Derwent Inktense XL Blocks 12 Tin, Set of 12, 60mm Extra-Large Block, Water-soluble, Ideal for Sketching, Drawing and Expressive Mark Making, Professional Quality (2306162)

I’ve been doing watercolor painting for quite a while. I decided to give these a try. Their unique properties give them some advantages over regular watercolors. First off, light washes are the key to painting layers. Put down your first wash and then dry it with a hair dryer. The heat helps set the color. Then do your next wash. Dry it. Then the next. As you build the layers the colors get more and more saturated and the previous colors don’t lift and mix with your current layer. If you use the blocks to draw directly on paper. You’ll need to use a circular motion with your brush to fully dissolve the color.Overall it’s a fantastic product that has some very unique features that make them very entertaining to experiment with. I would suggest that if you want to try these out. That you buy the smaller 12 stick set before you buy the pencils or the XL blocks. The sticks are easier to handle than the XL blocks or the pencils. You can put down large areas of color as fast as you can with the XL Blocks and quicker than you can with the pencils. The XL Blocks are great to use as a paint pan or to put down heavy marks that you will use as a paint reservoir to move paint from and go across the page.

Excellent....

Love the colors highly pigmented. None were broken. The blocks were stained slightly by whomever handled them. Satisfied with my product.

Love wetting the paper and making big smears of colors. Just another way to put some marks on paper.

muy intensos, se degradan muy bien con el agua

+5 Stars: for offering these XL blocks of Inktense colors. My set of smaller blocks are a game changer for my art and I supplemented it with this set of XL blocks for access to colors I will use more often. The inside of the tin contains a piece of foam protecting the blocks from breaking during shipment! Wish they would incorporate this packaging feature into their sets of regular sized Inktense blocks, as mine arrived all broken up.-1 Star: I certainly didn't expect my Bright Blue block to arrive 3/8" shorter than the other blocks!!! See photos, including with ruler between it and full length Poppy Red, taken right after removing the cellophane paper.-1 Star: I didn't get everything I paid for, nor can I find a way to contact Derwent about this issue.Total: 3 Stars.