A5 blank sketchpad featuring on the cover artwork Study of a Male Torso, with a Separate Sketch of a Raised Hand Holding a Club by Guido Reni, part of the National Galleries of Scotland Collection.

18 sheets of watercolour paper. This sketchbook is perfect for writing, drawing and painting.

This muscular torso was drawn from life. Reni used black chalk to describe the outline of the body and both black and red chalk to define the modelling applied in his customary feathery technique. White highlights are also included which stand out against the grey paper.

Guido Reni (4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicholas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but also mythological and allegorical subjects.

Reni was probably one of the most successful and sought-after Italian painters of his time, although he was notoriously difficult and temperamental. His paintings combine elegant and graceful figures with naturalistic details and textures.