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

Very sturdy and good Looking . There are versions that have a pen/pencil holder that one might consider more useful but I enjoy this version for its size and feel when keeping notes.

I own one already and bought another as a gift. Great price for a sketchbook and good, quality paper.

Great

Pages are good quality but cover is rough and not as good. Size was a little off of what my previous 11x14 in Strathmore sketch book was.

I was loathe to return this, but I had to because I personally couldnt carry it to travel. IF you are looking for a large format sketchbook; however, give this a try! Its binding is good -- the corners didnt even bend in shipping which is common for hardback books from Amazon. The paper is sweet! Its thick and would handle a variety of media. I think any artist would love it as a gift, especially if they like to sketch large!

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.

The journal itself is heavy, durable and even though the cover is plain it’s still nice. The paper is thick and feels sturdy however, this paper mulches with any application of watercolors, neocolor ii crayons, Tombow markers and/or gouache. Any serious medium that requires water and more than one stroke to lay down color ... it will mulch. Even when starting with acrylics and then layering with water solubles - mulches. When creating whimsical portraits a mulchy patchy blotchy face, is not whimsical.

I am using this for a year long on-line art journaling class. The paper responds well to many different mediums. I love this and will certainly purchase this product again.

This book is huge. I purchased this size because of Karen Campbell, Artist. I have other sized Strathmore Journals - it is a joy working in them. This size will be a challenge for me - lets see if it will become a favourite as well.

I’ve been watercolor journaling / mixed media journaling for 5 years , and this is my favorite sketchbook i’ve used so far. I don’t think I’ll buy cheaper ones or lower quality paper after using this. The binding is a little stiff at first, but it will become flexible. I used both sides of each paper and got no bleeding between them, and little buckling while painting even with a lot of water. :)