Strathmore300 Series Mixed Media Paper Pad, Side Wire Bound, 5.5x8.5 inches, 40 Sheets (117lb/190g) - Artist Paper for Adults and Students - Watercolor, Gouache, Graphite, Ink, Pencil, Marker

My sketchbook arrived in perfect condition and exactly on time. this is a huge relief because I've heard ordering sketchbooks from Amazon (or off the internet in general) sometimes results in them getting damaged during shipping.Despite knowing exactly how big it was going to be, it still surprised me in person just how big it really was. I didn't even order the biggest size! Now I'm tempted to try it out sometime...If you like to work on a larger scale but not a huge scale, definitely get the 9x12 because it's nice and roomy but not Too big either. It would still fit into a standard backpack.My biggest issue with this brand of sketchbook is always that the covers are flimsy and busy-looking, (in my frank opinion they're downright ugly) but that's really my only complaint. I tend to paint over the covers and then decorate them, that doesn't fix the flimsiness problem though. If you are going to be storing this in a backpack and taking it with you, expect the cover to deteriorate over time unless you do something to protect it. My wife had one that she used for over a year and the cover really took a beating.Let's get into why we're here though... The paper!I already owned a sketchbook in this series, just a lot smaller, so I already knew what to expect when it comes to the type of paper. It's beautifully stark white and incredibly smooth. Takes just about everything I throw at it. Alcohol markers will only bleed after very heavy application, they do ghost but you should always expect that with alcohol markers honestly. Watercolor doesn't ghost from my experience so far, and so of course it doesn't bleed either, the pages do warp but if you close the sketchbook after it's dry and set something heavy on top of it the warping becomes very minimal. I have never tried double siding watercolor in this sketchbook but that's just because I don't really double side ever. I think you can get away with it if that's what you like to do though.But this is a sketchbook, so you're probably not going to be making finished pieces in it anyway. If you were planning on making finished watercolor pieces in it though I would maybe suggest something else because of the warping. Works perfectly fine for my doodling though.All-in-all I recommend this sketchbook because I love the paper and for the price I think it's a great deal. Your mileage may vary because everyone has different tastes. Try it out though, because if you don't like it you can always rip out the (perforated!) pages you've used and give it to someone else!I think this would make a great gift for a beginner artist who doesn't know exactly what mediums they want to use yet, nice and flexible.

I have had many products by Strathmore through the years and it never disappoints, but these were my first sketchbooks. I prefer to have as thick paper as possible, and most sketchbooks tend to fall at 100 pounds or less and this one is at 117 which that little extra you can feel the difference. Haven’t used it a lot yet but feel that most things should work fine with no bleedthrough. I will probably always put some thing behind it as I’m working just to be on the safe side but I’m really pleased with this purchase. I got this size because I’ve also purchased a sketchbook cover that I look forward to getting and using as part of a present to myself in the new year I do agree with other comments that the front cover is not very durable so I may just do it to give it some weight. It would be nice if the front cover would be made of the same weight as the back is, which is a very heavy cardboard make it like the same snakeskin covers on the Strathmore visual journals. The pages are bright, white and hot press. (Smooth). They are, however, not perforated, which one review said that they are. It is a spiral bound, lay flat, but they are not perforated. If you tore them out, they would have the little pieces along the edge like he would in a writing tablet, I would also recommend you put a small piece of tape along the edge/painters tape it doesn’t stick so that nothing gets in there spiral if you use wet media. Sometimes that can make pages stick together. If anything drips down inside happy creating everybody I do recommend this product highly and will probably do a subscribe and save in the future once I’ve use the two that I have , I think it’s going to be very happy in my sketchbook cover :-)

Paper nice and thick

After experimenting with generic paper for months and achieving mediocre results, I opted for the branded paper. This paper is exceptional. It erases cleanly with a kneaded eraser, is very thick and smooth, and offers a fantastic flow for drawing.

I like to sketch in the park, but sometimes add watercolor to my sketches. This paper is sturdy enough to take water based media.

Excellent paper

I use the 5.5"x8.5" sized Strathmore 300 Side Spiral Binding Acid-Free Medium-Weight Mixed Media Pad for sketching, drawing, colored pencils and quick experiments with very light watercolors using little water.The smoother page texture feels great under my 2mm soft lead mechanical pencil, the size just appeals to me. The spiral binding means it opens all the way or you can fold the used pages and front cover over. I just love the feeling of my Luminance colored pencils, my finer lead pencils and even soft to medium charcoal pencils on this paper. And the pad is small enough to bring with you, although not pocket sized.I really like these pads, and I plan to continue to use them for sketching and drawing with a variety of mediums. It's not great for harder pencils or anything that requires tooth, but in my opinion, it's great for everything else.Addition Oct 23, 2021I continue to use these 5.5"x8.5" sized Strathmore 300 Side Spiral Binding Pad. I've tried a lot of other brands of paper in similar sizes since I first wrote the above review, but I always come back to this one as the paper's smoothness, thickness, size and the feel of the pad all the spot for me.Second update as of January 27, 2025This is still my favorite sketching, drawing and light watercolor paper. It has a hint of tooth, great for graphite and colored pencils, and it can hold up to small amounts of water, which makes it ideal for watercolor pencils and watercolor markers. I also use it for watercolors, although not for wet-on-wet. I absolutely love it. The compact size makes it ideal for spots with less space, and it just seems to spur my creativity.