Sketching notebook...

[stevekolt]

What would be your suggestion for a fountain pen friendly, unlined (plain page) notebook/pad. I am wanting to try my hand at sketching with my fountain pens. A4 size preferred. Thanks!

[Yazeh]

What would be your suggestion for a fountain pen friendly, unlined (plain page) notebook/pad. I am wanting to try my hand at sketching with my fountain pens. A4 size preferred. Thanks!

Steve, I sketch (doodle( in all my notebooks, whether they are friendly or not....

[penwash]

What would be your suggestion for a fountain pen friendly, unlined (plain page) notebook/pad. I am wanting to try my hand at sketching with my fountain pens. A4 size preferred. Thanks!

First of all, congratulations! Sketching with Fountain Pens is an excellent way to enjoy your collections of both pens and inks.

On the notebook suggestion, just pick any mix-media or watercolor papers that are minimum 90 gsm, bound into a sturdy notebook at your preferred size.

I like Canson Sketchbook and I like the hardcover because they are usually sturdier than the spiral, although I love the spiral because they lay flat.

The notebook I'm using right now is a 90 gsm hardcover notebook from redbubble.com.

[elaineb]

Any drawing paper (as opposed to “sketch paper”) by these companies will work very well with pen and ink:
Stillman and Birn
Fabriano
Windsor & Newton
Strathmore
Hannemuhle

Look in the art supply section of stores or online. There are also papers specifically for pen and ink, intended more for dip pens and India ink, but they might be overkill in terms of pricing.

[Igraine]

I love Stillman & Birn….they have a nice range of white and cream papers, some smooth, some toothy, hard cover, soft cover, and all appropriate for wet media, though the thicker papers are what I’d use if I planned to incorporate washes. The Alpha is my favorite. You used to be able to write the the company and they would send you a little sample pack of all the different papers available. (And I do mean little, the sample papers were smaller than an index card - but still a good way to test the papers before buying a full size sketchbook )

[Jaguarish]

Having drawn and washed in quite a few options, I think you need to use a few different loose sheets to see what suits you. But my experience has been:
For line work only, Midori MD cotton is delightful. I was surprised because for writing I favour Tomoe River Paper and similar.
For ink and wash, standard drawing paper (aka cartridge paper) is surprisingly great and other options include lightweight watercolour (Stillman and Birn alpha or epsilon, Strathmore mixed media, etc) and some notebook brands with heavier paper can be great (Paperblanks, Clairefontaine Goldline). I'd steer clear of Leuchtturm, Moleskine, etc that are only meant for writing.

[Zoe]

Daler Rowney cartridge sketchbooks are an excellent, reasonably priced option. Once only available abroad, now at Amazon in two sizes. It also takes watercolor. I'd compare it to Stillman & Birn Alpha series.