Sorry, But I Hate This Sketchbook

Judith

I remember buying my first sketchbook. I stood in the “Art Supplies” aisle at Wal-Mart, feeling so out of place. I didn’t belong there! I wasn’t an artist. I was a “beginning art student”, at best. Earlier that day I’d downloaded Kate Berry’s book “Drawing Lessons for Beginner Artists” and I think somewhere she mentioned having a sketchbook, so there I was, looking for one.

But, why? Seriously, I was never really going to be able to learn to draw, and do you know how much a real sketchbook is? This was nine years ago, and I don’t remember the price I paid for my first Strathmore Sketchbook, a 5.5 x 8.5 size. I just remember thinking how silly it was for me to spend the money on something that I might use for a few days and then discard.

I’m now quite at home in art aisles and art stores, and I have quite a collection of those Strathmore sketchbooks, going all the way back to June 2015. Over the years I’ve bought bigger sketchbooks, mixed media sketchbooks, gray-toned sketchbooks. I have a lot.

And, sorry to say, I have one particular sketchbook that I just don’t like. I purchased it recently — at Wal-Mart — having decided to get back to my art work and “re-learn” to draw. It’s a good sketchbook, made by Koh-I-Noor, a popular art brand.

I didn’t purchase my usual “Strathmore” sketchbook because there weren’t any available at Walmart on that particular day. The Koh-I-Noor is the same size, the same paper quality, so what’s the difference?

In this case, the difference is a “custom feature” that I just don’t care for. I should have paid more attention, really, but the sketchbook I bought has “In & Out Pages”, meaning the pages can be easily removed without tearing. For some artists, that’s probably a great feature. For me, nope, I don’t like it.

I don’t like it because the pages are always coming loose when I don’t want them to! Every time I open or close the sketchbook, I have pages wanting to come out. And the more often I open and close the sketchbook, the looser all those pages become.

Koh-I-Noor makes other sketchbooks that don’t have this “In & Out Pages” feature, so if I were to buy another of this brand, I’d definitely read the cover more carefully to see what I’m getting.

Why not just get what I really want, though? I browsed at Amazon, found exactly what I love — my familiar Strathmore Sketchbook — and a new one will be delivered to me later today, along with a few other art supplies I bought. Hey, I’m a sucker for “Add another $19.01 and get same-day delivery”.

Anyway, no offense to Koh-I-Noor. It’s a great brand. But just a note to other artists who may not want easily-removable pages in their sketchbooks. It’s a great feature for those who want it. It’s not so great for those of us who don’t.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SKETCHBOOK?

19 Comments

  1. The fad for “sharing” sketchbook contents on social media probably began because Cal Arts required applicants to show both a portfolio and a sketchbook in the admission process. That “sketchbook” had to contain specific types of art, such as life studies and several other categories. It was meant to be shown as a proof of work habits as well as talent.

    But this has completely changed the traditional sketchbook as a way to build skills and try out ideas for the works that might be shown to the public. The sketchbooks of famous artists are full of false starts and value studies and rejected ideas and field notes and thumbnails that show many attempts to solve problems of composition and value and color — without wasting archival (and expensive) paper.

    The pressure to fill the sketchbook is good as motivation for daily drawing, but the book was traditionally private, like a journal or diary.

    I suppose that the tear-out feature does allow you to scan your work to a computer for final adjustments. Or to tear up the duds…. but if it’s a fall-out feature, thanks for the warning!

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    1. I don’t like this “feature” at all. The pages don’t completely fall out, but they’re loose. They start slipping out, and it’s just overall annoying for me. For me, my sketchbooks are collections of things I’m learning, trying, doing, and they are a bit private. I do share pages from my sketchbooks here on the blog, but what I mean is that I don’t use the sketchbook to draw something meant to be a “finished drawing” — it’s more like a practice book. And it is a diary, too. It’s a memory book of my art journey. So, I have another Strathmore sketchbook now, and I’m still using the Koh-I-Noor for my “shapes and forms” project, but I will never buy another sketchbook like it again.

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  2. Wow! That does sound like a feature designed for those who really want it, not necessarily everyone.
    (Sketchbooks intimidate me – I stopped using them a long tine ago but they always seem like such a good idea for practicing skills & testing concepts. Maybe I’ll try again.) 🙂

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      4. Thank you for asking! Two posts up, started 3/13. Lots of catching up to do! Wait – you changed your name? Will look soon. 🙃

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    2. I was SO intimidated when I bought my first sketchbook LOL. But it is just for practice, and it is personal and private, so yes, buy a sketchbook and be sure to date it! I try to date almost every page. It’s so much fun to pick up old sketchbooks and look back through the pages/years. I can remember doing all of those little sketches, and exercises, and gesture drawings, and whatever! I love my old sketchbooks.

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