Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you buy something we get a small commission at no extra cost to you Every artist needs a sketchbook to draw on the go and to quickly capture ideas. But picking the right sketchbook can be dizzying with so many options, not to mention different sketchbooks excel at different things charcoal, toned paper, markers. If you just need a solid reliable sketchbook for drawing then your best choice is the with a spiral bound spine. Also the hardbound covers can offer working surfaces to draw anywhere. You can take this sketchbook to the park, on the train, or anywhere you want to draw. Pentalic Wirebound Sketchbook This Pentalic sketchbook is sturdy and super easy to carry around. Pentalic is a solid choice for someone just looking to sketch—but what about doing finished drawings. Or rendering with chalk or ink. Do you want to draw illustrations and color with marker. Or do you want to use watercolors. Or maybe you want toned paper to work on a fixed background. There are so many different styles to choose with different sizes, brands, and paper types. Most beginner artists just need a simple sketchbook with white paper that works. In this case the Pentalic mentioned above is excellent. But if you plan to use it for full drawings then you might want something a larger to show off your skills. I always prefer spiral-bound over hardbound because it feels better for sketching on the go. However when drawing at a desk or on a board the spirals can elevate the book, tilting unevenly to one side. Sketchbook orientations can always be changed by flipping to page. My goal with this post is to save you time by helping you pick the right sketchbook for any situation. Pentalic Sketch Spiral Bound First up is my top pick for beginners and advanced artists alike. However these pages can hold up with ink, colored pencils, or even very light markers probably not markers like Prisma. It measures the standard A4 size of 8. The hard covers are strong and will not bend or risk damage your drawings. I recommend this Pentalic sketchbook if you need a durable choice to dive in and start sketching. Moleskine Art Plus The classic is a favorite among artists, designers, and writers alike. The Art Plus sketchbook is small yet versatile. All of the 104 pages are thread bound meaning they use thread to keep them together. This model is a hardback sketchbook which I find ideal for artists. But they do have spiral bound sketchbook you prefer that style. I think the hardback is better for resting your palm and for keeping the inner pages free of crinkles. Plus the book comes with a wrapper elastic to mark your place wherever you leave off. Overall a brilliant sketchbook or notebook for any purpose. Leda Art Supply Sketchbook Leda is another big brand that makes for artists of all types. This particular model comes in three sizes: small 3. The smallest size is really damn small but perfect for on the go. Both the medium and large sketchbooks are made for fairly adept artists who want a sizable surface for drawing. They all have the same cover design, paper quality, and number of pages 160 total. These pages are dense and they can easily support graphite, ink, or charcoal. This is a softcover sketchbook so it is flexible and easy to bend. Great for storage, not so great for keeping your pages straight. And the Leda sketchbooks use a sewn binding which is much stronger than any glue or adhesive. The biggest benefit here is the softcover binding and the higher number of pages. They make some of the best art supplies and paper products around. They have an entire line of all with perforated pages, a spiral binding, and a softcover design. All other sizes use portrait orientation and they all share the same spiral binding. One thing you might not like is the cover design. It uses ugly Canson branding with splash artwork as a marketing ploy. Most artists myself included prefer the solid black color. But this is only a beauty mark and it does not affect the quality of the pages. Each sketchbook comes with spiral bound sketchbook full pages and supports dry mediums like graphite along with charcoal. Not super thick but also not super small. It only comes with 70 pages which is on the lighter side. But every sheet is made from recycled paper which is eco friendly and often a selling point for artists. These pages are definitely not flat so they can be nice for rendering although it is sketchbook paper. This is one of the few spiral-bound sketchbooks that actually lays flat or close to flat. It does not have many pages but every sheet comes from recycled paper and they some nice texture to avoid that flat feeling. Pro Art Spiral bound sketchbook Bound The is yet another A4 8. But the paper quality is similar and it works just like every other bound sketchbook. However one big downside is the quantity. You only get 80 sheets of paper which is still pretty low considering others come with 160. But every sheet is perforated and comes with a bit of texture too. This is high-quality thick paper made for ink or pencil and charcoal. All-in-all a decent buy for the price. Strathmore Spiral Toned Sketch There are dozens of toned sketchbooks to try with different shades of tan or grey. And the is an excellent choice for breaking into the world of toned sketchbooks. You can hit this paper with anything from graphite to charcoal, chalk to China markers or colored pencils. Seriously this paper quality is incredible. You can absolutely use this to create finished drawings with any medium you like. Either way I highly recommend Strathmore for toned work specifically for beginners. As you get better working on toned paper you can certainly branch out and try others too. But you can use everything from ink to copic markers. Nothing will bleed through to the other side. Finding a quality sketchbook that also supports markers is a huge task. Take for example their measuring 5. From this basic setup you can choose between four different colors for the cover red, blue, black, and green. And you can pick from five different sizes that also support these differently colored covers. Surprisingly these are resilient sketchbooks that can take pretty much anything. You can go to town with markers, graphite, charcoal, any type of ink… pretty much any mediums can work well in this sketchbook. However watch out for watercolors because they may not bleed through, but they can crinkle the pages. The sheer variety and style of this sketchbook makes it perfect as a travel companion. The paper is thick and textured. It comes with a Bristol which is tailor made for grabbing any type of pencil, charcoal, crayon, or any similar dry medium. You only get 62 pages which can be a letdown since the price is higher than most sketchbooks. The comes in landscape orientation with a spiral binding which is perfect for resting on an easel or a drawing board, indoors or outdoors. However that one only comes with 24 pages while the Strathmore 400 has a total of 30 pages mixing cold press watercolor and sketch. I cannot recommend this enough for watercolorists. The paper quality is superb and yes it can be a bit pricey. It has a similar design with stronger pages, yet no spiral binding unfortunately. Hardcover Art Alternatives Sketchbook Looking for the strongest sketchbook known to man. This thing is absolutely massive totaling 300 pages front and spiral bound sketchbook for a total of 600 sides of paper to sketch your heart away. Instead this works better for artists who want to watch their progression over time. In the span of 300 pages you can make a lot of progress, do a lot of studies, and learn so many techniques. This thing is massive but it also offers a great drawing experience with thick pages spiral bound sketchbook a hard cover design. Best Toned Sketchbook So what is the best toned sketchbook. Depending on what color, size, and orientation you want, this is a tough question to answer well. But overall I do recommend the for the paper quality and binding. The tanned tone sketch pad measures 5. Some artists like to use the which is just as great. But a toned sketchbook can help you understand how rendering works and how you can choose to leave out or add certain details. But overall my 1 recommendation here is the Strathmore toned sketchbook. Best Sketchbook For Markers There are so many different types of markers that spiral bound sketchbook can use for coloring. How do you even begin looking for sketchbooks. As a general recommendation I like the Global Art Materials which holds up well with all markers. It comes in many colors and has an elastic wrap to keep your pages bookmarked. If you want a large sketch pad for markers then the is perfect. Again this all boils down to your needs. Both are great, yet both work best for different scenarios. Finding Your Sketchbook Ultimately the best sketchbook is the one that works for you. They all come in different sizes, shapes, bindings, and with a large variety of paper styles. Picking the best sketchbook is a tough call, especially as a beginner. But it gets easier if you know exactly what you want. I recommend the specifically for newer artists who just need a sketchbook to practice more often.
