This Venezia Book is no doubt one of my absolute favorite products I've yet to review. And why is that? It's the paper...it's all about the paper with this one.
They come in 4x6", 6x9" and 9x12".
From the Artifolk Website:
Fabriano Venezia Drawing Books
"These beautifully made sketching books from Fabriano have 48 sheets of their smooth Fabriano Accademia paper.
Accademia paper is wood free, surface sized and acid free. The casebound, stitched pages of the Venezia books are 200gsm and have a sewn-in page marker."
And from the Savoire-Faire Website:
"A true example of fine art Italian bookbinding, Venezia is an upscale European sketchbook/journal perfect for writing, drawing, and even light water media. Features heavyweight Fabriano Accademia acid-free white fine art drawing paper with a very alluring texture....Red Bordeaux linen binding and satin ribbon bookmark."
For size comparison:
Large Moleskine
Smith & Papier Sketch Journal
Fabriano Venezia Book
Rag & Bone Journal
It's closest to the Rag & Bone with it's 6x9" size, but as you can see from this image, the Rag & Bone paper isn't as wide as in the Venezia. R&B paper is bright white, and the Venezia a soft off white.
An indication to what inspired the funky cover print. I'm not crazy about the print, but again - with this one, it's all about the paper.
Fabriano paper is made in Italy, and I am assuming that "Made in BiH" (Bosnia & Herzegovina) is where the books are assembled.
Designs inside the front cover - detailed inside the back cover: "The ancient fabrianese marks are reproduced on the flyleaf of the second cover. They are the first example of watermark, a technique invented in the Middle Ages by fabrianese craftsmen and used by them as a distinction mark."
The book opens flat (with a little encouragement) and lies flat. This is thick paper and you will sometimes be writing in/out of just a small bit of hump.
My first impressions included the following:
"Beautiful book - smells wonderful"
"Paper is interesting, very thick, smooth, but with tooth in a good way. Paper feels very luxurious."
"Nothing makes me happier than a paper that reflects a pens true nib width."
"Unsure of the cost of this book. I bet it's pricey. Could easily see a $30 price tag on it."
Boy, was I wrong about price. Try halving that $30 guesstimate. The 6x9" book runs about $15. Wow, right?
And here's my typical 10 fountain pen/ink test.
I almost laughed out loud like a giddy school girl. Nibs write true to width. No feathering, no spreading, no bleeding, no see-through and it dries quickly on the page.
Yipee!!!
The paper is smooth, but it is drawing paper and it does have a very slight tooth. It is not a shiny paper.
And while most paper will take a light watercolor wash that ends up kind of blah, or "claim" to take a wash and it's just o.k., this paper is pretty serious about it's claim because it responds better than I'd expected. It does not bleed into the paper into formless blobs that run together. Colors stay bright and defined.
I am no expert when it comes to watercolor paper, but I think I have an idea on what makes it good. The paint on the paper should be able to be re-activated once the paper is dry. You would be surprised at how many papers do not allow this simple action to happen.
Next, paints should be able to be mixed directly on the paper. The above example shows just that.
Mandala drawn with a Lamy Safari EF nibbed fountain pen filled with Noodler's Red-Black ink.
Also tested:
Stabilo 88 Markers - worked great, but I don't suggest scrubbing repeatedly over the same spot with a marker or watercolor brush. After all, it is a drawing paper, and will only take so much.
Faber Castell Brush pens - look great.
Sharpie & Staedtler Lumocolor, worked well with minimal bleed through.
Drawing pencils in varying hardnesses. All worked wonderfully - though I'm not a big fan of "H" pencils on any paper. (So why do I even have any? They came in a set.)
In closing, the book could use an elastic closure. That's my only critique. I think it's an excellent product for people who use a lot of different media in their journals, but especially fountain pens. :o)
18 comments:
Great review. Now I have to go out and buy some Sailor Gentle Blue ink.
One of my favourite watercolour papers is Fabriano Uno...just great!
If they just had one in leather - why does it seem that all the best paper is trapped under headache inducing colored covers ala Claire Fontaine
shucks - I am going to order some anyways. Its all about the paper for me to, although I am a sucker for a nice leather bound tome. Problem is, is that 99.9 of them have paper in them that should come on a roll and be used to clean op juice box spills
Seth - Sailor ink is great, though a bit stinky. I love the Blue Black the most. It's smooth & silky & has great flow.
Zoe - Fabriano totally rocks!
AZ Still life - juice box spills? LOL!!! I personally don't really care what the cover looks like as long as the cover is hard and the book opens/lies flat. I do seem to really like red/black books though...
Dick Blick had these a few months ago for $3! I snagged several and have really loved them.
You got me with this one ! Looks wonderful - now if only there would be a journal like this with more pages I wuld be happy.
Very nice thorough review! I recall that Dick Blick clearance deal, but passed on them since I did not care much for that cover design either. Pity I didn't know back then how good the paper actually was. Still, I probably already stockpiled more paper that I could use in a lifetime. Season's greetings!
Hmmm.. I'm at Blick at least once a month and I don't ever remember seeing these. $3? Wow....
Great review as ever. Do you have a favourite that's made you put away the Moleys? Could this be it?
Thanks TTR. I'm still searching. :o) I like this one a lot, but I'd be more likely to use it as an art journal than strictly for writing. Watercolor paint works great in it and that's good for me.
Only 48 sheets? Must be really heavy paper, because it's the thickest book in your comparison picture. Even the much thinner Kunst & Papier Sketch Journal has 80 sheets! Must be made as artist's watercolor paper.
Curious, Steph, how would you rate or rank this FV with the Exacompta Basic?
Jared - it is heavy paper. Maybe a 120g?
Zoe - two different animals, hard to say. With the minimal pages, it's more of an artists's journal or art book.
Paper is different, but each is a joy to use. I like the size of the Basics better. (And you mean the black covered sketch book, right?) But I wish it would have a hard cover.
Thanks, Stephanie.
Yes, two different but somehow related animals. I only have a large FV and find it hard to compare to the compact Basic (yes, black cover).
I think there is a leather cover that can be got, but it might add more weight than I'd like for carrying around.
The paper is 200 gram.
I have used a couple of these lovely books for the last two years and they are full with my own drawings. After damaging one these books during my travels I was looking for something to cover it, i.e. protect it. It took some time before I found a well suited slipcase to protect it from the sun, dust and all the other influences within and out of my shelf.
On the blog lymebaycrafts.blogspot.com you can see some pictures with the Fabriano Venezia drawing book and the suited slipcase, but only for the tiniest 4x6” variant. Hope it helps.
Hi Biffybean,
Thanks for the informative review of the Venezia book. Your review and one at Wetcanvas encouraged me to give it a try.
Like your stuff.
Once I discovered these sketchbooks, I was hooked... don't buy anything else now. the 6x9 is my favorite size, though I have one of the smaller ones, too. I use ink and watercolor in them and always have fabulous results! Thanks for confirming my delight! =)
Post a Comment