Field Artist 4 in. x 4 in. Square Watercolor Journal, Hardbound with 80 pgs. 200 GSM, Cold Press Paper

I bought this sketchbook for practice my brush pen work. I wanted something small so I wouldn't be overwhelmed by trying to fill a large space while learning to use a new tool - the Pentel brush pen. This little gem fills the bill perfectly. As others have pointed out one side of the page is smooth and the other has more texture. That doesn't bother me as I am inking right now but since this is watercolor paper, it gives me the option to add watercolor at a later time. The cover is very soft and comforting in the hand. The binding is sturdy and I love the panoramic panel for my practice pages. About the binding and pages separating: That happens when you don't properly break in the binding of the sketchbook. If you just splay it open without prepping it properly, it WILL come apart. Why sellers don't include this information in the description or in the packaging when they ship, I don't know. As an avid journaler and book-binder, I will give some instructions here to hopefully help others going forward. Place the book with its spine down on a table. GENTLY press the front cover down. DO NOT force it; this is what causes it to loosen and separate. Do the same with the back cover - again do NOT force it, use gentle pressure. pen and gently press down a few pages from the back, then the front. Keep doing this until you get to the middle. You may need to do this a few times. Taking a few minutes to break in your binding gently will sure that your book, the precious container for your thoughts and creativity, will last. Since I began doing this, I have had ZERO problems with a book of any kind separating. I am attaching a photo of how to do this process for the visual learners.

This is my favorite watercolor paper. I got the smallest one (4" x 4") because I'm doing Inktober for the first time and I wanted to keep it small and do-able. Plus I can very easily carry it with me anywhere. It's well made and very sturdy. But mostly I love this paper! Watercolor looks (and feels) beautiful on it. It takes ink and markers very well too. (Except for Copics which do bleed through to the other side a bit, but that is to be expected from Copics - unless you use Crescent Rendr paper, which is great for Copics, but not great with water.) Field Artist is my favorite watercolor paper by far. And the cover is a nice, soft, thermo-PU leather. Feels smooth in my hands and no animals were harmed. :) Win win! I will include a couple of sample drawings/washes I did in it here. (I used watercolor, Ranger markers and Copic markers.)

I've been on vacation for a month, and everyday I paint a watercolor in this notebook--it has more than the 30 days I need so a couple days I did two paintings. What a great visual journal I have of our vacation! The paper is nice, I like the bookmark and the and that keeps it closed. I love the small size--encourages me to make i paintings quick and sketchlike and it fits easily into a bag or backpack. Quality is very good. The pages are stitched together, which is a nice touch.

Love the size, hope I can sketch & paint this small LOL. I have it in a small clear cosmetic case (7-1/2”x5” less than an inch deep) with a pen, pencil, 2 waterbrushes, paper towel, test paper, ruler, clip, and tiny primary watercolor box that I made. It’s all tucked into my purse for the right moment (which has not happened at this writing). What I do like is that even though it is very small, the paper is great for watercolors and it opens flat for a good 8”; I just have to get used to working smaller.

I really adore this journal. It's quite small and fits in almost every purse I own. I can use it for very limited watercolour, drawing, sketching, lettering practice, and just for doodling. The paper quality isn't my favorite. The paper will pill when water is introduced. I found this to be true even when the water had not saturated the page. Also, the paper will pill when used with watercolour markers or aquabrush pens. For dry media, oil markers, alcohol markers, and acrylic with little water, the paper holds up fine. I would buy another one of these for sure, but with these limitations on paper quality would have to look elsewhere for a watercolour journal that can actually handle water. Still, for the price, I had a great time with this journal and have used it a lot.

I really love the fact that there's a ribbon bookmark, and the fact that the outside cover is hard. There's a stretchy elastic ribbon on the outside so that when I do mixed media pages, I will be able to keep it shut. There is also a stretch out piece at the back so that you can stretch out the last pieces in several inches at least. I will definitely be ordering more of their watercolor or mixed media books in the future. This size, is perfect to start out. It allows me to do small watercolor paintings in the 4x4 inch size. I don't have to worry about filling the screen. I've done some dry to wet page drawings which is something I was easily able to do in this small setting with both watercolor pencils and markers. I have some ideas that include the "Artist's Cards" as well. They will run through my open window die through my Gemini Jr and then I will attach it to one page, layering so that it truly looks like an open window. I've used some acetate which makes it look like glass and shutters as well. I've added a flower box underneath and then added small colored baby's breath flowers and when you pull open the shutters, windows and look within there is a small sketch of my beloved golden retriever, Deidre. I really recommend this watercolor sketchbook. The weight of the paper is perfect as is the size.

It has been years since I have painted. My medium of choice was acrylics. I never understood watercolors; I stopped trying. Fast forward a decade and I'm really yearning to create. Why not try something new? So I purchased a watercolor field set and this adorable, perfect beginner sized booklet. I am blown away with my own work at this point. The paper is very sturdy and has yet to bleed on me, keeping the fingers crossed. Chances are I will be buying this again once my pages are filled.

The paper holds up beautifully and handles watercolor, guache, and watercolor pencils excellently. No complaints whatsoever. The binding is fantastic and the outside is durable and so reliable. Lovely paper texture. 10/10.

So small I lost it

Super expensive for a tiny watercolor sketchbook, not saying I have regrets great quality and all, but would definitely not get it again with that price💁🏾‍♀️