A5 Sketchbook, Lay Flat Softcover Sketch Book for Everyone, Ideal for Ink, Water Color, Pen, Pencils, 160 Tear Resistant Pages, Size: Medium, Leda Art Supply

*Review based on Leda A5 sketchbook, size medium To preface, I am *very* particular when it comes to sketchbooks and the type of paper I use for my art. I've tried various types of sketchbooks over the years (Canson, Strathmore, Illo, printer paper (lol)), but I think this sketchbook has to be one of the best I've ever invested in. I've been branching out to multimedia art lately, experimenting with watercolor, gouache, along with other dry mediums - and my latest trial was finding a sketchbook with the type of paper that can hold up to all of these as best as it can (a huge ask, I know), but I think I've found it! The paper in the A5 size medium sketchbook is a very light cream color, with a smooth texture. It isn't 'printer paper' smooth, but you can feel a small difference if you're comparing this sketchbook paper to regular paper (the sketchbook feels higher quality, as it should). If you're familiar with the Illo sketchbook made for inks (alcohol markers), Leda's paper is not that smooth, there is still a *little* bit of texture, but like I said, it's not noticeable. In my experience, the paper holds up well for alcohol markers (Ohuhu) and doesn't cause any pilling. However, I have noticed the paper pilling when using an inexpensive brand of water-based markers, and it doesn't blend as easily (although that could also be the markers). I would definitely put a sheet of paper underneath so the ink doesn't bleed through to the other side. Surprisingly, the paper handles gouache much better than normal watercolors from the few times I've done spreads in this sketchbook. I've done full page washes and paintings using gouache (with considerable amounts of water and paint) and the pages have barely buckled, even under numerous layers of paint (this is using the Himi brand of gouache). Normal watercolor on the other hand, has buckled my pages (Winsor & Newton) whenever I've used just a small amount. I haven't done a full page spread with normal watercolors, but the small portions/pages I have painted with watercolor have buckled to some degree. Personally, I like the buckled look when I close my sketchbook or flip through the pages, I think it gives my art personality, but if you solely work with watercolors and don't like buckling, I would recommend watercolor paper instead. Dry mediums like colored pencil, graphite, pens, ink liners, etc. work well on this paper, I would just lay an extra sheet of paper underneath the pages if you're worried about it bleeding through to the other side. Personally, this sketchbook hits all my needs for a multi-media sketchbook without the pages being extremely textured and thick (I prefer a smoother experience). I would 100% buy this again once I've filled out my current sketchbook. It may be on the higher end of what I would normally spend on a sketchbook, but it's exactly what I've been looking for so I think it's worth it.

Very good size, still decently portable. The paper is textured in a very subtle way, not totally smooth but not extremely rough either, makes it great for multiple materials. The cover is textured so it won't slide around when drawing on a smooth surface and it has a little pocket inside attached to the back end that is good for holding loose papers. Overall very good sketchbook, this is my second buy from the brand and I think the longevity is great and I couldn't switch to another book without missing drawing on these ones!

Incredible durability and very nice feel, good do draw on and the colors pop. Love it

Nice cover and paper quality. I read a lot of people had issues with ink bleeding through, but none of my pens did though I cannot speak for markers. Holds up okay to light watercolor washes, though warping will happen as you can see in my photos. Decent sized pocket in the back with ribbon sides. All in all, probably the best sketchbook I've owned, but I normally buy cheaper stuff from Hobby Lobby or Walmart. EDIT: After owning this sketchbook for several months and finally doing some art it in, I can say that its held up pretty well. I wasn't purposely trying to be rough with it, but I admittedly have been and aside from a bit of.....squishing(I have no idea what word to use) where the band comes around the edges its fine. I've had someone bite it, a cat use it as a bed and a scratchpad when I wasn't looking, and it still generally looks almost new. As I said, I added and art image and the back of that same page to show that yes, sometimes thing will bleed through. I was using pens, washi tape, and someo other things on it. The pens I use are water-soluble so I wanted to see what it would do. I definitely used too much water. Other than that, some color did bleed through at the edges where I accidentally cut through the paper with the xacto knife. There are no marks from the xacto knife on the page behind it nor did anything that bled through get to the other page. So yeah, this sketchbook is and has been a great little travel buddy :)

This sketchbook has good paper for drawing. I have this book in 3 sizes and use all of them regularly. The smallest fits in my fanny pack that I take hiking. I can take a break and sketch the beautiful things in nature.

This is the third one I’ve bought. It’s very high quality, no bleed through, heavy paper withstands crafts and different medias. Really like them.

Perfect for my needs. I use this as an illlustrated/written daybook. Colored pencils, watercolor colored pencils, fine point markers, pencil, all work well and do not bleed through. I am extremely pleased with this sketch book. Great value for the money, lots of pages, sheets are properly secured, and the book is just the right thickness. Even the cover is just right and looks classy.

This it's a quality sketchbook, field journal, or artist's or writer's journal. The paper is great quality, among the best I've used (though the title of best writing paper still--& probably always will--belongs to the Rhodia Webnotebook & its 90g/ms Clarefontaine vellum-finish paper, which is far & away the best writing paper I've ever encountered). At 120g/ms, it's probably a bit heavier than I'd like if I were just to use it for writing with pen & ink (I exclusively use quality, mostly Japanese, fountain pens with minimum 14k gold nibs), but I do plan to use it for charcoal & pastel drawing & painting. I just hope the smooth finish still allows for some character to my work. I've found that to fine a finish on the paper, with no tooth to it, can give your work a very keenly fine look to it, too photographic one artist put it. This will be n my first time using this kind of paper, so I'll amend & update this review if it becomes necessary. I can say, however, that I love the sewn binding, & the tough, rubberized cover has fantastic flex to it, allowing the spine to break easily & for the book to lay fairly flat, though not quite as easily as a spiral-bound sketch book would. I do have to say one thing, however. The creator sends a note along with the book that relates the story of Leda & The Swan (Leda is the brand, after all). In the story, they talk about how the Greek God, Jupiter, turns into a swan so that he can seduce Leda. This is how the story goes, & there's nothing wrong with that. It's a Greek myth, isn't it? Only one small problem: Jupiter is the Roman name for the same god, who goes by Zeus in the Greek pantheon as well as in the myth. You'd think that the person or persons who took the name Leda for their company would have got that bit right when telling their story of why there's a place for creativity & art. Just a side note, but I do wonder if such an egregious error should cost then a star for not knowing the difference between Greek & Roman gods & their mythologies.

I have used a lot of sketchbooks for work over the years, and some were better than others. Moleskine is often the sketchbook of choice, if you don’t mind the price. This sketchbook is comparable to Moleskine and is very well made. At this price, it’s a simple and easy decision to make. It feels nice to hold, is durable, has good paper weight, and is well bound with a durable elastic and a good quantity of pages. I plan on buying more as my go-to sketchbook.

Ich kaufe dieses Skizzenbuch seit einigen Jahren immer mal wieder und bin sehr zufrieden! Ich habe schon viel getestet und bis auf die Skizzenbücher von TALENS Art Creation noch keine Besseren für mich gefunden. Das Papier ist angenehm glatt und hält einiges aus. Es ist nicht zu dick, nicht zu dünn, und auch Mixed Media (in meinem Fall Buntstifte, Aquarell (begrenzt), Acrylfarben und Ink) sind gut darin zu verwenden. Feder ist nach meiner Erfahrung etwas schwierig, da es die Oberfläche des Papiers ankratzt und so die Linien ausfedern, aber u. B. Kugelschreiber, Brushpens oder Gelstifte funktionieren sehr gut für Lineart und Co. Das Soft cover mag ich persönlich gerne, wenn ich an meinem Schreibtisch arbeite. Ich habe die Erfahrung gemacht, dass das Zeichnen im Zug oder unterwegs damit etwas problematisch ist, da es doch sehr elastisch ist, aber das ist Absichtssache. An sich gehört es zu den teureren Skizzenbüchern, aber ich gönne es mir ab und zu mal ganz gerne, einfach weil es Spaß macht darin zu explodieren. Kann es empfehlen und ist bestimmt kein schlechter Kauf!

Estupendo el papel y estupendo el aspecto externo. Tiene el tamaño adecuado para desplazarse con el y lo que mas me gusta es que es flexible y no rígido como la mayoría de los cuadernos de dibujo.La tapa es duradera con aspecto similar a piel no lisa, sino rugosa y además resistente al agua. El papel es de tono marfil- beige y las hojas son de buena calidad. Uno de mis cuadernos preferidos de dibujo en este momento que lo podría ser también de escritura

きれいにかける

J'ai acheté ce carnet pour des croquis au crayon ainsi que de l'anatomie, toujours au crayon. Il remplit parfaitement cette tâche et le rendu est très bien. Les feuilles sont douces au toucher, la couverture très belle également : en bref c'est un carnet de très bonne qualité que je recommande fortemment pour un usage simple du crayon.