Many people don't think much about buying a sketchbook. Even I've been caught just buying the cheapest one on the shelf, but when you compare sketchbooks side by side you come to find there can be a huge difference between paper size, weight, quality, and color just to name a few.
So what do you need to determine when you go out to get the next sketchbook?
- Price - Is price a factor? Even if it is you can still get a good sketchbook if you know where to look
- Type - There are many different types of sketchbooks including charcoal, sketching, watercolor, watercolor pencil, tracing, comics, etc.
- Purpose - Will this sketchbook serve merely as a place to doodle, or do you plan to transfer the sketches for a project? Will you be showing these sketches to others for critique, proposal, etc. Do you plan to do technical drawings or take more notes than actual drawing?
- Lasting Quality - Some people like to think of each sketchbook as a work of art its own right. If so then you should consider can the sketch book be thrown away or do you want it to hang on the shelf for generations to come?
- Binding - This coincides with lasting quality. You can choose from a three ring binder, multi-ring binder, leather binding, plastic, notebook, tear away sheet, single page, loose, etc. Again, to what purpose will this sketchbook serve.
While keeping these things in mind, it will help you better narrow down what you would like to purchase for your artistic and technical endeavors. If you are on a budget consider using coupons(most arts and crafts stores have regular 30-50% off coupons to draw customers in), the internet(perhaps this site?), and colleges.
When you think about these things your next sketchbook purchase is sure to be just what you need.