7 of the Best Sketchbooks That Beginners and Professionals Love

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Photo: Javier Gonzalez
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A sketchbook is the ultimate artist’s companion. Like a close friend, you’ll spend a lot of time with it and tell it your inner thoughts (through drawing, painting, and writing). Many artists will regularly fill their pads with a bevy of drawings. Some are so polished that their books feel like mobile art galleries. But, gorgeous spreads aren’t the point of keeping a sketchbook. These books are private places to record your doodles, ideations, and observations without the pressure of sharing them with the world. If you want to, that’s great—but first a foremost, a sketchbook should be a place just for you.

So, how do you go about picking the perfect sketchbook for you? Well, there are a few things you’ll have to consider…

Photo: Annie Spratt

Selecting the right sketchbook is a personal choice.

There are a few big considerations you need to take when buying a sketch pad.

1. The size that you like to work in. If you draw a lot, you’ll notice that there’s a scale at which you naturally sketch. Maybe it’s smaller than a quarter or you prefer to take up the entire page. Or, perhaps it’s somewhere in the middle. Take stock of this when selecting a sketchbook. If you like to draw big, make sure you pick something that can handle large art. With miniature drawings, you can opt for something much smaller in size.

2. Where will you be using this sketchbook? Another aspect to determine is where you intend to draw. For sketching at home, the size won’t matter as much—your book doesn’t have to travel. But if you intend to draw on the road, it’d be wise to select a scale that will fit comfortably in a backpack.

3. What media will you use? It’s important to decide what media you’ll use in your sketchbook because it will determine the type of paper that can best handle your art. For pencil and colored pencil, your doodles will be fine on thin 20-pound paper. Tools like watercolor paint, gouache paint, or markers are best used on thicker paper that can handle a lot of media and heavy saturation of materials.

Check out our comprehensive guide for an overview of the types of paper used for art.

Our Picks for the Best Sketchbooks

There are a lot of sketchbooks on the market that come in a variety of bindings and covers. The popular spiral-bound books allow you to lay them completely flat as you draw. Another binding style is called perfect bound, which makes your sketchbook look like a conventional book you’d find on a library shelf. In terms of cover choices, you can opt for inexpensive soft-cover sketch pads or splurge on a hardcover book that offers more durability.

Before you start to doodle, check out our list for top sketchbooks, below.

Pentalic 8.5″ x 11″ Hardbound Sketchbook

Pentalic | $9.87

Ideal for dry media, the Pentalic sketchbook has a textured hard cover with 70-pound paper inside. It is perfect bound yet designed for lay-flat drawing.

illo 8″ x 8″ Sketchbook

illo | $16.95

The illo sketchbook is a hardcover book with heavy-weight, 122-pound paper. It lays flat and is designed with social media in mind. “Our 8″ x 8″ Perfect Square Ratio sketchbook,” they say, “allows you to go from paper to social media without the awkward cropping.”

Strathmore Series 400 9″ x 12″ Sketchpad

Strathmore | $8.19

This is the quintessential sketchpad, if you like to draw with dry media. Spiral bound with a soft cover, the 60-pound sheets of paper are perforated to allow you to tear out and frame later. With 100 sheets of paper at a low cost, this is a great sketchbook for keeping in your studio and drawing on every day.

Moleskin 5″ x 8.25″ Hardcover Sketchbook

Moleskin | $15.48

Moleskin is known for high-quality sketchbooks that artists love to use. This book features premium off-white paper that’s 111 lbs and suitable for all types of media. Additionally, Moleskin is great for traveling. It has interior pockets for loose papers and is secured with elastic closure band.

Leda 7″ x 10″ Softbound Sketchbook

Leda Art Supply | $16.47

Leda has created a premium art journal that boasts 160 cream-colored pages. The smooth, thick paper is meant to handle pens, pencils, pastels, and more. Like Moleskin, it comes with an accordion back pocket and an elastic band to keep the pages together. There is a caveat, however. You’ll want to look elsewhere if you’re considering painting. “Leda isn’t meant for heavy wet media,” the company notes. “Some users experiment with a light watercolor wash.” If you do this, the pages might warp.

Copic Markers 11″ x 14″ Wire-Bound Sketchbook

Copic | $28.90

If you use artist markers as part of your practice, try this book by Copic. It features 50 sheets of 11″ x 14″ paper that’s bleed resistant—exactly what you want when you’re using makers!

Pro Art 4″ x 6″ Hard-Bound Sketchbook

Pro Art | $6.34

Do you draw small? Pro Art has created a sketchbook that’s about the size of a postcard. Featuring 220 white pages, it’s perfect for putting in your bag and sketching on the go. With that many sheets of paper, the book ensures you’ll be drawing for a while.