I have always been on the look out for alternatives to the expensive unruled notebooks. Loose leaf types are convenient to use in case you want to be able to discard it. I keep ideas I want to try out in a notebook. Here, I will post some photos of the ones I use. “Part 1” because artists are hoarders. SPECIALLY when it comes to supplies!
I bet I am not the only one browsing through notebooks to draw in, then see how much some of them cost. Some of the items on this list was what I used when I was still studying.
Blank Index Cards
You be surprised how well these can work. There are different sizes of them so you can pick what size you want to put in your bag. They aren’t in book form so it is easy to just throw the ones you want to get rid of.
A pack of 50 Corona Index cards go for about 45.50php. I have used sign pens, pencils and watercolor on them. As long as you don’t do very wet coloring, the index card won’t warp. The paper also doesn’t absorb the water right away. Ink is solid with no feathering and it ran smooth on the surface. I know of some of my friends also using blank index cards for flip animations also.
Below is a watercolor and ink drawing sample using index cards.
Jotter pad
I have seen these in National Bookstore. The material seems to change every time I buy one. There was one time it was of a thick kind of paper and another time I could see the fibers on the paper. My favorite so far is the one that looks like cloth. They have really small square patterns on the surface. Too much water is also a no-no for this one but can take some watercolor sketches with no problem. It absorbs water and pigment fast. The ink sign pen worked ok but because of the texture. didn’t run as smooth.
This pad is pretty simple with soft front and back cover and bound at the top. Be warned though, the pages cannot be easily torn off! I bought mine a couple of years back at 50.00php but prices may have changed by now. (Will update that!)
Below is the sample of a watercolor sketch and some letters in ink. This one is thinner so I don’t draw on both sides. I do love the texture though.
(There was a hiccup on my scanner and it made that yellow line. Sorry about that!)
Venzi Soft Blank Journal
One of my favorites but I recently haven’t seen many around. 192 pages and 13x21cm one is around 169.00php. This one is a leather type cover notebook with a pocket inside and an attached elastic to keep it closed. Paper is not very thick but you can do some watercolor if you are really careful. The paper is also so thin that pencil drawings can be seen under a page. Ink seems to blot a bit. Will stick with gel or ballpoint pens on this one.
Image below is a ink and watercolor sample.
Venzi notebooks are made by a company called Victoria’s Journals and they have both a AlieExpress shop and a Facebook page if you want more info.
Still have a couple more but I have since lost the tags on them! Will Make another list of notebooks once I am able to sort and try them all.
Hope this helped! Have a nice weekend!
