Colouring In

My handpainted fabric was looking a little insipid for the project I had in mind, so, inspired by DMTV  (Design Matters TV) programs my Derwent Inktense pencils were put to work. (As a child Derwent Lakeland were the epitome of colouring pencils and if you were one of the lucky ones to receive some for Christmas you were the envy of everyone in your class -except for the person who got the large tin....)

(This is my collection so far - there are 72 all up - I know you can mix them but the full set would be lovely, wouldn't it?)

If you are not familiar with these pencils they are well worth a play. They are watersoluble ink pencils which can be applied dry like a colouring or watercolour pencil but when the pigment is washed with water they produce vibrant colours which behave like an ink. Once dry they are colourfast and can be worked over again without fear of the colours bleeding. They can be used wet-in-wet or dry into wet or wet with a brush and painted with like a watercolour or ink.

(Something I learned from DMTVis that the picture of the little brush on the side means it's water soluble....makes sense, but it was new to me.......)

They can also be used on fabric. (Sometimes a bit of fabric medium is mixed with the water to ensure colourfastness for things that may need to be washed at some stage.)

My fabric as it was .......

With dry Inktense pencil applied................

The fabric dampened with water to dissolve the pigment where required.....

The dry fabric ready to use.........

The Derwent website (here) has information, colour charts, instructional videos and a wealth of useful tips. Their product ranges these days are better than almost any fabric or chocolate shop....( I said almost...)

I can't show you the actual project yet - part of my 'grand plan' but this technique worked a treat,

Sue xxxx