Good quality paper
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The media could not be loaded. Having the A4 and A5 sized sketch pads in this set is handy, allowing me to keep the larger one at home while the smaller one is good for taking out for sketching on the go. The front cover could be a little sturdier in order to protect the pages better but the back cover is a bit more substantial. The paper is 160gsm and is quite smooth but still has a little bit of texture so is best for drawing with pencils as recommended, but out of interest I've also tried using some different types of pens and if I work quickly I didn't get bleeding but some fibre tip pens looked patchy when filling areas with colour rather than line drawing and do bleed through to the reverse. The paper isn't intended for, and isn't suitable for watercolour. I like the rings which are used to hold the covers and pages together as they allow enough movement to fold the pages to the back so you can easily work on one page, and they are hinged so that you can open them to easily add or remove pages as required. The sketch pads are fine for rough work, sketching or practicing rather than for doing fully finished pieces.
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I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this paper seeing as 2 books for £8.99 The issues I had was the smaller book had been pulled into the bigger book and then pressure of other orders meant that loads of the sheets were dismissed and the entire corner of all the time pages were creased. Certainly not what anyone wants
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I bought these sketch books because I wanted sheets which could be reorganised if need be, and the ring system was convenient. For the price, I did not expect a lot, but I have been surprised at the good quality of the paper. Yes, I grant it is not the best quality paper that I have ever used, but this is excellent quality for general use. Some marker pen will bleed through the paper, but ordinary drawing pens are fine. I have also tried using watercolour on it, and though it cockles slightly, I have known much worse. These books are ideal for both beginners and experienced artists who want to take the pad out for sketching.
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Two sketch books that, in my opinion, are useful but limited depending on your use of them. The front cover is of black card, only very slightly heavier than the paper, whilst the rear cover is a much thicker card stock. The pages are bound together with a couple of loose ring binders that allow pages to be easily removed or added to the book. The rings are not too big as to give too much movement of the pages whilst in use but easily allow the pages to be folded back to give a solid foundation. The paper feels about correct for the weight in the product details and is a usual off white colour. It has smooth finish, not quite hot pressed but not a cold pressed finish, so not a lot of texture at all and feels like a type of cartridge paper to me. It takes pencil, markers and ink well, without any bleed through to the reverse but this will depend totally on the amount of liquid applied, anything to heavy and I feel there will be some bleed through. There is also a little bit of bleeding of the ink marks when the pen is not used in a quick manner. They are not suitable for the application of watercolour as they buckle badly and don't dry in a manner conducive to good watercolour lay down, but that's to be expected with this type and weight of paper. The big disadvantage is that the paper isn't acid free so will discolour over time and any colour applied will be similarly affected, however that's to be expected at this price point. So I wouldn't use these for anything you want to preserve long term but otherwise useful. My intention is to use them for 'thumbnail sketches and working out compositions and or values prior to starting a full piece for which, in my opinion, they will be fine.
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Paper is a little cream/warm and not white, not good for markers as it is see through and bleeds on the next pages. For pencil or pen work it is fine! Rustic sketchbook I would describe it as!
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Very good sketch books. Two different sizes. The paper is very nice, it works well with all mediums, pencils, paints, pastels. I would recommend this.
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Great value for this set of two pads, one A4 and one A5. The paper quality in these is much better than I was expecting, feels quite thick and will do perfectly for most dry applications. Probably not sufficiently weighty for wet media like watercolour, but looking forward to using this for sketching and design work to develop ideas. The design of the pads has some useful features, such as the ring binders that allow pages to be removed and added. This is a great idea, but on the set I received at least, the rings were so stiff and difficult to pull apart that I probably won’t use them. I appreciated the good thick back cover however, that makes these good for taking out and about for use without a table or board. All in all, good value and I would probably recommend if you are looking for sketch pads with nice thick paper for dry media work.
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