Stillman & Birn Sketchbooks

A few weeks ago I received a package from Stillman & Birn containing five of their sketchbooks.  The sketchbooks are examples of Stilmman & Birn's five types and formats of sketchbook.

The options are as follows:

Alpha - 100 lb/150 GSM - Natural White - Vellum - Hardbound or Wirebound
Beta - 180 lb/270 GSM - Natural White - Rough - Wirebound
Gamma - 100 lb/150 GSM - Ivory - Vellum - Hardbound or Wirebound
Delta - 180 lb/270 GSM - Ivory - Rough - Hardbound or Wirebound
Episilon - 100 lb/150 GSM - Natural White - Plate - Hardbound or Wirebound

The Alpha and Gamma series are appropriate for dry media and light watercolor washes, Beta and Delta series are appropriate of multi-media and the Episilon series for pen and ink.  All the paper is archival-grade.

I chose to use the Delta sketchbook first, attracted to the rough, multimedia paper and the square 7 x 7 in. format.  The paper does buckle some with watercolor, but not too much, and after all it is not watercolor specific paper.

I am really please with these sketchbooks and I love this paper.  When I try out the vellum and plate papers I'll post about them also.

Book of Days 4

This turned out darker that I had hoped - but it is in keeping with My One Word - Explore.  I was exploring the tutorial posted on Dion Dior's blog. This did not scan very well either, you cannot see the sparkle, although for some reason I lost a lot of the vibrancy of the Neocolor II's.

Tonal Study

I have been following along with the free watercolor class from PaintBasket TV.  The class is live every Sunday, but they had some technical issues last week, so I have been downloading the class and working from that.

Book of Days 3

So I've been wearing My One Word for a few weeks now and for some reason there just did not seem to be the fit that I had hoped for, while I was thinking about it a new word came to me that seemed better - Explore.

I don't usually use stickers and stamps, but they seemed appropriate here.

Colour & Light

I recently received Jean Haines book How to Paint Colour & Light in Watercolour.  If there is an artist's whose techniques I really want to learn, it is hers.  Her paintings are so loose and have so much life, I really adore them. 

Here is the result of today's practice.

The first two are on cold press paper while the third is on hot press. They actually look better in person, my scanner is getting old and does not scan watercolor very well.