Completed Etchr A6 100% Cotton Watercolor Sketchbook Flip-through

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Well, hello there. Long time no see! Okay, not so long compared to some of my dry spells, but I know this was a bit of a slow down compared to the pace I was keeping during the last half of 2022.

I’m feeling good, however, creatively. I’m glad I allowed myself a bit of breathing room the last couple of months, because 2023 has started off as quite a doosey for me. Changes at my full-time work, a breakup (of my choosing, but still, those are never fun), and other life-in-general occurrences.

As a result, it took me a couple months to finish this sketchbook, and that’s fine, because it was kind of planned for.

Unlike my previous Etchr A6 sketchbook, this time I worked on their hot press paper. I have to say, I really enjoyed it. But then that’s not such a big surprise, now, is it? Etchr just does a great job with their sketchbook paper – even in their “budget” versions. But this confirmed my suspicion I’d shared when I worked in the Hahnemühle Nostalgie sketchbook – that I’d prefer to work on 100% cotton hot press paper for anything ink-and-wash related.

If you’re curious about the white canvas-covered Etchr sketchbooks in general, I wrote a review of these some time ago, although it’s more based on their cold press paper, but I think doing a new review of the hot press would be a moot point.

As usual, I jumped around with subject matter and mediums quite a bit in this sketchbook. It all just depended on what was piquing my interest at the time. Sometimes I was simply at the mercy of what I had on hand and the time in which I had to do an illustration where a couple on-site urban sketches were concerned. (Have I mentioned that waiting rooms have become fun now? Sketching is just so much better than mindlessly scrolling through my phone!)

You’ll see I also delved into using my Caran d’Ache Neocolor II water soluble pastels quite a bit. I’m having a lot of fun working with them in a limited palette. I chose to utilize a fun challenge on Instagram called the #foodpaintchallenge in order to hone my skills with the Neocolors and the limited palette. It will also explain the many food illustrations in the sketchbook, although not all of the foods/botanicals were from the challenge. Some I worked from my own photographs. The philodendron illustration at the front of the book (my favorite) was actually from life.

The hot press paper in this sketchbook supported the Neocolors really well. I didn’t get a lot of scratchy “crayon-looking” marks like I did when I tried them in a cold press sketchbook.

When I’d finished filling the sketchbook, I added a little more interest to it throughout by adding little strips of washi tape here and there. I kind of feel like it helped pull it together a little better. And, lastly, I decided I didn’t want to leave just the white cover, which had gotten a bit grungy after a while, so I used my Neocolors to just apply some color there.

For my next travel sketchbook, I’m working in a Baohong 100% cotton hot press sketchbook. I was eager to try them out after coming across a review raving about how good Baohong paper is. I did some searching and found they had sketchbooks available, so I decided to grab a hot press version and give it a go. I’m enjoying it so far. Definitely expect a review in the future!

For cold press watercolor sketchbooks, I’m still working in my A5 Etchr Perfect Sketchbook and my Koval Sketchilla Sketchbook.

That’s enough from me. Get cozy this March day and enjoy the flip-through below. I’ve also included some photos of some of my favorite pieces from this sketchbook below the video embed.

And remember, if you see any paintings you like, check my Redbubble shop as I’ve been uploading prints from this sketchbook there for sale.

Some of my favorite artworks from this sketchbook:

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Be sure to follow my Instagram account @kellyro77 to stay up-to-date on my creative endeavors.

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List of materials:

Contains affiliate links. See disclosure for more info.

Etchr A6 100% Cotton Watercolor Sketchbook, Hot Press
Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle Watercolor Pencils
Caran d’Ache Neocolor II water soluble pastels
Schmincke Horadam Aquarelle Watercolors
QoR Watercolors
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens
Pentel Aquash Water Brushes
Platinum Carbon Ink
TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen
Washi Tape
Binder Clips