Latest purchase is the 35-pencils set, though have bought several smaller sets in earlier years. Fabulous saturation and intensity! If used dry at maximum pressure, some of these (for instance, dark purple, bark, peacock blue) can mass as almost black but then can be used as a lighter color via light pressure. The black mass looks almost charcoal-y with some of these colors. Then, when you add water, wow! It's like each pencil is 2 or 3 in one.

Because of my tendency to be fussy, I like sketching with indelible pencils. They can't be erased, so you need to really commit to a line, live with mistakes and learn to work with them. For a long time, I used a pile of Eberhard Faber Blu-Black ink pencils for this purpose. The line they make is beautiful, and you can wet them down to make them permanent. However, when it came time to replace my pencils, I discovered they were no longer made, and the ones you can find on auction sites go for a premium (people collect pencils, go figure). I cast about for a replacement for my beloved Blu-Blacks, and someone suggested Inktense.While these pencils do not produce the beautiful silky line of my old pencils, they are amazing in their own right. Soft and responsive to ... MoreBecause of my tendency to be fussy, I like sketching with indelible pencils. They can't be erased, so you need to really commit to a line, live with mistakes and learn to work with them. For a long time, I used a pile of Eberhard Faber Blu-Black ink pencils for this purpose. The line they make is beautiful, and you can wet them down to make them permanent. However, when it came time to replace my pencils, I discovered they were no longer made, and the ones you can find on auction sites go for a premium (people collect pencils, go figure). I cast about for a replacement for my beloved Blu-Blacks, and someone suggested Inktense.While these pencils do not produce the beautiful silky line of my old pencils, they are amazing in their own right. Soft and responsive to pressure, they provide a good range of values when sketching. And they make lovely permanent washes and crisp lines when used with water.I'm now addicted to Inktense. I have a good assortment of colors now, using them for color studies and quick paintings in my sketchbook. I'm terrible with watercolors but love the look of watercolor paintings, and I love layering and glazing; Inktense pencils seem to have been made for people like me. Since the pigment becomes permanent once the water dries, you can glaze and layer colors to your heart's content. The pencils give you a measure of control over your lines and saturation that I (terrible artist that I am) don't get with brushes when using water media.One caveat: check the lightfastness ratings on Derwent's site if you intend to make pieces for display. The pencils especially are all over the map when it comes to permanence, and most unfortunately the beautiful reds suffer most from this issue. You might be able to find the same color with better lightfastness in Derwent's Inktense blocks or paint sets. I'm told this is due to different binders and manufacturing processes for each product.A solid product from a solid company.

These Inktense pencils apply easily and spread beautifully when activated. The colors were quite true to what I saw on the website, and I ordered individual pencils to expand the set of colors from a set of another brand that I already owned. I did not fully realize however, that the color becomes permanent after the first activation with water and drying step. This is an advantage if you realize it since you can then layer and activate other colors without disturbing the original layer. But it also means you cannot go back and modify the spread or intensity once it has dried by re-wetting. As long as this difference is understood, this characteristic gives the opportunity to use it for new techniques and can enhance your artworks. The website does mention this, but ... MoreThese Inktense pencils apply easily and spread beautifully when activated. The colors were quite true to what I saw on the website, and I ordered individual pencils to expand the set of colors from a set of another brand that I already owned. I did not fully realize however, that the color becomes permanent after the first activation with water and drying step. This is an advantage if you realize it since you can then layer and activate other colors without disturbing the original layer. But it also means you cannot go back and modify the spread or intensity once it has dried by re-wetting. As long as this difference is understood, this characteristic gives the opportunity to use it for new techniques and can enhance your artworks. The website does mention this, but it is not really emphasized and I did not initially take notice of it. I will buy these pencils again, they were thick, had lots of pigment and are a dream to use. Highly recommended, worth the price, and enable a whole new technique with the permanent-after-first-dry aspect.