Sketchbook Drawings.

I've been thinking about setting up another blog to review drawing materials, paper and sketchbooks. I've tried a lot of different paper, sketchbooks and pencils in my search for the perfect combination and the search continues. It would make sense to review them as it might be of help to other people.

I've come to the conclusion that there may be no such a thing as the perfect paper or sketchbook, just papers and sketchbooks that work better with different materials, techniques and personal preferences. Personally, I don't like spiral bound sketchbooks, I prefer plain black hardback sketchbooks.

My cats are also obsessed with all things paper and sketchbooks. I inevitably end up drawing with a cat trying to park itself on what I am drawing. Paper cannot be left unattended. One of my cats is particularly obsessed with A1 sheets of hot pressed watercolour paper. He will follow me around the house with it, waiting for me to put it down somewhere so he can sleep on it. It's become such an issue that I have stopped drawing on it. Perhaps the cats could review the paper.

I've done a couple of drawings in the Rhodia Touch sketchbook with HP watercolour paper and I like it a lot. It's a bit unforgiving in that it shows every pencil stroke and doesn't erase cleanly, but at the end of the day it's watercolour paper, not drawing paper. It is very lovely paper.

I've also done a few drawings in other sketchbooks, the first two in a Collins and Davison Travel Journal which I think would work better for mixed media. The last drawing is in an old Daler-Rowney sketchbook I fished out of my box of unused sketchbooks. I really enjoyed drawing in this, the problem is, I don't think they make it anymore.

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