I have mentioned the Pen & Ink Sketchbooks from Art Alternatives many times on this blog. Their pocket size sketchbook with the heavyweight paper is the closest alternative I’ve found to a Moleskine Sketchbook, for those who prefer creamy smooth paper, as opposed to the brighter white, toothier paper found in many other competitors’ pocket … Continue reading Art Alternatives Pen & Ink Sketchbooks: They’ve Changed!
The Sketch & Draw notebook is another Art Alternatives product that I picked up at Blick. These are inexpensive sketchbooks with toothier paper, similar to what’s found in the Hahnemuhle and HandBook sketchbooks, but not quite as thick. The first thing that really sticks out about this brand is the placement of the elastic closure, … Continue reading Review: Sketch & Draw Sketchbook
I think I first came across this notebook on the Blick website. It comes in several sizes, and I was excited to see that one of them was 3.5 x 5.5″, a rare size for sketchbooks. I went to the Blick retail store in Manhattan to see if I could check one out in person, … Continue reading Review and Giveaway: Canson XL Mix Media Sketchbook
Time for another look through the mailbag! From BMT: This might come under the “fell off the face of the Earth” dept. In the early sixties, possibly 1960 or 1961 a loose leaf company (Mead?) marketed a failed loose leaf product named “Nifty.” Instead of the conventional rings on the left side, it flipped up … Continue reading From Our Readers
I’m a big fan of the Hand Book Journals, so I was excited to see that Blick has 3-packs at a great price, 53% off the suggested retail. Unfortunately it’s only for the large size, and only in black… but if you use them, it’s a good chance to grab a few! Hand Book Artist … Continue reading Hand Book Journal Value Packs
For those who were wondering about the very large and very small notebooks featured recently in readers’ collections, here you go! The humongous sketchbook is available at Amazon here: Sketches in the Making Giant Hardcover Sketch Book and was previously available at Blick with the image and description below (the dust jacket is removable, with … Continue reading Followup on Giant Sketchbook and Tiny Notebook