Etchr A5 Portrait Sketchbook - Cold Press Mixed Media 100% Cotton Sketchbook - Hardcover Drawing Book - Hardcover Sketchbook 5.8”x8.3 with 52 Pages - Sketch Pad with Customizable Cover

I love the 100% cotton, 140 lb. cold press pages. I will be traveling a lot this summer and fall. It will be a constant companion.

Pricey... definitely. Most people who love watercolour will have come across these sketchbooks, and would have to weigh up cost. From my experience the hot press books are great quality. Those prices though? ...You need to be in a place of wanting to give yourself ( or someone else) an expensive gift.

I bought two of these sketchbooks, CP and HP, to understand the difference in the texture of the paper. So far I only used CP and am very happy with it. HP as expected has less texture.In my view, both, CP and HP, will be perfect for line and wash sketches and paintings.I've tried painting a watercolor landscape in the CP sketchbook and am very happy with the result. I've tried quite a few of my favorite techniques and all worked on this paper beautifully.The paper is white or I would even say extra white in my opinion and takes a fair amount of water. The book was nicely packed. It also lays flat. It was also sold at the best price I could find (for portrait etchr sketchbook sold in the UK) without the need to pay tax and purchase a bundle.My only criticism is the white canvas cover, which I expect to get dirty really quickly as I plan to carry it around. However, I've seen some videos where sketchers apply wax around the edges and they comment that this technique helps. I might try this on my sketchbooks.

The watercolor soaks into the 100% cotton making it easier to do layers and washes without the puddles.It is 230 gsm mixed media paper so it does buckle a little when doing watercolor alone, but not too bad.I haven't tried markers so I don't know if it will bleed through. There is no problem with my waterproof micro pens. The paper is thick.The size is perfect for sketches and since it's sewn together it's easy to go across the pages for larger landscapes. It is small enough to carry around but large enough for good sized sketches.The cover is white cloth so durability is questionable - it will probably start turning gray after a while of getting thrown into a backpack and going to all sorts of places. If you are very fastidious that might be a problem.Over all, it's a very nice sketchbook for the price. If you want something just to mess around in or try new techniques I would probably use something a little cheaper - I love this sketchbook for projects where I put into practice the stuff I learned in the cheaper sketchbooks.

The book is the size I ordered, opens widely for doing a two-page spread, and the paper feels nice.