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Whether you're a professional artist, art student, or even just a doodler, a sketchbook is a great thing to have by your side. Not only are drawing sketchbooks an integral tool for artists, but they're also great for those who want to draw while journaling or even explore drawing as a new hobby to do in their free time. They vary in size, material, and construction, so you're bound to find one that appeals to your needs.
In this article, we've compiled a list of our 10 best sketchbooks for drawing taking into account a variety of interests. Our favorite was the Canson XL Series Mix Media Paper Pad for its versatile fine-tooth texture, sturdy hardcover binding, and perforated sheets for hassle-free removal. If you want tips on how to find the right sketchbook for you, feel free to scroll down to our trusty Buying Guide reviewed by an artist.
Susan has a Master of Fine Arts in Oil Painting, has been a glassblower since 1998, and is a former drawing professor. Her "painted drawings" are oil on paper and employ cartoon imagery to explore issues, ironies, and paradoxes in modern societies, often inspired by urban life in Tokyo. She has participated in juried exhibitions in the US and Japan.
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There is a large variety of sketchbooks to choose from. You may want to consider the paper, sizing, and binding of your sketchbook.
A drawing sketchbook's paper type varies depending on the medium it's used for. The texture, weight, and color of your paper are things you'll want to consider when buying the right sketchbook for you.
Sketchbooks are offered in papers with different weights, or sheet thicknesses, and tooth, which refers to the paper's surface texture. Papers with more tooth will have more grooves, making them rougher in texture. You can check the description or cover of the sketchbook to find the recommended mediums for that paper.
Of course, those are only recommendations, but they will help you to see what results you'll get and decide what weight and tooth works for your preferred media. Checking the comments to find what mediums work best on each paper can also be helpful, especially when pictures are included.
In general, for fine details and for media like pen and ink, marker, or mechanical pencil, artists gravitate toward smoother paper with less tooth. For charcoal, pencil shading, pastels, and other soft media, many artists prefer more tooth.
On top of drawing, if you'd also like to use your sketchbook to experiment with wet media like watercolors, be sure to choose a heavier paper to avoid warping. It's recommended to choose 140-pound paper or heavier for large washes of watercolor or ink.
If you know you want to work with lots of different media, you may want to try mixed media paper. If you work mainly with wet media on your mixed media paper, plan on using 140-pound paper or greater; otherwise, a lower paper weight around 80 pounds should work.
For graphite, charcoal, pastel, and other dry media, a paper weight of around 68 pounds or higher is a safe option.
White paper will generally show colors most vibrantly. On the other hand, using lighter colors on black paper works well for isolating your subject, but not all mediums will show up on darker surfaces. For example, graphite and translucent media will be much harder to see, and your colors won't be as vibrant as they would be on white paper.
You can also choose toned tan or gray paper. This is great for practicing value drawings, where bright highlights and dark shadows can really pop against the mid-tone paper. If you're used to working only on white paper, choosing a colored option can be a nice change of pace and help spark creativity.
Some pads are available in grayscale tones. Even if you never use these for final drawings, I recommend trying some value drawings with a toned ground or paper. It can really help you see if you're using a full range of values from light to dark in your work.
Not going dark enough where needed is probably the most common mistake I see in beginner drawings. Taking away the extreme contrast of the white paper may help you see that.
Small sketchbooks can be great for travel. Whether you're going on a trip or just taking a walk in the park, it's nice to have a sketchbook with you to capture a moment through drawing. Most travel sketchbooks are made with portability in mind, often constructed so that they can easily fit in your pocket, purse, or bag.
Large sketchbooks offer lots of working space. These sketchbooks are ideal for those who like to plan and work out ideas on paper and who prefer larger-scale drawings. Large sketchbooks are often larger than nine by 12 inches.
You'll find that your drawing style changes when you work in a large format, since the motion will come from your shoulder and not your wrist. A big sheet of blank paper can seem intimidating, but working large is also quite freeing.
A big sheet of paper doesn't mean you need more lines to fill it. Usually, you'll just scale up your drawing. Having a sheet that's 18 by 24 inches forces you to draw with your whole arm, or even your whole body if you stand up!
This can be a complete game-changer for you, and I strongly recommend trying it. Some artists like to warm up with a few sketches on large newsprint before they start their serious work. Drawing is physical, and this works just like warming up before playing sports.
There are a few different options when it comes to sketchbook bindings. Spiral or wire-bound sketchbooks are held together with wire loops. These sketchbooks can easily be opened and folded over to an individual page, instead of having to keep a whole spread open. This also allows them to be laid flat.
This is great for when you have to hold your sketchbook on your lap or in your hand while drawing. Paper in wire-bound sketchbooks will often be perforated for easy removal, as well. However, note that with this type of binding, it's difficult to draw across multiple sheets as the wire gets in the way.
Sewn, perfect-bound, or book-bound sketchbooks have paper held together using stitching and sometimes glue. These sketchbooks look similar to reading books. Some will lie flat when open, while others won't, so be sure to keep an eye out for what's most comfortable for you.
The flatter your paper lies, the easier it will be to draw near the edge or create artwork across two pages. Sketchbooks with sewn pages will usually require a knife to remove a finished drawing unless the pages are perforated.
Glue-bound sketchbooks have a layer of glue along one side of the paper to attach them together. Generally, these sketchbooks are meant to easily remove the pages from each other. They don't tend to hold together for long periods of time, especially if you continually work with and flip through the pages.
Hard covers provide protection for your artwork. They also provide support when drawing, and this comes in handy when you don't have a desk or table to draw on. Hardcover sketchbooks are usually more durable and can help keep your artwork clean as well.
Softcover sketchbooks have a flexible cover. This can be helpful if you have to bend it slightly to fit in a bag or pocket, but can cause damage to the artwork if you are not careful.
Spiral-bound sketchbooks with soft covers can easily lose their covers, especially with a lot of use or travel. Overall, a hardcover sketchbook will be a safer option for your artwork if you plan to keep it together in a collection.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Canson XL Series Mix Media Paper Pad | $8.22 Low Mid | Best Sketchbook for a Wide Variety of Mediums | ||
2 | Canson XL Series Drawing Pad | $16.39 High Mid | Best Large Drawing Paper Pad for Dry Media | ||
3 | Strathmore 400 Series Toned Tan Sketch Pad | $11.49 Mid | Best Toned Sketchpad for Value Drawings | ||
4 | Pentalic Pocket Sketchbook | $7.49 Low | Best Pocket-Size Travel Sketchbook | ||
5 | Strathmore 400 Series Pastel Pad | $8.65 Low Mid | Best Pastel Pad With a Variety of Colored Paper | ||
6 | illo Square Sketchbook | $16.95 High Mid | Best Square Sketchbook for Posting Artwork to Social Media | ||
7 | Arteza Cold-Press Watercolor Book | $10.99 Mid | Best Travel-Size Sketchbook for Markers, Ink or Watercolor | ||
8 | Strathmore 300 Series Charcoal Pad | $11.00 Mid | Best Sketchbook for Charcoal and Pastel | ||
9 | Peter Pauper Press Premium Sketchbook | $11.69 Mid | Best Letter-Size Book-Bound Sketchbook | ||
10 | Arteza Marker Paper Pad | $21.99 High | Best Sketchbooks for Markers |
Pros:
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This mixed media, 98-pound, acid-free paper is made for both wet and dry mediums. It's incredibly versatile as graphite, colored pencil, marker, acrylic, and pen can be used on it, as well as dry-brush watercolor. This sketchbook also works well for erasing and blending, and the pages are micro-perforated for easy removal, too.
A few reviewers found that markers can bleed through the paper and very wet washes could cause warping. However, most found the sketchbook great for practice. They enjoyed the paper's fine texture and found that it worked well for a variety of mediums, especially dry ones.
Pros:
Cons:
This is an 18-by-24-inch sketchbook with micro-perforated paper for easy removal and is recommended for dry media including graphite, charcoal, and colored pencil. The sketchbook has smooth white paper meant to have good erasability.
Reviewers liked that the paper was particularly good for easel drawing and drawing with dry mediums like pastels. They reported that felt markers don't bleed, either.
Pros:
Cons:
This sketchbook is made of tan, acid-free paper and works great for both light and dark mediums. The sketchbook is made with 100% recycled material and is recommended for graphite, chalk, charcoal, markers, colored pencils, and pens. Strathmore's 400 series is their quality for advanced artists' paper.
Reviewers found this paper worked particularly great with Prismacolor colored pencils, and liked how the tan tone of the paper made media like white conte crayon pop.
Pros:
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This pocket-sized sketchbook isn't just great for travel sketching but also for taking notes or doing fieldwork. It has a durable, water-resistant cover and comes with an elastic band so it can be stored safely. As a bonus, it's also equipped with an expandable pocket.
Some reviewers found that the paper was almost too small for drawing, but it does come in larger sizes. But the rest of the reviewers found it to be a convenient pad that can fit in the palm of your hand. They said the sketchbook was great in motivating them to do a little drawing every day.
Pros:
Cons:
This Strathmore paper is made for oil or soft pastels. The sketchbook comes with an assortment of six tints of paper that have enough tooth to grab softer media. It can also work well for chalk, charcoal or graphite.
A few reviewers said that it took a lot of effort to not see the paper showing through with soft pastels. However, most others found that the paper worked great for oil pastels. They also found the different tints of paper to be unique and brought something new to their drawings.
Pros:
Cons:
This sketchbook's square dimensions makes it easy for you to upload your artwork to social media without the hassle of cropping. The lay-flat design makes for easy drawing despite the sewn binding. While water-based mediums should be used sparingly with this paper, it's great for many types of dry media, from pencils and pens to inks.
Some reviewers didn't like that the paper was extremely smooth and said the lack of tooth limited shading techniques. However, other reviewers liked that the paper lies flat and enjoyed the square shape.
Pros:
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These small watercolor sketchbooks have acid-free cold-pressed paper for a moderate tooth. The sketchbooks are ideal for watercolor and mixed media artwork. The sheets have one side that's more textured and one that's smoother. On the inside cover, the sketchbook includes an expandable inner pocket.
Some reviewers found that the binding would fall apart or get on their artwork. But most other reviewers liked the small, portable design of this sketchbook. They say the paper works well for watercolor on the toothy side and drawing on either side. Some also mention the heavy weight is great for markers, since they won't bleed through.
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Cons:
This is a wire-bound sketchbook of lightly textured charcoal paper. The acid-free paper has a strong surface made for charcoal and pastels, and it will also work well for pencils and oil crayons.
A few reviewers found that when they used charcoal on the paper, the grid pattern of the laid finish distracted them. But the majority of reviewers didn't mind it, and liked the texture of the paper. They found it worked well for their charcoal and pastels, especially for beginning artists.
Pros:
Cons:
This sketchbook is recommended for dry mediums including pencil, charcoal, and soft pastel and the paper has a versatile fine-tooth surface. Pages are micro-perforated for easy sheet removal. The sketchbook lies flat for easy drawing.
Several reviewers mentioned that the binding of their sketchbooks fell apart. However, the majority of reviewers didn't experience this and said the paper was great for dry media. While they noted that marker and pen weren't recommended, they love the hard cover as it allowed them to draw without a table.
Pros:
Cons:
This set of glue-bound sketchbooks with bright white, smooth-coated, bleed-proof paper helps blend markers beautifully and helps the colors appear more vibrant. This paper is made so that the ink stays on the surface, helping achieve smoother transitions between colors. It's recommended for both alcohol and pigment markers.
A couple of reviewers mentioned that their Copic markers did bleed through a little bit, but they found that the included tracing paper worked well as a barrier between sheets to keep the next page clean. Most reviewers said the paper worked well for their markers, and they love the paper's smooth texture.
I love Strathmore drawing pads and use their recycled sketchbooks as my standby. These are a great choice because they have five different tones of paper from white to black, which allows you to practice value drawings.
Usually, artists will create their own toned ground by covering the paper with charcoal or pastel before drawing, but this saves you that step! The only drawback is you won't be able to employ erasure techniques and get back to white paper, but you can use white drawing materials instead.
In addition to reviewing our buying guide, Susan has also answered some commonly asked questions about drawing.
"When it comes to subject matter, nothing is really easier than anything else," Susan explains. "You'll need to translate what you see into line, form and value (light to dark) no matter the subject.
However, there are some techniques that can help you tackle a complex composition. One of the most useful and well-known is the grid technique. By breaking your composition into smaller parts, it can be easier to keep track of things and visualize what you may be missing.
You can find YouTube tutorials on how to use this technique, but most will cover using it to copy drawings. For drawing from life, I recommend checking out Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. It's a great way to learn techniques that you'll actually continue to use, and gain confidence in your drawing skills."
Susan says, "One thing I definitely recommend is warming up before you start to draw, preferably on a really big (18 by 24) sheet of paper. Do some fast sketches using your whole arm, spending no more than a few minutes on each. Cheap paper like newsprint, and soft, tactile charcoal are perfect for this.
For general practice exercises and to keep your drawing muscles in shape, copying other art or a photograph is a good choice. Artists used to do studies of the Old Masters, but anything you like is fine! You can try to replicate the work exactly, or put your own spin on it.
Another option is drawing the same subject many times. Approach it from different angles, or use different media or styles. I find the best practice is drawing from life, even if your style is manga or semi-abstract. There's no substitute for doing studies of the human figure, landscapes and objects as you see them in the real world."
Need some more art supplies for your next project? Check out these different drawing media to help spark your creativity.
If you're still unsure where to begin, give Amazon's bestsellers a browse. It features some of the choices here in this list, as well as other great options.
No. 1: Canson|XL Series Mix Media Paper Pad
No. 2: Canson|XL Series Drawing Pad
No. 3: Strathmore|400 Series Toned Tan Sketch Pad
No. 4: Pentalic|Pocket Sketchbook
No. 5: Strathmore|400 Series Pastel Pad
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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