Strathmore 460-55 400 Series Visual Watercolor Journal, 140 LB Cold Press, 5.5x8, 22 Sheets , White

I usually go for Bees or Arches, but for throwing this in the backpack for a weekend or week, it’s the perfect size. I just clip my travel watercolor palette onto the opposite side, landscape or portrait, very convenient for outdoors. I’m hooked on it !

I was expecting for this to be a bit better quality watercolor paper, but it is just ok. Would be fine for practice or for student work. I do love the size of the notebook...easy to have around for quick work on the go.

The smooth paper works great for Prismacolor Premium colored pencils as well as Crayola colored pencils. Both of these pencils are wax. The smooth paper has no tooth, so I used less layers and less colors. I blended the top layer with a Prismacolor colorless blending pencil and that tied all the colors together. I love the size. I also drew a design with my .01 Micron pen and colored it in. This journal is great for using colored pencils with pens.

If you like doing pages with depth I recommend getting this and some of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0748DD2B2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And replace the binding.

This lovely smooth paper is great for all my mix media including markers.

I like these for my on the go bag. Great size and good quality.

Not what I expected. Thought the pages would be thicker and strong enough to take watercolor

For students and aspiring artists of all ages, I absolutely recommend this sketchbook. The first thing I appreciate is the cover. If youve ever had flimsy sketchbook covers, then you know that the back cover wears down quickly allowing the sketchbook to bend while youre drawing. The Visual Journal title page is printed on a piece of paper that rips off to reveal two strong covers (front and back). No bending here! The wire coils are sturdy and havent bent yet- even after being crammed in my backpack. Each sheet of paper includes a more cold press tooth on the front and a smoother surface on the back. I usually draw on the front of the page, which holds graphite well and resists smearing. Ive also used charcoal, but havent experimented with wet media or ink yet. I will update my review when I do. All in all- a wonderful sketchbook for a great price!

Beautiful heavy paper for my water color journal.

This item was different than expected.