My FAVOURITE Sketchbooks to Use // Affordable & Pricey Options! (mix-media sketching)
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- čas přidán 25. 02. 2023
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Hey everyone! Here's a little sketchbook chat about all my favourite sketchbooks I've used over the years and some of my recommendations for beginners to professionals alike. Hope you enjoy!
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Sketchbooks:
◉ Canson XL Mix-Media Pad amzn.to/3IvJ7bW
60 sheets, acid free, wire bound
◉ Strathmore Softcover Mix-Media amzn.to/3IRZDEl
64 sheets, 100% cotton paper, acid-free, perfect bound
◉ Strathmore Vision Mix-Media amzn.to/3Ixr7hk
70 sheets, acid free, customizable cover, wire bound
◉ handbook Journal co. amzn.to/3mcbVic
30 sheets, acid free, bound in hardcover & linen, elastic closure
◉ illo sketchbook amzn.to/3KFrsBk
not acid free, 112 pages, smooth heavyweight paper, PU leather cover, elastic closure
you can also order from their website: www.illosketchbook.com/
◉ Arteza watercolour book amzn.to/3Y27nbg
64 sheets/128 pages, acid-free, cold-pressed paper,
◉ My favourite supplies are all listed here: www.amazon.com/shop/missdoodl...
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Music
◉ "Kawai Kitsune"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
◉ Air Hockey Saloon by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: chriszabriskie.com/vendaface/
Artist: chriszabriskie.com/ - Jak na to + styl
One detail a lot of people miss about the Strathmore mixed media sketchbook is that it uses their 500 series 100% cotton paper, whereas the other types in the line use 400 series papers, so it's pretty premium as a mixed media one.
I have that in the description but forgot to mention it in the video - 100% cotton definitely makes it really nice!
I agree. I love the b5 one. But they've gotten so expensive. I know a lot of ppl complain ite 90lb but I actually don't like 140lb in a sketchbook... doesnt feel like a sketchbook if its too thick.
I've noticed that all art supplies have definitely gone up in price this past year. Inflation definitely sucks 😞
My favourite A5 sketchbooks I usually get are $3 more now😐
fr. I only shop sales now XD
Finally an art youtuber who understands the pain of us commoners!
LOL hey everyone has a budget
@@JelArts XD Some of my friends don't
ik this sounds kinda stupid but the amazon basics watercolour sketchbook is a great great option for mixed media with 80 pages for only $5 and is a hard cover perfect binded and theres a pocket at the back
The canson sketchbook is one of my personal favorites!!😁😁 I like to use them for alcohol markers, water color and acrylic paints.
A sketchbook I'm a big fan of is the Art Creation from Royal Talens. I think they're somewhat similar to Moleskine sketchbooks, though the paper is a bit thinner. The sketchbooks have a LOT of pages though and they're about half the price of Moleskine, if not even less. So they don't feel super precious, which has helped me a lot with letting go of high expectations and perfectionism. They come in a variety of colours. The paper is smooth but not super smooth, slightly ivory-coloured and handles wet media quite ok. Not perfectly, but still decent enough.
I've been using these almost exclusively for the past 2-ish years? Currently into Mossery sketchbooks, but I do miss the Art Creation books a lot.
I also like the Stillman&Birn sketchbooks a lot, especially the Gamma one. But they're a bit pricier and therefore feel more precious to me. But I can recommend them as well!
I have used the Moleskine before and switched to Art Creation this year, and I can confirm this! The paper is thinner but so far I have been able to use it the same way as my Moleskine, and they are super affordable and available in lots of different sizes and colours! I might add that I've never been a fan of my Moleskine because it doesn't work well with the muji gel pen 0.38 which I use for most of my sketches, and the slightly harder (?) paper of the Art Creation seems to be working better with this type of pen!
+1 from me!
For the price they’re absolutely amazing. No super wet washed without it bleeding but as far as adding some watercolor to a sketch it’s great. If you let it dry you can even layer
How would you say the sketchbook feels in terms for sketching? Also I’m sorry I know this was commented 10 months ago :,) I’m just looking to buy a new sketchbook and I want to make sure it’s a good fit for me and my usual mediums- which, is pencil! :)
@@Mads_2007 All I can say is: go for it! Pencil will smudge though, just like with any sketchbook, so you might want to use a fixative spray or small sheets of paper in between the pages. But that's more of a pencil thing rather than a sketchbook thing. The Art Creations are sooooo cheap that it'll be pretty much always worth it.
I always love doing research and seeing which ones other people like before buying sketchbooks, so this is super helpful! 😊
Always so stoked for these videos
FINALLY someone is talking about the handbook journal co watercolor sketchbook. I don't see anyone using these! I have one and i think they are the best :) great video!
I just use the procreate app currently. When I have more disposable income, I’d love to grab a few nice sketchbooks to use and fill up! Thanks for the suggestions!
Illos is one of the ones I love going back to. My current one is an illo. Mine is covered in stickers on the front as well.
the Strathmore sketchbook is def a nice one to use. I usually use just random sketchbooks, its usually whats cheap at the time🙂
Love ur backdrop, hair and room aesthetic, and ur jumper lol. Thanks for the informative video! :)
Omg thank you so much 😭🙏
I’ve finished my sketchbook and I’ve always tried to find these type of sketchbooks but never found them. Thank you, and now I shall spend all my money😀
I'm a big fan of the stillman and birn sketchbooks bc there are quite a few size formats and paper types! The beta series is fantastic with wet media
Ooo thanks for the tip!! Will definitely check them out 👀
Wow! I started looking for a new sketchbook and just now you uploaded this video! Thank you for the info on them
That's so cool! Definitely check the comments too cause tons of people are recommending their faves as well :)
My favorite so far is Grumbacher, watercolors look so nice on them and they’re very tough against watery materials.
I actually bought the etchr sketchbook after seeing your video a few years ago. I like it, I like to use watercolor and color pencil but my favorite was the strathmore watercolor travel journal that I’m pretty sure got discontinued.
the stillman and birns zeta series sketchbook is my favorite!! it works like a dream with all the media I like using (watercolor, alcohol markers, gouache) and i love how thick the paper is and how smooth. it’s just so nice. I used canson xl for a long time and it’s nice but I notice watercolors don’t show up as vibrantly on the paper. the tooth can get tiring too.
I've been trying to find affordable good quality sketchbooks recently, so this video came at the right time ! I love the color of your hair btw (:
It can't handle wet media, but I really like the leuchtturm sketchbooks for pencil, pen and waterbased markers (I use tombows specifically)! The paper's a lovely white with a nice slight tooth, and it lies completely flat. They're my personal favourite. For wet media I actually like the moleskine watercolour journal. The strathmore mixed media one you mentioned is, imo better (it's actually my other go-to sketchbook, but in the smaller size) but the moleskine's nice to draw on with just pencil or pencil crayon too and takes quite a few layers of watercolour or gouache.
the amount of canson mixed media books i have is unreal, i will forever stand by them!
I'm currently using a Sea White 5×5 sketchbook right now. So far, it's good with watercolors, inks and dry media. The paper has some texture and I can use crayons too. I don't use small sketchbooks much but the price was in my budget. I don't always have the money to get new sketchbooks often so whatever cash I have I've gotta save up.
I feel like I heard bad things about the Canson XL sketchbook so I was disappointed when it was gifted to me, but I had no problems with it! Definitely a good economical option!
I literally buy a different sketchbook every time, lol. I spend ages in the store feeling the different papers!
Yeah some people hate it or love it, it depends! I love the price though :)
You are the the reason my first page is garbage lol
@@ared18t ... huh?
Very helpful review. Thank you.❤
I was literally just browsing for mixed media sketchbooks yesterday, so this is so perfect! I was also considering getting the handbook journal because it looked nice quality and I liked the size. it's rather pricy for me, but I will still keep my eye on it in case I ever decide to invest in one. thank you for your recommendations !!
For my next sketchbook I ordered a stillman and birn based on people's recommendations here - seems much more affordable and I'll be making a video about it once I'm done my current sketchbook!
Lol im using the canson XL rn. I love that it's spiral bound bc I usually stick things in and use multi media so the sketchbook gets thick and when I use... Non spiral bound sketchbook, the spine gets all funky
I received an Articka brand square sketchbook as a gift and based on the description of the illo sketchbook it seems pretty similar! square, smooth paper, leathery cover, etc. im not sure if its a knockoff or how it compares price-wise but if youre looking for an illo and theyre not available i definitely recommend the articka!
Have you tried using „Glue Roller“ (I hope this is an English term in German we are calling them Kleberoller or Klebe Mäuse). They are super strong and I was able to glue my stickers on one of these fabric sketchbooks from another brand.
Thanks for charging your favorite sketchbooks. 😊
Strathmore has a hard cover version for their mixed media sketchbook! It’s my go-to sketchbook ☺️
Thank you Jel!
really love to draw and paint in sketchbook. i highly can recommend the hahnemühle 100% cotton (also available in square and good for mixed media) and koval skethbooks. both a bit pricy but really good. also the etchr sketchbooks are good. thanks for sharing :)
I've resorted to making my own with very heavy weight paper sketchbooks because I like doing a lot of wet media including oils. But for lighter media Canson mixed media is one of my main go-to sketchbooks.
I haven't made my own sketchbook in a while! It's so fun :)
Im using the ohuhu mixed media sketchbook book and i love it. The paper can handle paint great. It's bound and can lay flat too. I think i got it for around 20usd and i couldn't recommend it enough
I used the talents art creation sketchbook in the size 12x12 cm I know its pretty small but you can buy a bigger one and it’s decently affordable I also recommend the brustro sketchbooks they’re really affordable and good it also comes in quit a lot of sketchbook . I jump between those 2 sketchbooks ( the sketchbooks I recommend are both bookbound and they’re both 110gsm)
I've been enjoying Royal Talens sketchbook quite a lot lately. It looks a bit like a moleskine, I can get it online for quite cheap where I live. It has lots of pages, the paper has a lovely cream color and is smooth, but not too much. I feel like ti works quite well with the way I draw and the art supplies I use (mostly graphite, colored pencils, brushpens and waterbased markers). I also like that it holds up quite decently when working with a few layers of acrylic paint or gouache. Not the most perfect sketchbook in the world, but I love it nonetheless.
In the past I've also used a Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook (it was quite pricey for me, but after a long lockdown in 2020 I wanted to treat myself a little) and it was such a dream to use, especially because I was really into alcohol based markers at the time.
I'm very curious about the Strathmore softcover mix-media sketchbook. I hope I'll get the chance to try it out in the future
I like canson xl sketchbooks for graphite sketching.
thank god I found some sketchbook suggestions, I was struggling to find some good CZcams videos explaining some of their favorites-
I binge watched all of your videos recently and I just love how u draw ur animals and especially the way u draw frogs! I was wondering if you’ve ever thought of teaching ur viewers of your sorcery of art?? 🤨 🤨🤨🤨
Illo sketchbooks are also on Amazon at least in the US, with prime shipping. So that's always an option of you wanted one, and had prime! I got my sketchbooks off of prime to avoid the $8 shipping haha.
i live across the street from a beautiful indie art supply store and that's where i discovered the strathmore vision ones and i LOVE them. im very weak for covers i can customize lmao
Another good mid-priced sketchbook with good quality are the still man & burn sketchbooks. I am currently using a zeta series one and I am really happy with it! It handles wet media quite well and better than the strathmore mix media 500 series in my own experience. It’s about 20$, so a decent mid-price with really good quality in return. I hope this helps someone :)
im using a derwent acadomy one right now and its great it says for dry medium only but i put Alchoal marker on it and aslong as you have a bit of scrappaper under the page your drawing on theres zero problems,i tried water color its mostly fine warps a tiny bit,sharpire dont bleed to the next pagr they do ghost though,the like fine liner sharpies dont ghost unless your really looking for it cos then you can kinda see it ghosing but not a bad amount,water based markers are fine on it,id recomend it i got the A5 size and thats perfect for me,on amazon its 6 pound?,im in the uk i dont have that much acsess to art stores without traveling a bit but amazon is mostly fine for me.
Kind of a random suggestion, mostly for USA people but "Bare Books" they're white covered and look like little books, so you can draw on the covers. Theyre meant for keepsakes for kids but the paper is nice for sketching and they cost like $3.50
I love to use the Artist Loft sketchbooks from Michaels. The paper isn't too bad for what I use it for: I started doing a sketchbook/journal combination so I use a sketchbook to draw and write in. I typically prefer the worse paper because I like that it develops character as you use it (like the pages become crinkly or folded) ✨
Omg I was going to mention those sketchbooks, they're very cheap, pretty, and have tons of pages
I got a really cheap little Artist Loft sketchbook recently. It’s interesting seeing what stuff it likes and doesn’t like. For example, Goldfaber colored pencils look _terrible_ on it for no good reason, but colored fineliners, which I normally do not like, look great on it.
Not sure how accessible this brand is for those outside the UK but Seawhite of Brighton do amazing sketchbooks in different sizes, covers, formats etc! I got a 20pg 180gsm mixed media one for £1.25 a few years back, I have a bunch of square, A5, A4 ones in spiral and normal bound and I love them! They handle wet and dry media amazingly, very little alcohol marker bleedthrough, even when I used watercolour I could still sketch on the back, and it handles pencils, markers, pastels, crayons, everything! In the UK they're super affordable, they might have them on Amazon if they aren't in art stores in Canada and the US!
I'm loving Seawhite of Brighton at the moment - I picked up a couple of their plein air mixed media sketchbooks (220gsm, 20 sheets/40 pages) and they hold up decently with most media I threw at them. About the only things they don't like are alcohol markers which is to be expected. I'm also looking into making a mini sketchbook with some of their all media paper (140gsm) which says it's sized for wet mediums, so I'll see how they do
Unfortunately I had a check and none of Michaels, Blick, or Amazon seem to stock the sketchbooks sadly. Guess we'll just have to enjoy them ourselves 😆
I love the mixed media canson paper but the spiral cord messed immediately for me 😭 I would definitely buy it again if they had a hard cover version instead
Love these vids, im currently using a leuchtturm square, and it’s pretty nice too, specially for paints, wish it had their a5 paper thickness though.
Been wanting to try the I’ll sketchbooks for a while.. but goddamnit… the shipping to Europe is over 50€
I love all the fox drawings you did ( my fav animal is a fox ) !
I don't mind sketching in spiralbound sketchbook. The problem for me is that the pages move a little so they rub together and that makes the sketches fade 😭
I use the book types now. The negative with those is that you can't "fold" them, so they take up more space if you want to have the book in your lap and sketch.
Wonderful. Big like 👍
If you get into book binding you can buy a larger mixed media pad and make your own sketchbook with your preferred binding style.
Oh yes I've done that before and it was so fun! Been meaning to do it again one day
Have you tried stillman and birn
I usually reach for the michaels brand sketchbooks, surprisingly they’re not bad quality and hold up well when I’m in painting class.. paper is slightly textured and not super thin.. one complaint though is how easily the spine breaks, usually causing the cover to fall off and needs a duct tape fix, but they do tend to have a lot of paper so it’s just the wear and tear from near daily use
I also agree, those sketchbooks are great value if you don't do tons of wet media! I have a giant pink one that I used in art school for my brainstorming :)
I love the canson mixed media paper, but I can not stand the spiral bound or the perforated pages make the paper sooo easy to fall out- if that does not bother you I definitely recommend it. I've never ended up filling one even though it used to be my go to
That's the main downside for sure! A lot of sketchbooks seem to have that "perforated paper" feature but I never rip stuff out of my sketchbooks so it ends up just getting in the way for me!
@@JelArts Yeahh i try to not rip out pages but the paper makes it so hard for me not to- the latest one I have had I just use for extra loose paper and experimenting- half of the pages have just fallen out
I’ve had my eye on the Illo sketchbooks for ages, and I can’t justify the price. Conversion rates plus shipping means that a two pack is $133 Australian, and it’ll take months to get here. Do I want an 8x8 sketchbook? Yes. Can I find one for under $50 Australian? No. Will I buy an Illo sketchbook at some point in the future? Hopefully
It's sooo expensive to get it here too!! I've only ever gotten them as gifts
A lot of my sketchbooks have always been rather cheap. I’m starting to branch out but I don’t think I know what kind I like yet XD
Yayyyy 100th comment❤🎉
hi @JelArts why not make a patch to on the sketch book of the day you started it and day its filled and completed or even patch art could look cool if you get a blank patch a piece of art with meaning to you
i havent watched ur videos in years and didn't know it was jelarts until i recognised the familiar intro tune 🤧
Haha, welcome back then!
Being left handed I just find spiral bound books super annoying! I love the idea that you can flip it onto itself but I just can't comfortably work in them! I just started in the Strathmore mixed media and it's sooooo nice for paint, but I also like a cheap one for messing about in
I'm also a lefty, but even right handed people can struggle in spiral bound stuff once they draw on the reverse side of the page - you just can't win haha
I do not like the Canson XL Mixed Media sketchbook. I like the Canson XL Mixed Media ROUGH sketchbook. It's more expensive and harder to find than the normal kind but it's worth it to me. It's 50 pages instead of 60 pages, has a more beige tint compared to the normal bright white (which matches my watercolor paper so I don't mind), thicker in paper weight (better for water based mediums), and a rougher texture of course. Since I couldn't find any video reviews online I thought it was going to be rough like cold press WC paper but nope: slightly more toothy and the backside of each sheet is smooth. For watercolor artists the sizing on the paper is not the best for layering and glazing but it's good for the price. I wait until there's a buy one get one free sale at my art store to buy them, the 9 x 12 size is very large and only $20 USD for two sketchbooks with the deal.
If you ever get the change ohuhu makes amazing sketchbooks also
They've given me a few paper pads so I'll have to try those 👀
Can anyone help me to find a 11*14 inches ,130gsm ,hard cover, sketchbook
I can’t stand the spiral bounds, I’ll use them if someone gifts me one but I don’t buy them. 🤣😭 I sketch in graphite pencil but I’ve been trying to switch over to colored pencil sketching
i really love illo sketchbooks because of the smoothness for sketching, and i kind of enjoy fucking up the pages with mixed media too. I love the thickness and texture of illos. makes it easier to use for me, in an indirect way
me and my dollar general composition notebook against the world 💀
I strongly disagree with the XL😖 why is it so popular? goodness I wasted money on it for nothing, ending up just using it for some quick ink characters design and still had some blank pages that I don't think I would ever fill.the quality is bad, the paper is thin and too flat textured. compared to the price, some students drawing pads in the local store could offer nicer options with a better price too. ,some even has cotton and free acid. one just have to search a bit more. if buying from amazon then I recommend paul rubens watercolor journal so so good!! also dina wakley media journals
Canson is a French company. They make XL for students. Also, I have noticed American's don't say they are discussing American dollars. How inconsiderate, the rest of us have to say the currency we are refering to.
Totally unrelated to your video but I just found out Dina Norlund died.
firstt
this is super random but you kind of sound like jett from valorant
like i don’t know how to describe it. jett if she talked normally and wasn’t being voice acted
i love that canson sketchbook but now im looking for a new one bc personally the spiral breaks so easily, and i cant fix them i usually travel with my sketchbook so thats probably why 🥲
Im currently using an Illo sketchbook (2 pages I have left) and I just love it. The downside is that it isn't acidfree and it can't handle gouche that well but I got their cold press watercolor one and I am really looking forward to try it!
I would love to try their watercolour one too!