My (Empty) Sketchbooks
Posted on August 20, 2024 by Aywren
I wrote a post about the small daily sketchbook where I practice my traditional media work. But, in a fit of inspiration, I also went out and picked up other sketchbooks of different sizes and makes. These are primarily empty, but I wanted to talk about them because it’s a fun to think ahead on what you can use empty sketchbooks for!
Canson XL Mix Media Pad
I’ve used the Canson Mix Media pads for years, especially for things like Inktober/Elftober art challenges. While the pad says it’s XL, it’s actually a medium size, and perfect for art that you want to fit on a typical flatbed scanner.
It also works well for both inks and markers – as I’ve gone back and colored some of my Elftober art with markers this year for the practice of it.
I’m not sure if I’ll be doing Elftober this year, but if I do, I have one of these on hand for this very thing!
Mixed Media Sketch Pad - 9 x 12 inches
I don’t know if these Mixed Media sketch pads have a specific brand attached to them, but I bought a 2-pack back when I was first experimenting with my water-based marker set in 2022. While I did use some of the paper in one of the sketchbooks – and it worked just fine with both ink and water color – I still have a lot left over due to this being a two-pack.
I have to say that these sketch pads are BIG! Almost to the point of being a bit unwieldy. While the pages are easy to tear out of the book, there’s no way you’re fitting this paper on a flatbed scanner unless you trim it. On the other hand, this gives plenty of room to art around, which is nice for people like me who tend to draw on the larger scale.
Artist’s Loft Hardcover Sketchbook
We just got a new Michael’s in our town, so I went sketchbook shopping for the heck of it one day. Their generic brand seems to be something called “Artist’s Loft.” While I don’t know much about this brand, I did want a good-sized hardcover sketchbook to graduate up to once I’ve completed the smaller sketchbook I’m using now.
I chose this sketchbook in a lovely blue, though there are many different colors to pick from. While I can’t speak for the quality as I haven’t tried it yet, there were LOTS of this particular sketchbook on display for a decent price. It does have good reviews, so maybe there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to trying mixed media with it.
Silver Wire-bound Sketchbook
I can’t remember the brand for this sketchbook – it might have also been an Artist’s Loft – but I also bought it on my Michale’s outing that day. I didn’t really need yet another sketchbook, but this one was very interesting, and there were only a few left.
Not only is it wirebound, but the silvery cover has a rough sort of fake-alligator skin texturing on it that caught my attention. It’s a good hefty size, so not something you’d carry around for daily sketches. Again, I haven’t tried it out yet, so I can’t vouch for how it holds up to mixed medias, but it does allow you to pull out the pages if you want.
Bonus: My Finished Art Portfolio
How do I store my finished traditional media pieces? I picked up this very nice Dunwell Art Portfolio!
Being a 9 x 12 size, it can handle the pages from the largest sketchbooks that I talked about above. I mostly use it to store unfinished inks that I might one day color and finished marker pieces. Have some of my FFXIV art below!
