Sketchbook

The paper quality in this sketchbook is brilliant — thick, smooth, and perfect for pencils, pens, and light watercolours. It doesn’t bleed through or wrinkle easily, which makes it ideal for experimenting. I love the sturdy cover and elastic band; it feels like a proper notebook you’d want to carry around and actually use. There’s also a ribbon marker to keep your place. It’s the sort of sketchbook that makes you want to draw more often. Even a quick doodle feels like it deserves to be kept.

Using this for sketching when out & about: it is the perfect size - a one page rectangle either portrait or landscape, or a two page spread almost square. The pages fold out flat so you can draw a double page. Paper is perfect - slightly off-white with a very light grain. This makes it perfect for all media (eg pencil - not softer than 2B as in transit you might get smudging if you handle carelessly - pen & ink - I like a dip pen Tashikawa G nip & Pelikan Tuche A inks, also have used a fountain pen with non-waterproof ink). The paper is heavyweight enough to use watercolour too - not really for super-flooded effects needing 300gsm true watercolour paper. Combines well with the Pentel Aqwash brushes for super-portability (I recommend the Schminke Horodam 12 colour box - top quality). With watercolour the paper crinkles a little but flattens gradually when the book is closed. This is much better than the smaller version Moleskine whose paper is too thin. Elastic holds the book closed well - I sometimes add my own thick elastic band if it is going to be treated roughly when travelling. Don't forget to scan & save your work from time to time - imagine the tragedy of losing a Moleskine full of work! There are plenty of pages - but not so many that you have a massive number of drawings (to potentially lose) in each book. Finally - the price is right! Overall PERFECT - I can't imagine anything better.

Throughout my student art days I've owned many sketchbooks of various sizes and quality (Usually bought based on the amount of pages and the price). This is my first Moleskine. I bought this Moleskine to try and get me back into the habit of sketching and drawing, and away from the computer screen. It's a lovely sketchbook, it's a perfect size to slip in a bag or big pocket. The cover is sturdy and has so far stopped any damage to the pages within. Inside the pages are a slightly creamy colour which took me a couple of minutes to get used to. But I don't notice anymore. The paper stock is pleasingly heavy and I have yet to experience any bleed through - even after using marker pens. I'm sure the pages will hold up to paint as well. The pages are bound so they lie flat while you work. I love this feature (I used to prefer spiral bindings). The binding saves you from breaking the spine by folding the pages the wrong way or by placing a heavy object on the corner of the page to keep the pages flat. It also enables your work to flow right to the spine. The sketchbook has a useful pouch on the back cover which I sometimes use to hold collected ephemera. There's also a useful band to hold the covers shut and a bookmark ribbon to mark your page - which I must admit I don't really use. I guess the only negative I can think of is the price, but it's a classy, high quality sketchbook. I'm no longer as prolific when it comes to churning out pages and pages of sketchbook work so I feel it will last me a while and the fact that it's got me sketching again is priceless.

Awesome sketch book I have purchased several and they never disappoint

This sketchbook is designed with the traveller in mind: hard, durable covers held shut with a ribbon of elastic, contains plenty of heavy weight, durable paper, and a handy fold-out pocket in the back for loose paper paraphernalia. The size won't hog too much bag space and could probably fit inside a coat pocket. In any event it isn't too cumbersome to carry about in the hand. A thing I would say is the paper is exceptionally smooth, having little tooth, and proves to have a slightly resistive quality with certain media. It's fabulous to work on with inks, felt pens etc., not so easy with water-based paints and some pencils - if you prefer these to inkwork then I would suggest looking at other books, for example the Moleskine watercolour sketchbook, or one with toothier cartridge paper. Another thing is if your book isn't going to travel and what you want is purely a sketch book then possibly you'll need a larger format, A4 or more. The recommended retail price is quite expensive for a sketchbook of this size but at around half-price with Amazon discount they become excellent value for money.

Was a second thought when purchasing but honestly this is amazing I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go to another journal again. The paper quality is fabulous and it’s such a perfect size with a luxurious feel. I recommend highly

Love it , very good product , easy to work with and draw , great outcomes

Having filled over three dozen of these over the years this is by some distance my favourite sketchbook. It is small enough to fit into a large jacket pocket, or a small bag, has hard durable covers, an elastic band to keep it closed and a bookmark ribbon. The lightly buff coloured pages are perfect for pencil sketching, my preferred medium, or any dry medium and can take a brush pen line but are too thin for watercolour. Page binding his also very durable but if I have one criticism, it is that the pages do not lie completely flat when scanning and must be weighed down with a heavy book or other object. For any medium, including watercolour and for bound pages that do lie completely flat, I would recommend the Pith brand but the equivalent size sketchbook appears in short supply and is impossible to find. So, Pith for A4, Moleskine for A5 and smaller.

Papier épais qui supporte bien les feutres et l’encre, couverture rigide élégante, et la qualité Moleskine est toujours au rendez-vous. Parfait pour les croquis, lettrages ou projets créatifs.

Wat een genot om op dit papier te tekenen. Zo “smooth” en soepel gaat je stift erover. Kleuren komen prachtig uit op dit papier.

Sulu boya ve marker kalemler için pek uygun değil. Kuru boyalar için mükemmel. Sayfaların ipek gibi bir dokusu var ve rengi beyaz değil, daha doğal görünümlü krem gibi..

First: If you experience paper turning white when erasing, you need a better eraser. I use Staedtler Mars plastic erasers and Sanford design or Prismacolor kneaded erasers. From my experience, the kneaded erasers work best. I am an illustrator, so sketching is a daily need for me. I always battled with sketchbooks because they felt as sturdy as napkins and just as useless when it comes to archiving. Even the heavy grade more expensive ones felt either TOO thick and textured for graphite and ink or just flimsy and overpriced. I had to use bristol board notebooks for a long time (which was expensive) because I just could not find the right balance. All I have to say it - holy cow, this is THE BEST sketchbook I have ever owned. The paper is thick, poster like (very close to thin bristol board actually) and a very soft beige color. It is, thank God, untextured - very smooth yet holds on to ink perfectly. The thickness allows you to use soft traces of watercolor and diluted ink without a lot of bending. (If you want to go heavier with liquids I suggest you purchase the Moleskine Watercolor Notebook. The pages are just large enough to give you good room yet small enough so the book is portable. The book bends far enough past the first 2 pages so you can actually draw across the pages. I use my book front to back not leaving one sheet uncovered and can draw horizontal landscapes thanks to the ability to use 2 pages at once. There is a small pocket on the back to store small sheets of paper and random things you might find while wandering the streets looking for inspiration. The hard cover is very thick and sturdy plus it has so many pages for this low low price. You can't beat it. My only regret is not having owned one sooner! I will never go back to other brands. Now if only they made larger sizes... :) Edit: January 2014 - Yes, the Folio series was released after this review was written, providing larger format sketchbooks. HOWEVER the paper quality is NOT the same. The pages are much thinner, and the color is different. More of a light, minty color as the classic sketchbooks are a warm beige.

Good