Sketchbooks and Paper

[Fraz]

Yo guys. I have bought 2 moleskines and have almost finished my second one. I totally love how smooth the pages are, and I like the offwhite colour. However, I feel that it is too small.
What kind of paper is really smooth?
I hate the weird bumpy paper, and I recently ordered one online as I thought it would be smooth.
So really what I am asking, is there any really smooth papered sketchbooks that are larger than 8.2" by 5.2"?
Thanks for any replies, and links would be awesome (preferably UK, however I am sure I can get other stuff shipped)

[karmiclychee]

Not really meant for sketchbooks, but the smoothest I've ever worked on is Bristol. It's smoooooooth.

If I'm not mistaken, what you should be looking at is something called tooth. Looking at the sketchbook next to me, though, the cover says nothing about it. If you can find it, you're probably looking for something with fine tooth.

The other thing is weight. I suspect that sketchbooks of higher weight (50 lb, 70 lb) will be rougher on the basis of thickness per sheet. My sketchbook does specify that its 50 lb, and the paper is has a slightly rough tooth.

I personally measure roughness in terms of how quickly it wears down my .5mm mechanical pencil.

[Grief]

Not really meant for sketchbooks, but the smoothest I've ever worked on is Bristol. It's smoooooooth.

If I'm not mistaken, what you should be looking at is something called tooth. Looking at the sketchbook next to me, though, the cover says nothing about it. If you can find it, you're probably looking for something with fine tooth.

The other thing is weight. I suspect that sketchbooks of higher weight (50 lb, 70 lb) will be rougher on the basis of thickness per sheet. My sketchbook does specify that its 50 lb, and the paper is has a slightly rough tooth.

I personally measure roughness in terms of how quickly it wears down my .5mm mechanical pencil.

yes, tooth is a general term for how fiberous the pulp is on the surface of the paper. however you are not entirely correct about higher weight papers having more tooth based on thickness. the finish of the paper is what you should be concerned with, as cold press papers will be more rough and hot press will be smooth. i can't think of any hotpress sketchbooks though... im sure theyre out there.

most of the time i use strathmore smooth) bristol 100lb (260g/m²) sketchpads (which are made for tearing out pages more than 'sketchbook' use). there are benfits and drawbacks to all papers and there is no one 'ultimate' universal paper that will work for all types of art.

depending on what tpye of tools you use the surface quality will either help or hinder your mark making.

smooth finish tends to take ink from pens well without bleeding. since the surface is so compact the tools will 'sit' on the surface and not 'dig in'. this makes erasing easy, but also it is more prone to streaking, and some inks can take longer to dry (since they aren't being soaked into the paper). wet mediums may tend to warp and buckle smooth papers depending on the weight and a few other factors.

check out the moleskine website.
http://www.moleskine.com/eng/_interni/catalogo/Cat_int/catalogo_notebooks.htm

they have alternate pads for different uses which are available in larger sizes. and if not you can always get a knock-off brand that looks the exact same and will carry the dimensions you want. there's really limitless choices for the exact sketchpad you want. go to a few arts & crafts stores, bookstores, university bookstores, art supply stores, etc and take a look firsthand.

sketchbooks are one of those things in life that i have to buy personally, as there are too many small factors which only another really anal artist would understand.

take a look through the lists of sketchbooks & pads from these art suppliers:
http://www.dickblick.com/categories/sketchpads/
http://www.danielsmith.com/subcat~cat~450213.asp
http://www.utrechtart.com/Paper-Boards/Drawing-Sketch-Paper/Artist_Journals_Notebooks.cfm
http://www.utrechtart.com/Paper-Boards/Drawing-Sketch-Paper/Artist_Sketchbooks.cfm

goodluck

[rpace]

You could also find the sort of paper you like and make your own sketchbook. 1-ply Strathmore plate finish bristol is a nice, smooth and light paper sold in 23x29" sheets. Each sheet would give you 8 page signatures (16 using both sides), so 10 sheets of the stuff would give you guts of a 160 page book with the highest quality paper. Though you'd have to do the folding, stitching, cropping, gluing and cover work all yourself, which would be a larger investment in time and money than many are prepared to make.

You could also just make a big pile of floppy 16 page sketchbooks and carry one within a rigid carry folder.

Lots of options, really.

~R

[Fraz]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I will try to buy sketchbooks in person from now on. Cheers!

[armando]

These have a similar look and feel to a moleskine, I prefer them actually: http://www.dickblick.com/products/cachet-classic-ecru-wirebound-sketchbooks/

[Viridis]

Hm. I just use super-cheap hardback sketchbooks at 9x12" size that you can find in the Borders discount area for about $5 each. The paper is basically the same as copy paper, perhaps slightly better quality. But then, it's a sketchbook, so I'm not terribly concerned about quality paper anyway. O_o