Art Alternatives Very Big Sketch Book

I am so happy I got this book when I did in 2021! I only paid about $25-30 for it then and I considered looking into buying a second and the sticker shock is pretty intense. Its a large sized book with smooth paper, 300 pages at 11 x 12.75(?) (not sure how to write 12 and three quarters lol but its almost 13 in at the extreme) Pretty good for what its made for, sketching and such. The paper hasn't discolored in all of this time so far. Hopefully the price will come down to something a touch more affordable. Pros: Great sized book, has a little weight to it but it has 300pgs. Handles dry media more or less as expected from a smooth paper type. The paper hasn't discolored (had mine for 5 years in June but I haven't stored it in direct sunlight either) It hasn't fallen apart on me but I don't have heavy use on it. Cons: the current price as of this review's typing . For the same price, you can purchase 5-7 separate sketch pads of equal or better quality. So Unless you want the hardcover look for aesthetics, I'd wait for it to drop in price or shop elsewhere. It is not bleed proof which, again, for the ytype of paper used, isn't that surprising.

Seriously, buying this sketch book has got to be the best $30.00 I ever spent. The quality is amazing, I am absolutely delighted with it. I started drawing in it about 60 seconds after I got it out of the mailbox and unwrapped. If you like to draw you will LOVE this sketchbook. If you know someone who likes to draw, they will think you are the Funk King/Queen of the Western World if you get them this sketch book. So far I have used pencils, regular old No 2's and nicer Prismacolor sketching pencils, Prismacolor colored pencils, Derwent colored pencils, a few different brands & types of gel pens and some Staedler fine tipped markers to draw/color in this sketchbook and I have had no issues with bleed-through to the next page though some of the gel pens and the fine-tipped markers did show through on the back of the page I was using them on. Had I been using the markers for anything other than lightly outlining/subtle depth, they would probably have bled through to the next page. The paper is not thick but it is not exactly thin either. It's not super smooth, nor is it at all textured or rough. It's GOOD paper, not extremely high quality, but very nice. It seems to take pencil, both graphite and wax-based colored pencils best, and gel pens work well too though I much prefer the way the Prismacolor and Derwent colored pencils blend and look on this paper. If you're gonna use markers, put a couple of sheets of paper between the page you're using them on and the page behind it so it toesn't bleed through. I don't know if pastels would work too good, the paper seems too lightweight and smooth but then again it has been a very long time since I've used pastels so I could be wrong. If you're looking for a high quality oversized sketchbook that'll take awhile for you to fill up, this sketch book is an excellent choice. I can't imagine anyone being anything other than thrilled with this sketchbook. Art Alternatives was also a pleasure to deal with, I actually received my sketch book a couple of days early. My book was appropriately packaged and and brand new, still wrapped in plastic, and in absolutely perfect condition. It was NOT exactly as the seller described. I got the Very Big Sketch Book and I don't care. Yes, the Very Big Sketch Book has, I believe, 48 fewer pages than the Sketches in the Making book. I still don't care. For approximately $30 (which includes shipping and handling) this book is still a great deal. The quality of the book itself and the paper is very, very good, I would expect to pay around $70-$100 for a sketchbook of similar size/quality someplace like Artists Loft or even Michaels, if Michael's carried a product like this (which they do not!) I am very, very happy with my purchase and quibbling over 48 pages when I have 300 oversized ones to work with just seems petty to me. Yeah, it's a bit scammer-like of Art Alternatives to send people a different product that the one pictured/described without telling their customers about the substitution or offering a discount or anything. That really is the classic definition of "bait-and-switch," though a very small-potatoes example of it. Inevitably, they're gonna p*ss some of their customers off and probably lose at least a few with this kind of behavior. And while I would happily buy from them again, I will also be asking them some very specific questions about anything I buy from them before I purchase it and saving those emails and their responses just in case I should find myself going toe-to-toe with them over something that IS a big deal to me. If I don't get a clear response or any response at all to my pre-purchase inquiries, I will probably order from another seller if at all possible. Although I am happy with this purchase, Art Alternatives has let me know that they find nothing wrong with substituting one product for another, very similar, one without telling me of their intention to do so or offering me any sort of discount or incentive for my 48 missing pages. Everything worked out ok for me this time, but it might not next time. They have planted the seed of doubt and that's a shame. If someone at Art Alternatives had taken 90 seconds out of their life to email me and make sure I was gonna be ok with the substitution before just sending it on (and hoping I wouldn't notice, I assume) there would have been no seed of doubt planted and I would not feel the need to use caution if and when I should deal with them in the future. Still, I do love the sketch book, I feel like I got an excellent deal, the fact that there are 48 fewer pages than I thought I was getting is not a big deal at all to me and overall I am thrilled with this purchase. I would also recommend this sketch book to anyone in the market for a sketch book and I would recommend Art Alternatives as a good source to purchase the sketch book from though I might also suggest that the buyer email Art Alternatives for specific information about what product they will actually be receiving, especially if I know the buyer to be a person who is very choosy and/or very detail oriented.

This sketchbook is great if you want to suffer through the sketchbook Slam challenge, or just want to have a nice hardbound book for a long time. The book is massive (think of your largest textbook). The paper I would say is midweight and honestly not great for marker or any wet media, but will hold up well enough for sketching and fine liners. Please note, if you are using thicker liners, they may bleed through pages. This book is not travel friendly at all due to the size and weight of it, but I have a pocket book I use for ideas on the go right now. The paper is bright white. My only real complaint is the cover quality and binding situation. The cover paper tears very easily and my binding is separating from the book after less than a week of ownership. If you put it in a bag, I recommend putting rubber bands around it or tying something to keep the covers closed so it doesn't slide around and tear during transport. Other than that, the quality for the money can't be beat! Please don't base your opinions of this brand off of this one product. I own another hardbound sketchbook by art alternative in the 11x14" size and that paper works great with my inks and gouache. And that has a much sturdier cover and no binding issues. This a great gift for any artist of enthusiast and will be memorable just from it's size!

So what am I doing with two coffee-table sized books full of over 300 extra large blank pages? I came across this item while searching for a hard cover book of blank pages that would not only satisfy the unbounded urge of my five year old to draw upon every blank page he sees but contain said treasures in such a way that I did not have to really put a whole lot of effort into it (having two other kids and a plethora of kid drawings everywhere as it is). I hoped as time went on, the volume would likely chronicle an upgrade in drawing skills since he is already showing some intriguing talent...(but you know, I'm his mom so take that with a grain of teary eyed salt :) When it arrived I was amazed I could possibly have purchased this massive wonder for under $30, with free shipping no less; it certainly has some weight to it. Many other books with significantly fewer pages were in the price range of $30 and upward. My child has decimated two reams of office paper drawing sometimes just marks and miscellaneous circles and letters on a page and not wanting to reuse the back since he can see the lines through it. I wanted something with as much paper as possible. Now he has a book where every turn is a new page whether it is the back of another isn't really apparent and so he uses both sides. Not only that but he seems to take more care about filling up the page since it's a book. To my delight, I found I could very easily tape things to the pages inside or even parts of pages he left blank, some of the items I've put in there include drawings from school, little cutout pictures he loves to make and leave around the house and I sometimes even cut small pictures he's made on a blank piece of paper and put them all on one page making a neat kind of collage interspersed with his drawings. He was also delighted by this enough that my six year old became a bit jealous and I had to spring for another one...why not? This is a fantastic way to keep their drawing treasures in one place. I've told them we'll decorate the covers with their names and whatever they want to put on it as soon as I get the other one. I've also noticed that it isn't filling up particularly fast, which to me is a wonderful aspect since it could potentially contain years of memorable child art. In the event they discontinue drawing in it, I can still tape or glue mementos, photos and other various and sundry things to the pages. I know I need to order a third before there aren't any more since my up and coming four year old is going to need one too! In doing all of this, I decided to purchase a smaller hardcover book for myself to contain my own drawings and things I perhaps want to keep. An artist might love to see the evolution of their drawing skills or a master scrap-booker could really find some great things to do with this book. With some imagination this is really a wonderful value and a great product. As to the quality of materials, the black hard cover under the dustcover is a little generic but I love the fact that it is practically a blank canvas upon which my little ones, or anyone for that matter, can create their own unique cover (it is a bit bumpy, not flat). To me, the dust jacket looks like an advertisement for the book, but again, it was just more motivation to remove it and decorate the cover. The paper inside is a nice heavy stock, not particularly bright white so bear that in mind if you are a more discerning artist, however it holds up well, doesn't tear easily and the pages are bound nice and tight in the book. I can't imagine this binding falling apart very easily even after years of use. All in all I think this is an awesome product and would highly recommend it to anyone with some creative ideas and a need for such a volume of blank pages.

I am posting a review of the Art Alternatives Sketch Book to show the differences from this book and the Artlicious Really Huge Sketch Book. The differences are minor but may bring you to know which one to buy for what. This one, the Art Alternatives Sketch Book is very similar to the other one except for these key points. First, they are both the very same size and same number of pages. The black cover on front and back are the same and the books are hard to tell apart. The cover is very similar to those World Book Encyclopedias from yesteryear, but in black. 1. This one has an indented Art stamp in the middle bottom back cover. The Artlicious Book has no stamp. 2. The Art Alternatives Book has very bright white pages and the Artlicious pages are more of a light vanilla white color. At least the one I got. I wanted one for writing in a huge book, so the Artlicious Book is perfect for that. I like the light vanilla white pages for an old book feel and I also didn't want or need an Art stamp on the back cover since I am making it a book. Also the front cover of the Artlicious Book was slightly beat up from shipping, I am sure that is where it got the beating, but it posed well for what I am using it for - a book. I wanted the other book for drawing my sketches in and the Art Alternative is perfect for that. The bright white pages are just slightly rougher pages than the Artlicious, but are perfect for my sketches. The Artlicious Book has just slightly smoother pages and that is perfect for writing on with pen. Also since it is my sketch book, the Art stamp is fine. So in all I like both really well, and it goes without saying that about everyone commented on, but these books are HUGE! Don't think you can haul one off to the field for sketches, but for home sketch-work, this is perfect. Again, in my opinion having both books, if you are making a book, the Artlicious Book is the one get. For sketches, the Art Alternatives is awesome. The reason I am giving this book four stars and not five is the book was sealed in plastic and so this had to happen at the factory, but the first page was tore off, one forth of it was completely tore off. I just cut that page out and all the rest were fine and I didn't want to risk getting another since the covers and pages are perfect on this one and so I don't have one page. There are so many pages anyway, so 299 pages left is fine with me. Hence though the four stars as this was from the factory that this had to have happened at, so someone was a sleep at the switch who inspects the pages. Hope this helps you on which one to buy and for what.

It arrived in good condition and on time I love the quality and texture of the paper I i’ll recommend this to everyone

Huge book,way bigger than expected. Good quality,paper is nice. Heavy.

For someone who's been drawing for over 10 years and have drawn right through many dozens of sketch books I love the simplicity, efficiency and size of this book. Let me mention that this sketch book is big... It's as heavy as a college textbook so if you mind carrying a textbook around this is not for you. Other than that I like the construction of the book itself and the quality of the white paper. It also arrived two days after I ordered it and I did not expedite the delivery. So thank you amazon for that!. I know for a fact that the book will become worn out, nothing is meant to last forever but it's definitely something worth the investment. This is a great gift for someone who likes to draw...I mean as soon as you look at it you want to start working on a project. You can also use it for other purposes as some reviews have mentioned. Overall great job! I hope there's more on the market because this is a gift for my boyfriend I would love to purchase one for myself in the very near future.

Le carnet est sans doute de bonne qualité mais est arrivé dans un état déplorable pour quelque chose de "neuf". Les coins et la couverture sont sales et abimés, et une page était même pliée! Le carnet en lui-même est sans doute très bien, mais pour le prix, j'aurais espéré le recevoir en bon état!

This sketchbook is awesome!! Buy it you won't regret it, the paper is of good quality and the book is just huge! I was astounded by the sheer size and weight of it, not something I'd ever carry around but good nonetheless

Cover seems like it could wear or break if not careful but given the price its a good product.

Das Buch ist einfach riesig und man hat viel Platz um alles, was man möchte in das Buch zu packen. Es wurde sogar früher geliefert als erwartet, was mir sehr gut gefallen hat. Allerdings wies das Buch bzw. die Verpackung schon beim Auspacken Schäden auf, die Folie mit der das Buch eingepackt war, war zerrissen und am Buch selber waren die Ecken eingedrückt, auch sind die letzten 5 oder 10 Seiten oben an den Ecken beschädigt. Das macht mir aber nichts aus, ich finde das Buch trotzdem sehr schön und würde es mir immer wieder kaufen, über kleinere Mängel kann man hinweg sehen, allerdings hätte ich mir für 50,00 € auch ein ganzes Buch gewünscht, daher ein Stern Abzug, ansonsten bin ich sehr zufrieden.

Muy bueno y de buena calidad, ¡enorme!