Art Alternatives Very Big Sketch Book

I am so happy I got this book when I did in 2021! I only paid about $25-30 for it then and I considered looking into buying a second and the sticker shock is pretty intense. Its a large sized book with smooth paper, 300 pages at 11 x 12.75(?) (not sure how to write 12 and three quarters lol but its almost 13 in at the extreme) Pretty good for what its made for, sketching and such. The paper hasn't discolored in all of this time so far. Hopefully the price will come down to something a touch more affordable. Pros: Great sized book, has a little weight to it but it has 300pgs. Handles dry media more or less as expected from a smooth paper type. The paper hasn't discolored (had mine for 5 years in June but I haven't stored it in direct sunlight either) It hasn't fallen apart on me but I don't have heavy use on it. Cons: the current price as of this review's typing . For the same price, you can purchase 5-7 separate sketch pads of equal or better quality. So Unless you want the hardcover look for aesthetics, I'd wait for it to drop in price or shop elsewhere. It is not bleed proof which, again, for the ytype of paper used, isn't that surprising.

Wow!!! This is HUGE!!! I bought this because I am an avid journaler. I've had to use 3 of the smaller journals unusually use to cover this year alone, so I was looking for something a lot bigger. Boy, did I get it! In addition to my usual daily journaling, I am answering 365 self reflection questions in 2020, so I need a lot of writing space. 600 pages should do it!I won't necessarily be able to carry it around with me, it's so heavy, but that's ok with me. I am using it for a journal and a little drawing, but mostly just writing and gluing things on the pages. For my purposes, the pages are thick enough. I wouldn't use a permanent marker in them, but it looks like highlighters, regular pens, watercolor pens would work just fine and not bleed through. The binding seems sturdy enough, though I do see where the weight of the pages could result in the binding tearing. Overall, I am happy with this purchase! If it goes well this year, I will buy another next year. I saw some reviews where it arrived damaged. I don't necessarily believe that's the fault of the manufacturers of the product, but they should consider putting some kind of protection around the pages. When mine was packed it was alone in a box with no bubble wrap or anything. Had there been other items packed with it, they would have damages the pages and I would have had to return it.

Wow, they sure were not kidding when they said this was a giant sketchbook! The quality of this sketch book is superb, and it has such an elegant cover. In addition, I had bought pencils with it since I was concerned the pages would be too thin. I definitely could have used a pen, though. The pages are really great quality. However, I would not use a pen with a lot of ink; but, a ballpoint pen or a fountain pen would definitely be fine with this. The paper is not thick enough for painting, either. Still, since it is a sketchbook, it exceeds my expectations. I was really debating on purchasing this sketchbook, but I completely recommend it. It is such great quality, there are six hundred pages (if you use both sides of course. 300 if you use both pages in one go.), and the pages are really great quality. This sketchbook is also pretty heavy and sturdy. Probably around six or seven pounds, perhaps even more or more less. Being the petite person I am, it still is not too heavy for me. I just would not recommend carrying this everywhere you go. You most likely could easily fit it in a backpack if you are that determined, but for being on a plane ride, bus ride, or car ride, this sketchbook most likely would not fit too comfortably on your lap. You would need a nice spot to set this book on, in order to have it work best. Overall, this sketchbook is fabulous. The pages are nice, and it is perfect for those of us who need a lot of paper!

This sketchbook is just awesome!! I love how big it is and I can't wait to work on filling it with my drawings and sketches. It is actually high-quality paper as well. It's thicker than a lot of the sketch paper but not as thick as mixed media paper. Copic makers and other alcohol markers do bleed through, so, protect the next page by putting a piece of paper or something between the sheets. This thing is massive and very heavy! It's not a sketchbook you would want to take with you anywhere but works well for one you would work in at home. I work on other drawings and then paste in those drawings in my big sketchbook. I will be buying this again! I may buy another one soon for my next sketchbook, so I have it on hand or an extra. I highly recommend this sketchbook, especially if you like the idea of keeping your drawings and like looking back on your progress as an artist.

I've been using this big book for some months now, and I've reached a bit past the halfway. In this time I've learned that, when it comes to drawing, It is not fit for water color, conte crayons, charcoal, colored pencils such as Carb-Othello, at least in my experience, which is, obviously, the only one I have to go on. I have managed to work with conte crayons by using an old sock, my pinky finger, and tissue to rub it in, but even then the result isn't very satisfying. Save the water color, the aforementioned tools leave a grainy texture even when rubbed out, which draws the eye when close. The worst offender is the charcoal. The reason is this: the paper is very rough. It is coarse and somewhat bumpy. Not as though there is sediment embedded therein, but it leaves a pattern and creates a rough sound when I rub in my tools. Other sketchbooks do not have this problem. Other sketchbooks are not as big, so it is a personal trade off you must consider. However it handles graphite quite well, although I believe there is a... 'hiccup' when it comes to the darkness and texture. They fade a bit, and they also blot and group up into sometimes unsightly remains of what had been there before. It's still visible, but it's lost the luster of a freshly done sketch. So you either draw dark or don't fret over the small sketches. Ballpoint pens work fine as well. I prefer the medium points over fine points. When using Staedler pigment liners the ink doesn't seep through. The worst part, aside from being so big scans are almost out of the question, is the construction. Quite soon, the it fell apart. The spine fell off and as I type the back cover is hanging precariously to a thin sheet of cardboard, or paper, or whatever holds the thing together. This behemoth, I say this with amusement, mind you, is too large to carry about and draw outside, so I've used it primarily as a study sketchbook, situated in my lap almost exclusively. Yet the binding became a problem. I MUST stress however that the internal binding is tip-top, pretty damn good, and so far reliable and steadfast. No problems keeping anything together, so a bit of a trade off. I say it's worth it. The book is excellent for study, but it is quite cumbersome. I find myself drawing in my lap more than on my desk, hunching over until my eyes serve as shorthand telescopes as a result. The pages are long and wide for the most satisfying big drawings, but smaller sketches will seem out of place and you will ache to fill a page. It's to be expected. It is fantastic for the days you want to sit down and draw from the masters, or perhaps just other artists you admire. As before, the pages are quite large and present a broad range of freedom. Bottom line, if you don't want to worry about running out of paper in a dedicated sketchbook, and you are not concerned with the feeling of your pencil on the paper or you want a place to rough out all of your ideas or simply draw your surroundings carefree, this is the book. What it lacks in specialization (not toned, not smooth, not spiraled or capable of dispensing junior mints when you get hot), it makes up in freedom. It's a big book, however the pages aren't your primary concern. That would be how it handles, or comfortable or portable it is as well (I sometimes use it as an impromptu weight to lift. Follow my advice and do not lift it from behind. Ouch.) Weigh the pros and cons if you think a smaller and more manageable book would do. If you want to offload some studies or sketches, this is the book for you.

Seriously, buying this sketch book has got to be the best $30.00 I ever spent. The quality is amazing, I am absolutely delighted with it. I started drawing in it about 60 seconds after I got it out of the mailbox and unwrapped. If you like to draw you will LOVE this sketchbook. If you know someone who likes to draw, they will think you are the Funk King/Queen of the Western World if you get them this sketch book. So far I have used pencils, regular old No 2's and nicer Prismacolor sketching pencils, Prismacolor colored pencils, Derwent colored pencils, a few different brands & types of gel pens and some Staedler fine tipped markers to draw/color in this sketchbook and I have had no issues with bleed-through to the next page though some of the gel pens and the fine-tipped markers did show through on the back of the page I was using them on. Had I been using the markers for anything other than lightly outlining/subtle depth, they would probably have bled through to the next page. The paper is not thick but it is not exactly thin either. It's not super smooth, nor is it at all textured or rough. It's GOOD paper, not extremely high quality, but very nice. It seems to take pencil, both graphite and wax-based colored pencils best, and gel pens work well too though I much prefer the way the Prismacolor and Derwent colored pencils blend and look on this paper. If you're gonna use markers, put a couple of sheets of paper between the page you're using them on and the page behind it so it toesn't bleed through. I don't know if pastels would work too good, the paper seems too lightweight and smooth but then again it has been a very long time since I've used pastels so I could be wrong. If you're looking for a high quality oversized sketchbook that'll take awhile for you to fill up, this sketch book is an excellent choice. I can't imagine anyone being anything other than thrilled with this sketchbook. Art Alternatives was also a pleasure to deal with, I actually received my sketch book a couple of days early. My book was appropriately packaged and and brand new, still wrapped in plastic, and in absolutely perfect condition. It was NOT exactly as the seller described. I got the Very Big Sketch Book and I don't care. Yes, the Very Big Sketch Book has, I believe, 48 fewer pages than the Sketches in the Making book. I still don't care. For approximately $30 (which includes shipping and handling) this book is still a great deal. The quality of the book itself and the paper is very, very good, I would expect to pay around $70-$100 for a sketchbook of similar size/quality someplace like Artists Loft or even Michaels, if Michael's carried a product like this (which they do not!) I am very, very happy with my purchase and quibbling over 48 pages when I have 300 oversized ones to work with just seems petty to me. Yeah, it's a bit scammer-like of Art Alternatives to send people a different product that the one pictured/described without telling their customers about the substitution or offering a discount or anything. That really is the classic definition of "bait-and-switch," though a very small-potatoes example of it. Inevitably, they're gonna p*ss some of their customers off and probably lose at least a few with this kind of behavior. And while I would happily buy from them again, I will also be asking them some very specific questions about anything I buy from them before I purchase it and saving those emails and their responses just in case I should find myself going toe-to-toe with them over something that IS a big deal to me. If I don't get a clear response or any response at all to my pre-purchase inquiries, I will probably order from another seller if at all possible. Although I am happy with this purchase, Art Alternatives has let me know that they find nothing wrong with substituting one product for another, very similar, one without telling me of their intention to do so or offering me any sort of discount or incentive for my 48 missing pages. Everything worked out ok for me this time, but it might not next time. They have planted the seed of doubt and that's a shame. If someone at Art Alternatives had taken 90 seconds out of their life to email me and make sure I was gonna be ok with the substitution before just sending it on (and hoping I wouldn't notice, I assume) there would have been no seed of doubt planted and I would not feel the need to use caution if and when I should deal with them in the future. Still, I do love the sketch book, I feel like I got an excellent deal, the fact that there are 48 fewer pages than I thought I was getting is not a big deal at all to me and overall I am thrilled with this purchase. I would also recommend this sketch book to anyone in the market for a sketch book and I would recommend Art Alternatives as a good source to purchase the sketch book from though I might also suggest that the buyer email Art Alternatives for specific information about what product they will actually be receiving, especially if I know the buyer to be a person who is very choosy and/or very detail oriented.

Huge book,way bigger than expected. Good quality,paper is nice. Heavy.

So what am I doing with two coffee-table sized books full of over 300 extra large blank pages? I came across this item while searching for a hard cover book of blank pages that would not only satisfy the unbounded urge of my five year old to draw upon every blank page he sees but contain said treasures in such a way that I did not have to really put a whole lot of effort into it (having two other kids and a plethora of kid drawings everywhere as it is). I hoped as time went on, the volume would likely chronicle an upgrade in drawing skills since he is already showing some intriguing talent...(but you know, I'm his mom so take that with a grain of teary eyed salt :) When it arrived I was amazed I could possibly have purchased this massive wonder for under $30, with free shipping no less; it certainly has some weight to it. Many other books with significantly fewer pages were in the price range of $30 and upward. My child has decimated two reams of office paper drawing sometimes just marks and miscellaneous circles and letters on a page and not wanting to reuse the back since he can see the lines through it. I wanted something with as much paper as possible. Now he has a book where every turn is a new page whether it is the back of another isn't really apparent and so he uses both sides. Not only that but he seems to take more care about filling up the page since it's a book. To my delight, I found I could very easily tape things to the pages inside or even parts of pages he left blank, some of the items I've put in there include drawings from school, little cutout pictures he loves to make and leave around the house and I sometimes even cut small pictures he's made on a blank piece of paper and put them all on one page making a neat kind of collage interspersed with his drawings. He was also delighted by this enough that my six year old became a bit jealous and I had to spring for another one...why not? This is a fantastic way to keep their drawing treasures in one place. I've told them we'll decorate the covers with their names and whatever they want to put on it as soon as I get the other one. I've also noticed that it isn't filling up particularly fast, which to me is a wonderful aspect since it could potentially contain years of memorable child art. In the event they discontinue drawing in it, I can still tape or glue mementos, photos and other various and sundry things to the pages. I know I need to order a third before there aren't any more since my up and coming four year old is going to need one too! In doing all of this, I decided to purchase a smaller hardcover book for myself to contain my own drawings and things I perhaps want to keep. An artist might love to see the evolution of their drawing skills or a master scrap-booker could really find some great things to do with this book. With some imagination this is really a wonderful value and a great product. As to the quality of materials, the black hard cover under the dustcover is a little generic but I love the fact that it is practically a blank canvas upon which my little ones, or anyone for that matter, can create their own unique cover (it is a bit bumpy, not flat). To me, the dust jacket looks like an advertisement for the book, but again, it was just more motivation to remove it and decorate the cover. The paper inside is a nice heavy stock, not particularly bright white so bear that in mind if you are a more discerning artist, however it holds up well, doesn't tear easily and the pages are bound nice and tight in the book. I can't imagine this binding falling apart very easily even after years of use. All in all I think this is an awesome product and would highly recommend it to anyone with some creative ideas and a need for such a volume of blank pages.

Le carnet est sans doute de bonne qualité mais est arrivé dans un état déplorable pour quelque chose de "neuf". Les coins et la couverture sont sales et abimés, et une page était même pliée! Le carnet en lui-même est sans doute très bien, mais pour le prix, j'aurais espéré le recevoir en bon état!

This sketchbook is awesome!! Buy it you won't regret it, the paper is of good quality and the book is just huge! I was astounded by the sheer size and weight of it, not something I'd ever carry around but good nonetheless

Cover seems like it could wear or break if not careful but given the price its a good product.

Das Buch ist einfach riesig und man hat viel Platz um alles, was man möchte in das Buch zu packen. Es wurde sogar früher geliefert als erwartet, was mir sehr gut gefallen hat. Allerdings wies das Buch bzw. die Verpackung schon beim Auspacken Schäden auf, die Folie mit der das Buch eingepackt war, war zerrissen und am Buch selber waren die Ecken eingedrückt, auch sind die letzten 5 oder 10 Seiten oben an den Ecken beschädigt. Das macht mir aber nichts aus, ich finde das Buch trotzdem sehr schön und würde es mir immer wieder kaufen, über kleinere Mängel kann man hinweg sehen, allerdings hätte ich mir für 50,00 € auch ein ganzes Buch gewünscht, daher ein Stern Abzug, ansonsten bin ich sehr zufrieden.

Muy bueno y de buena calidad, ¡enorme!