Strathmore Sketch Review

My sketchbook has been with me a year and a half or so, and it's become a faithful companion that distracts me from all of those boring things I should be doing. I have many, many sketchbooks, but I think one only can be your go-to. Here is world's most basic sketchbook, accessible to all. My Strathmore is where I first started collecting many of my real drawings and designs I'm proud of. Seeing as I've developed a preference towards it, I thought about why I like saving my work in one book. I can't find the same sense of interest in a drawing pad, just because the blank space intimidates me because I know it's higher quality. Same goes for my watercolor paper, which has an amazing surface texture to soak up water, but the weight and thickness is very expensive. A large sketchbook is fun, and eventually becomes a gallery of various collections. Going through the first pages is a progression of skill and it always encourages me to fill out all the pages, which I know won't happen before the binding falls out. It's been much loved, watered down, traveled internationally, folded and scraped. Below are some factors to consider with buying art papers, especially great quantities of them. 

Specs and Technical

Manufacturer: Strathmore

Series: 400

Surface: Fine tooth Sketch (Recycled 30%)

Dimensions: 2 x 12 inch

Medium: Lead/Graphite/Charcoal Pencil: Dry only

Weight: 60 pound

Laydown

Sketch inspired by works of Dorota Gorecka

I really notice that paper quality has little to do with the product quality, unlike lens selection in professional photography that can't really be compromised. That being said, I still find that the fine tooth surface is much more comfortable than a hard and thick one. Make sure you save any beloved pieces outside of the bindings or you might run into a situation where your work has been lost to the forces of decomposition.

Technique wise, specific technique doesn't work perfectly on these pages; finger blending can get out of control when done with little planning. As you can see in my sketch, face contouring and similar little details take time to perfect with an eraser and blending tool. Luckily, the paper has a wide spectrum of possible gradients, so I often go in to darken spots that need to look that way in comparison.

Fashion and Figure Sketch

Sketches inspired by works of Giambattista Valli and Banana Republic presented at Paris Fashion Week

Most of my pages are filled with sketches like these of beautiful dresses and styling by the designers who show up on my Instagram feed. The height and width are good companions with the proportions of models, leaving extra room for a dress train.

Wishing everyone the merriest Christmas this year!☼