Review: Kunst & Papier Jumbo Soft-Covered Sketchbooks

From the Kunst & Papier Site:

Jumbo Soft-Covered Sketchbooks

"They feature durable sewn binding and offer strength and economy in five sizes and two colors. (blue & black) The archival quality 120 GSM paper is suitable for all dry and most wet media."

Each German made book has 64 wood/acid/chlorine-free off white pages.

Sizes available and pricing:

6.3" x 7.9" $9.95
6.3" x 3.9" $6.95
8.3" x 11.7" $14.85
8.3" x 7.9" $10.95
8.3" x 5.8" $9.75



6.3" x 3.9" (16x10cm) Jumbo Softcover book shown with large Red Moleskine for size comparison.



Sewn bindings. The cover is a thin cardstock and can be folding back behind the book while working - but that will eventually crease all pages.

The book kind of opens flat, at least for the right side page... There will be a hump if you use the left side of the page.



The paper has an odd texture to it. The best way for me to describe it is "squishy & fibrous." This means that the paper doesn't play nicely with my finest nibbed pens because it "catches" on the occasional fiber. Wider nibbed pens like the Medium nibbed Safari do much better on this paper.

I noticed that the reverse of the page is slightly less fibrous, but it's squishier.

Very minimal feathering, no real spreading, only the Midnight Blues pushed through a little bit on the reverse of the paper. Paper is absorbant, but ink still takes a few moments to dry. Inks show nice shading on this paper.

Not sure I'd use this book specifically as a journal or sketchbook for fountain pens.



But I sure shootin' would use it for colored pencil. I haven't been a big fan of colored pencils because I've yet to find a paper that I like using them on- until now...... Every Prismacolor pencil I grabbed to test on these two images worked so smooth on the paper. Like Butter.



Another doodle using Prismacolor colored pencils.



My Stabilo markers liked this paper as well. Slight bleedthrough.



Watercolor? Well... I'd only recommend light washes, or adding paint with little water. There is minimal buckling to the paper, but if you scrub the paper with the brush, it starts to crumble. (See last image for a close up of crumbling)



Doodle with Derwent Inktense pencils. (Though I am still trying to get a handle on how to use them.) Came out good - but where I wet the pencil and drew "wet into wet" there is bleedthrough.



Close-up of crumbling from repeated (though not excessive) washing over the same area.

In closing, I think this is a great all-media book. Worked best for me with the Prismacolor pencils.

Buy directly from the Kunst & Papier site,

Or see the Dealer List for a store near you.