Lokta birds

After the inked birds showed up in my Moleskine, this flock appeared in another journal. I am exploring this new (to me) paper--lokta, handmade in India.

Part of the blueish shadowing comes from oil pastels on the backside.

I like the color, the eggshell-like finish, and the deckled edge. It takes light water without soaking through too much. I also spread thinned Golden Absorbent Ground on it for a whiter background experiment that created interest w/c effects.

I found these lokta journals online at Ollie's Paper. Lovely stuff!

PS: I found this paper description on their website. (I have no personal ties to this seller.)

Graeham Owens' Lokta paper is made in rural, mountainous villages with no electricity. The paper has to travel for 5 days and 5 nights, on the backs of donkeys, to reach the nearest passable road. From this point it travels to Kathmandu, where the finished products are made.

This paper is acid-free and tree-free (the lokta bush completely regenerates after harvesting). It is made today just as it was a thousand years ago. It is pure, rustic, long-fibered, strong, and beautiful. It is, perhaps, the most perfect paper on earth.