Held the three notebooks from the new collection today

Held the three notebooks from the new collection today, flipping them over and over in my hands.

The beige one—pull the strap and it clasps right shut, the metal buckle feels smooth and easy. The red one has a rich, true color, the leather surface a bit grainy to the touch, with a glimpse of the gold bookmark ribbon peeking out from underneath, swaying as I moved. The black one sat on top, glossy, catching the light. Stacked all three together—three colors—shot a set against a white background, then again on beige and dark gray, just to see which backdrop set them off best. After shooting, I felt the dark gray one hit just right.

The last few shots are records from the workbench. The board in my hand leans pink, the hand-drawn branches and leaves on it starting to take shape, with punched holes nearby. The final image is a rephoto of an old photograph, circular, with faint carvings barely visible—it's the reference for this round of drawing. Tweaking and adjusting against these images, I sat for a whole afternoon.

The notebooks aren't fully finished yet, but just looking at these few photos, I can hardly wait.