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| experiments with Inktense pencils © Teresa Newham |
My Christmas reading included several art books, one of which recommended the use of Derwent Inktense pencils to add definition to watercolour paintings. Keen to try out something new, I ordered myself a set of twelve.
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| exploring colours and techniques © Teresa Newham |
When they arrived I tried out the colours and made a quick drawing onto damp paper, to give me an idea of how they could be used with watercolour. I liked the vivid hues, and the fact that once dry, the colours were permanent. This had possibilities!
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| is it drawing or painting? © Teresa Newham |
To find out how else to use the pencils, I took a look at several videos on YouTube. One artist was using a water brush to produce some wonderfully delicate designs. Didn't I have a water brush somewhere?
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| Phalaenopsis Inktense pencil sketch by Teresa Newham |
I did indeed - one which has sat ignored in my studio for more than ten years, since I bought it for my first short course at Central St Martins. Now, as it started to come into its own, I began to wonder why I'd never used it for anything before.
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| getting to grips with birdlife © Teresa Newham |
I drew from photos I'd taken on the iPad, sketching an outline before teasing the colour from the Inktense pencils. I was a bit tentative with the orchid at first, only relaxing into the mark-making once I got the hang of the technique.
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| colour palette informed by technology © Teresa Newham |
By the time I made the pigeon drawing, I was a lot more confident. I even used one of the photos I took for this blog as an inspiration for the colours on the fence. The sketches were great fun to do and another way of keeping some regular drawing going!
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| Blue Pigeon Intkense pencil sketch by Teresa Newham |
