One detail a lot of people miss about the Strathmore mixed media sketchbook is that it uses their 500 series 100% cotton paper, whereas the other types in the line use 400 series papers, so it's pretty premium as a mixed media one.

I've noticed that all art supplies have definitely gone up in price this past year. Inflation definitely sucks 😞

Finally an art youtuber who understands the pain of us commoners!

Timestamps 1:27 - Canson 3:37 - Strathmore 6:03 - Strathmore 9:23 - Handbook Journal 10:46 - illo 12:45 - Arteza 14:02 - Conclusion

ik this sounds kinda stupid but the amazon basics watercolour sketchbook is a great great option for mixed media with 80 pages for only $5 and is a hard cover perfect binded and theres a pocket at the back

The canson sketchbook is one of my personal favorites!!😁😁 I like to use them for alcohol markers, water color and acrylic paints.

I always love doing research and seeing which ones other people like before buying sketchbooks, so this is super helpful! 😊

A sketchbook I'm a big fan of is the Art Creation from Royal Talens. I think they're somewhat similar to Moleskine sketchbooks, though the paper is a bit thinner. The sketchbooks have a LOT of pages though and they're about half the price of Moleskine, if not even less. So they don't feel super precious, which has helped me a lot with letting go of high expectations and perfectionism. They come in a variety of colours. The paper is smooth but not super smooth, slightly ivory-coloured and handles wet media quite ok. Not perfectly, but still decent enough. I've been using these almost exclusively for the past 2-ish years? Currently into Mossery sketchbooks, but I do miss the Art Creation books a lot. I also like the Stillman&Birn sketchbooks a lot, especially the Gamma one. But they're a bit pricier and therefore feel more precious to me. But I can recommend them as well!

FINALLY someone is talking about the handbook journal co watercolor sketchbook. I don't see anyone using these! I have one and i think they are the best :) great video!

I just use the procreate app currently. When I have more disposable income, I’d love to grab a few nice sketchbooks to use and fill up! Thanks for the suggestions!

the Strathmore sketchbook is def a nice one to use. I usually use just random sketchbooks, its usually whats cheap at the time🙂

Illos is one of the ones I love going back to. My current one is an illo. Mine is covered in stickers on the front as well.

Omg thank you so much 😭🙏 I’ve finished my sketchbook and I’ve always tried to find these type of sketchbooks but never found them. Thank you, and now I shall spend all my money😀

I'm a big fan of the stillman and birn sketchbooks bc there are quite a few size formats and paper types! The beta series is fantastic with wet media

Love ur backdrop, hair and room aesthetic, and ur jumper lol. Thanks for the informative video! :)

I feel like I heard bad things about the Canson XL sketchbook so I was disappointed when it was gifted to me, but I had no problems with it! Definitely a good economical option! I literally buy a different sketchbook every time, lol. I spend ages in the store feeling the different papers!

the amount of canson mixed media books i have is unreal, i will forever stand by them!

It can't handle wet media, but I really like the leuchtturm sketchbooks for pencil, pen and waterbased markers (I use tombows specifically)! The paper's a lovely white with a nice slight tooth, and it lies completely flat. They're my personal favourite. For wet media I actually like the moleskine watercolour journal. The strathmore mixed media one you mentioned is, imo better (it's actually my other go-to sketchbook, but in the smaller size) but the moleskine's nice to draw on with just pencil or pencil crayon too and takes quite a few layers of watercolour or gouache.

Always so stoked for these videos

the stillman and birns zeta series sketchbook is my favorite!! it works like a dream with all the media I like using (watercolor, alcohol markers, gouache) and i love how thick the paper is and how smooth. it’s just so nice. I used canson xl for a long time and it’s nice but I notice watercolors don’t show up as vibrantly on the paper. the tooth can get tiring too.

Wow! I started looking for a new sketchbook and just now you uploaded this video! Thank you for the info on them

im using a derwent acadomy one right now and its great it says for dry medium only but i put Alchoal marker on it and aslong as you have a bit of scrappaper under the page your drawing on theres zero problems,i tried water color its mostly fine warps a tiny bit,sharpire dont bleed to the next pagr they do ghost though,the like fine liner sharpies dont ghost unless your really looking for it cos then you can kinda see it ghosing but not a bad amount,water based markers are fine on it,id recomend it i got the A5 size and thats perfect for me,on amazon its 6 pound?,im in the uk i dont have that much acsess to art stores without traveling a bit but amazon is mostly fine for me.

really love to draw and paint in sketchbook. i highly can recommend the hahnemühle 100% cotton (also available in square and good for mixed media) and koval skethbooks. both a bit pricy but really good. also the etchr sketchbooks are good. thanks for sharing :)

I love to use the Artist Loft sketchbooks from Michaels. The paper isn't too bad for what I use it for: I started doing a sketchbook/journal combination so I use a sketchbook to draw and write in. I typically prefer the worse paper because I like that it develops character as you use it (like the pages become crinkly or folded) ✨

I actually bought the etchr sketchbook after seeing your video a few years ago. I like it, I like to use watercolor and color pencil but my favorite was the strathmore watercolor travel journal that I’m pretty sure got discontinued.

I've resorted to making my own with very heavy weight paper sketchbooks because I like doing a lot of wet media including oils. But for lighter media Canson mixed media is one of my main go-to sketchbooks.

Kind of a random suggestion, mostly for USA people but "Bare Books" they're white covered and look like little books, so you can draw on the covers. Theyre meant for keepsakes for kids but the paper is nice for sketching and they cost like $3.50

Not sure how accessible this brand is for those outside the UK but Seawhite of Brighton do amazing sketchbooks in different sizes, covers, formats etc! I got a 20pg 180gsm mixed media one for £1.25 a few years back, I have a bunch of square, A5, A4 ones in spiral and normal bound and I love them! They handle wet and dry media amazingly, very little alcohol marker bleedthrough, even when I used watercolour I could still sketch on the back, and it handles pencils, markers, pastels, crayons, everything! In the UK they're super affordable, they might have them on Amazon if they aren't in art stores in Canada and the US!

Have you tried using „Glue Roller“ (I hope this is an English term in German we are calling them Kleberoller or Klebe Mäuse). They are super strong and I was able to glue my stickers on one of these fabric sketchbooks from another brand. Thanks for charging your favorite sketchbooks. 😊

I was literally just browsing for mixed media sketchbooks yesterday, so this is so perfect! I was also considering getting the handbook journal because it looked nice quality and I liked the size. it's rather pricy for me, but I will still keep my eye on it in case I ever decide to invest in one. thank you for your recommendations !!

I've been trying to find affordable good quality sketchbooks recently, so this video came at the right time ! I love the color of your hair btw (:

I'm currently using a Sea White 5×5 sketchbook right now. So far, it's good with watercolors, inks and dry media. The paper has some texture and I can use crayons too. I don't use small sketchbooks much but the price was in my budget. I don't always have the money to get new sketchbooks often so whatever cash I have I've gotta save up.

Im using the ohuhu mixed media sketchbook book and i love it. The paper can handle paint great. It's bound and can lay flat too. I think i got it for around 20usd and i couldn't recommend it enough

My favorite so far is Grumbacher, watercolors look so nice on them and they’re very tough against watery materials.

Strathmore has a hard cover version for their mixed media sketchbook! It’s my go-to sketchbook ☺️

I love all the fox drawings you did ( my fav animal is a fox ) !

thank god I found some sketchbook suggestions, I was struggling to find some good KZfaq videos explaining some of their favorites- I binge watched all of your videos recently and I just love how u draw ur animals and especially the way u draw frogs! I was wondering if you’ve ever thought of teaching ur viewers of your sorcery of art?? 🤨 🤨🤨🤨

Another good mid-priced sketchbook with good quality are the still man & burn sketchbooks. I am currently using a zeta series one and I am really happy with it! It handles wet media quite well and better than the strathmore mix media 500 series in my own experience. It’s about 20$, so a decent mid-price with really good quality in return. I hope this helps someone :)

Very helpful review. Thank you.❤

Lol im using the canson XL rn. I love that it's spiral bound bc I usually stick things in and use multi media so the sketchbook gets thick and when I use... Non spiral bound sketchbook, the spine gets all funky

I used the talents art creation sketchbook in the size 12x12 cm I know its pretty small but you can buy a bigger one and it’s decently affordable I also recommend the brustro sketchbooks they’re really affordable and good it also comes in quit a lot of sketchbook . I jump between those 2 sketchbooks ( the sketchbooks I recommend are both bookbound and they’re both 110gsm)

Illo sketchbooks are also on Amazon at least in the US, with prime shipping. So that's always an option of you wanted one, and had prime! I got my sketchbooks off of prime to avoid the $8 shipping haha.

I like canson xl sketchbooks for graphite sketching.

I’ve had my eye on the Illo sketchbooks for ages, and I can’t justify the price. Conversion rates plus shipping means that a two pack is $133 Australian, and it’ll take months to get here. Do I want an 8x8 sketchbook? Yes. Can I find one for under $50 Australian? No. Will I buy an Illo sketchbook at some point in the future? Hopefully

If you get into book binding you can buy a larger mixed media pad and make your own sketchbook with your preferred binding style.

I love the mixed media canson paper but the spiral cord messed immediately for me 😭 I would definitely buy it again if they had a hard cover version instead

I received an Articka brand square sketchbook as a gift and based on the description of the illo sketchbook it seems pretty similar! square, smooth paper, leathery cover, etc. im not sure if its a knockoff or how it compares price-wise but if youre looking for an illo and theyre not available i definitely recommend the articka!

I've been enjoying Royal Talens sketchbook quite a lot lately. It looks a bit like a moleskine, I can get it online for quite cheap where I live. It has lots of pages, the paper has a lovely cream color and is smooth, but not too much. I feel like ti works quite well with the way I draw and the art supplies I use (mostly graphite, colored pencils, brushpens and waterbased markers). I also like that it holds up quite decently when working with a few layers of acrylic paint or gouache. Not the most perfect sketchbook in the world, but I love it nonetheless. In the past I've also used a Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook (it was quite pricey for me, but after a long lockdown in 2020 I wanted to treat myself a little) and it was such a dream to use, especially because I was really into alcohol based markers at the time. I'm very curious about the Strathmore softcover mix-media sketchbook. I hope I'll get the chance to try it out in the future

i live across the street from a beautiful indie art supply store and that's where i discovered the strathmore vision ones and i LOVE them. im very weak for covers i can customize lmao

I don't mind sketching in spiralbound sketchbook. The problem for me is that the pages move a little so they rub together and that makes the sketches fade 😭 I use the book types now. The negative with those is that you can't "fold" them, so they take up more space if you want to have the book in your lap and sketch.

i havent watched ur videos in years and didn't know it was jelarts until i recognised the familiar intro tune 🤧

Thank you Jel!

Wonderful. Big like 👍

I love the canson mixed media paper, but I can not stand the spiral bound or the perforated pages make the paper sooo easy to fall out- if that does not bother you I definitely recommend it. I've never ended up filling one even though it used to be my go to

Try sanding down your sketchbook covers!! :]

Yayyyy 100th comment❤🎉

I usually reach for the michaels brand sketchbooks, surprisingly they’re not bad quality and hold up well when I’m in painting class.. paper is slightly textured and not super thin.. one complaint though is how easily the spine breaks, usually causing the cover to fall off and needs a duct tape fix, but they do tend to have a lot of paper so it’s just the wear and tear from near daily use

Love these vids, im currently using a leuchtturm square, and it’s pretty nice too, specially for paints, wish it had their a5 paper thickness though. Been wanting to try the I’ll sketchbooks for a while.. but goddamnit… the shipping to Europe is over 50€

hi @JelArts why not make a patch to on the sketch book of the day you started it and day its filled and completed or even patch art could look cool if you get a blank patch a piece of art with meaning to you

i really love illo sketchbooks because of the smoothness for sketching, and i kind of enjoy fucking up the pages with mixed media too. I love the thickness and texture of illos. makes it easier to use for me, in an indirect way

Being left handed I just find spiral bound books super annoying! I love the idea that you can flip it onto itself but I just can't comfortably work in them! I just started in the Strathmore mixed media and it's sooooo nice for paint, but I also like a cheap one for messing about in

I do not like the Canson XL Mixed Media sketchbook. I like the Canson XL Mixed Media ROUGH sketchbook. It's more expensive and harder to find than the normal kind but it's worth it to me. It's 50 pages instead of 60 pages, has a more beige tint compared to the normal bright white (which matches my watercolor paper so I don't mind), thicker in paper weight (better for water based mediums), and a rougher texture of course. Since I couldn't find any video reviews online I thought it was going to be rough like cold press WC paper but nope: slightly more toothy and the backside of each sheet is smooth. For watercolor artists the sizing on the paper is not the best for layering and glazing but it's good for the price. I wait until there's a buy one get one free sale at my art store to buy them, the 9 x 12 size is very large and only $20 USD for two sketchbooks with the deal.

Is the mixed media one good for acrylic ?

A lot of my sketchbooks have always been rather cheap. I’m starting to branch out but I don’t think I know what kind I like yet XD

I can’t stand the spiral bounds, I’ll use them if someone gifts me one but I don’t buy them. 🤣😭 I sketch in graphite pencil but I’ve been trying to switch over to colored pencil sketching

Have you tried stillman and birn

If you ever get the change ohuhu makes amazing sketchbooks also

Can anyone help me to find a 11*14 inches ,130gsm ,hard cover, sketchbook

Canson is a French company. They make XL for students. Also, I have noticed American's don't say they are discussing American dollars. How inconsiderate, the rest of us have to say the currency we are refering to.

I strongly disagree with the XL😖 why is it so popular? goodness I wasted money on it for nothing, ending up just using it for some quick ink characters design and still had some blank pages that I don't think I would ever fill.the quality is bad, the paper is thin and too flat textured. compared to the price, some students drawing pads in the local store could offer nicer options with a better price too. ,some even has cotton and free acid. one just have to search a bit more. if buying from amazon then I recommend paul rubens watercolor journal so so good!! also dina wakley media journals

me and my dollar general composition notebook against the world 💀

Totally unrelated to your video but I just found out Dina Norlund died.

this is super random but you kind of sound like jett from valorant

firstt

i love that canson sketchbook but now im looking for a new one bc personally the spiral breaks so easily, and i cant fix them i usually travel with my sketchbook so thats probably why 🥲

Im currently using an Illo sketchbook (2 pages I have left) and I just love it. The downside is that it isn't acidfree and it can't handle gouche that well but I got their cold press watercolor one and I am really looking forward to try it!