I Tried 3 Random Sketchbooks and Rated Them Like Food
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I Tried 3 Random Sketchbooks and Rated Them Like Food
If you’ve ever stood in the art store, staring at a wall of sketchbooks wondering which one won’t betray you mid-marker stroke — I’ve been there. Recently, I picked up three sketchbooks just for fun. These aren’t the fanciest or most hyped. They’re just the ones I grabbed, tested, and doodled through.
Let’s get into it.
Bee Paper - Creative Marker Drawing Journal
Spiral-bound. Waxy. Funky in a fun way.
This sketchbook from Be Creative (aka Bee Paper) is made for markers, and the pages feel like they were dipped in candle wax. Honestly? Not mad about it. The waxy texture made my markers behave in a weird-but-interesting way — kind of like if candy corn was a surface.
It’s also spiral-bound, which means it opens up flat, flops around easily, and feels a bit more casual and flexible. This one reminded me of something you’d bring to doodle with at a coffee shop while sipping some iced bev.
- Pros: easy to flip, unique paper feel, opens flat
- Cons: might be too waxy for precision nerds
Final Verdict: 7/10. Strange, but lovable.
Stillman & Birn Zeta Series Hardbound Sketchbook
Thick. Formal. Like drawing on an ancient scroll.
This one feels like you should be sketching blueprints for a secret underground lab. The pages are thick — 270gsm heavyweight — which means marker bleed-through is basically nonexistent. If this sketchbook were a food, it would be fried chicken. Crunchy on the outside, smooth on the inside.
That said… something about it just feels a little too serious. Like it came with its own pair of white gloves. I appreciate the quality, but it didn’t make me want to draw. It made me want to carefully write the Declaration of Independence.
- Pros: no bleed-through, durable, high quality
- Cons: intimidatingly thick, doesn't open flat
Final Verdict: 7.384/10. Great paper. Grandma-attic vibes
Moleskine Art Sketchbook, Hard Cover, Large (5" x 8.25")
Smooth. Classy. My personal favorite.
This sketchbook feels like the one cool kid in art class who somehow pulls off a beanie in the summer and knows how to draw hands. If it were food, it’d be vanilla ice cream — simple, smooth, and everyone loves it (even if they pretend not to).
The pages are buttery smooth, markers glide like they’re on a slip-n-slide, and the whole thing just feels premium. It’s not spiral-bound, which I actually prefer for this size and shape. Only downside: it does bleed through a bit, so throw a scrap sheet behind the page you’re using and you’re golden.
- Pros: smooth, looks and feels legit
- Cons: marker bleed-through
Final Verdict: 9/10. Glides like your socks on a hardwood floor.
Final Thoughts:
Each sketchbook brought something to the table:
- Bee Paper is quirky and fun (would recommend if you like to keep it funky and organic)
- Stillman & Birn is a tank (great if you want high-quality, no-nonsense paper and no bleed-thru)
- Moleskine is the one I’ll keep buying because it just makes me want to draw
None of these are THE sketchbook to rule them all, but they each scratched a different itch. If nothing else, it was fun getting to test them out and rate them like weird snacks.
Try one, have fun, mess up a few pages, and keep going. That’s what sketchbooks are for.