With its carefully constructed and placed patterns, the Handmade Album with Brown Cover of Patterns can be considered a piece of art unto itself before the artist even makes a mark on the inside. All of this is nicely complemented by the vertical orange strip in the upper left that provides a space for a title.

Inside, the Xuan paper is two-ply, unprocessed and unsized. Though it is both soft and absorbent, the paper is also water reserved when the ink hits the page, the shape will be immediately kept, as it is “locked” into the paper so you dont risk the ink running or bleeding into other characters.

All of this adds up to both a gorgeous and functional album that is specifically made for calligraphy writing. However, don’t let this keep you trying other forms, the book will work great for Sumi-e writing, as well.