Watercolour sketchbooks - paper, surface and sizing

When selecting a watercolour sketchbook, the important paper specs are - paper weight, cotton content, surface texture and sizing. For paper weight, because the page size is typically A4 or smaller, 200gsm is usually thick enough, but you can go lighter or heavier depending on how much water you use. Including cotton in the paper increases drying time, making washes easier, but is a disadvantage for fountain pen or if you want to work fast. Available surface textures include hot press (smooth surface), cold press (mid texture) or rough, with most sketchbooks using cold press. The final consideration that can take some time to figure out is the sizing - a gelatine, vegetable starch or synthetic glue, added to the paper to slow the penetration of water into the sheet.

Sizing is added during paper manufacturing (internal sizing) and/or applied to the surfaces of the finished sheet (external sizing). Sizing stiffens the paper and coats the surface, giving you more time to move paint around and making it easier to lift mistakes. Sizing helps reduce bleeding and feathering of inks, keeps pigments vibrant, but also increases the chance of back runs (especially on heavily sized, hot pressed papers). Gelatine sizing performs the best, with less drag on the brush, but understandably some artists prefer a vegan sizing.

Good watercolour papers have the 'Goldilocks' amount of sizing. Too much sizing makes it difficult to add subsequent layers, because if the first layer is still mobile, it mixes with the next layer, creating a new colour where the layers interact.  Too little sizing (you can accidentally wash it all off!) allows water to penetrate the sheet, dulling colours and making it difficult to lift colour from the page. Inconsistent sizing, either from poor manufacturing or contamination (poor paper storage or greasy hands) results in patchy watercolour washes.

If this is starting to sound complicated, it helps to think practically so that you can adjust your technique depending on what you encounter. With too much sizing, misting the paper first, loosens the surface sizing, helping the paint bind to the paper fibres faster. Applying an initial background wash is a good practice to helps reveal any sizing inconsistencies. Allowing paint to fully dry between layers builds up a better surface, keeping subsequent layers on top.

Heavy or uneven surface sizing can be redistributed or removed with a soft, wet brush. If you apply a lot of water, you can go too far and affect the internal sizing (surface will feel more fluffy), requiring more concentrated paint and faster painting. With too little sizing, you can reapply it (Daniel Smith watercolour ground works quite well) or just go with the faster drying time.

Our sketchbooks, listed from smoothest to roughest surface, and with some sizing info:

As fountain pen enthusiasts, we stock mainly lighter textured papers that aren't too soft or toothy for pen work. If you're a pen lover, start at the top of the list. If you want more texture for watercolour, start at the bottom. If you're using only watercolour (no pen work), go for cotton.

Stillman and Birn Epsilon, wood pulp, hot press, 150gsm - a lighter weight paper, but with a good amount of sizing (internal and external, vegan) that helps offset the thinness of the paper. Ultra smooth surface, for smooth even application of media (coloured pencil, washes). Soft cover version is very portable. Good option for pencils, fine liners, fountain pens and light washes. Similar surface is Zeta 270gsm, for use with heavier markers or watercolour, but dries fast so you need to work fast.

Stillman & Birn Alpha, wood pulp, cold press, 150gsm - like Epsilon, this is another light weight paper with internal and external sizing (vegan) that offsets the paper thinness. Bright white paper, slight tooth (still smooth enough for fountain pen), not much ghosting, a little buckling if you use a lot of water. Soft cover version is very portable. Good value in that you get a lot of pages and good enough for most travel sketching uses. Our most popular seller for sketching with ink.

Stillman & Birn Beta, wood pulp, cold press, 270gsm - very bright white paper, good weight, with internal and external sizing (vegan). No ghosting, longer drying time and more tooth than Alpha, but you still need to work fast compared to Hand-Book. Less even coverage and more reflective than Alpha. Use a wider nib if using a fountain pen. Soft cover version is very portable. Good choice if you tend to use more water and want a high white paper.

(Speedball) Hand-Book Journal Co Watercolour, wood pulp, cold press, 200 or 300gsm - 200gsm is the more popular weight. Off white colour, with very similar surface texture to Beta. Good amount of sizing. Small difference between front and back of pages. Thin book for a hard cover. Opens flat. Clear pocket in back where you could put your colour swatches for ready reference. Linen book cloth binding makes it more of a keepsake.

Hahnemuehle Akademia, wood pulp, cold press, 200gsm - off white, slightly more texture than Hand-Book. Sized with vegetable starch. Same texture on both sides of paper. Quality binding. Artists say surface is softer, so will suit painter more than a fountain pen user.

Hahnemuehle, 100% cotton, cold press, 250gsm - off white, slightly more texture than Hand-Book. Sized with vegetable starch. Quality binding. High price because of the cotton.

Moleskine Watercolour Notebook, 25% cotton, cold press, 200gsm - originally one of our favourites, before the paper change to a stock that had two distinct sides.

Seawhite, wood pulp, cold press, 225gsm - slightly whiter than Hand-Book. Internally and externally sized. Slightly more texture than all of the above. Basic spiral binding. Great value.

Seawhite, wood pulp, cold press, 200gsm - off white. Internally and externally sized. Slightly more texture than Seawhite 225gsm and less than Seawhite 350gsm. This book is manufactured in India and is a different paper stock to the UK papers used in the Seawhite spiral range. Cover cosmetically looks a bit basic, but binding is well done and opens flat. Good value for a very good paper for urban sketching.

Seawhite, wood pulp, 350gsm - off white, with slightly more texture than all of the above. Basic spiral binding. Great value. Suits watercolour.

Fabriano, 25% cotton, cold press, 200 or 300gsm - same as Fabriano studio paper, off white colour, but more structured texture than all of the above, including Seawhite 350gsm.

Arches Travel Journal, 100% cotton, cold press, 300gsm - off white, reasonable amount of gelatine sizing and can take a beating. For many artists this is the best paper, but the only sketchbook offered is a simple spiral bound.

Clairefontaine Travel Sketchbook, 100% cotton, rough, 300gsm - this is a rough paper, in off white. Suits traditional watercolour and needs a medium or broad nib for fountain pen.

Not technically watercolour papers, but still useful:

Hahnemuehle Nostalgie, wood pulp, cartridge paper, 190gsm - off white, the smoothest surface on this list (smoother than Alpha). Suits fountain pen sketching and fast watercolour. Better price than watercolour sketchbooks. Good coverage if also using coloured pencil.

Strathmore Mixed Media, 100% cotton, cartridge paper, 190gsm - off white, fairly smooth (like Alpha). Internally sized (vegan). Works with every media and particularly good for fountain pen and pencil. Reasonable price for 100% cotton paper. Soft binding, that marks very easily and will even have a few marks on a brand new book.

Make your own from these gelatine sized papers:

Arches Watercolour Cold Pressed 300gsm, off white, internal and external gelatine size. Can take a lot of work and water.

Saunders Waterford Cold Press 300gsm , internally and externally sized. Slightly more texture (gritty feel) and a warmer colour than Arches. Absorbs water quickly, so works best when damp. Suits expressive watercolour, more than detail.