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A sketchbook is the ultimate artist's companion. Like a close friend, you'll spend a lot of time with it and tell it your inner thoughts (through drawing, painting, and writing). Many artists will regularly fill their pads with a bevy of drawings. Some are so polished that their books feel like mobile art galleries. But, gorgeous spreads aren’t the point of keeping a sketchbook. These books are private places to record your doodles, ideations, and observations without the pressure of sharing them with the world. If you want to, that’s great—but first a foremost, a sketchbook should be a place just for you.
So, how do you go about picking the perfect sketchbook for you? Well, there are a few things you'll have to consider…
Photo: Stock Photos from Africa Studio/Shutterstock
Selecting the right sketchbook is a personal choice.
There are a few big considerations you need to take when buying a sketch pad.
1. The size that you like to work in. If you draw a lot, you’ll notice that there’s a scale at which you naturally sketch. Maybe it’s smaller than a quarter or you prefer to take up the entire page. Or, perhaps it’s somewhere in the middle. Take stock of this when selecting a sketchbook. If you like to draw big, make sure you pick something that can handle large art. With miniature drawings, you can opt for something much smaller in size.
2. Where will you be using this sketchbook? Another aspect to determine is where you intend to draw. For sketching at home, the size won’t matter as much—your book doesn’t have to travel. But if you intend to draw on the road, it’d be wise to select a scale that will fit comfortably in a backpack.
3. What media will you use? It’s important to decide what media you’ll use in your sketchbook because it will determine the type of paper that can best handle your art. For pencil and colored pencil, your doodles will be fine on thin 20-pound paper. Tools like watercolor paint, gouache paint, or markers are best used on thicker paper that can handle a lot of media and heavy saturation of materials.
Check out our comprehensive guide for an overview of the types of paper used for art.
Our Picks for the Best Sketchbooks
There are a lot of sketchbooks on the market that come in a variety of bindings and covers. The popular spiral-bound books allow you to lay them completely flat as you draw. Another binding style is called perfect bound, which makes your sketchbook look like a conventional book you'd find on a library shelf. In terms of cover choices, you can opt for inexpensive soft-cover sketch pads or splurge on a hardcover book that offers more durability.
Before you start to doodle, check out our list for top sketchbooks, below.
Sennelier 6″ x 4″ Urban Sketchbook
Sennelier | $15.92
Artists that love to draw on location will love this sketchbook by Sennelier. It features an accordian-fold design that offers eight panels per side for creatives to add their drawings and notes.
Pentalic 9″ x 6″ Nature Sketch Book
Pentalic | $14.75
Open the beautiful foil-stamped cover of this sketchbook by Pentalic and you'll find heavyweight, 211 gsm paper with a toothy, rough vellum surface that is ideal for both dry and wet media. In addition, a portion of every sale benefits the American Wildlife Foundation.
Prat 9-1/2” x 6-3/4” Flexbook Smartbook
Prat | $14.55
Each Flexbook Sketchbook by Prat features a colorful Fedrigoni eco-cover with a contrasting cloth spine, and 160 pages of 70 gsm Fabriano paper in a soft ivory color.
Hahnemühle 12″ x 8 1/2″ Tan Sketchbook
Hahnemühle | $21.18
The smooth, tan-toned paper of The Cappuccino Book by Hahnemühle provides an ideal surface for work with India ink, fountain pens, acrylic markers, and other water-based pens.
Alibabette Paris 8.25″ x 5.7″ Journal
Alibabette Paris Journals | $15.33
Sometimes sketchbooks themselves are works of art. Alibabette Paris Journals feature colorful covers and 240 blank pages of high-quality, 100 gsm ivory drawing paper. This exquisite Bodoni-style stitching allows the book to lie open completely flat as you draw, write, or collage.
Blackwing Palomino 8 1/2″ x 5″ Notebook
Blackwing | $24.95
If you're a fan of the popular Blackwing Palomino pencils, then maybe it's time to complete the set with a matching journal! The Palomino Notebook is available with blank or lined pages and features a durable, water-resistant cover and dual-sewn binding that allows the book to lie flat.
Shizen Faux Leather 8″ x 6″ Journal
Shizen Designs | $9.99
Take a break from the blank canvas with the inspiring colorful sketchbooks by Shizen Designs. These whimsical journals are bound in a soft faux leather cover and hold 180 pages of 80 gsm paper. Available colors include red, yellow, orange, black, and white.
Global Art 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ Hand Book Artist Journal
Global Art | $11.76
Global Art Hand Book Journals feature 128 heavyweight pages of 130 gsm and durable hardcovers wrapped in colorful book cloth. These hefty sketchbooks are available in a variety of sizes to suit your different creative projects.
Strathmore Series 400 9″ x 12″ Sketchbook
Strathmore | $8.34
This is the quintessential sketchpad, if you like to draw with dry media. Spiral bound with a soft cover, the 60-pound sheets of paper are perforated to allow you to tear out and frame later. With 100 sheets of paper at a low cost, this is a great sketchbook for keeping in your studio and drawing on every day.
Moleskine 11-3/4” x 8-1/4” Hardcover Sketchbook
Moleskin | $30.49
Moleskine is known for high-quality sketchbooks that artists love to use. This book features premium off-white paper that’s 111 lbs and suitable for all types of media. Additionally, Moleskine is great for traveling. It has interior pockets for loose papers and is secured with elastic closure band.
Cachet 5¼” x 8¼” Wirebound Sketchbook
Cachet | $19.20
Cachet wire-bound sketchbooks use a sturdy “split” binding that gives the user more room to draw. They include 80 sheets of 105 gsm paper and a convenient elastic book mark to keep your artwork secure.
Leda 7″ x 10″ Softbound Sketchbook
Leda Art Supply | $19.54
Leda has created a premium art journal that boasts 160 cream-colored pages. The smooth, thick paper is meant to handle pens, pencils, pastels, and more. Like Moleskine, it comes with an accordion back pocket and an elastic band to keep the pages together. There is a caveat, however. You'll want to look elsewhere if you're considering painting. “Leda isn't meant for heavy wet media,” the company notes. “Some users experiment with a light watercolor wash.” If you do this, the pages might warp.
Travelogue Drawing Book, Pocket Portrait 5-1/2 x 3-1/2, Cadmium Green Artist Journal
Speedball | $10.99
Speedball is known for its fantastic dip pens, so it's only fitting that their series of sketchbooks would be of the same quality. The Traveloque Drawing books include 128 pages of high-quality 130 gsm paper that is suitable for a variety of dry media, including pen and ink, charcoal, and markers.
Leuchtturm1917 A4 Sketchbook
Leuchtturm1917 | $36.50
All Leuchtturm1917 sketchbooks feature a durable hardcover and 96 pages of high-quality 150 gsm paper. In addition, they are thread-bound in such a way that they can lay flat while the user is sketching.
Fabriano 8 1/4″ x 11 3/4″ Hardcover Black Sketchbook
Fabriano | $24.70
The name Fabriano is synonymous with high-quality creative products. The Hardcover Black Sketchbook features 40 sheets of 190 gsm black paper which is ideal for work in pastel, colored pencil, acrylic paint, and collage.
Once you’ve filled up a sketchbook, don’t throw it away! Look at it later to inspire you in ways you didn’t expect.
This article has been edited and updated.
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