Has anybody tried the new Dick Blick Hand Book Artist Journals?

**JamieWG** · #1 12-31-2006, 10:08 PM

Have any of you tried these new journals from Dick Blick? I'm eager to know what you think of the surface, and also how well it handles a little wet media, like a watercolor wash. How does it compare with the Moleskine Sketchbook and Moleskine Watercolor Book? Many thanks for any comments!

Jamie

Mary Woodul · #2 12-31-2006, 11:17 PM

I haven't Jamie but I will bump this up so that in case there is someone that has. I'm about to order some paper from Blick and I think I will consider one of these.

**pinkrybns** · #3 01-01-2007, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieWG

Have any of you tried these new journals from Dick Blick? I'm eager to know what you think of the surface, and also how well it handles a little wet media, like a watercolor wash. How does it compare with the Moleskine Sketchbook and Moleskine Watercolor Book? Many thanks for any comments!

Jamie

Hey Jamie!
Yep! I have one of these...bought mine via Amazon though.
I have the square format 5"x5" and I love it!!!

According to me, (lol), the paper is somewhat similar to Arches hot pressed watercolor paper (although I have no idea what the paper really is) and it has a nice weight to it than what's found in an average sort sketchbook - which is nice.

The paper in the Hand Book Journals takes any watermedia very well, IMO. The paper is a nice color, sort of a cream white/off-white with a slight texture, not very rough yet not slick smooth.

Also takes pen & ink without bleeding and very good for pencils (both graphite and colored). Actually was able to layer with the cp's.

IMO, Much, much, much better than the Moleskine watercolor sketchbook ( which I don't like at all), and more 'paperlike' than the Moleskine regular sketchbook. Also thicker paper than the plain paper Molekines notebooks.

Obviously, I like these sketchbooks very much and they're a good buy as well. The covers also seem to be a bit more sturdy to me than the Moleskines, which surprised me.

They also have that elastic band thingy to close them.

The one bad thing is they've put a plastic envelope 'note holder' thing in the back inside cover of the books, but it's just cheaply glued in and mine has already pulled off ... I didn't even put anything in it. I don't think that envelope thingy was such a good idea ... never use it in the Moleskines either.

I won't be giving up purchasing and using the regular Moleskine sketchbooks ( because I like that slick card-like surface for some things), but I will be buying more of these new Hand Book Artist Journals! Especially love the square format!

So, I give them a resounding

Judy (who has a thing for amassing different kinds of sketchbooks...not a habit she's willing to give up in 2007!)

**JamieWG** · #4 01-01-2007, 12:58 PM

Judy, thank you ever so much! I'm a sketchbook collector too! hehehe... I respect your work and opinions, so I'll be jumping on this bandwagon reeeeally soon!

Jamie

**pinkrybns** · #5 01-01-2007, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieWG

Judy, thank you ever so much!

Your very welcome!

Quote:

I'm a sketchbook collector too! hehehe...

Sickness, isn't it? LOL LOL and as far as I know there's no cure!!

**mothsailor** · #6 01-01-2007, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinkrybns

Your very welcome!

Sickness, isn't it? LOL LOL and as far as I know there's no cure!!

Thanks for the review, Judy. After reading that, looks like I'm going to have to add to my collection too! I didn't know Amazon sold that kind of thing.

**pinkrybns** · #7 01-01-2007, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mothsailor

Thanks for the review, Judy. After reading that, looks like I'm going to have to add to my collection too! I didn't know Amazon sold that kind of thing.

Jamie & Dave,

Well, I hope you like them. It is still a matter of personal choice/taste though...but I was pleased.

The price is certainly right!

Yeah Amazon.com ( not .uk I don't think) sells them, do a search on Sketchbooks or art supplies. or Hand Book Journals. At the time I ordered, I didn't know Blick sold them as well.

**pinkrybns** · #8 01-01-2007, 03:46 PM

Here's the link to Amazon.com where these journals are... oddly in the Home & Garden catagory

Hand book journals

Edit to add: They are less expensive via Blick, but I have to work around those unbelievable International shipping charges from Blick, alas, so I order books and get some sketchbooks too via Amazon.

Howard Metzenberg · #9 01-09-2007, 05:24 PM

I appreciate that others have mentioned these handbooks (journals) here. They are indeed inspired by the success of the Moleskine line. But the feel of the paper is different, and everybody will have their own opinion about that. I really like the covers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinkrybns

Edit to add: They are less expensive via Blick, but I have to work around those unbelievable International shipping charges from Blick, alas, so I order books and get some sketchbooks too via Amazon.

Amazon is a company that is many orders of magnitude larger than Dick Blick and they can afford to do things that Dick Blick cannot do. In particular, their overseas volume is sufficient to many parts of the world to allow them to work directly with local shipping companies. They have overseas warehousing for some products. We do our best, but we have to depend on international shippers that carry our boxes individually, while Amazon is able to combine many orders.

We're certainly not "profiteering" on international shipping. We are just trying to do our best, given the higher shipping and handling charges we have for these orders. Our domestic customers would not want us to subsidize overseas sales at their expense.

Howard Metzenberg
Dick Blick Art Materials
Highland Park, IL

**pinkrybns** · #10 01-09-2007, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howard Metzenberg

Amazon is a company that is many orders of magnitude larger than Dick Blick and they can afford to do things that Dick Blick cannot do. In particular, their overseas volume is sufficient to many parts of the world to allow them to work directly with local shipping companies. They have overseas warehousing for some products. We do our best, but we have to depend on international shippers that carry our boxes individually, while Amazon is able to combine many orders.

Dear Howard,
I fully understand the situation and differences between the volume of Amazon & Dick Blick. This was not a statement of disrespect or complaint that I made. It's just the breaks for living too far away, eh?

Quote:

We're certainly not "profiteering" on international shipping. We are just trying to do our best, given the higher shipping and handling charges we have for these orders. Our domestic customers would not want us to subsidize overseas sales at their expense.

Again, I fully understand and I wasn't really complaining.

, honestly, and I certainly NEVER mean't to imply or suggest anything such as "profiteering"... you read my statement wrong, I think. I offer an apology if anyone else thought that there was any such 'implication' in my statement.

BTW, I happen to order things from your company as gifts to my art friends in the US. I'm happy that you & your company exist(s). You're easy to order from.

Tot volgende order! (Until the next order!)

Judy

**JamieWG** · #11 01-09-2007, 06:44 PM

I placed an order for one of them from Blick a couple of days ago, along with about a gazillion other things. LOL.... Should be here Thursday.

Meanwhile, for those like me who have lots of loose, high quality paper they love and want to make a versatile, removable-page sketchbook/painting book of their own for various media, using different papers in the same book, I posted the one I made a few years ago onto my blog. There are a couple of pictures and I wrote out instructions to make it. You can find it here; just scroll down to the January 7 post and it's right below the painting.

Jamie

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