Favorite sketchbook?

[freda]

I'm not sure if this is in the right place, but I was just curious about what type of sketchbook people prefer to sketch in. :D

I've just been using Strathmore spiral bound drawing sketchbooks, but I kind of want something different.
I had a hardbound unlined sketchbook a while back, but it doesn't feel right. The crevase between each page is just way too huge, and you can't draw easily on one side or the other without the pages on the opposite side flipping up on you.

So I guess I'm also asking, any suggestions for non-wire bound sketchbooks? :)

[Noah Bradley]

The cheap kind.

[Quasi-almost]

The free kind.





(Looking to buy free sketchbooks by the way)

[freda]

Haha I should've known :D

My dad used to teach screenprinting/graphic design, so I would always steal all the free paper in his classroom. Unfortunately I'm living on my own now haha

Speaking of cheap things, I don't know if this website is well known or anything or if it's against the TOS to post links, but I was searching for cheap art supplies and www.jerrysartarama.com has very cheap stuff. Most of it is 50% or more off list price or the price you'd find it at a store.
(sorry if you're not supposed to link to online vendors or anything, I'm new here and still learning lol)

[•Lindsay•]

The thing that makes pages lie flat on some sketchbooks is the binding, and good binding is expensive. That's why so many sketchbooks are spiral bound. Moleskines lie flat, and so do some of their cheaper imitations.

[Xeon_OND]

The free kind.
(Looking to buy free sketchbooks by the way)
LOL, what a badass and funny reply!!!!!!!! :teeth:

I'm currently drawing on recycled A4-size computer printing paper, which I "got" from my company. Now, that's cheap. :D

[Ninjerk]

Haha I should've known :D

My dad used to teach screenprinting/graphic design, so I would always steal all the free paper in his classroom. Unfortunately I'm living on my own now haha

Speaking of cheap things, I don't know if this website is well known or anything or if it's against the TOS to post links, but I was searching for cheap art supplies and www.jerrysartarama.com has very cheap stuff. Most of it is 50% or more off list price or the price you'd find it at a store.
(sorry if you're not supposed to link to online vendors or anything, I'm new here and still learning lol)

dickblick.com and cheap joe's art supplies are good online retailers too. Their prices are the same most of the time, but on occasion one will have what you're looking for significantly cheaper than the others.

[nicehighs]

piccadilly sketchbooks are my fave.

[eminkey2003]

My favorite are Canson's newsprint books:
http://www.danielsmith.com/ProductImages/Large/p25433b.jpg

I've bought them for $2 each, but I don't know if the price has changed. The have 100 sheets, and they don't tear out as easily as other newsprint books I've gotten (staples sells cheap ones, $5 for a 3-pack, but the pages fall out all the time).

I also like Strathmore's newsprint books-- they're about the same price, but have half the sheets. I don't think the pages have ever fallen out.

I can't really recommend white-page books, but I use the Mead Academié brand spiral books you can get at CVS or the supermarket. I used to use Strathmore, but those were too expensive for what I wanted.

I also buy unlined writing pads you can buy at CVS or Rite-aid, etc. The paper is white, and it doesn't fall out easily. I buy the 6 x 9" kind.

If you're doing cheap sketches, all you need is a cheap book.

[Spirit]

I usually buy the same sketchbook from an arts and crafts shop, as its the perfect size for me to work in, and it's cheap. Although earlier this week I bought a new sketchbook from Weberleys, I took about half an hour deciding which one to get as there was so many to choose from. I ended up buying a hardback, square sketchbook which is 10"x10", it wasn't cheap, but it was a fair price, as it is a fairly thick sketchbook as well (it was double the thickness of all the other sketchbooks there) so it should last a while. I haven't had a chance to give it a proper test run yet, but I've done a few value tests on the first page and the paper is a very good quality, a lot tougher and more durable than the cheaper sketchbook, the grain/tooth of the paper is a lot finer too, allowing for more detail.