Beautiful Hand Assembled Sketchbooks for You

If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a paper nerd. I like to scribble all over sticky notes, notepads, planners, journals, notebooks, and sketchbooks (some for drawing, mixed media, and watercolor painting, please). I like stacks of paper, rolled gift wrap, and even paper snibbles from leftover projects. Yes, I keep them. Yes, I use them. 

So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I design my own sketchbooks. What might surprise you is that I make the prototypes by hand. No, I don’t stitch them, but I do cut the pages, assemble them, print their covers, and bind them with my small wire-o crafting binder. It’s so much fun to choose all the pieces, pick a size, and see them come together. 

It also ends up being a great way to test cover designs and offer you a few customizations for sketchbooks that are made by hand, choices like size, cover design, and binding location (and … I get to keep the prototypes … i.e. more paper fun).

What are the pages like? 

Last year, I set out to make these notebooks. I wanted to choose paper that worked well with pencil and calligraphy ink for some and also offer some sketchbooks filled with student grade watercolor paper. I researched papers, emailed companies with my questions, watched demo videos, and finally came to a decision. The drawing sketchbook paper is 25% cotton. It handles ink well, even calligraphy ink, and it just feels nice under my pencil. Drawing sketchbooks each have 50 blank pages.

Note: Most inks work perfectly on this paper, but if your ink puddles or is really thin, it might soak through the page.

In the watercolor sketchbooks, I use my favorite practice paper. It’s 140 lb. cold pressed watercolor paper. Watercolor sketchbooks have 20 blank pages.

For the covers, I chose paper that prints colors accurately and beautifully in the printer I use at home. The back cover is reinforced with a piece of chipboard. I don’t like a notebook to be too bendy if I’m out and don’t have a flat surface to write on. The watercolor sketchbooks are reinforced with chipboard on the front and back covers. Since the watercolor paper is similar in thickness to the cover paper, I like to set it apart with chipboard so you can find the covers easily when you’re ready to close your notebook for the day. 

Why a wire binding?

Next, I considered the bindings. I looked at coils, thermal, saddle stitch, and wire binding options. I wanted something that would lay flat when the sketchbook was open and look professional. I also thought it would be helpful if I could find a print company who could print them for me if I ever need that option for larger orders. 

Here is what I discovered:

• Coil: I didn’t really like the plastic look. The one that I tested looked and felt cheap. It was also tricky to size and still be able to open the notebook well.  
• Thermal: This held the pages solidly, even the watercolor paper, and it opened flat (that surprised me). I didn’t love the fabric strip used to hold the glue in place. It covered some of the artwork and didn’t look very professional. 
• Saddle stitch: These are good for thin notebooks. The paper I wanted to use was too thick for the number of pages I thought made a nice sketchbook. Because of that, it didn’t close well or lay flat.
• Wire-o: This binding checked all the boxes. Winner!

What about the binding location? 

Finally, I thought about where to put the binding. Do I go with what looks normal or do I pick the more functional location? 

I really do like the look of the binding down the side. It holds the sketchbook together nicely and looks professional. But when I use it, I find myself getting annoyed when I flip the sketchbook over to draw on the back of the page (I use every blank area I can when I work). And … that means, if you’re left handed, you probably get similarly annoyed all of the time. It’s only out of the way when you draw on the back. 

So, for myself, I’ll choose a top bound sketchbook. However, I’m happy to give you the choice: top or down the left side. 

Can I customize my sketchbook? 

Yes! You can choose these aspects of your sketchbook:

• Size, available for some designs. Small sketchbooks are 4.25″x5.5″ and large notebooks are 5.5″x8.5″.
• Cover design, many colorful options.
• Binding location, top or left side.

You can even add a short custom label or name to your journal cover for an added cost. Feel free to contact me with your questions or to discuss custom ideas. 

Are you ready to look at a few sketchbook cover options? I’ll be adding cover designs as I have time, but for now, here are some that you might like:

• Blue and Pink watercolor
• Sunset ocean
• Bike
• Lavender
• Single Palm Tree
• Hammock Palms
• S’more Sketching

You can see all of the examples at the Choose Your Own Sketchbook product listing.

If you prefer, I also have a few premade illustrated notebooks with lined pages or this Ocean Heart sketchbook. It’s made by hand but isn’t customizable. They’re available in limited quantities, but if you like a cover and want it made into a customizable sketchbook, please contact me.