Strathmore 566-5 500 Series Hardbound Mixed Media Art Journal, 5.5 x 8.5, White, 32 Count

All around, this is a good art book. I have only two complaints: (a) it doesnt lay flat, and (b) the paper is a bit more textured that I would like. Otherwise, its great for pen work (no bleed through).

I ordered this sketchbook from Amazon because it was much cheaper here than buying locally in Sydney. However, Amazon really messed it up by putting it into a bubble-lined envelope too thin for its weight and shipped it half way across the world. Needless to say, it arrived in a tattered yellow satchel, torn and taped back by Australia Post, with all four corners of the book crushed. Apart from being in such a sorry state, I was quite delighted at the quality of the sketchbook. The surface is slightly rough but pretty and it smells quite woody, for the lack of better words. There are roughly 64 pages, doubling up to meet the 128 pages using both sides of a sheet. To get it to lay flat, I just fold it backward. The stitching is strong so there shouldnt be a problem bending it this way. So in conclusion, apart from having to glue and fix the corners, the sketchbook is a joy to use. Surprisingly enough, my soft cover arrived later without any damage. Could it be that soft covers are handled more gently than hardcover books during shipment? We might never know. Recommended, but please support your local art stores whenever possible.

Great little notebook. the pages are good quality and Ive been able to use watercolor on both front and back without much wrinkling. Im using this more as a journal/art notebook, so I havent used any really wet washes and dont know how it would hold up to that, but so far Ive really like this notebook.

I bought this journal at full price at Michaels and spent a bit more than on Amazon. The paper is a nice heavy weight and works well with watercolor or most markers. Copic markers do bleed through but not terribly, and if I had been careful with my pages instead of blending with abandon, they might have been ok. It seems a bit toothy to me for colored pencil unless you lay down heavy layers of wax. However, I do find it very difficult to get soft pencil marks off the tooth of the paper which seems to get an indentation quite easily so that even if I do manage to remove the graphite, watercolor paint will settle in the lines. The pages open very flat to work on, however, the book has a tendency to want to flap open after it has been used. The soft cover has a nice texture reminiscent of suede, in a deep chocolate chip brown. I dogeared the lower right corner within days of starting to use it. The cover does an indentation line from working in it, about 1/3 inch from the binding that wasnt there when I started. I actually bought a duplicate journal because I really enjoy the format of this one for a variety of color and ink applications.

Very nice, covered with a beautiful faux leather.

I absolutely love the feel of the paper and the hardback. This is great for sketches, and the texture is great for multiple media types. I keep this close by, and sketch in it whenever I can. I cant wait to fill it up! Its really a good product, and I will probably buy another when I have finished with this one.

Pages are textured and thick. I will definitely buy another one when I fill up my current one. Pages will warp slightly when I use watercolor, but not a big deal.

Looks like a nice quality journal. A bit stiff to open pages, so will have to hold pages open with binder clips (as I saw done on a watercolor video using this product). Spiral binding would lay pages flatter. The main negative has to do with the sender: whoever packed it, along with the other item received, had sent one that was stepped on, leaving a dirty boot print and other marks on both sides of the cover. Should still serve my purpose to practice watercolors, so I will keep it.

Fantastic cover and wonderful colored paper. Great tone for white highlights. I carry this with me everywhere. Paper quality is good but heavy inks and marker will bleed through.

En relación al precio, es un buen producto para hacer bocetos rápidos. Si lo quieres para trabajos más definidos, al menos en el que me ha tocado a mi, hay muchas irregularidades en el papel. Imposible trabajar bien con el. De forma continua, el papel rechaza el pigmento, dejando manchas blancas no deseadas. Una pena porque el grosor del papel es perfecto.