Toned sketchbooks: Stillman and Birn Nova series at top, Strathmore 400 series on the bottom.
I enjoy sketching with a little paint and colored pencil. Often I use Caran D’ache water soluble colored pencils and a little gouache. Watercolor paper is an ideal surface, but I also enjoy sketching on a toned paper. The tone serves as a middle value, allowing me to add dark and light values.
I also enjoy working with a standard graphite pencil and a white ink, white pastel, or white gouache.
Strathmore 400 series sketchbook
I’ve used Strathmore 400 series toned sketchbooks and enjoyed how they work, though the water can cause the paper to crinkle or lift, if used too heavily. The Strathmore 400 Series is available in tan (my preference) or gray.
This past fall Stillman and Birn introduced their Nova Series of toned sketchbooks. The Nova series is available in tan, gray, or black. I enjoy using the Stillman and Birn heavy weight paper sketchbooks, the Beta and Delta series, when painting my sketches and was looking forward to trying the Nova Series.
Stillman and Birn Nova series sketchbook
The Nova series is not as heavy weight as the Beta and Delta series watercolor books, but the paper is heavier than the Strathmore 400 series and has little tooth, which I also like. The Strathmore series paper is very smooth, which inhibits the use of a white pencil, chalk, or pastel for highlights. The tooth in the Nova series is not heavy, but enough to allow for the pencil or pastel to grab hold.
The Strathmore sketchbook is available in hardcover or spiral bound. The Stillman and Birn Nova series is available in a softcover or spiral bound. Both are available in a variety of sizes.
A couple of videos as I flip through a Strathmore 400 series toned sketchbook.
