Derwent Graphitint

While down in Norwich the other month, I could not of course resist the lure of Jarrolds art shop again. This is alternatively heaven, or a way to spend all the money you don’t have, if you are like me, with a mixture of high end materials, and top quality stationary.

This time, I aquired some Derwent Graphitint pans. This is an interesting concept – it is availible in pencils, and I beleive pigment blocks and blends colour with graphite. In a pencil this sounds quite normal, as a paint, it’s a little abstract.

It’s quite fascintating stuff to be fair. I suspect it to be based on their Inktense formulation, as the colour seems quite staining and indelible. And it does give a lovely effect. I did these quick tests when I got it.

The twelve colours are called Port, Juniper, Aubergine, Dark Indigo, Steel Blue, Ocean Blue, Slate Green, Green Grey, Meadow, Russet, Autumn Brown and Graphite Grey. You can get an idea of what they will be like from the names.

I’ve always been a little sceptical of the quality of Derwent’s watercolours (or maybe just they do too many kids ranges) but their pencils are some of the best (and indeed the original) and these are really just an extension of this, in the same way that watercolour pencils package watercolours into a stick.

I played with a couple of line and wash sketches, which I think is certainly something to explore with this medium. I am very peased with the boat. The house didn’t quite come out as planned – I think not loose enough, and I augmented this with some inktense.

The last work here can about from a different idea, from a number of photos I have seen recently taken by friends in Snowdonia – I wanted to capture the orange-grey of the misty mountains, but didnt’ really like how it translated to a watercolour as just a silhouette.

I used the Graphitint here with some fat stubby brushes from Ikea – kids brushes, but one of which I am particularly fond due to their shape. The graphite has added a sort of sparkle and an interesting texture. Again an idea to develop.

I’m always on the hunt for new ideas, and this will certainly have a place in abstract works.