Before the end of the year, I finally crack open my (very neglected) watercolor sketchbook and do a cozy sketch-with-me session while I test new paints that have been on my wishlist forever: the QoR watercolors. I start by swatching the Portrait set and building a little “color constellation” so I can see how the palette behaves, what mixes I can get, and how easily I can push skin tones, shadows, and contrast. Because I already love Golden paints, I was really curious to see if QoR would live up to the hype—and honestly, the colors are so up my alley. From there, I move into painting studies inspired by Frankenstein—treating them like small movie-scene thumbnails where I can focus on mood, values, and the feeling of motion. If you’ve watched my other sketchbook sessions, you know I love using moving references to capture those tiny hints of life in a pose, so this felt like a perfect extension of that approach. I also talk through page composition, mixing decisions, and a mini watercolor sketchbook “review” as I go—basically, what worked, what surprised me, and how I’d use these paints again going into the new year.