PS.  Yaman had a skin issue; that is why the bandage.
I’ve been getting questions.

I hope this two-page watercolor of Yaman has finally taught me a lesson,
and it has nothing to do with the quality of Hahnemühle’s Nostalgie Sketchbook, which is a great sketchbook for linework and LIGHT watercolor or ink painting.
Rather it is about starting with some thought to where I am going with a sketch.

Yaman was interacting with Mitchell playfully and I took a series of images of him, then chose four I liked and worked them until I had a great series of sketches, above.

Omi then the trouble began.

Yaman is a mixed Siamese, which is to say he had a pure bred mom who got out and played around with a black tom in the neighborhood.  His sister Savitri is Siamese in appearance, but Yaman is a black-brown cat.

I made a mix for his fur, of Daniel Smith Brown Iron Oxide and Alvaro’s Caliente Grey.  You can see the darkest ares in the detail left, and that is about right.

But the thing was the streaks!!!!  Crap where did they come from?  I use watercolors a LOT in my Nostalgie but this was just toooo much for the paper, apparently.  (In the second image above I didn’t even let it dry, which is why you see white shiny streaks — reflections.  It was just too horrid!).  I walked away from the sketch for awhile.

I HATE not finishing pages, so finally I decided to try to remove the watercolor from the paper.  Remember, this paper is not meant for this kind of abuse.   But I began lifting, gently, and letting it dry then lifting again.  My results in lifting, above.

I let it dry overnight and this time did not use my mix, but made a fresh wash in a pan of the Daniel Smith Brown Iron Oxide and Hematite.  I used a light touch and was okay with his actual fur color being the wrong shade… I simply wanted to give the sketch a chance to stand on its own.  Considering how abused the paper was with all the wet work and lifting, I am impressed that it stayed strong.  I am still sad about the sketch, a great little set of vignette’s gone a little wrong,  but I have the memory.

So what is the moral?

Use sketchbooks as they were intended to be used.  Had I used
Hahnemühle 100# Cotton Watercolour Book or
Hahnemuhle Akademie Watercolor Paper Book, I am sure this sketch
would have been beautiful.  And I, like a dummy, don’t reach for them as often
because they are a bit more pricey (not much).
Frankly, and here is the kicker —

I don’t respect my work enough to trust that
my idea will be worthy of a pricier journal… 

Can you relate?

No more!
I’ll carry my Nostalgie Sketchbook in my handbag with a Platinum Carbon Pen for
urban sketching when I am out and about, but when I KNOW I am going to be
shooting for a nice watercolor, when I KNOW I am going to sketch,
or when I am in the studio, from now on I will reach for the
Hahnemühle 100# Cotton Watercolour Book or
Hahnemuhle Akademie Watercolor Paper Book.