Watercolour Sketchbooks Review & Tour Of ALL My Paintings From The Beginning!

In this video, I review 8 different sketchbooks I have used in my whole watercolour journey, show you the price, the thickness, the performance and of course, whether I will ever buy them again! From Canson XL, Etchr Lab, Stillman & Burn, Winsor & Newton, Moleskin and Strathmore! You will also get to have peak into my watercolour journey through these sketchbooks as you can see what my paintings looked like from the very beginning of my watercolour experience from September 2020 till now. Hope you enjoy this sketchbook review & tour combination!

Products featured in video:

Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:14 Montmarte
03:03 Canson XL
04:50 Winsor & Newton
07:55 Khadi
11:50 Moleskin
13:38 Strathmore
15:48 Etchrlab
19:24 Stillman & Burn

🖌️MY SUPPLIES

COLOURS

PAPER:

BRUSHES

FAV FLORAL REFERENCE BOOKS

🎥 MY YOUTUBE GEAR
Camera: IPhone14ProMax
Editing Software: iMovie

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting Crystal Tan Art so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!

[pjlewisful]

I like how you don't dwell so long on each page like some you-tubers.

[ivi]

Yay! I’ve been wanting a tour of your paintings and I’m glad you did it! Your paintings are so beautiful even the ones from 2020-2021

[angelarenae]

I got the Stillman and Birn, the Beta and the Zeta, they are both great. One is white and the other is a little off white. I love the sizes and you can take them anywhere and the watercolor dries faster so you can move on to the next page. But, the paper seems better than other non-cotton papers.

Great review. :) thank you! 🙏

[jessicataylor]

I’ve recently found the Pentalic sketchbook and I love it!

[juliart]

Hi Crystal! Thank you for the nice review! I am a huge sketchbook fan as it is the best way for me to keep my paintings not flying around the house. :) Because you talked a lot about the vibrancy of colours, I can recommend the german brand Hahnemuehle. Its a paper company :) and they have all kinds of sketchbooks. For water colour they have Cellulsose and 100% Cotton paper. I started with the cheaper Cellulose 200 gsm (A5 about 33 AUD for 60 pages/ 30 sheets) and the vibrancy of the colours is just perfect. For bleeding however the 100% Cotton is much better.

[sheilacym]

This is such a great video, Crystal !
Thank you for sharing your art journey in your sketch books and the art work /practice pieces and all sorts.
Please be assured…..they are all really, really lovely !!!!
I have also been trying out the different papers and sketch books / single sheets, etc. etc……so your review here is very helpful indeed, especially to hear your honest feedback about these particular brands.
Thank you once again and all the very best for your future success !
Hope you soon feel better from that cold….I hear from my son who lives in Australia, that there are lots of colds and viruses going around at the moment .

[CraftSchoolOz]

Have you tried making your own sketchbook ? That is lots of fun !

[aprilharvey]

This was great information. I’m just starting with watercolour and my sketch book is Carson XL and I guess I’m happy with it, because I don’t know any better.

[PaulaScardamalia]

I like the Stillman & Birn Beta for watercolor, and Hahnemuehle's 100% Cotton sketchbooks. Thanks for the review.

[melitalyell]

The handbook company make lovely sketchbooks and the fabriano Venezia (I think that’s how’s it’s spelt🥴). I’m in Australia too so nice to hear another artist talk about art materials that we can get here. I didn’t like the moleskine either, way over priced for the quality. If you are looking for cheap and cheerful (but not bad) there is Millini and derivan. Happy painting 😊

[ServeLearnTeach]

I enjoy your flip-throughs, they brighten my smile and inspire me.

[safiyyahstudios]

I found this video so helpful, I don't use sketchbooks but I will start using them after this video

[theresedaamen]

Mont Marte is based in Brisbane. Australia. They now have Permium Watercolour paint too. They have some great products.

[brushmovement]

Super fun to see! I love how you used sketchbooks! I didn't realise u were a sketchbook painter cos I always see ur paintings in loosesheets! Anyway I love it. I recommend the hahnmuehle that I am using. I quite like it!

[azzuparis]

I enjoyed this review and it was lovely to see you early work.

[geslinam]

I have the Etchr Perfect in two sizes, cold press. Love it, and will keep buying it. I know it’s pricey, but good artist’s paper always has been. In this long process of learning watercolor, I want the best paper, I want predictable results - or as predictable as watercolor can be. I do not feel like it is a waste of good paper, it being in sketchbook form. I can always cut out anything I want to frame for myself or sell or give away. Also, both sides of every page are usable, unlike a lot of cheap brands. But mostly, it is the PLEASURE of working on beautiful paper in this medium that keeps me wanting to paint. Out of all the ones you reviewed, the only I can say I actually like and keep buying are Stillman & Birn, but not really for watercolor, just the Alpha for graphite, maybe very light wash. And they aren’t exactly a budget brand. I do not like their Zeta, the one they market for wet media. It’s like card paper. Good for gouache, maybe acrylic, or ink, but not the watercolor effects I want. I just bought their toned paper sketchbook, haven’t used it yet, though.

I did just get a Hahnamule 100% cotton and it’s not too bad, or too expensive. Also want to try Koval, Seawhite, and Kilimanjaro.

[lydialee]

Love going down the memory lane with you today, so fun to look back, I just finished a sketchbook, maybe I will film a similar one myself. X

[andreaharutunian]

Love this review because I've found the kind of paper they use in the sketchbook REALLY MATTERS... thx for sharing...

[lisaannef]

I still haven't found one I like. Stillman & Birn has been very disappointing so far for me. I am looking forward to trying my Strathmore 400 and Etchr sketchbooks. Everyone has different needs and preferences so it's nice to get others opinions as well. Thanks for your reviews.

[majella]

Thank you for your post Crystal - I am still looking for the perfect sketchbook myself, so this was helpful. I have some W&N and a Canson one of the way, so it will be interesting what I think! Not sure if you are aware, but Jackson Art have opened a store in Australia - in Adelaide - so you can buy products from them locally online. Also you mentioned about the colours not looking as sharp, I think in the Etcher - now, this is my first post of yours I have watched, so you probably already know this - but you may prefer working on hot press watercolour paper - it is great for botanical art and fine detail - and apparently the colours look brighter. I look forward to watching more of your posts. Happy painting!