Because the wrong sketchbook can absolutely tank your vibe and we’re not about to let that happen to you.
Choosing a sketchbook feels deceptively simple. It’s paper. It’s bound together. How complicated can it be?
Pretty complicated, as it turns out. Every artist has felt the heartbreak of ink bleeding straight through the page, watercolor warping like a soggy noodle, or a sketchbook so beautiful and precious it becomes too sacred to actually draw in. (We see you, fancy Italian leather journal. Sitting pristine on the shelf since 2019.)
This guide exists so that doesn’t happen to you.
At Art Supply Center, we believe sketchbooks are tools, not heirlooms. They’re meant to be filled up, hauled around, experimented in, scribbled over, and occasionally sacrificed to absolutely terrible ideas — which, for the record, sometimes turn into the best ones. The right sketchbook won’t magically make you a better artist, but it will make showing up feel a whole lot easier.
Let’s help you find yours.
Start With the Paper (Always, Always the Paper)
Paper is the soul of a sketchbook. Everything else — binding, cover, size, whether it has a satisfying snap when you open it — is secondary to how your tools actually behave on the page.
Here’s the breakdown:
Ink & pen people: You want smooth or lightly textured paper that won’t cause your lines to feather or bleed. Nothing kills a gorgeous linework moment like watching your ink ghost through to the other side.
Pencil, charcoal & mixed-media folks: A bit of tooth (texture) gives your marks something to grab onto. Too slick and your charcoal won’t stick. Too rough and your fine liner weeps.
Watercolor warriors: You’ll want heavier paper — ideally 90lb/140gsm or more — that can drink up water without warping into modern sculpture. (Unless warping IS the goal. No judgment.)
Still figuring out your thing? Mixed media sketchbooks are your best friend. They’re forgiving, versatile, and genuinely great for artists who are still discovering what they love.
Binding: How You Actually Work Matters
People have strong opinions about bindings. We respect this. Here’s what each one is actually good for:
Spiral-bound: Lays completely flat. Fantastic for desk work, classroom settings, and people who love to flip back and forth. Pages can be torn out cleanly — great for gifting sketches or scanning.
Perfect-bound & case-bound: That classic, clean-edged book feel. Beloved by journalers, illustrators, and anyone who likes their sketchbook to look intentional on a shelf.
Accordion & stitch-bound: For the experimenters. These invite unconventional layouts, sequential storytelling, and full-spread pandemonium in the best way.
Outdoor sketcher? Traveler? Backpack hauler? Durability matters more than aesthetics. A sketchbook that survives park benches, coffee spills, and the bottom of a bag will get filled. One that stays pristine at home will not.
Size Isn’t About Skill, It’s About Honesty
Big sketchbooks are aspirational. Small sketchbooks are realistic. Both are completely valid, and neither makes you a more or less serious artist.
Large formats shine for expressive work, big gestures, and dedicated studio sessions when you have the space and time to spread out.
Small sketchbooks are the ones that actually get used — tossed in a bag, pulled out at a coffee shop, opened without ceremony or a “plan.” They remove pressure. They invite play.
If you’re struggling to start, go smaller. Tiny sketchbooks are sneaky powerful. You can always go bigger later once you’ve built the habit.
Pro tip from us nerds: many artists keep multiple sketchbooks going at once — one for outdoor sketching, one for ink experiments, one for watercolor, one for absolute chaos. This is not excessive. This is strategy.
Match the Sketchbook to the Job
Not every sketchbook has to do everything — and honestly, they probably shouldn’t. Think of sketchbooks like containers for ideas: when the container fits the idea, things flow faster.
An outdoor sketching book should be durable and portable. A class sketchbook should survive a backpack. A watercolor sketchbook should handle water. An “anything goes” sketchbook should be cheap enough that you don’t care what you put in it.
The moment you try to make one sketchbook do all of these things, it either becomes precious or it falls apart. Literally.
The Most Important Rule (Yes, There Is One)
The right sketchbook is the one you’ll actually use.
Not the fanciest, not the priciest, not the one every art influencer on the internet swears by. The one that feels good in your hands, cooperates with your tools, and doesn’t make you feel like every mark has to be a masterpiece.
Perfection paralysis is real, and a sketchbook can absolutely cause it. Choose the one that says “yes, come make a mess with me.”
Not Sure Yet? Come Find Out With Us.
This is literally our favorite part of the job. Come in, and we’ll put multiple sketchbooks in your hands. You can feel the paper, test pens on the actual pages, and walk out with something that matches how you actually make art, not how you think you should.
We are extremely good at this. And we will absolutely cheer you on once you find “the one.”
Still not sure which sketchbook is “the one”? Come visit us. Touch the paper. Flip the pages. Try the tools. We’re very good at helping artists find sketchbooks they actually want to use and even better at cheering you on once you do. Found a super awesome one that you swear by? Tag us on Instagram and tell us about it!
3 Responses
Well, ya never can tell what will capture your soul. I have a leather wrapped sketchbook, the kind that has a built-in leather cord to tie it shut. I used it every now and then, along with spiral bound ones, hardcover books, sheets of loose paper, whatever. But I really wished I had one that just CALLED to me, made me WANT to use it all the time. Then I got yet another sketchbook as a gift and it was about 4 times as thick as the first one, tied off with a bigger leather cord/strap and I am half in love with it, use it nearly every day. Ink, pencils, felt tips, watercolor, everything goes into it, who cares if pagesbuckle a bit? I am just about it. As I said, ya never can tell.
Nora, you’ve just described the sketchbook equivalent of a meet-cute, and we are fully here for it!
The fact that it was a gift (not something you researched or agonized over) makes it even better. Sometimes the right sketchbook finds you, which is a sentence we didn’t expect to write today but stand behind completely.
And honestly? “Who cares if the pages buckle a bit” is the most liberating sketchbook philosophy we’ve ever heard. The chunky leather cord, the heft of a thick book, the way a sketchbook can just feel right in a way that’s almost impossible to explain to a non-artist, this is exactly why we tell people to come in and hold them. Specs only tell you so much. The rest is pure gut feeling.
Ya never can tell, indeed. We’re so glad yours found you!!
And I forgot to mention, although I still use others occasionally, this most favorite sketchbook is now over 3/4 filled, in less than 2 years.