This is my current sketchbook and I'm really enjoying it. My washes don't tend to be as wet as yours so I suppose I haven't run into uneven washes really, or at least no more so than my other journals. I of course wish it was cotton, but I'll take that it's textured on both sides and be happy with that 😁 thanks for your thoughts on it!
I'm in Germany and I use them in two sizes A5 Landscape and portrait and A6 Landscape and portrait. They are my favourites because the outside is very solid (and nice too) so I can put them into my bag between other things and they do not get crushed. Great idea to use the clips on the sides to keep it really flat! The elastic band on my books has not losened yet, and I have mine quite a while. Thanks Teoh for the great videos!
I have both the Global Art Materials and the Hahnemuhle sketchbooks (in different sizes), and I experience a HUGE difference in the quality of the paper! My Global Art Materials performs so poorly that I use it as a "messy" sketchbook; I can't get gradual washes for the life of me. On the other hand, the Hahnemuhle is so nice that I'm kind of afraid to work in it (I'm a beginner). Now, I have never used 100% cotton paper, but compared to the Global Art Materials or the Moleskine options, the Hahnemuhle is definitely superior, in my opinion.
I bought this sketchbook recently and I hate it. The watercolour just does not behave. It drinks up my washes like it's drier than the Gobi Desert. The tiniest amount of bead on a wash and it dries with hard edges. It just does not behave. The best I can get out of it is pen and ink sketches combined with watercolour, as the cover slip suggests.
I think you hit the nail on the head with this review. Decent book, but nothing too special. What would you recommend for more wet on wet? I can't find a sketchbook that lets me use more of that style.
For wet on wet, usually 100% cotton watercolor paper work better, but there aren't many such sketchbooks around. The only one I know is the Khadi Papers sketchbook th-cam.com/video/eFUXYQ9AIOc/w-d-xo.html
I use this sketchbook at the moment in two formats, A6 landscape and A5 portrait and I actually really like these for both watercolour and gouache. Neither too much nor too little texture, and I really like how the colours look on it. Sure, it buckles, but I've only had problems with pooling when I did wet in wet. For that it's really not ideal. I don't really do much of that though, so I don't mind. It's actually the cheapest sketchbook I can find here in Spain, so that's a plus! I already filled one A6 sketchbook and immediately bought another because I liked working in it so much! So far I haven't had a single Hahnemühle paper I didn't like. I just finished a pad of rough mouldmade paper, which was just such fun for textures and I'm starting a Bamboo pad that doesn't seem to buckle much at all and is really smooth. By the way I just ordered a Khadi sketchbook after I saw it in one of your blog posts. Way more expensive, but I'm sure it will be worth it!
I have two Hahnemuhle Sketchbooks and I love them but to be honest I use them mainly with gouache which works beautifully. The watercolour doesn't work that well especially in washes unless you use watercolours with not too much water. As you have said, the ultra marine granulates nicely. Cerulean also granulates with some great results especially mixed with yellow and permanent rose. Great review as usual.
Thank you so much!!! Blick art materials is having a sell on these for 30% off and I’m just starting but I love watercolor and I alright bought some multi media sketch books but I love the designs and looks of the book so thank you for reviewing so much, this is very helpful and informative
Great review, its interesting to me that you find it similar to Stillman&Birn Beta, I don’t know if its just me but I just started one of these and I’ve noticed this one takes a looooooot more time for the washes to dry, which isn’t bad as sometimes I complain that my Stillman&Birn ones dry just too quickly. I’ve also noticed that think paint takes an extremely long time to dry, like, 30mins or more.... could it be the tropical climate I’m in...? Otherwise I am extremely happy because the slower drying time lets me play a lot more with wet in wet, its just not ideal for quick sketches.
I'm using it for most of watercolor works and I really like it. At first I choose it because it was the most convenient option, where I live you can only find the Moleskine sketchbook and this one, but the Moleskine is too expensive for me to paint casually in it. I'm really happy with this sketchbook and I don't have any problems to get the results I want.
I really like this sketchbook. I bought one recently and i can say it’s worth the money. At first i was afraid it would buckle, but it actually holds up quite well. The colors are vibrant and because i mostly like to work with flat washes and layers it’s perfect for my style. So far my only problem was that i couldn’t really get a smooth gradient from vibrant color to transparent (but maybe that’s just me). Anyway i still love it and i think i’ll make this my daily go to.✌🏻 (Also thx for your review, it was very well done and had all the info i needed).
Hi Teoh, I used this sketchbook and I like it. I used it for quick sketches and not wet in wet so I can't tell you about that but overall it's a very nice book and I'll probably buy it again. Thanks for the review 😊
I just picked up this sketchbook and four of their grey books (primarily charcoal artist). I haven’t tried the watercolor one yet but absolutely love the grey books!!
I would say the difference in quality between the global arts handbook travelogue and the stillman and birn is vast. The stillman and birn you can layer on and everything looks nice and vibrant. They're awesome for illustrations. The handbook co one (watercolor) is the exact opposite. I do love handbook co.'s reg colorful sketchbooks though that aren't meant for watercolor (even for light watercolor ) they're awesome! I ordered one of these sketchbooks as my everyday sketchbook journal and I have an etchr for my more finished stuff. I always appreciate your opinions though
Big difference between the Hahnemuhle and the Global Arts is the paper color, right? The Hahnemuhle is white, while the Global Arts, (or handbook as it's called here in the United States) is creme, which as always bummed me out about the Global Arts book, (although the small size has been my go-to pocket journal for years).
I absolutely love Hahnemule it's one of my favourite brands of paper, I order online and have it shipped to Canada, I compare their 100% cotton paper to arches, although I do not own their sketchbook and am not sure if it's the same paper. Thank you for this review!
Hahnemühle has great paper, because you get their products everywhere in Germany, i mostly use them 😃. Next to the watercolor book i also like the nostalgie and the grey book, both very nice for pencil and coloured pencil. :)
Hello. I bought one a6 portrait sketch book of this brand, and to me it is quite ok. I tend to prefer fabriano's, both are about the same price, and I have less of this patchy watercolor issue on it. At list on the hanamule, you have a really nice cover that looks stronger and an elastic band to get your pages tight. Thanks for your review. Hooo you did twice the sketch of the church in your sketch book, and they look almost identical. When I first saw it, I thought I had a problem with my eyes. Incredible.
Just a question, it's the paper is quite similar at the Hannemule anniversary paper bloc ? It's a Nice and beautiful review and the ultramarine blue granulation is an insane beauty !
I bought this sketchbook last year. Still haven't finished it. I got annoyed how quick I got backruns. Colors are vivid though and I really like the paper for ink drawings and gouache. So I will be filling it up eventually. Do like the sturdy build of this sketchbook and the good elasticband. Maybe I give watercolor another try. Am using glazing a lot lately and it sounds like that is more it's thing. Thanks for this wonderful review! Enjoyed it very much. Love your loose style!
Hello Teoh, you gave to me the watercolours virus ;-), just to let you know that by hasard that note book "Hahnemuhle", I found this brand today in my local artistic seller and it look very good product and quality. I bought also my first set of 24 watercoulour a brand I don't know "Wingo". I'll see what happen soon when I'll starting to paint with. Anyway just to say thank you for your all watercolour review and obviously your passion that you shared!
This is currently my only alternative for a sketchbook for watercolors where I live after they stopped stocking my preferred brand (moleskine watercolor portrait large (a5) size)
Thank you for your insightful and honest review! 😊 Started using the sketchbook recently and since I'm still a beginner at watercolor, I wasn't sure why I wasn't being able to blend colors quite well. I can now understand a bit better why it happens and that It's not necessarily my lack of technique 😅Where I'm from there aren't many sketchbooks in this format so It's still one of the best choices for the pricetag! Overall, I'm still very happy with this sketchbook. The size is perfect, it's not too thick and it holds very comfortably. It also seems pretty sturdy so I look forward to better days to be able to take it out on a journey!
I bought a couple of these (large size) I filled up one, didn't much care for the paper, the other one I haven't used and may only use if I have no other option... maybe I should sell it on eBay.
I'd honestly love to buy one. I always wanted to get a sketchbook but only in watercolor. I even tried looking for my watercolor sketchbook but I lost it a long time ago.
I would definitely try this one out, thanks for posting. Im current;y using the Global one and loving it but noticed that sometimes the paper rejects the paint. So I'm on the hunt for a new book.
Hey thanks! I was looking for an A5 landscape sketchbook and was thinking of buying this but dropped the idea after viewing your review as i want something more apt for watercolour. How would you compare it with Stillman and Birn Beta or Alpha in terms of paper tooth, water absorbing capacity and colour blending?
Stillman and Birn, the ones with thicker paper, work alright with watercolour. The best ones are still 100% cotton watercolour paper. www.parkablogs.com/content/list-of-100-cotton-watercolour-sketchbooks
I'm currently using the Hahnemuhle watercolor sketchbook and I don't like it that much. I use it for studies and sketches and I find it really difficult to do layering and glazing because the colours lift so easily. I ordered a sketchbook from Jackson's art's own brand with 25% cotton and I'm hoping this one absorbs washes better.
The jacksons art sketchbook is a relabled kunst&papier sketchbook. Just the one you use Teoh. In the back of the book is an kunst&papier sticker. The description from Jacksons is wrong because it comes with 35% cotton
Thanks for the review. I bought this book but haven’t liked it much. You described well the problems with it. I really wish someone made a 100% cotton, portrait mode, 140# sketchbook. The Strathmore Mixed Media, series 500 is 100% cotton but only 90#.
Teoh would you ever consider doing a side by side comparison of this Hahn watercolour book and the Fabriano watercolour book? There aren't many reviews of the Fabriano book. Both of these books are the main two brands of sketch/drawing and watercolour books my local art supply store stocks.
@@teohyc fabriano.com/en/241/watercolour_book The sewn spine version is 200gsm and 30 pages, so the closest comparison to the Hahn one here. (The spiral bound spine is 300gsm and 25 pages, so it's a little bit different.)
From my experience the Hahn books are nicer made with better quality control (and are slightly more expensive.) But you said the paper in this book is not cotton, where as the Fabriano book is 25% cotton. I usually like Fabriano paper a lot, but the drawing books I've had are kind of poor QC with slightly crooked pasted pages. And the hard cover books don't lay as flat as the Hahn books.
It’s well made and just as good as the Moleskine. It is considerably cheaper than either the Moleskine or the beige linen covered one..which is VERY expensive. Perfectly acceptable as a Watercolour sketchbook. If you want better paper, why not try making your own from 100% cotton paper?
Check out more art product reviews at th-cam.com/play/PLucoL_7WoAgCezEi88D1I0KYmMJ6-khAl.html
As a beginner, I think this is the nicest sketchbook and paper I’ve found at a more affordable price
This is my current sketchbook and I'm really enjoying it. My washes don't tend to be as wet as yours so I suppose I haven't run into uneven washes really, or at least no more so than my other journals. I of course wish it was cotton, but I'll take that it's textured on both sides and be happy with that 😁 thanks for your thoughts on it!
Then can I know how many pages are there?? Plz??
I'm in Germany and I use them in two sizes A5 Landscape and portrait and A6 Landscape and portrait. They are my favourites because the outside is very solid (and nice too) so I can put them into my bag between other things and they do not get crushed. Great idea to use the clips on the sides to keep it really flat! The elastic band on my books has not losened yet, and I have mine quite a while. Thanks Teoh for the great videos!
I have both the Global Art Materials and the Hahnemuhle sketchbooks (in different sizes), and I experience a HUGE difference in the quality of the paper! My Global Art Materials performs so poorly that I use it as a "messy" sketchbook; I can't get gradual washes for the life of me. On the other hand, the Hahnemuhle is so nice that I'm kind of afraid to work in it (I'm a beginner). Now, I have never used 100% cotton paper, but compared to the Global Art Materials or the Moleskine options, the Hahnemuhle is definitely superior, in my opinion.
I didn't notice your comment before I commented. I said the stillman and birn is also far superior.
I bought this sketchbook recently and I hate it. The watercolour just does not behave. It drinks up my washes like it's drier than the Gobi Desert. The tiniest amount of bead on a wash and it dries with hard edges. It just does not behave. The best I can get out of it is pen and ink sketches combined with watercolour, as the cover slip suggests.
I think you hit the nail on the head with this review. Decent book, but nothing too special. What would you recommend for more wet on wet? I can't find a sketchbook that lets me use more of that style.
For wet on wet, usually 100% cotton watercolor paper work better, but there aren't many such sketchbooks around. The only one I know is the Khadi Papers sketchbook th-cam.com/video/eFUXYQ9AIOc/w-d-xo.html
Oh my gosh! Your sketches are always so beautiful!
Thanks 😁
I use this sketchbook at the moment in two formats, A6 landscape and A5 portrait and I actually really like these for both watercolour and gouache. Neither too much nor too little texture, and I really like how the colours look on it. Sure, it buckles, but I've only had problems with pooling when I did wet in wet. For that it's really not ideal. I don't really do much of that though, so I don't mind. It's actually the cheapest sketchbook I can find here in Spain, so that's a plus! I already filled one A6 sketchbook and immediately bought another because I liked working in it so much! So far I haven't had a single Hahnemühle paper I didn't like. I just finished a pad of rough mouldmade paper, which was just such fun for textures and I'm starting a Bamboo pad that doesn't seem to buckle much at all and is really smooth. By the way I just ordered a Khadi sketchbook after I saw it in one of your blog posts. Way more expensive, but I'm sure it will be worth it!
I have two Hahnemuhle Sketchbooks and I love them but to be honest I use them mainly with gouache which works beautifully. The watercolour doesn't work that well especially in washes unless you use watercolours with not too much water. As you have said, the ultra marine granulates nicely. Cerulean also granulates with some great results especially mixed with yellow and permanent rose. Great review as usual.
Thank you so much!!! Blick art materials is having a sell on these for 30% off and I’m just starting but I love watercolor and I alright bought some multi media sketch books but I love the designs and looks of the book so thank you for reviewing so much, this is very helpful and informative
Great review, its interesting to me that you find it similar to Stillman&Birn Beta, I don’t know if its just me but I just started one of these and I’ve noticed this one takes a looooooot more time for the washes to dry, which isn’t bad as sometimes I complain that my Stillman&Birn ones dry just too quickly. I’ve also noticed that think paint takes an extremely long time to dry, like, 30mins or more.... could it be the tropical climate I’m in...? Otherwise I am extremely happy because the slower drying time lets me play a lot more with wet in wet, its just not ideal for quick sketches.
I have one, once i learned to use less water I enjoyed it. Thanks for the review
I'm using it for most of watercolor works and I really like it. At first I choose it because it was the most convenient option, where I live you can only find the Moleskine sketchbook and this one, but the Moleskine is too expensive for me to paint casually in it. I'm really happy with this sketchbook and I don't have any problems to get the results I want.
My favorite watercolor paper! You also do reviews like this?! Love it!!!
I really like this sketchbook. I bought one recently and i can say it’s worth the money. At first i was afraid it would buckle, but it actually holds up quite well. The colors are vibrant and because i mostly like to work with flat washes and layers it’s perfect for my style. So far my only problem was that i couldn’t really get a smooth gradient from vibrant color to transparent (but maybe that’s just me). Anyway i still love it and i think i’ll make this my daily go to.✌🏻 (Also thx for your review, it was very well done and had all the info i needed).
Hi Teoh, I used this sketchbook and I like it. I used it for quick sketches and not wet in wet so I can't tell you about that but overall it's a very nice book and I'll probably buy it again. Thanks for the review 😊
Yes i use this (in a A6 form) is perfect for rough sketches in crayons or one layer watercolor
I just picked up this sketchbook and four of their grey books (primarily charcoal artist). I haven’t tried the watercolor one yet but absolutely love the grey books!!
I would say the difference in quality between the global arts handbook travelogue and the stillman and birn is vast. The stillman and birn you can layer on and everything looks nice and vibrant. They're awesome for illustrations. The handbook co one (watercolor) is the exact opposite. I do love handbook co.'s reg colorful sketchbooks though that aren't meant for watercolor (even for light watercolor ) they're awesome!
I ordered one of these sketchbooks as my everyday sketchbook journal and I have an etchr for my more finished stuff.
I always appreciate your opinions though
They came out with a better version now (2022)🙂 100% cotton and 250 gsm.
Big difference between the Hahnemuhle and the Global Arts is the paper color, right? The Hahnemuhle is white, while the Global Arts, (or handbook as it's called here in the United States) is creme, which as always bummed me out about the Global Arts book, (although the small size has been my go-to pocket journal for years).
I absolutely love Hahnemule it's one of my favourite brands of paper, I order online and have it shipped to Canada, I compare their 100% cotton paper to arches, although I do not own their sketchbook and am not sure if it's the same paper. Thank you for this review!
Welcome :-)
Hahnemühle has great paper, because you get their products everywhere in Germany, i mostly use them 😃. Next to the watercolor book i also like the nostalgie and the grey book, both very nice for pencil and coloured pencil. :)
Hello. I bought one a6 portrait sketch book of this brand, and to me it is quite ok. I tend to prefer fabriano's, both are about the same price, and I have less of this patchy watercolor issue on it. At list on the hanamule, you have a really nice cover that looks stronger and an elastic band to get your pages tight. Thanks for your review. Hooo you did twice the sketch of the church in your sketch book, and they look almost identical. When I first saw it, I thought I had a problem with my eyes. Incredible.
Just a question, it's the paper is quite similar at the Hannemule anniversary paper bloc ? It's a Nice and beautiful review and the ultramarine blue granulation is an insane beauty !
I've not used the anniversary paper before so I can't compare.
@@teohyc thanks for your answer 👍
Might be! 🤣
Excellent in-depth review - you covered all the questions I might have.Thanks!
Thanks 😁
Ah that, Sweet sketchbook to draw on. I should make a review for that sometime.
I bought this sketchbook last year. Still haven't finished it. I got annoyed how quick I got backruns. Colors are vivid though and I really like the paper for ink drawings and gouache. So I will be filling it up eventually. Do like the sturdy build of this sketchbook and the good elasticband. Maybe I give watercolor another try. Am using glazing a lot lately and it sounds like that is more it's thing. Thanks for this wonderful review! Enjoyed it very much. Love your loose style!
thank you for this review - was looking to try an alternative to Stillman & Birn
Great video. In your experience are there any colorbook in A5 with 100% cotton you can recommend. Thank you
Check out Khadi Papers sketchbook
Turkiyede bulabildigim tek bu tarz defter buydu demin siparis verdim 200gr hic kullanmadim umarim yeterlidir ben 300gr kullaniyodum
Excellent review! Really helpful made me think of actually buying it!
Thanks 😁
Your sketches are so good
Thanks for the extensive review!
Hello Teoh, you gave to me the watercolours virus ;-), just to let you know that by hasard that note book "Hahnemuhle", I found this brand today in my local artistic seller and it look very good product and quality. I bought also my first set of 24 watercoulour a brand I don't know "Wingo". I'll see what happen soon when I'll starting to paint with. Anyway just to say thank you for your all watercolour review and obviously your passion that you shared!
Have fun painting 😁
@@teohyc Thank you!
This is currently my only alternative for a sketchbook for watercolors where I live after they stopped stocking my preferred brand (moleskine watercolor portrait large (a5) size)
Thank you for your insightful and honest review! 😊 Started using the sketchbook recently and since I'm still a beginner at watercolor, I wasn't sure why I wasn't being able to blend colors quite well. I can now understand a bit better why it happens and that It's not necessarily my lack of technique 😅Where I'm from there aren't many sketchbooks in this format so It's still one of the best choices for the pricetag!
Overall, I'm still very happy with this sketchbook. The size is perfect, it's not too thick and it holds very comfortably. It also seems pretty sturdy so I look forward to better days to be able to take it out on a journey!
What watercolor do you use? It's really vibrant!
is this a 100% cotton or cellulose
Cellulose
I bought a couple of these (large size) I filled up one, didn't much care for the paper, the other one I haven't used and may only use if I have no other option... maybe I should sell it on eBay.
That's A5?!?? Dude you must be tiny as it looks closer to A4 in your hands.
Teoh your videos are very informative, thank you. These books doesnt come by easily in Indonesia thus can be pricey
Are you in architecture?
No, I'm artist/graphic designer
I'd honestly love to buy one. I always wanted to get a sketchbook but only in watercolor. I even tried looking for my watercolor sketchbook but I lost it a long time ago.
ive been using this sketchbook for a while and i agree that its very good w pen and ink! because its fine grain its also easy to use with fineliners.
Algo Can i use acrylic painting here ?
Nice
I would definitely try this one out, thanks for posting. Im current;y using the Global one and loving it but noticed that sometimes the paper rejects the paint. So I'm on the hunt for a new book.
As long as the surface is not flow-y, that's good enough. What you want is for the paint not to flow around when you put the box in the bag.
Is this A5?
Yes
Beautiful video
I have them i three different sizes. They are very affordable here in Germany. I like them.
That's great. What are the sizes?
A6, A5 Portrait and A4 Landscape. A4 is really big. I paint in all parallel. depends on the scene.
Do you have a review of the Global Art Materials book you showed off? Great video as always :)
The review is here www.parkablogs.com/picture/review-watercolor-sketchbook-200gsm-global-art-materials
Hey thanks! I was looking for an A5 landscape sketchbook and was thinking of buying this but dropped the idea after viewing your review as i want something more apt for watercolour. How would you compare it with Stillman and Birn Beta or Alpha in terms of paper tooth, water absorbing capacity and colour blending?
Stillman and Birn, the ones with thicker paper, work alright with watercolour. The best ones are still 100% cotton watercolour paper. www.parkablogs.com/content/list-of-100-cotton-watercolour-sketchbooks
Its so difficult to get hold of one. Im making my own from the scratch and yes its not easy!
I'm currently using the Hahnemuhle watercolor sketchbook and I don't like it that much. I use it for studies and sketches and I find it really difficult to do layering and glazing because the colours lift so easily. I ordered a sketchbook from Jackson's art's own brand with 25% cotton and I'm hoping this one absorbs washes better.
That's good. Write a review for the 25% cotton sketchbook online. I am interested to see how it performs too.
The jacksons art sketchbook is a relabled kunst&papier sketchbook. Just the one you use Teoh. In the back of the book is an kunst&papier sticker. The description from Jacksons is wrong because it comes with 35% cotton
Thanks for the review. I bought this book but haven’t liked it much. You described well the problems with it. I really wish someone made a 100% cotton, portrait mode, 140# sketchbook. The Strathmore Mixed Media, series 500 is 100% cotton but only 90#.
The Strathmore Mixed Media 100% cotton paper does not handle watercolour well.
Huh. It's one of Roz Stendahl's recommendations. I think I looked but didn't find your review. Do you have one?
I haven't fill up that sketchbook yet. It's great for other drawing media, just not watercolour.
👍👍
Teoh would you ever consider doing a side by side comparison of this Hahn watercolour book and the Fabriano watercolour book? There aren't many reviews of the Fabriano book. Both of these books are the main two brands of sketch/drawing and watercolour books my local art supply store stocks.
Which Fabriano watercolor book are you referring to specifically?
@@teohyc fabriano.com/en/241/watercolour_book
The sewn spine version is 200gsm and 30 pages, so the closest comparison to the Hahn one here. (The spiral bound spine is 300gsm and 25 pages, so it's a little bit different.)
From my experience the Hahn books are nicer made with better quality control (and are slightly more expensive.) But you said the paper in this book is not cotton, where as the Fabriano book is 25% cotton.
I usually like Fabriano paper a lot, but the drawing books I've had are kind of poor QC with slightly crooked pasted pages. And the hard cover books don't lay as flat as the Hahn books.
I'm guessing that paper might be the same 25% cotton paper used in the Fabriano Studio pad. th-cam.com/video/Orn6FjJ7VuU/w-d-xo.html
Syillman and birn or hahnemuhle? Thank you :)
Both are good. Stillman has more variation of paper. Get one that's easier for you.
@@teohyc Ow but what about BETA or Hahnemuhle :v hehe
The quality is very similar. Maybe Hahnemuhle paper looks and feels more like watercolour paper.
@@teohyc ok Thank you so much Teoh 😊
It’s well made and just as good as the Moleskine. It is considerably cheaper than either the Moleskine or the beige linen covered one..which is VERY expensive. Perfectly acceptable as a Watercolour sketchbook. If you want better paper, why not try making your own from 100% cotton paper?
16 pages? Heck no!
60 ! pages