The BEST Watercolor Sketchbook For Artists: A Complete Guide

Have you ever been absolutely disappointed with your watercolor paintings? Do your pages tend to warp OR tear when you paint?

Well, the good news is, that it may not be your fault at all. Chances are that the problem may be the paper itself.

The ONLY way to remedy this situation is to get a better surface to paint on. 

This is why, I’ve compiled all the BEST watercolor sketchbooks in this guide for you to choose the one you like best.

Say goodbye to your days of woe where you would end up constantly frustrated with every watercolor painting you do.

Now, you can choose the best watercolor sketchbook (and trust me, these are the BEST), and genuinely have fun while painting.

What You NEED To Keep In Mind

Although the saying is true that ‘A good craftsman never blames his tools,’ I personally believe that having great tools will help a great artist become WAY better.

You should invest the most you can into your own art materials to be able to become the best artist you can be.

That’s why choosing the right type of paper is SO important for a watercolor artist.

And there are a few things to keep in mind before you make any kind of purchase.

1. Watercolor Paper Textures

There are 3 types of watercolor paper textures:

1. Hot-pressed paper
2. Cold-pressed paper
3. Rough paper

Hot-pressed paper is the smoothest paper out of the three and is used mainly for illustrations. Why? Simply because you can get a lot of detailed work done on these sheets. The paper is super smooth, which makes it perfect for intricate paintings, but not so good for heavy washes and wet-on-wet techniques.

Cold-pressed paper is the perfect combination of hot-pressed and rough paper. While it is smoother than rough paper, it has a bit of tooth that is ideal for all types of watercolor paintings. Thus, it is most favored by all artists and is the most popular choice. 

Rough paper is the best for holding tons of water. It is amazing for wet-on-wet techniques, but not the best for any detailed work, due to the granulated effect it tends to cause.

Thus, you need to decide which type of paper you would prefer. Of course, it takes time to get comfortable with a new type of paper, which is why this is more of a personal preference you will need to experiment with.

TIP: If you’re a beginner, cold-pressed paper is the best paper for you to start with.

2. Watercolor Paper Weights

If you’re an experienced watercolor artist, then you probably already know what watercolor paper weights are.

But, for those who don’t know, paper weights basically mean the thickness of the paper. It’s normally measured in GSM, which means grams per square meter. 

A paper with a higher gsm count can hold much more water than a paper with a lower gsm count. To put it simply, the thicker the paper, the better it can withstand the watercolors.

Normally, watercolor paper needs to be around 300 gsm for you to be able to paint well. This count is also enough for any watercolor techniques you would need to use.

Anything lower than 300 gsm, tends to tear or warp much more easily.

TIP: Warping and buckling occurs when the paper fibers absorb the water unevenly. This warps the surface of the paper completely. 

Therefore, the paper quality needs to be amazing to resist the warping.

3. Binding of the Sketchbook

The watercolor sketchbook can be bound in a lot of different ways. Some of the most common ones are:

1. Spiral Binding: I love spiral binding for all my pencil sketches. They are super flexible and lay flat so you can paint on them easily. However, the only drawback is that you can’t paint two pages together due to the binding.
2. Hardcover: This binding looks the most professional. However, it’s my least favorite for watercolors, simply because they aren’t very flexible and the sketchbook doesn’t lay perfectly flat.
3. Softcover: These are perfect for painting across pages and lay completely flat as well. I personally prefer these.

Choosing a particular binding comes down to your own personal preference.

TIP: Most of the sketchbooks mentioned below have different binding options available, so you can choose whichever you prefer.

4. Size of the Sketchbook

The very last thing you need to keep in mind is that all sketchbooks come in different sizes.

There are A4, A3, pocket-sized, square-shaped, rectangle-shaped, and even sketchbooks with rounded corners. 

There are many types of watercolor sketchbook sizes available and each of the sketchbooks below come with tons of options.

So, you can easily choose whichever one you like best.

In case you’re having trouble choosing the size of the sketchbook you want to go with, I advise you to think about the purpose of the sketchbook.

Do you like painting on the go and traveling frequently? If so, then I recommend you opt for a smaller-sized sketchbook, such as a pocket-sized one.

If you love painting in your room and wish to paint large landscapes, then you can opt for the A3 or A4-sized watercolor sketchbooks.

TIP: Most of these options come down to your own personal preference. Experiment and try new sketchbooks to understand your preference better too.

The Best Sketchbooks For Watercolor

Now that we’ve extensively discussed all the things you need to keep in mind before purchasing a watercolor sketchbook, let’s get into the rankings of the sketchbooks.

Remember, that these rankings are what I personally feel from my experience. You may prefer another type of sketchbook, which is perfectly okay.

If you’re new and you don’t know which type of sketchbook you prefer, then you can’t make a mistake choosing anyone from this list. They are all amazing and starting with any one of them will give you a good idea of what you like best.

Now, enough talking, and let’s get to it.

1. ETCHR Mixed Media Sketchbook

The Etchr sketchbook is truly a wonderful watercolor sketchbook. 

It is made of 100% cotton paper. This means that it absorbs water REALLY well and makes the painting experience just that much better.

It’s also quite expensive because of this, but honestly, the sketchbook is totally worth it. The quality of the sketchbook is amazing and the paper has a slightly textured surface too.

In fact, the paper is so good that you can even paint on both sides of the paper without noticing any buckling or warping!

The watercolors also look great on the paper, and they stay wet for a while, allowing you to blend them much more easily.

Overall, this sketchbook is the best for any watercolor artist as it can handle all mediums superbly and the quality is fantastic. Once you try it, I’m sure you’ll never go back.

2. Stillman & Birn Beta Series

These sketchbooks are amazing. They have an acid-free paper that is heavy and smooth with a bit of tooth which is perfect. 

Although it is 270 gsm, there is absolutely no bleeding through at all, which is fantastic. However, the paper does get a bit warped over time, which is why I recommend you flatten it out manually.

All you need to do is place some heavy books on this sketchbook overnight and voilà. The problem will be absolutely solved.

This sketchbook is also great for illustrations, mostly since the surface is smooth. 

However, in case you intend to buy a sketchbook for some heavy watercolor painting, then I recommend you check out the other sketchbooks on this list. 

Overall, this sketchbook is perfect for light watercolor painting, ink, and even sketches.

3. Hahnemuhle Watercolor Book

Hahnemuhle is the perfect watercolor sketchbook to go with if you love traveling or urban sketching.

With its paper weight being 200gsm, it’s extremely lightweight and super portable. 

Despite its low paper weight, it can take quite a bit of water. However, too much water and you do risk buckling.

These sketchbooks also have an elastic strap that helps keep the papers flat while painting. 

Also, the binding of this sketchbook is great and you won’t find any papers falling loose at all. 

Overall, this book is the best for sketching on the go, plein air painting, and inking. Its quality is great and you definitely won’t be let down.

4. Pentalic Aqua Journal

I really like that the Pentalic Aqua Journal comes with a ton of additional features. You get an elastic brush holder, a pocket for storage, AND a ribbon marker. How cool is that? 

It’s also great for watercolors as it doesn’t buckle at all, and handles other mediums such as ink, pen, and colored pencils really well. It doesn’t bleed through the pages at all and the paper makes the watercolors look great.

My only issue with this watercolor sketchbook is that its binding isn’t the best. The pages come loose after a while and some completely fall out too. And honestly, I really hate loose pages falling out.

Other than that small downside, this sketchbook has no other drawbacks and is honestly a great option for plein air painting, watercolor paintings, inking, and landscape drawings.

5. Strathmore 400 Series

The Strathmore 400 series is one of high quality while still remaining affordable, which makes it a splendid choice for all beginner artists getting into watercolors.

The paper can handle watercolors very well and you won’t see any evidence of buckling or bleeding through.

The only time I saw a slight bleeding was with alcohol markers. However, it was quite minimal.

The binding is solid and the sketchbook remains completely flat while painting (which I love). It also blends watercolors really well, so you won’t find any issues at all.

Overall this sketchbook is affordable and great for watercolors, gouache, charcoal, and ink and you can even get away with using markers. I highly recommend this for all beginners as well.

6. Canson Artist Series Montval

The Canson Artist Series Montval Watercolor sketchbook is made of cold-pressed French paper. It comes in a variety of customizable binding options, so you can choose exactly which you like best.

Its paper is nice and heavy. It also has a smooth texture that is great for illustration and detailed work.

Although Canson has another series, Canson XL, I found the Montval series much better for my watercolor paintings. But, they both have a very close margin, and you can’t really go wrong with Canson. 

They consistently produce high-quality products, and I haven’t been disappointed so far.

Overall, a great and affordable option for all watercolor enthusiasts.

7. Moleskine Art Watercolor Album

I honestly love Moleskine sketchbooks as their quality is always fantastic. And this one is no different.

The Moleskine Art Watercolor Album is a rounded-edged pocket-sized sketchbook that is of high-quality paper.

Although it is only 200gsm paper, it can handle water well and the buckling is usually to a minimum. The strap that comes with the sketchbook also helps to keep the pages flat. 

Also, it is super affordable and the papers have enough texture to make the watercolors look great on the paper. Since it is also pocket-sized, it will fit anywhere and is awesome for traveling and painting as well.

Overall I love the quality Moleskine delivers even with such an affordable price. It’s perfect for urban sketching, inking, and light watercolor paintings.

Watercolor Essentials

Along with watercolor sketchbooks, you’ll obviously need some more watercolor essentials to start painting such as:

1. Watercolor paints
2. Watercolor brushes
3. Pencils (for sketching before painting)

Unless you already have some great ones, I HIGHLY recommend you go through the list of great watercolor essentials I’ve mentioned below. 

These will help your watercolor paintings look much better so don’t miss out on them.

1. Watercolor Paints

If you’re just starting out with watercolors, I HIGHLY recommend you purchase the watercolor paints in a set and not individually.

For obvious reasons, this would be cost-effective and enough for you to start with, since you wouldn’t know about the different color ranges. After experimenting, you can always purchase more individually.

Winsor and Newton paints are the best places to start. They’re slightly expensive but have incredible quality. They’re also very beginner-friendly.

TIP: The set comes with a mini palette as well, so you don’t need to purchase one separately. 

2. Watercolor Brushes

This topic is actually highly subjective, mostly because brushes are such a personal choice and it completely depends on what you love painting the most.

However, to give you a basic rundown, there are two main types of brushes:

1. Round Brush: These are most commonly used and are the best for detailed work.
2. Flat Brush: Most used for large, expressive paintings, flat brushes can also be very helpful for landscape paintings.

Brushes are also made of either synthetic hair or animal hair. 

Personally, I greatly prefer synthetic brushes. They are much more durable than animal hair, which tends to fall off over time.

The best brushes for watercolor are definitely the Princeton brushes. Their quality is amazing and Princeton has a large variety of brushes for you to choose from.

TIP: The Aqua Elite line is my favorite as they suit watercolors REALLY well. 

3. Pencils For Sketching

If you like sketching before painting, then this section is just for you. 

Generally, it’s best to buy pencils in the value 4H to HB, since they are really light and are perfect for marking for watercolors.

TIP: If you don’t know what HB or value ranges for pencils are, you can read my detailed post on the same right here.

I HIGHLY recommend the Faber Castell 9000 Graphite Pencils as they are of brilliant quality and are quite light as well. The lead is also super smooth and glides across the paper REALLY well.

If you want to check out some other brilliant drawing pencils, then you can read this article.

Conclusion

Choosing the right watercolor sketchbook may seem like a really daunting task, but I hope you’ve now got a better idea about which one you can go with.

If you’re just starting out, then you really can’t go wrong with any of the watercolor sketchbooks on this list. They’re all fantastic and highly recommended.

To read more about the best drawing pencils (to make your art MUCH better) you can click right here.

If you want to know exactly how to improve your figure drawings FAST, you can read this post. Also, I have a great post on how to get better at art with minimal effort.

Good luck and have fun on your art journey!