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R.I.P. Franรงoise Gilot

Franรงoise Gilot died recently, at the age of 101. Franรงoise Gilot, Artist in the Shadow of Picasso, Is Dead at 101 In remembrance of her many talents, hereโ€™s an image from one of her travel sketchbooks, reproduced in facsimile in a limited edition set of books published by Tachen, which I posted about back when โ€ฆ Continue reading R.I.P. Franรงoise Gilot โ†’

I Bought a Notebook Today

You wouldnโ€™t think this would be major news, but I realized that I hadnโ€™t bought a notebook in quite a while! Since 12/30/22, to be exact. My stash is well beyond what I will probably ever need and I havenโ€™t seen anything new and exciting that I just had to try, so Iโ€™ve actually been โ€ฆ Continue reading I Bought a Notebook Today โ†’

R.I.P. Chandler Oโ€™Leary

I just saw the incredibly sad and shocking news that Chandler Oโ€™Leary died suddenly a few days ago. I did not know her personally but she has been one of my favorite notebook/sketchbook artists for years. I thought for sure I had done a post about her, but I guess I never did. I know โ€ฆ Continue reading R.I.P. Chandler Oโ€™Leary โ†’

Persia on the Periphery: Iran, Imagined

A cartoonistโ€™s view of his parental homeland, gleaned from secondary and secondhand sources.

Sketchbook Review: BUKE A5 Size Hardcover Sketchbook Journal โ€“ 180Gsm Ultra Bamboo Paper

By: Ana

The BUKE A5 Size Hardcover Sketchbook Journal (currently selling for $13.34) is kind of an amazing little sketchbook. First, the price! I think when I ordered it, it was about $15.50 which is still incredibly inexpensive.

The sketchbook came in a matte, white box with an iridescent foil feather on the box. Inside, the sketchbook was wrapped in a waxed paper and included a bookmark and some stickers. This is a very deluxe package for a sketchbook that sells for less than $20.

The sketchbook includes 160 bright white pages between two matte PU covers with an iridescent foil feather quill on the cover. The sketchbook includes lots of the popular attribute like three ribbon bookmarks, a gusseted pocket in the back cover for loose ephemera and a vertical elastic to keep the book closed.

The paper is 180gsm โ€œUltra Bamboo Paperโ€ โ€” THIS is the main reason I ordered it in the first place. Bamboo is the key ingredient in Tomoe River Paper but its very thin. So the idea of THICK bamboo paper was very appealing.

Just for reference, the Col-o-ring Ink Testing Book is only 160gsm paper so the paper in the Bamboo Sketchbook really is THICK. If you like mixed media, craft, collage and using a wide array of creative materials, this is a great sketchbook option.

Watercolor tests on the right โ€” water did cause the paper to waffle a little bit but there was no bleed through.

I started my pen testing with brush pens, markers, colored pencils and other art supplies. I drizzled fountain pen ink and even tried some watercolors. The paper is very smooth and reminds me of Bristol Board from art school in terms of weight and smoothness, but its all bound into a handy A5 notebook.

Right, gusseted pocket and elastic.

When I flipped the pages over to see if there was any show through or bleed through.

The irori ink was applied after the backside of the page was used and there is heavy sheen/shimmer on the other side so I think there is a bt too much liquid in the paper that is causing the dark stain.

The only time there were issues with bleed through was with the alcohol-based Copic markers and a couple places with drizzled fountain pen ink on the page.

All fountain pens in writing tests performed beautifully. The ink did not spread at all in the tests โ€”ย  so a fine nib stays fine and so forth. Some papers can causes ink to spread and appear wider but this 180gsm bamboo paper kept all nibs true to size.

The fountain pen inks I tried included several sheening inks and all the sheen showed beautifully.

The only downside I discovered with this notebook is that the matte covers pick up dust and fingerprints very easily.

This is probably one of the best value sketchbooks currently on the market. If you are looking for a sketchbook or notebook that can handle a wide range of writing tools and materials, then this will be a book youโ€™ll love.

Get creative and play with this great little value-priced bamboo sketchbook!


DISCLAIMER: The item in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Sketchbook Review: BUKE A5 Size Hardcover Sketchbook Journal โ€“ 180Gsm Ultra Bamboo Paper appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Who Wants to Know?

Sometimes the Q. & A. part of a talk can be a little disconcerting.

A Thames Mudlarkerโ€™s Notebook

If youโ€™re not familiar with the term โ€œmudlark,โ€ it means someone who digs around in a riverbed at low tide to see what sorts of treasures they might find. I felt like Iโ€™d found some treasure when I discovered Johnny Mudlarkโ€™s diary! I first saw some of these images on Pinterest, and was led to โ€ฆ Continue reading A Thames Mudlarkerโ€™s Notebook โ†’

A George Santos Guide to Lying

Learning to fib with the New York congressman.

Overheard in New York: Auditing Exchanges in FiDi

โ€œFarmers are fairly disturbed people, if you think about it.โ€
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