Off-white paper sketchbooks?

September 6, 2007 5:23 AM

Can you point me to sketch books with off-white or beige paper?

I do some cartoony illustration from time to time, and I'm looking for cheap(er) sketchbooks with off-white or non-white paper. Preferably it would be a beige, darker cream, or even gray color.

The swarthmore 'natural' white paper is pretty good, but still a little too white.

I'm using Micron pens and colored pencils, but might want to do some light watercolor in the future. I find that thicker, clothier paper can be too linty. I like the color of some newsprint, but I need a higher quality.

posted by miniape to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total)

i adore the smoothness and beige color of these earthbound sketchbooks It might be a little too far from white for you, but the texture works very well with pens like micron, as well as color pencil and light watercolor. Also i they are recycled and acid free so thats a big plus. They're on the cheaper side.

These books can be found at almost any decent art supply store. Utrecht, Pearl, Dick Blick. I dunno whats near you. They also come bound as a book (like the link) or also wirebound, in a variety of sizes.

I also adore moleskine books-- the texture is so smooth and the color of the paper is off-white-- very easy on the eyes. The price is a bit higher though. The earthbound books are cheap so i don't have to feel as 'careful' when doodling on them.
posted by modernsquid at 6:34 AM on September 6, 2007

If you don't go to DickBlick.com already for all your art supplies, I highly recommend them for just about anything under the sun.

You might like the classic cream spiral-bound drawing pad, but their are lots to choose from, including more expensive, hardbound sketchbooks.
posted by misha at 10:43 AM on September 6, 2007

Response by poster: modernsquid, the earthbound books like nice. But are there 'flecks' of different colors like you see in some recycled paper?
posted by miniape at 10:44 AM on September 6, 2007

Oh, and here's the Classic wirebound sketchbook I use.
posted by misha at 10:56 AM on September 6, 2007

i love the earthbound sketchbooks I haven't found any other sketchbook I like in the past ten years. The paper is great even though it has some slightly darker flecks in it they aren't strong enough to compete with the images. The surface is smooth but not slick. The dark value is its greatest feature. It's light enough that ink and graphite marks are plainly visible but dark enough I can also pull out highlights with gauche or colored pencil.
posted by subtle_squid at 11:58 AM on September 6, 2007

I use the same Cachet sketchbook misha linked, but in ecru. It's a nice greyish-yellowish color. It holds up OK to watercolor -- not phenomenal, but good for its price. It won't tear or pill unless you go nuts.
posted by Marit at 1:56 PM on September 6, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks all. These look good. I'll try to pick them up and test them out.
posted by miniape at 9:14 AM on September 7, 2007