Strathmore 500 Mixed Media 190gsm Hardbound Book, 8.5 x 11 in, 32 Sheets, Ideal for Professionals & Students

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Hi all, looking for a sketchbook that I can start throwing in my bag without being destroyed so figured I'd ask here for your best small HARDCOVER sketchbook. Will take pencil crayon, light watercolour wash, some markers (bleed through expected) and maybe acrylics with gesso. One of two complaints I have are once when I worked an area a little to much, being an amateur I did not notice I dipped a watercolor pencil in water to draw directly on the paper, and I flattened and indented the paper.

Drawing papers are intended for final work, so they'll be heavier weight and are generally higher quality. I was sent the Pro 100 Space Edition, which is hand made with 100% cotton cold pressed 300gsm extra white paper Fabriano Artistico paper. Other sketchbooks to consider - I haven't tried these but they have been recommended by other sketching friends.The books open out flat so it is easy to paint across the gully, and watercolour behaves nicely on the paper. I find I have to work much faster on this paper when adding watercolour, but I personally ​prefer a cold pressed surface. Great papers so those who work with a lot of fine lines, fine pens, or pencil detail as well as watercolour. I have used a number of the 9" x 6" portrait hard cover books, as they are a good size for transporting and they have a lot of pages - 62 sheets (124 both sides). These are a good option but the paper in not identical on both sides which needs to be adjusted to when painting.

A place for artists from all art-related subs and beyond to come together and discuss art, our lives as artists, discuss art culture, and share advice and techniques.This means that a 184lb paper may be the same thickness as a 140lb paper where reams of different basis sizes were weighed.

This was given to me at the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Amsterdam, and is created by an interesting company.You can see that there is some warping of the paper, which is really to be expected with a 150gsm sketchbook. When I first began using the Moleskine Watercolour Notebook in 2009, I just loved the paper and the way that watercolour behaved on it. The range has grown, with Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta and various Nova books now available in an even larger range of hard or soft covers in many shapes and sizes.

As she works fast and I work slowly with more detail, our choices are different - I love 100% cotton and she prefers 25% cotton - so both opinions may be helpful in finding a sketchbook to suit your style and needs. The 100% cotton paper is cold pressed with a slight variation between the front and back of the paper.There isn't a bookmark or back pocket, but, like many of these great sketchbooks, the books are designed so the beautiful paper goes end to end - including inside the front and back covers.