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When I was looking to expand beyond journals a bit, I found some pads of different kinds of paper, including the Strathmore watercolour paper used in this book. It’s 24 sheets of sturdy paper, best for watercolour painting, though it can also be used for other mediums like gouache (water-based paint designed to be opaque) or ink.

This book is a hardcover, and I used a feathery pink silk and green ribbon to give it a different feel to my other books. The spine is black cardstock, which lets the brightly-coloured fabric pop even more. I used green waxed embroidery floss and the long stitch method to attach the pages; the colour was chosen to match the green ribbon (which helps you tell the front cover from the back cover). The interior also uses black cardstock so the painter’s work can stand out in contrast.

When making this book, I consulted a friend of mine who is an artist. She said she preferred having bigger sheets for watercolour painting, and not to fold the pages, so I decided to make a large book for painting, but also this smaller one (for a more manageable size). Since the sheets were originally 9 inches by 12 inches, this book is 6 by 9 (with the little bit of overhang on the front making it 6.25 by 9).