Stillman & Birn Gamma Series Wirebound Sketchbook: 9x12, 150 gsm, Ivory Paper, Medium Grain Surface Review

love laced notepads high quality paper useful for journaling, collage and just about anything you might want to use for art

Present for a relative upon express request; I'm assuming you've already had good experiences with these sketchbooks, which is the reason for the request. By the looks of it, it was a very well made book.

I love this ink and watercolor paper and it's my favorite sketchbook size for drawing outdoors. It easily fits in a small bag along with everything else you need for a pleasant afternoon hike and painting.

The Stillman & Birn series is the best sketchbook I've tried in the last ten years. Which surface and paper weight feels right is of course purely personal preference. Sometimes I like the plate finish and heavy weight of the Epsilon series pen and ink, and other days I like the parchment finish of the Gamma series.

I only use this gamma series for writing with an old fashioned ink pen and it works well. Actually this may be overkill as the paper is quite stiff but the ink doesn't bleed through the paper at all. I recommended it as a gift to my daughter and it worked. I like the metal spiral as the page lays flat when writing. Many Thanks.

Although Copic Markers don't crop to the bottom of the next page, they crop so you can only use one side of the page. The markers work well and don't leak. Thin Line Sharpie works well. I would recommend thicker marker paper. Otherwise this is a great sketchbook. I will definitely buy another Stillman & Birn sketchbook, only with thicker paper.

Excellent mixed media sketchbook - colored pencil, pastel, colored pencil, fountain pen and lightly toned watercolor pencil - all worked well for me in this Rugged Scales Books series. I especially like the tooth tone and ivory on the Gamma paper. For the same tooth tone and ivory on paper thick enough for true watercolor sketching, I recommend the Delta series (also from Stillman & Birn). I still like (and use) Strathmore Visual Journals and Bee Super Deluxe Albums as general field books…

Ink transfers too easily with this product. Frustrated by this, I once left a page open for 10 minutes, so I let the ink dry before finally closing the book—and even then, the ink STILL spilled onto the surface of the opposite page. This was my biggest issue with this product and a deal breaker for me as I use these books for art and cannot allow ink from one side to ruin the design on the opposite side. It's not a problem I've had with other sketchbooks, even almost to the same extent. And…