Kelly Daniels
20 September 2021
Sketchbook is not just a book but it is far more than that. It is your all-in-one destination for bringing new ideas to life, trying new techniques, and experimenting a lot. Whenever you are thinking of a new subject, you might get the image of a sketchbook in your mind.
So, you can never underestimate the utility of a sketchbook. Any creative process involves significant use of the sketchbook on a daily basis. Due to the abundance of options, people are often confused in getting clues about which sketchbook to choose.
This article is intended to narrow down your list of the best artist sketchbook. This process will become a rather simple one if you are aware of the essential factors and consider them all before you make a final decision. Here is a list of factors worth considering in this process.
Size
Size is the first thing to consider while buying sketchbooks. If you are a beginner, the A5 sketchbook would be fine. It is the most preferred size in a large number of cases. This is because it is big enough to work upon in real life and at the same time, it is small enough to do something light like drawing your personal paintings.
The convenience associated with it is very important and this one fits in the majority of bags. So, there is nothing to worry about that.
When your situation demands more, you can increase the size. If you buy an A4 sketchbook, it will open up to an A3 size. But remember the bigger sizes need more space when you have to carry them somewhere.
If you are buying one for drawing, keep in mind that larger areas will need more time to be filled as compared to the small ones. And drawing on those sketchbooks also requires extra support. So, the size changes most things associated with your work.
There are even smaller sketchbooks as well. They have the size of a palm or that of a notebook. These sketchbooks are highly portable and you can even carry them in your pocket. There are oil paints ones, graffiti blackbooks, pastels books and more. You will be able to bring those sketchbooks everywhere with ease but you won’t have enough freedom to draw details in there as compared to the larger ones.
Paper type and colour
Your selection of paper type and colour for an artist sketchbook is highly dependent on the type of work you do on the sketchbook. Paper made for watercolours is hot-pressed having no texture at all. The use of the wrong paper may result in the change of finish after you have done the work on the artist sketchbook.
For dry works, cold-pressed papers are fine that have texture up to some extent. Then comes the rough paper having the most texture. You may choose the right paper quality based on your choice of work.
If you intend to use the artist sketchbook for sketching and a little bit of use of the finevliners, you would be happy with a paper of 100/110 gsm. There are several colour options as well. Sketchbooks made from recycled paper are tones in different shades.
One thing you should keep in mind about the texture is that it leads to rapid usage of the pencils and nibs of your fine liners.
Cover and binding quality
There is a large number of cover options are available. In fact, people start making their choices by taking a look at the covers first. But your selection for cover can be really simple because you have to look for only one quality i.e. its resistance.
This covers that are resistant enough will protect your pages in the long run. Different types of binding are also available i.e. spiral binding, glue-bound, and sewn binding. You can make the right decision here as well based on the type of work you do. Artist sketchbooks with spiral binding are quite weak in protecting the pages but they offer a high level of convenience while you work on the pages.
Orientation
The way you draw something on the sketchbook is highly dependent on its orientation. Though the most common type in this category is the portrait sketchbook but there are several other options as well. If you draw elaborate things with details and want a concise sketchbook, you should go for landscape sketchbooks.
These sketchbooks are normally long enough but skinny when it comes to thickness. Square-shaped sketchbooks are also prevalent these days for specific purposes.
Number of pages and perforation
If you are in the mood to finish the sketchbook quickly due to any reason, you might get bored easily or something like that, you should go for one with fewer pages. Usually, the sketchbooks containing thicker pages have fewer of pages.
In the same way, you may want to buy a sketchbook with more pages then you should buy one with thin pages. It is not much of a serious issue but it is all up to your preference.
Some people use sketchbooks for purposes where they need to rip off the pages. They might need to hand over the page to someone or some other need like that. In that case, having a perforated sketchbook will be highly convenient. Those who are more into art never prefer this one, but some specific needs might make it worth the deal.
Price
Price is always the biggest component of our overall decision-making process. You have to consider that here as well. When you are going for the best-in-class sketchbook, you have to keep in mind that good quality paper costs money.
Unless you have real use of such papers, you can rely on the affordable ones. But at last, it is up to your comfort and preference. If you are happy with one option having a bit high price tag, you should go for that. Because it is not recommended to regret every day for saving a little money.
Final words
Artist sketchbook is something you can make on your own. There is a large number of DIY activities available on YouTube and other platforms on the internet. It is really a fun thing to do if you want to try it by yourself.
