Do you want to become an artist? If yes, then don’t let stop your imagination from running wild and keep exploring and doodling. A study suggests there are about 2 million Americans who are artists. Well, you may or may not want to pursue your passion as your career, but you can always doodle, sketch, and paint in your free time.
Drawing and sketching become easier if you are using the right media and sketchbook. A good sketchbook uses quality sheets of the right size. Artists can visualize their drawings easily if the sketchbook has the right margins and space.
Contents
Different Sizes Of Sketchbooks
Sketchbooks come in various sizes. It is not the sketchbook’s size that matters, but the size of sheets inside it. Although there are no set rules for size, you should always choose what you are most comfortable with.
For instance, if you want to buy a child’s sketchbook, then a smaller size is always better. But, if you want to make a detailed drawing, you should use a larger size.
Given below are some popular sizes in which sketchbooks are available:
Size 14 x 17 inches
This is the largest size in sketchbooks. This size is useful for large finished drawings. Landscape sceneries, portraits, or large compositions use this size. You can use them for studio or field drawings.
Depending on the paper’s quality and recommended media type, you can use different drawing media. Such as pens, pencils, oil pastels, and watercolors.
Canson produces one of the best sketchbooks of this size. You may want to check out more below:
- Use for: sketching, drawing, light washes of ink and watercolor, collage, journaling, and more
- Erases well and blends easily
- Micro perforated, true size sheets
- 60 sheets of 98 pound/160 gram
- Acid free 14" x 17" inch paper
Size 11 x 14 inches
This size is almost equal to A3 size sheets. This is the most used size for drawing in homes, schools, and colleges. From mountains to rivers, from action figures to your favorite cartoon characters, you can draw everything in this size.
Check out this great 11 x 14 inches sketchbook from US Art Supply:
- 2 Pack of 11" x 14" Professional Sketch Book Pads. 30 sheets in each pad, a total of 60 premium artists' quality sketch pad sheets that are ready for you to unleash your artistic creativity!
- High-quality sketch pads with heavy-weight, 90 lb, 160 gsm, semi-textured natural white paper sheets. These thicker versatile, durable, acid-free, neutral pH sketching paper sheets are suitable for all types of mixed media and all skill levels of artists.
- Sturdy top spiral-bound sketchbooks for easy page-turning. Pads have a heavy chipboard backing and cardstock cover for extra protection. Excellent for kids and adults to create artwork or develop and practice their skills.
- Sketch pad sheets are resistant to bleed-through, smudging, and fading and are ideal for writing, drawing, and sketching. Great for use with colored pencils, graphite pencils, pens, markers, charcoal, soft pastel, sketching sticks, etc.
- Perfect for use by aspiring artists, art students, and professional artists! These premium sketchbooks make a perfect gift to anyone who enjoys sketching, drawing, and creating art.
Size 9 x 12 inches
This is one of the most user-friendly and handy sizes. You can carry it around to class or while traveling. This size is ideal for users who are new to hands-on drawing and love using many media, such as pencils, oil pastels, and light watercolors.
Bachmore has one of the best sketchpads in this size. You can have a look at it here:
- INCLUDES - 1 pack of sketchbook with size 9’’ x 12’’, 100 inside paper. The weight for each paper is 68lb/100gram, which is much thicker and better than the similar sketchbook offered by other brands.
Size 9 x 9 inches
Square sketchbooks are very versatile. You can draw and sketch on them, but you can also use them for preliminary designing. The size is great for carrying; it packs neatly.
Art Street has a great sketchbook of this size:
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Size 6 x 12 inches
This size caters to small landscape sketching. One can also use it for quick studies or practicing small designs. These sketchbooks can fit into handbags and small-sized school bags.
Check out this pretty sketchbook from Pentalic:
- Nature sketch drawing book
- Made in the USA
- Can be used for wet or dry media
- Acid free with 25-percent cotton sheets
- A percentage of sales will be donated to the American Wildlife fund
Size 6 x 9 inches
If you are looking for a small sketch pad for random doodling, then 6 x 9″ is a perfect size for you. You can scribble down tit-bits from your studies, make a quick to-do list, and doodle small patterns.
LYTek has a nice hardcover sketchbook in this size:
- PREMIUM QUALITY AND VALUE PRICE: 2 Pack of thick, large sketchbooks – 160 sheets in all – so you can draw, sketch, doodle & color on the go or just keeping your doodles organized. All at an affordable value price.
- HEFTIER DRAWING PAPER: Every LYTek sketch book offers quality acid-free paper – 63lb./95gsm – perfect for dry medias such as pencils, pastels , pens& more. Plus, every page is perforated, so you can detach it cleanly & safely.
- DURABLE WATER REPELLENT HARDCOVER AND BACK: Coated sturdy chipboard hardcover and back can protect paper from creasing, make for a great surface to sketch against on the go. Water repellent cover can protect the artwork from the splashing water or even in the rainstorm.
- STRONG TWIN WIRE SPIRAL-BOUND AND CONVENIENT PEN LOOP:Spiral-bound make it smoothly and easily to turn to pages.The elastic pen holder on cover is perfect for kids or adults art class.
- AMERICAN BASED COMPANY: We are family-run small business located at Seattle specialized in paper book product.We are HERE to help and will stand behind every LYTek product - and those who invested in them!
Size 6 x 6 inches
This is the smallest generic size of sketchbooks; but, some companies have sizes as small as 3 x 5 inches. Little kids can use small sketchbooks for free-hand drawing and quick pre-school practice.
How could we go through an entire article on sketchbooks without mentioning Strathmore?
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Buyers Guide – What Is The Best Size Sketchbooks
Sketchbook covers come with some brief guidelines, including recommended media, size, and format. Usually, we tend to ignore this data, but it can play an important role in choosing the right sketchbook.
Here are some points you might want to consider before buying a sketchbook that suits your needs:
Recommended Media
There is a wide range of artistic media that you might want to use. Some of these include pencils, pens, charcoal, oil pastels, crayons, acrylic, and watercolors.
Use the one which suits your needs and experience. For instance, a beginner never starts with watercolors or acrylics and oils. Rather, he/she is advised to use pencils for sketching and crayons for filling colors. Once you are clear with the type of media you want to use, look for the sketchbooks which allow you to use the desired media.
For instance, some sketchbooks are only meant for pencils and pens, while some offer the flexibility to use mixed media. You can always find sketchbooks for every purpose. Thus, look for the media considerations before choosing.
Size
In most cases, the front cover of any sketchbook indicates the size of the pages inside it. Although a sketchbook’s size is a subjective choice, one should always be clear with the purpose.
For instance, if you want a sketchbook for making studio designs, you might want a large size. But if you are looking for a place to doodle and scribble, you can go for a smaller size.
Also, think about portability. If you want to carry your sketchbook every time you travel, you should choose a size that can fit your handbag or backpack.
Format
Sketchbooks are available in three formats: square format, landscape format, and portrait format. Different formats are useful for different purposes. For instance, square sketchbooks are ideal for making geometric designs. In contrast, rectangular landscape format sketchbooks are useful for making scenery and preliminary drawings.
Binding
Binding may not affect your drawing, but it always helps in protecting the pages inside. A tough binding provides protection and durability to the sheets inside.
Bindings are of different types, such as coil binding, tape binding, staple binding, etc. If you want a sketchbook that offers easy removal of pages, then you must look for the one which has micro-perforated sheets. It should be bound by a double spiral, which engenders easy removal with minimal effort.
So, if you want the pages to be intact for a long time, you must choose a sketchbook with very hard binding such as staple-bound sketchbooks.
Cover
Different sketchbooks have different covers. While some have a hardbound cover to prevent the sheets from creasing, others have a softbound with pages sewn at the spine.
The type of cover and the binding affect how you can flat lay the book or not while sketching or drawing.
Quality Content
Apart from the cover type, the sketchbook’s quality is also defined by the kind of pages it has. If you are a professional, you might want to choose a medium weight or heavyweight sheet with a higher GSM. Such sheets provide a toothed surface for drawing as well as painting. In any case, one should choose a sketchbook that has acid-free or pH-neutral pages so that the pages don’t get yellow over time.
The Right White
All sketchbooks have white pages, but each one contains a different variety of white. For instance, some sketchbooks contain creamy white pages. Some use warm white or natural white pages.
The shade of white doesn’t impact the choice of your media. But it can affect the digital image of the page while scanning.
Looking for a Watercolor Notebook?
Weight
The weight of a sketchbook and the paperweight are different things. Anyone would want to choose a lightweight sketchbook. But while choosing the right paper weight, people often get confused. Thin sheets have lower Grams Per Square Meter (GSM) as compared to thick sheets.
Usually, sketchbooks have GSM ranging between 80 to 130. It makes them thick enough not to bleed-through when the user uses ink pens or markers.
Best Sketchbooks In The Market
Express your thoughts and imagination on paper with these amazing sketchbooks:
1 . Strathmore 455 – 3 400 Series Sketch Pad
Let the artist inside you explore different art forms with Strathmore 455 – 3 400 Series Sketch Pad. From random doodling to quick studies, you can use this sketchbook for a variety of purposes.
Key Features
- Strathmore 455 – 3 400 Series Sketch Pad as dimensions of 11.6 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches.
- This sketchpad contains extra-thick sheets that are designed to be true to size.
- The recommended media suggests the usage of dry media for drawing and sketching.
- The sketchpad engenders easy removal of the pages as the sheets are micro-perforated.
- The hard chipboard cover with the double-spiral binding protects wearability. It also prevents the creasing of pages inside.
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2 . Bachmore Sketchpad
This sketchpad allows you to make memories wherever you go. You can carry it around due to its small size of 9 x 11 inches. The smooth acid-free sheets cater to all kinds of dry media.
Key Features
- This sketchpad has a size of 9 x 11 inches and a lightweight design.
- It contains 100 premium quality smooth micro-perforated pages. It can be easily torn whenever required.
- You can use dry media, including pens, pencils, and sketching sticks.
- The sheets are protected with a hardbound cover, which is 100 % handmade.
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3 . LYTek Hardcover Sketch Book
Organize your designs and doodles without running out of pages, as this sketchbook comes in a pack of two. You can draw anywhere and anytime as this sketchbook has a very handy design.
Key Features
- Tek Hardcover SketchBook has a size of 5.25 x 8.25″ inches, which engenders portability.
- The acid-free sheets are micro-perforated for easy removal.
- The pages are thick enough to prevent fading and bleed-through.
- You can use any type of dry media.
- The sketchbook is coated with a hardcover, which is water-
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Benefits Of Sketching
Let’s have a glance at the proven benefits of sketching.
Activates Brain Cells
Studies show drawing and painting can have a positive impact on one’s brain. The entire right hemisphere of the brain gets activated while visualizing and doing creative work.
Opens Up Imagination
There is no better way other than expressing imagination on paper. Random doodling helps in putting down everything which is going on in one’s mind on the paper. This helps in broadening one’s horizon and imagination.
Enhances Creativity
Your creativity is bound to get enhanced when you spend some time alone with your sketchpad and pencils. Random strokes and imperfect design blocks can easily result in beautiful artwork.
Enhances Spatial Management
As one gets used to regular sketching and drawing, both the visualization power and spatial skills improve. You can get a better idea of creating large designs, even on small sheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best size sketchbook?
Sketchbooks come in various sizes, but the ones with sizes of 9 x 11 inches and 11 x 14 inches are the most user-friendly.
How do I choose a sketchbook?
While choosing a sketchbook, one should consider a couple of things in mind, such as media type, size, quality of pages, and format.
What size is sketchbook paper?
Sketchbook papers are available in some predefined sizes including 6 x 9″, 6 x 12″, 9 x 11″, 11 x 14″ etc.
Which page is best for sketching?
Sheets for sketching should be thick and smooth at the same time. Sketching involves the usage of dry media. Thus the sketching papers should have a higher GSM so that they don’t bleed-through while using.
How big is a sketchbook?
In the U.S, Sketchbooks are available in various standardized sizes including 4 x 6”, 6 x 9”, 9 x 9” , 9 x 12”, 11 x 14”, and 14 x 17”. However, some companies offer sketchbooks with large sizes, such as 18 x 24″ or 24 x 36″.
Conclusion
There is no such time as the best time for sketching and drawing. One can draw and sketch anytime, but it is important to have the right size’s proper sketchbook.
In this article, we have shared the standard sketchbook sizes, their uses, and their benefits. All said and done; the best sketchbook size is the one that you feel most comfortable with.
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