Choosing a sketchbook can be tricky. If you are interested in a pretty cover, do not rush - after all, you need to be guided not only by personal preferences, but also by technical characteristics.
Muse is a wayward lady, she does not come strictly on schedule. Inspiration, a bright idea, a creative impulse - all this can cover the artist with his head at the most inopportune moment. Therefore, you should always have a sketch / sketch pad at hand, which is now increasingly called a sketchbook or sketchpad. However, going to the store for a purchase, you can get confused by the abundance of the goods presented. Grabbing the first specimen that comes across is a rash decision. It's better to think in advance about which sketchbook to buy based on key criteria.
Watercolor or graphics: evaluating the structure of the paper
You should not order your first sketchbook or notebook of a previously unknown company on the Internet. Despite the fact that prices for art goods in online stores may be lower and the choice is higher, with such a purchase there is no way to check the quality of the sheets. Behind a beautiful and bright cover, pages that are completely inappropriate for normal drawing can be hidden.
By its type, a sketchpad / sketchbook is a "travel" thing designed for quick sketches. Therefore, most often on sale you can find products with craft paper or very thin sheets that cannot withstand ink, the active use of an eraser, and watercolor painting. Such samples are suitable exclusively for pencil sketches and sketches made with a pen, liner (liner).
Drawing techniques, tools and materials are what you should be guided by when choosing a sketchbook. Separate models are available for watercolors with thick and textured paper. For graphics - notebooks with smooth and also fairly dense sheets. Markers have their own line of sketchbooks with pages that have a special impregnation that prevents ink from seeping and reveals the full potential of color.
Most often, there is a marking on a sketch pad for which materials the paper is intended for. This information must be studied and correlated with your needs.
Density of sheets
The second step when choosing a sketchbook conditionally follows from the first step. Different types of paper differ in weight. The denser the sheet, the more manipulations it can withstand.
Sheets with a density of 150 grams are universal. They are suitable for graphics, ink, pastel, gouache. Having got used to them, you can try to paint with watercolors, acrylics. However, in the case of watercolors, watercolor markers or pencils, you should be careful with the water, there should not be too much of it. Otherwise, even such paper will go in waves and distort the original color.
Sketchbooks with sheets of 100 grams are relevant for pencil sketches, including outside the home.
In other cases, as in the moment with the texture of the paper, you need to rely on the materials used in the work.
What about size?
Sketch pads are available in different sizes.
Very small ones - A5 or A6 format - are suitable for drawing postcards. They are easy and convenient to carry with you in a backpack or bag. It is the best choice for outdoor creativity.
To create an artbook and draw in a comfortable environment, it is better to purchase a standard size sketchpad - A4. It is not superfluous to consider options for a slightly larger format. In this case, the sketchbook can be either square or rectangular.
It is not recommended to use very large sketchbooks for sketches. This is likely to cause significant difficulties and inconveniences. Another negative point is that these sketchbooks are usually very heavy.
Cover and binding
The strongest and most durable are stitched or glued sketchbooks. They often have a hard cover, making drawing available in almost any setting. However, products of this kind are often quite expensive. An additional disadvantage is complex reversals. Expanding the full sketchpad can be problematic. This deprives the normal possibility of sketching some voluminous ideas, moving the plot of the drawing from one page to another.
Spiral sketchbooks are not suitable for everyone, especially if the spring is large and interferes with the drawing process. Such products usually have a soft outer cover and a rigid backing, and look like tablets. After searching, you can find an option that suits your needs. On sale there are models with springs both on the side and on top.
Final moment
No need to take thick sectbooks, even if you really want to save money. It is simply uncomfortable to draw in such notebooks. They are heavy and cumbersome, you don't want to take them with you to the open air or on a trip.
Fastening elastic band so that the sketchbook does not swing open, an internal ribbon in the form of a bookmark - such nice little things will make working with the notebook even more convenient.
Correctly and with soul, the chosen sketchbook will eventually become a faithful companion and assistant in the development of creative skills.
