Almost a year ago someone sent me a link to a cool site that was selling an actual napkin sketchbook. I tried to buy one then but they had just sold out and had not made any new ones yet. I forgot about it until recently when I was going through old emails and saw one from that store. I wrote back and found they had them in stock and off I went to order it.
Nissi at Starbucks
Nissi
My first opportunity to use it was, no surprise, at a Starbucks while my car was being serviced. I love drawing in coffee houses because you are going to find people who are still. They are engrossed in their world and that makes for unconscious poses, expressions, postures, and habits. I found Nissi studying and she became my model for the day. I drew her on one of the napkins that came with the sketchbook. They are cocktail napkins, smaller than my usual lunch napkins and absorbent in a different sort of way. I also drew her in my regular sketchbook and will show that one to you when it is complete.
_____________
The Sketchbook
Here is the drawing right after it was done in the coffee house. Since the napkins aren’t attached to the sketchbook I took mine out to draw on it. I am sure others do it the other way but I need a harder surface underneath than a pile of napkins.
_________________
Here is the sketchbook closed.
And here it is open
Baum-Kuchen
The company selling the sketchbooks is Baum-Kuchen, located in the Glassell Park area of Los Angeles. They have this and other cool products, some of which would be perfect for a Christmas gift. I plan on shopping online at their store in the future.
Screenshot of the Baum-Kuchen Napkin Sketchbook page
You can find them online at this location: http://www.baum-kuchen.net/
______________________
Drawing by Marty Coleman