All About Sketchbooks: Overview 

I did it again everyone. I left 2 different edits in this one. See if you can spot it. Tell me which one works or does it even matter because you couldn't tell the difference anyway. I'll tell ya, that editor is fired.....ok it was me. I did it. I also call it an epidose instead of an episode. That's a private joke or a screw up, I'll let you decide.

I'm obsessed too 🤪 and I use the inbuilt envelopes to store some tissue paper, a paper view finder and sometimes for some cutouts for collaging ✌

I have a sketchbook problem too! 😂 I have sooo many and I enjoy working in them and exploring different types.

Hi Pete. I really think I am going to start a notebook called Favorite Quotes of Pete. Loved the video! 🤍

Oh goodies to watch! I've been taking care of a sick friend in the mountains, and we got snowed in!! No internet. I'm going to relax and watch the video. For an older person, I love me some RU-vidrs. LOL I hope all is well with you. I may go back to her at the end of the week. We'll see how she's feeling. Her husband will be home until then. Sending hugs!!!!

For sketching, I've grown fond of the format of Grumbacher's student grade journals. They're wire bound, but the sheets are removable and reinsert able. They come in mixed media and watercolor. Walmart also sells the matching sizes of drawing paper in the same format by Kohinoor. These are not for finished work, but a sketchbook, for me, is not for finished work. It's for playing, experimenting, swatching, mixing, and so on. I want inexpensive for this purpose. My "couch" sketchbook is a stitched, hardbound book, still cellulose, but I like the hard bound for my lap while listening the to tv.

I can listen about sketchbooks as long as you can talk about them. I too have an unhealthy obsession lol. Let's goooo!

Oh boy, I have lots of thoughts on this topic! Spiral Bound: PROS: Love that I can fold it in half and keep the other page out of the way. I also like that if I paint something that’s a disaster I can easily remove the page so I never have to see it again! Love the hard covers. CONS: Not as easy to stack on top of each other. Orientation: I have uses for both square and rectangular sketchbooks. Same with portrait vs landscape. Variety is the spice of life… Your rant on the stupid pocket was spot on for me. I always use the back inner cover to tape on the detail specs of the sketchbook for easy identification and re-ordering purposes if I liked it. One thing I was surprised you aren’t annoyed by was the stupid-assed ribbon! It never fails when there is a ribbon… whatever page they place it between ends up with an indentation!! I have been borked by that every damn time. I start to lay down my first wash and there’s a damn vertical gully. I always have to make sure I don’t do a full page since wherever that ribbon was will cause unwanted results. First thing I do when I get a new sketchbook is cut that sucker off. Do people really struggle that much to find where they were in a book that only contains 24 sheets??? Give me a 300 page sketchbook and maybe, maybe, I would find use with a stupid ribbon. Great Video!!

I like the little pocket. It can often fit a little flexible plastic ruler and a piece of wax paper covered in washi tape for some quick masking.

The inside of your Canson XL looks a lot like mine. It is just a place where I can test out some supplies and some small mockup sketches or trying techniques out. I text color mixes out on it and use it to help when I want to rearrange palettes. Its just a nice book to have for things that don't matter as much.

I think one thing that's different between watercolour and mixed media paper is the absorbency of the paper. For example, if you want the best results from alcohol markers, it is best to go for a very smooth paper with low absorbency. If the paper absorbs all the ink quickly then not only does it make it more difficult to blend (you have to work much quicker to avoid streaky marks), it means you also lose some of the vibrancy. Watercolour paper tends to be more absorbent than mixed media because it is designed to take a lot of water. Wither coloured pencils, I think the best type of grain for the paper is somewhere between cold press and hot press. Cold press has so much texture that it makes it difficult to get a smooth finish, while hot press has so little texture that it is more difficult to build up extra layers (not enough tooth for the pencil to grip hold of). A mixed media paper is likely to have a fine grain - enough for layering pencils, but not too much that it will damage the nibs of alcohol markers. The level of absorbency and texture is perfectly workable for watercolour, which is why it is called mixed media, but it might not be the best type of paper to use depending on the type of watercolour techniques you use. If you are very heavy with water usage, then specifically targeted water paper will be more robust.

I have more than 100 sketchbooks, unused or with 1 drawing it. So I feel your love and "pain" :) Many brands just different their books/papers in 4 categories for our help: Level 1: Sketch Level 2: Drawing Level 3: Mixed Media Level 4: Water colour And yes, there are no industristandart for paperweight or other. - - - - I will never complain about "watercolour paper" in less than 300 gsm. for not holding up. And sub 100 gsm is for me sketchpaper, and will not complain that that paper can't hold up to a lot erasing or many layers of colourpencils.

🤩🤩💕💕🥳🥳 Brilliant First time to your channel today and have subscribed. Everything you say here is spot on….exactly right . Loved your dry humour at the end….am from the UK and that’s what we love 🤣🤭😂

Although the rule is not to say “sizing”, I’m going to say Sizing because I know nothing about sizing so I blame it for everything. Every manufacturer has their own secret sizing formula. Some sizing makes your watercolors sit on the surface and never dry and make blooms or dry streaky, while not enough sizing lets your color get sucked into the underworld of the paper and only leave a dull cloud on the surface. My favorite good paper is Arches 140lb cotton cold press because I have so much of it that I don’t allow myself to buy other paper. But of course I do anyway. I recently have become a hot press person; I like Fabriano cotton hot press. But I also like some of the Canson heavy weight papers. There are so many types that I get them confused. And the Strathmore Imagine series. And right now, all of a sudden all of RU-vid is talking about Royal Talens Art Creations sketchbooks. Got a bunch of those too. Envelopes: I like putting them in my sketchbooks but I never use them. You can store scraps of paper to test color on. Secret tip: cut an envelope and glue it in the back of your sketchbook. The easiest sketchbook to make is an accordion style. Just fold fold fold and attach boards at either end. It’s very stream of consciousness. An even more psychedelic style is the meander book. Like the accordion book but for people whose thoughts go off in tangents. Buy one sheets of your favorite paper and you can make either one.

Wow! A whole lot of info on a whole lot of things-Just up mu alley, too! Enjoyed it, and I do use mostly cotton paper, but for sketching and figuring out color blends, I usually use the Canson XL because it’s thick enough, smooth enough, and cheap enough for first drafts and color picking. Then I do a second try on a less expensive hot press wc and work on it until I like it and understand it, then I do it on the good stuff. *grin* But the Canson’s great for when I’m just playing around! *grin*

Back pocket: use it to 1, keep a sheet of paper towel or 2 (for watercolor over ink) 2. Keep a floating sheet to in the back pocket to put it behind the current paper you are working on, to protect the sheet behind. 3. Wrap tape around a flat piece of plastic in case you want to tape the edge of your work.

About the pocket : personally I use the ones in watercolor sketchbooks to stock thumbnails I draw on random things or post its

Love this guy. Tell em how it is Pete. If you learn to use cellulose you learn to use cellulose lol.

2nd time watching lol i need to just ORDER MY BOOK !!!

Yep, use to have the same problem... I still have some empty sketchbooks from 20 years ago... 😔. I don't know why I buy them - I prefer loose sheets regardless... 🤷‍♂.

You crack me up!

2:36 ahhh! I love the Bee Paper co 100% cotton sketchbooks!! I have like four of them and just finished up my third of the four!!! They’re SO affordable yet amazing quality paper, so I never feel guilty for making atrocious art in them!! In fact, this is the exact book I’m using in the latest video I just uploaded (chill watercolor portrait) if you’d wanna check it out!!!😂😂(pardon my UTTERLY SHAMELESS plug!!) lol! God bless!!!

not going to say a thing about a sketchbook collection. i just got in two new ones (for me) that i got for no other reason than that they sounded cool. one is made from bamboo fibers. the other is made of something called lokta from Nepal. i am waiting for the beam paints i ordered to actually try the paper out 😂 don't mind spiral bound until i try to put it on the shelf. i end up with a flat binding then a spiral then another flat because the just don't shelve nicely by themselves. i'm fine with out the band, it's pretty worn out by the time i finish a book anyway. i have no preference on orientation (i just turn the book) but i have noticed my travel books are smaller than i used to carry. i think i am down to a pocket size (about a 7x5) . i do prefer a hard bound book. i find a watercolor paper (cotton at least) absorbs the paint were the mixed media and pulp paper the paint just floats on top til it dries. thin paper warps, regardless of what it's made of. pens work on anything, don't care what they say. most of it is just knowing how your paper reacts and adjusting your technique accordingly. i actually love a good cellulose paper, w&n makes a really good one... it might be 10% cotton. i agree about the so called practice with pulp. use it or don't because you have to treat them differently. it does not make one better than the other, it is just a different kind of paper. i have several of those canson xl books 🤣 i do most of my line art in those now and started my pencils in them almost 30 years ago. i think the most disappointing thing i have is the visual watercolor journal by strathmore. it pilled so bad on the first wash that i tossed it to my kids... who don't care. actually i don't have a favorite, maybe someday i will find it.

Love sketchbooks and journals. Making them is fun too but it’s a labor of love, not to save money.

I love Canson XL! It’s great for WC pencils and pens like Tombows and Ecoline! not for WC as much, but it works really well with other water-soluble materials

I can’t afford to have too many sketchbooks at once, but I do like to experiment with different types once I finish one. My favorite part of this video was getting a sneak peek at all your lovely art! 😉 I do also enjoy listening to you. The fact that you don’t hesitate to speak your mind is always refreshing! Thanks for all your videos. They really are different than other artists that I have found and this really makes them stand out in my mind. Happy Monday! 🙂

Me too, obsessed with sketchbooks, and art supplies

“Get all the sketchbooks”, lol. I am well on my way to doing that, as well as all the Daniel Smith paints. My son, who works in Mental Health, thinks I have a problem and may need an intervention. I give him that look he got when he was 2 and doing something he shouldn’t have. It still stops him in his tracks. BTW - for those who are concerned about the cost of cotton paper, the Bee Creative (it appears in the video) is an awesome book that is very reasonably priced. It comes in two sizes 5.5”x8” and 8.5”x11”. I have also picked up some smaller sketchbooks on Amazon that are 25% cotton that are sweet as they reasonably priced and small enough to fit in my pocket or purse. The more expensive sketchbooks I have purchased may be nice, but I tend to treat them like they are precious, so they don’t get used. Now, that is a problem! I love how you encourage people to have fun, use whatever works for them, and break all (or most) of the “rules”. BTW - I agree on the little pocket, I do not see a purpose in it except maybe to hold my pallet swatch if the sketchbook travels with the pallet.

I'm another sketchbook addict. I have plans for them all. But not enough time! Loved the overview. All the variants that you think about when choosing a sketchbook. Not as simple as it sounds.

Honestly, you are a life saver! I was going to order the Stillman and Birn Zeta but I think I'll get the Beta ones instead. I agree with using the cotton paper. Watercolors behave so much better (imo) on 100% cotton paper. Arches travel books/pads are expensive but worth it. I'd rather spend the extra money on a book I like vs wasting money on a cheaper one. My high school self loved the Canson xl mixed media books. Adult me despises them. 😂

I use the lil pocket in my sketchbooks to put swatches of colors instead of putting it next to the sketches.I love your video! I am absolutely obsessed also. I have a cabinet full of sketchbooks that I haven't used yet! 😆 Lol

All of my sketch books are spiral bound. I’m more obsessed with the blocks of watercolor paper. I was happy to read all of the comments that your watchers wrote. They are all so informative. And very helpful as well. I have a hard time understanding why people decide that their way is the ONLY way to do things. NO watercolor on mixed media paper…OMGosh…I don’t get that. I honestly don’t get that. I use ink on my rough paper. My pens don’t skip either. I found that I don’t care at all for any of the XL products. If I were just going to draw…maybe. Bought some WC paper but didn’t care for it either. Tape would always tear, no matter what tape I used, it would inevitably tear off a layer of paper. Is it bad that I rarely use my sketch book anymore, but everything is a single piece of work. I just bought a book to keep them in. Is that a bad thing??? I just bought a watercolor sketch book with nice 100 cotton paper…it is spiral bound and I like that. Very hard front and back. As always, I LOVE your video. It is full of information…and fun.😊

Couldn’t wait to get to work so I could watch this video! I put small scraps of watercolor paper in the pocket for color testing. My fav are the Etchr. I work at a local art studio w/ a small retail shop and we carry them so my discount makes them very affordable. Only wish they made a square version.

💪💪💪💪Long live the pockets at the end of sketchbooks… arrrrgh! 🤛

I also have the same problem 🥹 so many sketchbooks and most are premium $ and I hate many of them hence I started making my own using arches and magnani 100% cotton. Talens is still my fav for daily art practice .