Canson 100510850 Pro-Art Artist Series Universal Sketch Pad, 5.5" x 8.5" Side Wire

The Universal Sketch Pad is a fantastic choice for artists looking for versatility and quality in their sketching materials. The paper has a smooth texture that works well with pencils, pens, and markers, making it suitable for various mediums. Its durable binding allows the pad to lie flat for easy drawing, and the lightweight design makes it portable for on-the-go sketching. However, some users may find the paper not thick enough for heavy wet media like watercolors. Overall, the Universal Sketch Pad offers great value for anyone seeking an affordable and reliable sketching surface. Highly recommended for both beginners and experienced artists!

Have used these sketch pads for many years. Heavyweight 65 pound paper with nice smooth fine tooth surface for drawing with dry media such as graphite pencil, colored pencil, pastels, Conté crayon, charcoal, Sanguine, and possibly some ink pens, although I have never used ink on this particular paper. NOT FOR WATERCOLOR or other liquid media. Acid free paper minimizes yellowing over time. Media erases well from this paper (I use Pink Pearl). Sturdy, heavy double wire spiral binding makes turning pages easy and keeps them flat. Micro-perforated pages facilitates page removal in case you want to remove and frame your masterpiece (I'd recommend pre-creasing the perforation before tearing to ensure it separates as designed). Ultra-fine Sharpie with very light pressure can be used but may partially bleed through to the back of the sheet. Thicker Sharpies or application of normal writing pressure will bleed onto next page. Pencil, charcoal and pastels will smudge when pages contact one another or from normal handling, so I'd recommend a workable spray fixative like Krylon Workable Fixatif 1306 to protect your artwork. I used cheap hair spray (Aqua Net) until they changed the formula and included more water which now wrinkles the pages. Comparable to Strathmore 400 Series sketch pads except the Canson sketch pad has slightly heavier weight paper (65 pound vs. 60 pound) and is a little less expensive. Happy drawing!

The paper is smooth and high quality, easily erases and not much smudging. Great sketchbook especially for the price. It’s best for graphite, colored pencil and ballpoint pen. If you use fountain pens it will feather, markers might bleed through. Overall solid quality.

I am not an artist by any means, I pretty much just bought this to doodle in. I like that while it is spiral-bound, the pages will rip out with a clean edge because the pages are perforated. I also like the 'weight' of the paper; it's not super thin but it isn't ultra thick either. I would imagine if you do things like blending charcoal then it would blend easily. Since I'm not very good at drawing and tend to erase a lot, the paper holds up well to my many erasing of lines without tearing, and the pencil does not smudge while erasing. It's a nice size that's easy to carry. I stick my eraser in the bottom on the spine and slide a pencil in the top of the spine, that's an easy way to keep my pencil & eraser with the book.

I use it for a journal. Ball point ink doesn’t bleed through the paper. Nice weight and texture, also good for drawing. Been using it for 15 yrs.. very happy with it.

I’ve owned several of these over the years. An art instructor way back in high school recommended I switch to 11x14 to draw bigger and avoid small drawing (as I was so accustomed to drawing small in paper margins) and it’s very hard for me to go back to even using standard sized sketch books now and I find myself recommending others try bigger too. I have nothing but good things to say about this particular sketch book and brand- a long standing, good, reputable name in the industry for years. It will serve you or anyone you are buying for well

This is my go to sketchbook for pencil, pen, acrylic markers, pastels, etc. I can even use a bit of watercolor without too much buckling if I use a light hand. The only downside is that some inks take forever to dry and consequently I have accidentally smudge a drawing now and then. I still give it 5 stars because the weight of the paper is a bit heavier than other sketchbooks in this price range.

This is my favorite sketchbook and paper - I must have purchased at least 5 of these in the past year. To me, a sketchbook must have a spiral bind so that you can draw without having to bother with other pages and a sturdy backing so that you can draw even if you are not at a desk. This sketchbook meets both those requirements. Another bonus of this sketchbook is that the pages are perforated. The amount of paper you get for the price is a great deal and it is perfect for sketching out ideas. I mostly use pencil for my sketches, however, I have used the paper for light washes of watercolor, and the paper works well enough with minimal buckling or the water bleeding through to other pages like it does in some of my other sketchbooks. I have also used gouache, ink, and even used it as a practice pad for calligraphy with pilot parallel ink. Although ink is visible on the back of the page, I was really happy that there was almost no feathering of the ink. Of course, I wouldn't recommend it for your next masterpiece - it is a sketchbook after all, but it is perfect for those preliminary or test drawings. I have this sketchbook in multiple sizes, the 5.5 x 8.5, 9 x 12, and 11 x 14 pad. For me, the 9 x 12 gets the most use when I am at home because it provides ample space but fits comfortably on my lap. The 5.5 x 8.5 is perfect for traveling. I feel confident that I will continue to purchase this sketchbook and would recommend it.