Bee Paper Company 926T30-8511 Bleedproof Marker Pad, 8-1/2-Inch by 11-Inch
We independently review everything we recommend. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence. So many sketchbooks and so little time, this is why I’ve created this post listing all the best sketchbooks for artists on every medium ! I’ll cover all the possibilities of wet media like watercolor, gouache, and acrylic paint, to dry media like charcoal and pencil. Doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a sketchbook for a beginner or a professional artist , I’ve got the best sketchbooks on this list! But for now, check out my handy table below with all the sketchbooks that I mention in this post, with a link for you to purchase them. Now that you’ve seen the table, here’s why I chose each one and I include some alternatives below! Table Of Contents If you want a sketchbook where you can do basically anything, from using charcoal and colored pencils to painting with watercolor and ink, these are the sketchbooks for you. When you want to try different mediums in the same sketchbook (or even mix some together!), you’re looking for a mixed-media sketchbook. These are medium weight sketchbooks that allow you to paint, ink, and sketch, without a lot of setbacks. Now, of course, there are better sketchbooks if you just want to focus on one specific medium like watercolors, and that’s why we talk about them further down! But for now, here are my recommendations for the best sketchbooks for all mediums! Great for both students and professional artists, this super flexible mix media paper pad is a great option for all mediums. Not only does this Canson XL Mix Media Pad have a spiral binding that allows you to remove each page and work on it, but it also has a wonderfully textured paper with a nice weight. The Strathmore series hardbound Mixed Media Journal is also a wonderful choice for every medium. This is a very flexible sketchbook that has a hardbound cover (no spiral binding like the one before though!) and a very traditional look. This sketchbook is a great option for artists, especially if you’re looking to work with wet mediums. Moleskines are an old standard of sketchbooks for artists. These are very popular but slightly more expensive than other solutions. The great thing about these sketchbooks is that they are quite pocketable and easy to travel around with. The problem with the sketchbook being pocket size is just that you have a very tiny area to work with. This can be a problem especially if you’re just starting to do gesture drawing for example. If you’re looking for a more portable solution, this is a great sketchbook! Even though you can use one of the previous sketchbooks for markers, since they are good for all media/mediums, you can choose a more specialized one to suit your interests. For example, this sketchbook by Canson has a smooth finish on the paper, making it better for Ink and Markers. Perfect for creating high-contrast artwork, the Canson XL Series Bristol Pad is a great sketchbook for artists that want to draw with markers or ink. It has quite a heavier weight than the previous ones and the paper is quite thick and textured. You do have to pay some more for the extra thickness of the paper and texture though. With a very smooth grain, the Bee Paper Company Bleedproof Marker Pad is a great sketchbook for artists looking to draw with markers such as those from Arteza, Prismacolor, Copic, etc. It’s very easy to blend with this paper and has a really good price. The major problem is that it might look a bit glossy if you tend to use very dark tones with lots of layering. And for some reason, most sketchbooks for Markers tend to be yellow on their cover. Don’t ask me why! If you’re looking for sketchbooks to purely draw with pencils and colored pencils, this is the list for you. Again, you can use a Mix Media sketchbook if you’d like, but if you’re using such a light-medium like Pencil or Colored Pencil, why not use something lighter and easier to carry around? Doesn’t matter if you’re using graphite to sketch or doodle, or if you’re using colored pencils to create finalized art, a sketchbook with a light paperweight will work perfectly. Even though this paper can be considered somewhat heavy (with 65lb / 96gsm weight), it is still quite light! This is perfect paper to draw with pencils but you can also use other dry media such as charcoal or even pen. The Canson Sketch Pad is also very travel friendly, so you can easily take it anywhere you go. Great for experimentation and practice, the Bienfang Sketch Pad has very sturdy spirals and quite a light-weight paper. It also has a very attractive price with over 100 sheets of paper. Another Moleskine sketchbook, this one especially for paper! A big pro of this sketchbook is that it’s a great sketchbook for artists who are looking for more color in their sketchbooks. It might sound a bit weird, but having cover options for sketchbooks is actually pretty great! This way you don’t have to just carry a boring black cover sketchbook around. It does have some thin pages though, but since you’re planning on using these for drawing with pencil, it shouldn’t be a big problem. For drawing with charcoal you’ll want a decent sketchbook that it’s also lighter than usual! I won’t give you a lot of choices for this one; I honestly think the best sketchbook for charcoal that you can get is the Canson Artist Series Universal Paper Sketch Pad . As I’ve talked about before, this sketchbook is perfect for both Pencil and Charcoal, and it has 100 sheets of paper, it’s really a no-brainer for the price! It’s a great sketchbook for artists who want to experiment a lot with quick sketches or just want to do some studies with references. Alright so, in the sections above we’ve talked about some that COULD use watercolor, but none that are actually perfect for watercolor and other wet medium, so here we go. Let’s start with Moleskine sketchbook. One more Moleskine sketchbook, this time for watercolors! This is great sketchbook for artists that plan on using watercolors, it has a great paper weight and several sizes to choose from. Just be careful with how much water you use so that you don’t mess up the pages. Another great option for drawing with watercolors is the Global Art Travelogue Watercolor book. It has a Landscape option, perfect for drawing environments and it lays flat. It also has a very soft and smooth texture that’s perfect for watercolor paint. The Canson Artist Series Watercolor Paper is a premium quality paper great for different media. In general, you just can’t go wrong with Canson. They always have high-quality products and many options of sizes to choose from. Not only that but you can even decide if you want a spiral bound (Side or Top) or Fold-Over! If you want to use ink on your sketchbooks, you want some durability and pages that absorb the ink well! You can use gel pens, brushes, ballpoint pens and more on this type of sketchbooks. Here are my recommendations on the best sketchbooks for inking! Leda Art Supply is a big brand that makes wonderful sketchbooks. These Sketchbooks have a strong spine that doesn’t tear easily, a very flexible cover and 160 pages to use! It’s quite worth the asking price, especially if you’re looking for sketchbooks to draw with ink. A very travel friendly sketchbook for inking, the Handbook Journal Co. is a great cheap sketchbook choice for artists. It has great quality paper and it’s very easy to pocket. If you’re on a budget, get this one. This one is a nice super-portable solution that you can use on the go! Consider getting this one even if you choose another bigger sketchbook. To be completely honest with you, there aren’t quite exact solutions if you plan on just using Gouache on your sketchbooks. This is not a bad thing, though! It means that you can use a mix media sketchbook like the ones we’ve talked about before, or you can use a watercolor sketchbook and it will do pretty great. So, my recommendation of the best sketchbooks for Gouache are: I’ve mentioned this before on this article, it has a very nice textured paper and many sizes to choose from. Choose this if you’re looking for a Mix media sketchbook where you can use many more dry and wet tools. This is a great sketchbook for artists that want to use gouache. Choose this one for a more sturdy sketchbook with extra weighted paper! Even though it’s better for watercolor, gouache will do just fine in this sketchbook. From these two options, it’s mostly down to personal preference. So choose if you want a sketchbook where you can mix different mediums together or something better designed for wet media! Also if you’re a fan of Moleskine, just get the Moleskine! It’s always a great option of sketchbook for gouache. For drawing and painting with acrylic and oil painting, you’ll want a very sturdy sketchbook and specific paper for this! So here are the best sketchbooks for acrylic and oil painting. With easy to remove sheets, the Canson XL series Oil and Acrylic Paper Pad is a great option for artists that want to draw with oil or acrylic paints. This sketchbook has a wonderful texture and a nice weight of 136lb (290gsm), making it perfect for painting with acrylic paints without bleeding to other sheets. Another Canson Paper Pad, this one from the Foundation Series if perfect for acrylic paints and has many sizes to choose from. The best thing about this paper pad is that it has a fabric like texture. A must have for fans of Canson and drawing on fabric with acrylic paints. Once more, there aren’t a lot of Sketchbooks designed specifically for drawing with Pastels. Most of the sketchbooks listed here are actually fine for pastels. In fact, I would recommend you take a look at the Pencils and Colored Pencils section and choose one from there! But, I would also like to say that Canson has an especially created paper sketch pad that works very well for Pastels. One of the few options perfectly created for drawing with Pastels, the Canson Paper Sketch Pad for Pastel is a wonderful choice! It has big and thick pages and lays flat with a spiral binding. This sketchbook does have a lower paper weight than a Mix Media Pad, so choose which weight you prefer! Here’s the deal about looking for a sketchbook for Hand Lettering and Calligraphy. Either you’re looking for a sketchbook that you can practice on, or you’re looking for one that you can learn AND practice on. I’ll cover both of these here. Let’s start with the ones that you can practice on. I’ve already talked about this one in the ink section of this article, but to sum it up: A very sturdy and durable sketchbook with many sizes to choose from! Highly recommend this one for hand lettering and calligraphy. And now for the sketchbook that you can learn AND practice your calligraphy! Nib + Ink: A Modern Calligraphy Sketchbook on Amazon Learn and practice drawing Calligraphy with this sketchbook by Chiara Perano. It includes helpful exercises that you can mimic while you check it out. This is really a great option if you’re trying to learn calligraphy! Let’s go to one of the best parts of carrying sketchbooks, which is having a travel sketchbook or pocket sketchbook that is, most of the time, very pretty. Now, that isn’t to say that there aren’t travel sketchbooks that are very simple and elegant, but the options available for super amazing small-sized sketchbooks are immense! Still, I’ll just mention a few of my favorite ones here. Pick the one that you relate to the most! A beautiful and quite quirky sketchbook is the Leather Writing Journal Notebook by MALEDEN. It is quite cheap, travel friendly, and best of all, it’s refillable with any sheets you’d like! Making it a perfect option for any artist that wants to customize what’s inside their sketchbook. Another simpler option for a travel sketchbook is the Pentalic Traveler Pocket Sketchbook. It has recycled white paper with an elastic band to keep it closed or mark a page you’re working on. It also has quite a good price for the number of pages (160). On one final note, if you’re looking for a pocket sketchbook that you can use for Watercolor, Ink, Gouache or any other Wet Media, I recommend instead grabbing a Pocket Moleskine Watercolor Album like we talked about in the watercolor selection. The reason is that this one’s paper is 200 gsm! A much thicker and acid-free paper perfect for inking and painting. The other ones have much lower gsm, which are not so suitable for this, and allow bleed-through. Side-note: If you’re looking for a mix of a drawing tablet and Sketchbook , consider the Huion Note X10 (Review Here)! All right that’s about it, now that you’ve decided on your sketchbook, be sure to check out my guide on Gesture Drawing and start putting it to use! (Or practice while it doesn’t arrive in your mail) Patricia Caldeira is the main writer here at Don Corgi. She's an art teacher with over 20.000 happy students across many platforms and courses! Enjoy your stay and as always: Keep on drawing!