DOODLEWASH REVIEW: Watercolor/Art Journals Part I

The post reviews journals for wet media and compares how different brands handle watercolor, ink, and mixed use. It favors bound books over spiral ones, notes that paper warp is common, and points to Stillman & Birn and Pentalic as stronger options for watercolor use.

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• The review focuses on journals that work for wet media and points out some that do not.
• The author says the topic is large because many journals exist and many people are looking for the best one for their needs.
• The series is split into two posts because there are too many brands to cover at once.
• The brands covered in this part are Stillman & Birn, Seawhite of Brighton, Leuchtturm 1917, Derwent, Leda Art Supply, and Pentalic.
• The author prefers bound journals over spiral ones because the paper seems less likely to warp when one edge is already stabilized.
• Stillman & Birn is presented as a personal favorite and the brand the author recommends over most others.
• The author values what a journal actually does with wet media and ink, not what its description says it should do.
• Paper warp or buckling is treated as normal in watercolor and sketch journals, with Pentalic Aqua Journal described as the only one used that did not warp.
• Stillman & Birn journals are described as durable, with hard covers and a flat lay after a little breaking in.
• The brand offers six paper varieties, with Alpha and Beta in white cold press and Gamma and Delta in ivory, plus Epsilon and Zeta in smooth paper.
• The 150 gsm Alpha and Gamma papers take more than a light wash and handle ink well.
• The thicker Beta paper buckled more than Alpha, Gamma, or Epsilon, and the spiral binding may have contributed to that.
• The Epsilon paper handled heavily diluted ink paintings well and did not bleed through.
• The author notes that Stillman & Birn released softcovers in late 2015, but pulled them because of binding issues.
• Stillman & Birn sent a sample paper packet when asked, and the packet is free in the US.
• The author avoids papers labeled cartridge paper because they are usually not meant for wet media.
• Seawhite of Brighton is described as an exception, with 140 gsm all-media cartridge paper that is acid-free and sized for extra wet-strength.
• Seawhite’s square hardback with cloth cover is praised for handling watercolor well, though very wet Brusho work caused some bleed-through.
• Leuchtturm 1917 Sketchbook is said to be fine for a little watercolor, but not for serious watercolor because the paint is not easily mixed or moved on the page.
• Derwent Journal, also cartridge paper, was returned because even a light wash could not be manipulated and looked dull.
• Leda Art Supply’s Odyssey Sketchbook is described as good for dry media, but too light for the wet media the author usually uses.
• Its 81lb paper takes only a very light wash, with a light watercolor sketch causing bleed-through and a wetter ink painting causing a lot of bleed-through.
• Pentalic Aqua Journal is described as the journal Charlie uses for his Doodlewashes and as having thick paper that is great to paint on.
• Pentalic lays flat, comes in two landscape sizes, and includes a ribbon marker, elastic brush holder, back pocket, and elastic band closure.
• The main problems with Pentalic are gaps between the signatures, cumbersome first and last pages, and concerns about durability.
• The author says Pentalic came back from a trip intact and had no buckling, with painting on both sides of each sheet working well.
• The post says the series continues next Saturday with Part II on more journals and notes that July is World Watercolor Month.