Moleskine sketchbooks are a very popular canvas in the modern art world. This is because they are compact and easy for traveling. I was introduced to them from art friends online, and I’m so glad I decided to invest in one.
What is A Moleskine Sketchbook?
Moleskines are a brand of sketch pad that are popular for their versatility and compactness. They also are quite convenient for the mind of an artist.
I see a lot of moleskine sketchbooks on tiktok for reference.
The most generic size for a moleskine is the 5” x 8.25” model (medium) in black, but there are many different color options. There is pocket(3.5” x 5.5”), medium(4.5” x 7”), large(5” x 8.25”), A4(8.25” x 11.75”), and A3(11.75”x16.5”).
Moleskines were originally notebooks that were first developed in France. It was quite cultural in Europe to have a notebook for artistic thoughts. Artists such as Van Gogh and Picasso commonly used notebooks to further their brainstorming.
The concept behind a traditional moleskine sketchbook is that it is “a story waiting to be told,” or in other words, it isn’t exclusive to just visual artists. Writers also commonly use them.
What is different about this sketchbook compared to others?
Moleskine sketchbooks are different from others for a few reasons. The first is that it is a hard covered sketchbook, with a faux leather on it. I really preferred this to my other sketchbooks personally. It made the sketchbook feel much more durable.
Another reason that moleskines are different from others is because of cool features that make you feel a part of the community. I really liked how they have an endearing message on all of their with inspiration to create.
Moleskines have a paper pocket in the back of them where you can store extra pieces of paper, or in my case, clippings of past drawings that I want to re-paste somewhere new. I thought this was a nice inquire addition to such a small book.
I also like that moleskines have a ribboned bookmark attached as well as a book strap around the opening of the book. Once again, just items that distinguish it from the rest and raise the quality and personalization just that much.
What I learned from my purchase
I think that this is a great notebook! I typically am a thick paper (over 100lbs) sketchbook user, and am very used to a spiraled binding, both of which are not features on the moleskine notebook.
The reason that I like thick paper is because I am a marker user. My advice to anyone that is looking to add color to their moleskine’s pages, do not get the regular sketchbook. I would advise that you get the watercolor option they have on amazon or on their site.
The regular moleskine notebook/sketchbook has quite thin pages. This is because it is made for pencil only, which I was not aware of. When I took my posca paint pens to the pages, there was some pulpage coming up from the page that just made it too thin. When I used my prismacolor alcohol markers, it bled through to the other side almost immediately.
Although, there is a thicker papered version available! I will have to purchase the thicker one, which is the watercolor model, and then write about that one. I know that it will be my preferred one.
Like I said, I usually prefer the spiral binding. The reason for this in the past for me has been that the pages being perforated. Then, I can easily rip out my work to clear my sketchbook from a bad idea or for gluing some of my sketch on to another page.
However, I was very pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the classic book binding! The pages are all able to lay flat, so I find myself drawing continuations on both pages since it flows so nicely.
In Conclusion
I will definitely be getting more of these books. I love how compact they are and how personal they feel.
Next time, I will be getting the watercolor type, considering how much color and variation of mediums that I like to use when I am brainstorming to play with color palettes. I really like how it is hard covered, bound, and stitched well.
I think that moleskines are the perfect brainstorming book to keep your ideas flowing.
