Dabbling with Derwent Inktense Pencils and Blocks

In February we delved into the world of faux batik, using Elmer’s Blue Gel Glue as the wax. The light colour blue was an advantage, especially on white fabric. Several of us drew our designs freehand, while others traced over a design and added or subtracted lines as necessary. White cotton was the fabric of choice, but Karen tried her hand using denim and it turned out very well.

Elmer's Blue Gel Glue - Faux Batik

Faux batik, inktense colouring and final stitching.

Leslie's Poppy Head Photo and Faux Batik in progress.

Once the designs were drawn there was a waiting time for the glue to dry and then we coloured the designs using the Derwent Inktense Pencils. These are quite pricey, but a sharp eye on Amazon or Ebay can get you some decent pricing. These pencils are quite amazing, with rich vibrant colour.

“Derwent Inktense pencils are our best watercolour pencil ever! You can use them dry but mix them with water and WOW! the colour turns into vibrant ink. Once it’s dry the colour is fixed and you can work over the top of it, and, because it permanent it’s great for using on fabric such as silk and cotton!” Derwent website.

Once the glue and pencils are dry, you wash out the glue, leaving white lines similar to a batik.

Faux Batik, colouring and lines, final stitching.

Faux Batik, Inktense Pencils, experimentation with fabric
medium and water.

Karen's denim piece

In March we continued with a different Derwent product, their Inktense Blocks, equally as gorgeous in colour with a slightly different application method. Our goal was to enhance some of our faux batik pieces from February and create some new pieces in March with free motion machine quilting and use a variety of rubbing plates or freehand drawings and colour with the inktense blocks.

Rubbing plate, rub Derwent Inktense Blocks over the cotton,
free motion machine stitched.

Free motion stitching, inktense blocks and pencils,
detailed experimentation notes.

We had not done any work with sewing machines before so it was great to add another tool to the toolbox and explore this for use in future mixed media and fibre projects.

Jan stitching - free hand drawing with derwent inktense blocks,
free motion machine quilting.

In both sessions, in addition to the Derwent products, there was much experimentation with the use of water and fabric mediums to see if there was any magic formula that made the colour extend further, be brighter or how they moved on the fabric.

I tried my hand with the inktense blocks and working with old cotton felt, a dryer sheet, machine stitching and a heat gun. Haven't used that in a while. I quite liked the effect, but will use synthetic felt next time to add an additional distressed look.

Free hand drawing on dryer sheet with inktense blocks,
free motion stitching, heat distressed on
vintage cotton felt.

Free motion stitching on dryer sheet and heat
distressed on vintage cotton felt. Where you can
see the yellow brown colour, the heat gun
turned the inktense blocks that colour and the colour
did not allow the dryer sheet to distress.

Working with these products was a lot of fun and I'm certain that we will be revisiting our use of the sewing machine again with the group.