I’ve been using the moleskine watercolor sketchbooks for a while now just because they have a lot of pages, the paper is fairly durable and it’s just a well made product. On the negative side, the price is high, the paper doesn’t have much tooth, and I don’t care much for the landscape format of the book. The Moleskine has a cream colored, 110 lb., slightly smooth, cold pressed paper, specially created for this book. Strathmore has started putting out a line of sketchbooks of comparable quality and durability, so I thought I’d give them a shot. First off they’re about 10 bucks cheaper than the moleskine and have 24 sheets as opposed to the moleskine’s 30, which is still more than most other watercolor sketchbooks I’ve come across. I’ve been using the 8.5″x11″ model which has a heavy stock, 400 series, 140 lb., acid free, white, cold press, watercolor paper that stood up to heavy washes without buckling. The tooth is nice and provides that rough texture you often find in a watercolor painting. Despite the heavy tooth I had no problem using dip pen and ink, fountain pen, ink and brush, colored pencil, and pencil along with watercolor on the paper. Overall, it’s a great watercolor sketchbook for the price that will hold up to anything you throw at it. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cheaper, portrait oriented, high grade watercolor sketchbook. Some samples of my tests on the paper can be seen below. Look for more reviews of some other new media coming soon.
dip pen and ink on a watercolor wash
colored pencil, pencil, ink and brush
watercolor, colored pencil, dip pen and ink, fountain pen, pitt pens, water soluble colored pencils, on watercolor wash
Even Sketchier... 