A5 Sketchbook, Lay Flat Softcover Sketch Book for Everyone, Ideal for Ink, Water Color, Pen, Pencils, 160 Tear Resistant Pages, Size: Medium, Leda Art Supply

I found this sketchbook about 8 years ago, and fell in love!!! Throughout the years, I've tried other sketchbooks, but always came back to this sketchbook. The sketchbook lays flat, which works great for drawing across the 2 pages. I love that the color of the paper is not stark white, it makes the pages easier to look at(in my opinion.) I have used acrylic, gouache, watercolor on this paper, and it holds up pretty well. 12/10 recommend🌟🌟🌟

This is the nicest sketch book I've purchased. The cover, the spine, the paper weight are all perfect. Lays so flat and feels lovely.

I only use this for pencil drawings, but I have to say I am very pleased with the product. The book has held up well as I take it with me while I travel and the pages are of high quality. They are very smooth and take graphite easily. Because of how easily it takes the graphite its also just as easy to blend and shade as well as erase. However, I have not noticed much smudging or transference of graphite to the other pages I open/close the book or flip through the pages.

I've been using this notebook for several months now and my initial opinion of it has improved. At first, I was a bit disappointed because even strong pencil marks can be seen on the opposite page and most pens and markers cause some ghosting. It can also be difficult to erase pencil marks, which is a real downside in a sketchbook. Since then, I've found using a kneaded eraser or rubber eraser work well unless your pencil marks are really dark or made with heavy pressure.What improved my opinion of this sketchbook is it's durability and how well it takes watercolor. First, I'll address the durability. I'm not nice to my journals. I toss around and cram them in nooks and crannies and constantly pile things on top of them. With all that, the cover has remained in good shape and the binding is still in perfect condition. And, that's saying something because sometimes even journals made for watercolor end up having pages fall out because the of crease between pages repeatedly getting wet. Not so with this journal. I've done watercolor front and back with wet washes on many pages and it's no worse for the wear.Speaking of watercolor: this sketchbook takes watercolor really well. I'm not shy about pooling water across the pages and they hold up fine. The pages will buckle when using really wet watercolor washes, but they flatten out over time, especially if you pin them down or lay heavy books on top. I once used aggressive scrubbing and layering and the page started to thin in that spot, but even then, there was minimal pilling. That spot is also the only place I've had watercolor bleed through to the other side. So, unless you're scrubbing a lot or doing wet on wet for a very long time, the pages hold up really well even when using lifting techniques. One thing I really love is that this journal allows layering with watercolor. Even some watercolor journals make layering impossible as the previous paint comes up every time you lay down a new wash; but this sketchbook lets me layer as much as I like. Watercolors pigments also stay vibrant in color. As for ghosting, I've found I can paint pages on front and back without a problem. So, while I've found pen and pencil can show through to the other side, watercolor doesn't so far, not even when using dark or staining pigments. The only downside to this journal where watercolor is concerned is that it dries very quickly, so I don't have much time for laying down a wash or blending. However, I've grown to love that aspect since it means I can't be too precious with it and have go with the flow.I've included some of my watercolor sketches so you can see how liberal I am with both washes and color. It's supposed to be good for only light washes, but if you don't mind the buckling, you can keep adding paint. The painting of the hanging planter in front of a patio door is on the opposite page as the painting of the flowers in front of a shed. As you can see, neither painting had paint from the opposite page ghost through.I will be buying more of these in the future. I love their sleek look, thin profile, and easy portability. It would make a great watercolor travel journal and I hope to use it for that purpose in the future. For now, I'll content myself with painting scenes from my backyard.

UPDATE: 18 March 2016.After purchasing both the 3x5 and 5x8 versions of this sketchbook, I am completely, utterly, and resolutely sold on this sketchbook. These are easily the finest sketchbooks I have ever had the good fortune to use - far beyond anything Moleskine, Leuchtturm, or Rhodia has to offer. The quality is impeccable, the price unbeatable, the craftsmanship superb. Once my next paycheck comes in, I'm ordering 10 more of these. I absolutely cannot lavish Leda with enough praise. After spending almost a decade trying to find the perfect sketchbook, I have, at last, succeeded. Thank you, Leda.On to more empirical pastures:The sizes of the small and medium sketchbooks are in-line with the norm; nothing funky or abnormal to give you that constant feeling of being somehow "off" (I'm looking at you, Leuchtturm). The paper is a superior 80lb weight - far beyond the typical tissue-strength paper of the cheaper Moleskines, but without the hard cardboard feel of the thicker Moleskine paper. Writing on both sides will incur no bleed-through with anything short of heavy markers. The cover has a rich texture that makes you want to caress it as you hold it. The embossed logo gives excellent definition and grace to the appearance of the cover. The notebook lays flat (with a little help). Lastly, all three sizes feature the same page count; no more switching between 192 page larger notebooks and 80 page smaller ones like with Moleskine. There is a consistency that is pervasive across Leda's entire line, and it shows quite gracefully here.[Original Review Below]The closest I've come to finding the perfect sketchbook. There are no cons to this book: only pros, and mildly less pros.PROs:- Excellent cover material. Sturdy, resilient, flexible but not floppy. I absolutely detest companies that stamp markings or logos on the front cover of their sketchbooks (because a book of *my* work shouldn't be advertising anything else...), but it's done with such care and grace that it actually compliments the cover.- Fantastic price. Less than $20 for such quality? Easily competitive with Moleskine, but with a far superior product.- Size is fantastic. Not too small as to be uncomfortable or to limit your drawings, but not too large to make it feel difficult to fill or awkward to carry.- Excellent quantity of pages. You can put a lot of work into this one book and still have plenty of space left over.- The paper is smooth and crisp to write on. Fountain pens will find a wonderful home here, as will drafting pens, pencils, and markers. That being said, there's a mild downside:LESS PROs:- I have a hard time believing the paper truly is 80lb. It feels in-between Moleskine's stock light and heavy paper (the former always being too thin, the latter always too hard). It's an interesting middle ground that makes for still excellent paper, but unless you're drawing in pencil you probably won't be able to draw on both sides without some bleed-through. Fortunately for me, I despise drawing on the backs of pages, so for me it's not a loss. That said, I do have to use a sheet of cardstock behind the page I'm working to prevent bleed through onto other pages. I expect this sort of thing when I'm using markers (which is perfectly reasonable to expect), but I was surprised to see some splotches from my microns.- The strap that keeps the book closed leaves depressions on the top and bottom of the cover. This is because the cover is, as you would expect, just a tad larger than the paper within. Because it's a flexible material, the strap causes the cover to buckle slightly, which takes away from the crispness of the cover. A mild complaint, but when you're detail-oriented (as we all are), you can't help but notice.VERDICTI have spent many years searching for the "perfect" sketchbook. This is the closest I've come to achieving that. In fact, I'm quite content to end my search here and continue on with Leda for the foreseeable future. I'm thinking about buying a half-dozen more of these just to ensure I don't run out anytime soon. (And Leda, do please contact me if you plan to discontinue these. I want a chance to buy what's left of your stock!)That said, with what seems to be their first entry in the sketchbook market, I can only hope that they release new designs for us to consume. (A pocket-sized notebook would be glorious! And if they made it landscape oriented - oh, one can dream!)Leda has earned a loyal customer with this notebook. I look forward to seeing what else they come up with.N.B. I was *not* paid for this review. This is my real opinion, so take it for what it is.