REVIEW: Seawhite Chunky Square Sketchbook

I am on a search for the most economic all around sketchbook on the market. Unless you are a specific watercolourist or only use dry media an artist wants a flexible sketchbook to experiment. This is what drew me to the Seawhite of Brighton Chunky Square Sketchbook. First of all there are some obvious benefits to this sketchbook:

1. When they say its chunky they mean its chunky. This is no travel sketchbook, this is a beast. It comes in at 90 sheets/180 pages. That is the equivalent of 2 regular sized sketchbooks.

2. The price, Seawhite is often the students choice, providing hard bound sketchbooks with decent paper for a low cost. I go the large 25cmx25cmm book for £10. When you consider its essentially the size of two sketchbooks for that price, the page to price ratio is outstanding

3. Its square! We are in the era of instagram where our art needs to fit the frame. A square sketchbook means that your work always fits for the perfect post. It is also an unorthodox shape, encouraging you to rethink your compositions.

The Sketchbook also fits my personal preference for case bound hardbacks as they feel more substantial and I don't lean on an uncomfortable spiral!

Now, the downsides.

1. The sketchbook is advertised as sized for wet media allowing washes of watercolour and ink. This is accurate. However I don't feel the sizing really works as intended. The wet media does indeed sit atop the paper but its not a smooth dispersal of pigment. It is like rain collecting on a waterproof jacket. This is odd as it is not the experience I had with the Seawhite Eco sketchbook, a prime reason I went back to Seawhite as a brand.

2. Don't get too wet. Its hard to manage how much wetness can go on the page. Washes I believe are quite thick often seep through and stain the other side of the sheet. Again, this didn't happen with my previous Seawhite Eco.

3. Ink ghosts on the back of the page to various degrees. Want to use both sides of the paper? Only using fineliners and pencil? This is hit and miss. My Uniball Air 0.5 pen is the worst offender at causing black splotches to seep through but this should not be the case, the paper is 140lbs. The paper doesn't feel like it should be this 'thin'.

4. The paper wrinkles with paint. I have done a lovely painting in my sketchbook, it looks to the eye fine. The back of the page is dimpled but not severely and then I take a photo for social and the ripple shadows of the paper just ruin it. There is no buckling, just a disappointing dampness.

5. The spine broke. Finally something it has in common with the Seawhite Eco. Midway through Inktober pages started falling out of my Seawhite Eco. Similarly, about half way through this sketchbook the spine ripped. I reaffixed it with PVA glue and that seems to be holding it together but I am only half way through! As said, this sketchbook is the size of two sketchbooks. Pages falling out is OK for a month but I will be at least using this sketchook into 2020, that is a long time to worry about a busted spine.

So all in all this Sketchbook offered much and delivered little. The hunt for the best all around sketchbook continues!