Review on 📓 Articka Note Hardcover Sketchbook – Square Hardbound Sketch Journal – 8 x 8 Inch Art Book – 120 Pages with Elastic Closure – High-quality 180GSM Paper – Ideal for Pencils, Graphite, Charcoal, and Pens by Nicole Mcleod

I wanted to taste the illo, but when I wanted to buy it, Revain had stopped selling it. My goal was a hardcover artbook with strong paper and no rings (like my Cansons) that I could carry around without adding weight (unlike the Ohuhu 8x8 marker tablet). Here Articka appeared. Pros: I love that this is an 8x8 square hardcover notebook with perforated pages that is still lightweight. In this book I used gouache and watercolor (multiple washes) and the paper is not torn or curled. The paper is crumpled, but not badly. Please note this is a smooth white paper, slightly lighter weight than card stock. No teeth for this paper. I don't think it was intended for wet environments and appears to be more for dry environments. I'm just saying that if you're a rebel like me, you can get away with some of the wet media in the book. I'm looking at you art journalists. The Crayola markers worked well in the sketchbook. Haven't tried alcohol ink yet, but like most sketchbooks, I expect ghosting. I like that it lays flat and the purple patterns on the inner lid are pretty (not objective because it's my favorite color). And I love the purple elastic that keeps the book closed and together. Cons: It doesn't have an expandable back pocket! This was my biggest disappointment as I love carrying extra papers, stickers, reference photos and a 6 inch ruler on the back. I had to find a way to create my own design and unfortunately this obscured the beautiful purple design. That's why it lost a star. I would be happy if it came with a pen loop. Another weird thing: I was messing around with the cheap acrylic ink I bought because I had an art block and the ink bled all over the page. Thinking I might have overdone the ink a bit, I didn't think about it much. I used the Tombow Fudenosuke brush to create the line art and although it wasn't reflective I could see it through the page. All in all it is worth the investment. I'm still using illo for comparison, but I don't think I'm missing out without it.