DOODLEWASH REVIEW: Watercolor/Art Journals Part II

This post continues a review of watercolor and art journals and compares how different brands handle wet media. It focuses on paper feel, buckling, binding, page count, and practical use across Moleskine, Handbook Travelogue, Fabriano, Bee Paper, Strathmore, Canson, Arches, and Tomoe River paper. It also notes that journal choice is personal and that some papers are better for painting while others suit sketching, swatches, or mixed media.

Reading notes

#

• The series presents watercolor and art journals, with special attention to those that work better with wet media.
• This second part looks at Moleskine, Handbook Travelogue, Fabriano, Canson, Strathmore, Bee Paper Company, Arches, and Tomoe River paper.
• The text compares paper labels in gsm and lb and says that this equivalence can be confusing.
• The author says they started paying more attention to GSM than to LBS to better understand the real thickness of the paper.
• The Moleskine Watercolor has lightly textured paper, in ivory or light beige, with 25% cotton, 30 sheets, and use of both sides.
• In the Moleskine Watercolor, excess water causes buckling.
• The Moleskine Art Plus accepts mixed media well such as acrylic, markers, pastels, sumi ink, acrylic ink, and marker, but it does not work well for watercolor.
• In the Art Plus, watered-down ink forms beads on the surface and the surface deteriorates when trying to blend.
• The Handbook Travelogue journals have a linen cover, elastic closure, and transparent envelope on the back cover.
• The Travelogue Watercolor has white paper, less absorbent and stiffer than the paper in the Moleskine Watercolor; the author says the notebook bends a little in the middle after some paintings.
• The Travelogue Sketch accepts light washes, but starts to deteriorate if the water goes beyond that; the text treats it as good for light wash and mixed media.
• Fabriano is presented as an Italian company with a long history of paper production since 1283.
• The Fabriano Watercolour Book has 30 sheets of 200 gsm, acid free paper, FSC certified, and 25% cotton content.
• The Fabriano Venezia can be used with watercolor on both sides of the page, has 48 pages, and shows minimal buckling with wet wash.
• The author says the Fabriano Venezia dries with a slightly flat appearance compared to other papers.
• Bee Paper Company Aquabee Super Deluxe is described as a notebook that buckles more than any other used by the author.
• The Aquabee Super Deluxe has two distinct surfaces, one better for dry media and another that works well for pen and ink and for watercolor and mixed media.
• The author likes Bee Paper Company square notebooks and uses them for mandalas and paint swatches.
• The Bee Paper Company Aquabee 100% Cotton Watercolor Paper is mentioned as an option in loose sheets of 50 pages of 6 x 9.
• The Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor 140 lb/300 gsm is used by the author for swatches, but they say they do not like painting on it.
• The Strathmore Visual Journal Watercolor uses a paper that the author considers similar to that of the 400 Series, sturdy, with little buckling and good for sketching.
• The author says they prefer any variety of Canson over Strathmore.
• The Canson XL Mix Media is presented as a student grade line with more sheets and a competitive price, 98 lb/160 gsm paper, micro-perforated, and good for watercolor, acrylics, and dry media.
• The Canson Montval is described as acid-free, natural white, mildew resistant, and suitable for wet media such as watercolor, gouache, wash, and acrylic painting.
• Arches is shown as a brand known for professional watercolor papers.
• The Arches Field Watercolor Book has 15 sheets of 140 lb cold press, natural white, and lays flat by double wire binding.
• Tomoe River paper appears as an honorable mention for being very thin, 52 gsm, used by fountain pen enthusiasts and by people who paint and draw on it.
• The author closes with references to Bob Ross, useful links about paper and weight, and says the series continues with more posts about art materials.