Stillman & Birn Zeta Series Hardbound Sketchbook, 5.5" x 8.5", 270 gsm (Extra Heavyweight), White Paper, Smooth Surface

I have tried a few brands looking for a good sketchbook that could take several washes and not blooom inmediately or buckle. I like the Pentalic sketchbooks as they are also very sturdy and come in a Landscape 5x8 format (hardcover) but the paper can be a bit waxy. This sketchbook is just amazing, the paper is sooooo strong! I have done no less than 7 washes (shown in pic) on a single page and have still been able to use the back of it. It wont buckle or even break when you're lifting some pigment. The Zeta is a smooth paper, which I like but i know that's a very personal thing, it gets a bit sandy feeling once the paint is dry if you've used several washes but nothing i truly mind, I think the colors look great and don't become dull. I will try the cold press to see if the texture is nice but honestly, judging by this one, i can say my quest for sketchbooks is over. I just wish they'd make the Zeta landscape 5x8 in hardcover too!

Bought it a while ago, just started using it. I have the one that is bound like a regular book. I love the heavy weight of the paper since I love to do collage journaling. The shape, the size, and the quality are all great. I love that it looks like a book rather than a spiral bound thing. I hope to fill this one up and buy another one. Tempted to buy another one right now before it's no longer available, even though I've only filled the first few pages of mine.

I am a Zentagle artist and started out using Moleskine notebooks for slightly larger ZIAs. To be honest, I wasn't that happy with the quality of the paper, so started looking round for alternatives. S&B offered samples of their sketchbook paper, and I chose three different note books on the basis of these samples and clear descriptions. The notebooks are a little pricey, but Amazon has good prices. I've found that it was worth the extra dollars. These notebooks are a joy to use. I have only used Micron pens in them - haven't tried water colours or even coloured pencil yet, but I have no doubt they will perform well. The notebooks themselves are extremely well made, and as an added bonus they are made in America! Would highly recommend getting samples, deciding what would suit your needs and giving yourself a treat!

The paper quality is great, but when trying to get it to lay flat, the first couple signatures got separated from the glue. This is the second Stillman and Birn I've had with a binding issue

I am a beginner with watercolors, so I can't go super in-depth with how watercolors should perform on paper, but all I know is I was recommended this brand and it works with what I do. I can wet and rewet the paper several times, do washes, and lift paint without tearing or buckling, plus my colors don't bleed through the paper.I don't really like the smooth paper texture for watercolors (just personal preference), but the quality of the paper is so good, I will continue to use it for my travel sketches and coloring. I will definitely buy again as long as the quality of paper stays the same.

The Zeta series of Stillman & Birn sketchbooks is comprised of 180lb. Hot Press Paper (smooth, tight, matte finish). The covers are hard and lay flat for making full-spread sketches easy to attain. You will not find another sketchbook on the market that even comes close to meeting the specific needs of water colorists.

It's the first time I've been able to work on a totally smooth paper for watercolor. The paper still appears to be flat but the part of the paper where I haven't applies water turn up a tiny bit. I love using copic markers on this surface and you do see a little ghost of color on the other side if you are layering colors. The book is sewn so it lays flat. I avoid the standard black glue bound journal because they like to close while you are working with them. Zero complaints about pen (pigment liners or markers or colored pencil).

White, smooth , heavy. Absolutely the best sketchbook I have ever used. Would be ideal for any medium, but ink and watercolor mingle on this paper in delight. Love it for my Zebra cartoons. I will ALWAYS buy the Zeta!