a journal in turquoise and brown

I finally got around to setting aside the grey toned Stillman & Birn Nova sketchbook whose paper I didn’t care for and beginning a new one — a simple one-signature soft cover Strathmore Watercolor Travel Journal. When I first began learning watercolor in 2005, I used Strathmore paper from the 400 series. This journal is from their 500 series, a “professional grade“ with 100% cotton paper.

With my current favorite Demi palette of a limited neutrals + muted primary (with cobalt turquoise as my blue), I thought it would be fun to add one more turquoise and stick to brown and turquoise in this book. (Possibly influenced by the turquoise elastic band that came on the sketchbook?)

I cut a thin slice off a cobalt teal blue watercolor stick and placed it in one of the pocket palette mini pans — with a few drops of water, it sticks and eventually forms to the pan. The Kaweco Liliput fountain pens hold brown and turquoise ink cartridges — the brown is De Atramentis Document brown which is water resistant. The Stabilo pen holds a water-soluble ink in sepia.