Slinky Inky Inktense

Here is another post in tandem with Jessica!

Ever since I got my smaller tin of Inktense blocks, I have been needing the larger, complete tin because they are so fabulous for plein air.  And there were just some colors that I was really, really missing that I am used to having in my pencil set.

So I finally got it!

Alas, I noticed...one was missing!!  It didn't drop out of the package; it didn't get misplaced within the tin.  *They forgot to put it in!*

This made me very unhappy.  On principle, I'd send it back, but the best thing I could do would be to get a replacement tin...and I just didn't want to wait.  These *are* available open stock, but it will be a bit of time before I place any other art supply orders.  But I wrote to Derwent itself to see if they will have the type of customer service they ought to have, especially it being their fault to begin with.

And, they replied that they would be sending me a replacement block!!  Go Derwent!  Yayyy!

But, not only was I missing one, I then discovered I had a duplicate color, so really I'm missing two.  So, I had to tell them about that, as well.

*sigh*

I am, at least, very happy to report that there is good reason to shop Derwent products!

Anyway.  Below are a few of my initial color charts...you can see the second missing color here.  These charts are done with both the pencils and the blocks.

Because the blocks do not need an outliner pencil included, they added a new color, which you can see below.  Number 1215.  This color is in my tin of blocks, but not my tin of pencils.

See all these greens I really, really needed?   (Also visible is the color I am missing...hooker's green, a really nice staple color.)

I did a chart with all of the colors, kind of a rough rainbow blended together.

I wasn't super careful, so this could have turned out a little better, but it was a fun experiment that I will probably duplicate again at some point (perhaps when my missing blocks have returned home!) taking more care to get better color gradients.

I did a sketch with only my blocks...and oh how I love them!  They are very fast and fun to work with.  I did keep putting them in the wrong place in the tin because of that empty space, so I stuck something in the space to prevent more mix-ups.

I love that it has multiple methods of application, and I used several (on dry paper, getting my brush wet with the pigment, dry-on-wet).  I do love to see texture show through, as well.  This was done on some nice drawing paper in my sketchbook.

(Two-year-old's opinion of my sketch..."The horsie butt is stinky.")

Another thing I noticed is that the mass color of many of the blocks are difficult to tell what they will be on paper (especially but not exclusively darker colors), so I was glad to have the above color charts to reference.

Yay for Inktense!  And yay for Derwent!