet and then dried. So, the artist will want to be careful in their selection of the specific colors that they choose and would be well advised to test the colors on another piece of watercolor paper before committing it t their actual drawing so they are sure that they have the right colors and hues.I would whole heartedly endorse these Inktense Pencils by Derwent over every other medium I have yet to try. The artist will NOT be disappointed!