Sketchers whose work I admire love the Hand•Book Journal Trav•e•logue series…
A few hate it. I’m many pages in as I took it on our trip to So Cal,
So think I can safely review it now…
Okay, how can I not love the cover? Nice Green cloth.
This one is roughly 5.5 x 8.5 inches, landscape format, for watercolors.
Let me tell you I cracked the back — or tried to — before I began.
It held. It lays flat, and feel good to hold.
So we get into the heart of a journal, the paper. I bought this via mail so didn’t feel it.
I don’t like the feel of the paper but my pens liked the paper.
I like the slightly off-white color… no problem there.
I’d prefer that this wasn’t their go-to color (Stilman & Birn have the Delta book and that is fine because you are choosing cream paper) but that would not make me stay away.
They advertise it as being able to take light watercolors, so the test left is a bit more than that, and the paper took a very wet ink buildup shown left, without buckling.
BUT BUT BUT the other side shows the watercolor and inks through the paper. I could not make the picture show the color — it is not quite a bleed-through but it isn’t what I want in a sketchbook. I don’t have that in my Aquabee Super Deluxe Journals with
150 gms paper (Hand•Book doesn’t say the weight.) Aquabee buckles but doesn’t bleed. I don’t get it. Perhaps unknown-named-sketchers only paint on one side of their sketchbook pages… so it doesn’t bother them? And I may start doing that in this book.
Note this is not Hand•Book’s 200gm book, so perhaps I should not be saying this, but for the price I can get a Moleskin, which can take anything I throw at it.
And the back has a plastic flap. I hate it. I don’t want heavy plastic at the back.
Okay, I’m picky.
I won’t buy one again but I can’t say it is a bad journal especially if you are sketching and not throwing ink and watercolors into the mix. It’s strong, and it is a pretty color….
©D. Katie Powell.
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D.Katie Powell Art 
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Aw, thanks!
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this journal! Like you I want my journals to be able to take watercolor, and ink and not bleed through or buckle.
I just started using a Stillman & Birn Beta series journal. It took the ink and light wash pretty well, and hasn’t buckled, but that was page 1. We’ll see how it goes. 🙂
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I love S&B for the paper and the quality of the hardbound journals. They just do not make a landscape format. I’ve been begging them! My favs were Zeta and I think, Beta…
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I haven’t ventured into drawing/painting on two pages to make one scene. That seems scary! Literally my stomach just dropped thinking about it!
But, I can see how that would be an issue for a lot of journalist, sketchers because I see quite a few use both pages for their scenes.
I liked the Pentalic Aqua Journal, but I know you didn’t, and the Strathmore is okay…it buckles a lot. Perhaps I bought the wrong series though for my needs though?
Let’s hope Stillman & Birn listen to you and make a landscape orientation journal!
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I rarely do either. I have replacements from Pentalic and may have good news there….
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I hope so!
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I think I have the same book with a red cover. I am not sure if it is the same paper. Buff heavyweight drawing paper is all I can find. No weight. I have not used it. It does say it will take light watercolor washes without buckling. One day I will put it to the test. I do like to sketch on both sides. When I first started sketching I would buy all sorts of sketchbooks. This is one of them! Thank you for doing the review!
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It is well-made, just not a GREAT watercolor book… I am glad I am mostly through my “buying journals” phase and now I am narrowly understanding what I really like. I just don’t have time to make my own!
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I believe I am through buying random sketchbooks. Unfortunately I have not used some of them for one reason or another. Hard to return to some of them🙂
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Next week I will talk about my favorites, and the one I am giving another try…
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Look forward to reading your post!
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