I was putting it off for a while but I finally picked up a sketchbook for drawing while I am travelling around and at home. As of late I have been using an A4 sketchbook that was falling apart and just too big for easily moving around with. The paper just wasn't quite good enough either -- though a little wood glue fixed the spine crumbling apart, I still felt I needed something that would support ease of use for studies in all places and times. A friend of mine recommended the Leuchtturm 1917 plain notebook from their own use under various art mediums over the years, and after a week or two of looking around the Internet, I made the decision to go with that too. There were just so few other options online, and the nearest art store closed down permanently last year! Another reason to going with this particular brand was that the notebook contains 251 pages; most other options had significantly less for a slightly different pricing. Quality just did not seem to be there for most other options I came across. Though I do intend on grabbing a spare sketchbook from Sakura at some point.
Coming in a little more on the pricey side of things, the Leuchtturm 1917 A5 notebook comes at a £17.60 (just under $20) while cheaper alternatives, as mentioned above with lesser pages, are priced around £5 less and lower. It definitely is more on the expensive side, but the number of pages and quality of the notebook are absolutely worth it; I have seen it used with various types of paints and handling them just fine, though in my case it'll be handling basic ink and pencils. I should also add that I ended up picking the Leuchtturm 1917 up at a discount, which did actually shave off £5 and a little extra which led to me picking up a Sakura Micron 003 pen as well. Though the pen was a mere addition to meet Amazon's annoying minimum order sum standard to avoid paying the insane £4 shipping fee. I do intend to pick more of these pens up at some point, since they seem to be really useful and meet various requirements when it comes to details.
I will be opening the notebook as I write this little post on it, so I won't be showing anything in it given it'll be fresh and empty and void of my upcoming scribbles that I shall refer to as intentional art. I'll also show a little of the Sakura Micron 003 pen for anyone that might for some reason be interested.
If you are not all that familiar with paper sizes, the Leuchtturm 1917 A5 version is referred to as Medium, a size capable of fitting easily into bags and being stored in drawers, making it incredibly useful for portability. I was very cautious when it came to finding a sketchbook size that suited me the most, not wanting something A4 and not wanting something a bit too square and small that might result in some squashed sketches and drawings. Having a size that would allow for multiple styles and drawings on a single sheet of paper was a necessity, and A5 (or Medium) seemed just right. A nice plus side to it is how the pages are lightly numbered, but nothing too obnoxious that takes up space on the page or gets in the way. It has a very beautiful, professional look to it. And the quality is absolutely there for the price.
The pages feel really nice too, very thick with some weight to them. Certainly not too flimsy and as if they will tear easily, or that any ink will leak into other pages. Though I will have to see with time how good they are in that regard. This sketchbook really does feel great, with a somewhat leather-like backing and bookmarks inside.
I will definitely get some tests going when I can, perhaps really review the sketchbook and the pen(s) together at some point in the future. Thus far I am very impressed with both.
Truthfully, the Sakura Pigma Micron 003 was a spontaneous decision as mentioned to meet the £20 requirement on Amazon, I had no intentions of actually picking up any pens just yet and just wanted the sketchbook, but knowing I was to get them sooner or later, I picked a random size which just so happened to be the 003. This thing is tiny! It is a very fine pen aimed for getting into the drawing and pulling out as much information in them as you can on the smallest level, where thicker pens can't. If you do any hatching, there is a good chance you will enjoy this, or already own it. For light sketching it will also work too. Though it is evident that this is a pen size that is best used alongside many others, and probably won't stand up well on its own.
With some slight use I have found it a little difficult to get used to just with how small the pen's nib is, seemingly like it might be incredibly fragile and very easy to bend and damage. I have seen others mention this online in regards to these pens and the slow sizes, so I guess that also does not help. Though I think it is just a case of getting a bit more familiar with it and building that confidence up with use. The build quality seems there, just I can definitely see how at an angle with too much pressure it might ruin the pen over time. I remember feeling the same way when it came to using my digital tablet and feeling a little nervous about applying too much pressure.
No waaaayyy!!! You finally decided my friendddd! I am very very happy for you I swear! 🤗 I'm happy when people get things that will make them feel better, it's not just spending money, it's something that will actually help you a lot, plus you've been waiting for it for a long time.
¿20$? Unbelievable that that's actually that expensive, but the cover looks very high quality and durable and with 251 sheets it's a very good investment, right?
Question the 3€ shipping is from where to where @namiks ? from the same UK or USA? 🤔
I love the A5 size, it's just big enough to get a decent sketch into and small enough to lug. Also have a preference for spiral bound because they stay flat.
I still have an unfilled sketchbook that I bought I don't know how many years ago now but it's been a while, I haven't drawn forever
Yeh the Microns seem to be things you might want to use in sets, but while I kind of lusted over pens and markers I never really strayeed out of pencil (when I was analogue drawing it was entirely with a mechanical pencil partly because I liked how it felt and sounded but mostly because it clipped to the spiral). I have a vague memory of trying one out once, you can get some really nice detail out of it (and I think my parents were slightly annoyed because I didn't know how to lighten up at the time and accidentally bent the nib, it had originally been bought as a "nice" pen for writing with).
Have you done at least one page by now? :D