Review on 📒 Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media Pad (362-9), 9"x12", 40 Sheets by Kristen Reid

My sketchbook arrived in perfect condition and on time. This is a great relief as I've heard that ordering sketchbooks from Revain (or online in general) sometimes results in them being damaged during shipping. was really big. I didn't even order the largest size! Now I'm tempted to try somehow. If you like working on a larger but not huge scale then you should definitely get the 9x12 as it's nice and roomy but not too big. It still fits in a regular backpack. My biggest gripe with this brand of sketchbooks has always been that the covers were brittle and uncomfortable (they're downright ugly in my honest opinion), but that's really my only complaint. I usually paint over the covers and then decorate them, but that doesn't solve the fragility problem. If you keep this in your backpack and take it with you, expect the coating to degrade over time unless you do something to protect it. My wife had one that she has been using for over a year and the case is really shabby. However, let's see why we are here. Paper! I already had a sketchbook from this series, only much smaller, so I already knew what to expect in terms of paper type. It's incredibly white and incredibly smooth. Takes almost anything I throw at him. Alcohol markers only bleed after very heavy application, they look spooky, but honestly that's always to be expected with alcohol markers. Watercolor still doesn't bleed in my experience, and of course it doesn't, the pages warp, but if you close the sketchbook after it's dry and put something heavy on it, the warping will be minimal. I've never tried double-sided watercolors in this sketchbook, but that's only because I never paint with double-sided watercolors. I think you can get away with it if you enjoy doing it. But it's a sketchbook, so you probably won't be making finished parts in it anyway. If you were planning on doing finished watercolor work in it, maybe I'd suggest something else because of the distortion. But it's great for my drawing. Overall I recommend this sketchbook because I love paper and for the price I think it's great. Your mileage may vary as everyone has different tastes. Give it a try because if you don't like it, you can always rip out the (perforated!) pages you used and give to someone else! I think this would make a great gift for a beginner artist who isn't quite sure what medium to use yet, nice and flexible.