Strathmore 483-5 Softcover Watercolor Art Journal, 48 Count (Pack of 1), White, 24 Sheets

I have found my new favorite sketchbooks. Love the cotton paper and the smooth texture. It handles everything I throw at it. I like the flexible cover. No stupid ribbon. No annoying perforations. Wishing they were less expensive BUT you get loads of pages. Totally worth the price.

This is a perfect journal for watercolorists. The paper is thick enough to paint on both sides. This works great for me to practice skills, use for art therapy and is just the right size for my needs. I will definitely be purchasing more!

I love this book (mixed media). It's great, especially for my fellow heavy handed folks. Graphite doesn't smear from page to page, paper doesn't ingrave marks from pressure. Its softbound so it has grip and doesn't slide around my workspace like hardbound covers. It does gain small indents and creases over time but its not significat or damaging. It holds up very well and does not fall apart like other sketchbooks I've owned. The paper is off-white with a tiny bit of texture. It is GREAT and holds up very well to various mediums. I've used mod podge, graphite, charcoal, watercolor, ink, duct tape, alcohol markers, and other mediums in this sketchbook and the paper provided a great and durable surface for all of them to work they way they should. Alcohol markers do bleed but do not leave marks on the other pages. The paper also does not tear up as easy as others and can handle lots of erasing and sketching.

I bought this mixed media journal because I love how it looks and it lies almost completely flat. While I love the textured paper for drawing with pencil, I have been a little disappointed by how it handles water-based paints. I find that if I do more than two very light washes, the paper starts to fall apart and ruin my artwork. Honestly, I think my expectations may have been too high- I was just really hoping that it would handle my gouache better. Other than that, it's a really nice sketchbook. I actually really like the softcover because it's very flexible and soft, and it really does lie pretty flat. It's a great, portable size, and would be great for sketching on the go. Overall, I would rate it 4.5/5 stars, because while I wish it handled watercolor/gouache a bit better, it's still quite a nice sketchbook.

Just what I wanted - a watercolor journal of good paper in a size that’s easy to transport for outdoor painting.

I've been using this particular brand and line of sketchbooks for about a year now and I have to say that it is my favorite. I love the fact that the paper is not too thick but it's still thick enough to handle watercolor. I also love the fact that it is 100% cotton so watercolor performs really nicely in this sketchbook. This is definitely a well-rounded truly mixed-media sketchbook. I primarily use col-erase pencils, ink, and watercolor in this sketchbook and they all behave nicely in this book. I have used a bit of gouache in it as well and I did pretty nicely in it. As far as watercolor goes it can handle a few layers before it get to a point where it can't anymore. It will lay pretty flat. The texture of the paper is pretty smooth but not too smooth I believe they say its a vellum finish and I would agree. The cover is not the sturdiest and marks will show up easily but I tend to put stickers and doodles all over my covers and honestly I prefer the soft cover to the hardcovers anyway, but I figured I'd mention the cover just in case someone doesn't want a cover that gets marked up easily. The pictures I provided use both ink and watercolor, just watercolor and sketches using the col-erase pencils. I hope this was helpful.

Love this sketchbook and love the toned tan for gouache paintings. there is one that is toned tan 80 lb paper and it does warp a bit with wet media but the other one is a heavier paper and is better for painting on. still i use the 80 lb for color charts, practice , and recording classes and notes. and many things. I love the soft cover. the size is nice for me.

I love the feel of the paper, as well as its responsiveness to the media. There is only slight buckling to wet media, and no bleed through. It is NOT good for permanent markers, like Sharpies or alcohol markers or Posca pens-it doesn’t bleed through with the Poscas, but goes pill a bit. But for watercolor, acrylic paint and gouache, I like the way it takes the paint and colors. I like working in Pilot B2Pballpoint and various brush markers, and I really like the nuance of stroke and intensity I can achieve. This is my second such sketchbook, and will continue to use it in the future.