I recently started sketchbook #131 - it is a cappuccino hahnemuhle A4 book, and I thought that somehow fall is the time when I always crave some toned paper. I went to the shelve where I keep most of my books and realized that I was right.
My favorite toned paper sketchbook used to be Recycled Earthbound Cachet Sketchbook from Daler Rowney. It has a lovely ochre paper with fibers of all colors showing on the surface. It was pretty thin and not suitable for water media, but I loved how it worked with ink and markers, and buckling does not matter that much to me anyway. The joy from drawing and painting in it was always bigger anyways.
And over the years, these books would always come out in the fall - here is a shot of the sketchbooks #36 (2009), #60 (2011), #70 (2012), #93 (2015), #109 (2017), all laid out on my table. I decorated the cover and had a lot of fun drawing my life in them. And this year, I found the only spiral bound Recycled Earthbound, so the cappuccino book is getting a chance. It does not have the same colorful surface but, it is lovely smooth and has a peachy ochre color and seems to be a joy to work on too!
