Stillman & Birn Zeta Series Softcover Sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5", 270 gsm (Extra Heavyweight), White Paper, Smooth Surface

I was born with a pen in one hand and paper in the other, and learned long ago that every medium has a specific paper it performs best on. For ink sketching/drawing, the Zeta is the best. It has a very light tooth, coloured pencil works well, and it takes a light wash of watercolour; I wouldn't go full wet-on-wet, but a light wash is perfect. I don't use alcohol markers much, but I've never had an issue with any other medium bleeding through (I can lay down some heavy ink from a fountain pen). The paper is absorbent, but doesn't take away from the colour of any drawing. The 7.5x7.5 is my favourite size, there's something about a square that is perfection, although the geniuses at S&B have managed to provide the best possible sizes. Oh, looking for a good dip pen surface? Put this in your cart, you found it.

Update 10/8/2024 I contacted the company Stillman and Birn and they were awesome! I sent them the photos of my sketchbook with the defect and they immediately sent me a perfect replacement. I’m very impressed and will purchase from them again. Original review: I have had this watercolor book for 2 weeks and have been using it for both watercolor and colored pencil sketches. the pages are thick and have tooth. It is truly a joy to use! It has worked beautifully for both; however, I never flipped through the pages when I received it. Well today I started flipping through it to look at my paintings and found a damaged page about halfway through it. You can see that it’s ripped in half and part of the page folds out past the bottom of the book, so it appears to be a manufacturing issue that slipped through quality control. Very disappointing since I’ve already been using it and now it has a damaged page. I like to use these small art books to eventually pass down to my kids. I’m not sure what a resolution would be, because I am not going to return something that has my artwork in it.

I've been trying zillions of different sketchbooks looking for the "one" that checked all the boxes, and I think this is it. It has 270gsm paper so I can use markers or paint or ink without bleed thru. It lays flat and creates a great horizontal spread from the square pages. The pages are white and very smooth. Not entirely as slick as bristol board but very very close. It's a pleasure to draw/write/paint in this sketchbook.

the pages do lay flat! I've never had the issue of needing to break in the binder beforehand or rummaging through my desk for a paperweight to do a quick practice session. as soon as you choose a page - boom, the sides lay flat. perfect. the notebook has an excellent smooth surface for dry media and even the lightest touch with colored pencil brings forth a great amount of pigment. love the fact that its archival. the only issue that I have with this sketchbook is the quality of some of the pages. I could do watercolor on one page and experience no issues except for minor warping, but on the next sheet I'll come across major warping and piling, and my sketchbook will do this thing where the pigments will come together in raised welts. the paper will rip even after using my gentler washi tapes and putting the adhesive side on my shirt before laying it on. it's a great product for pencil, dry media, and light washes with ink, but if you have a heavier hand with watercolors, try to look for something with more weight! UPDATE: After using the sketchbook through to half the pages I discovered that I was in the wrong. This is a great sketchbook! After doing more research I realized my issue. I was treating the paper like 300gsm cold-pressed paper when this is a book meant for light washes. The pages will lay flat if you place it under heavy textbooks, thus correcting the warp problem. I recommend using this book for pencil, light washes of watercolor, and ink.

If you don't know this brand, you need to. THE BEST for travel and lovely textures. EXPLORE the different ones small then get your favorite.

I am a huge new fan of Stillman & Birn! What a great product. I love square sketchbooks, but this one has wonderful, high quality paper and binding. I am really enjoying using it with watercolor and markers. The paper erases well without damage. Absolutely a new favorite.

Nice thick pages, very smooth. Great for gouache, colored pencils, markers, light watercolor washes and acrylic!

I usually use the larger softbound sketchbook but decided to give this one a try and brought both sizes on my longer trip. I wish I only brought this size. It's not too heavy and an easy size to quick sketch and/or watercolor. I love the weight of the paper and the softbound book is a bit lighter than the bound version, so that's a plus. Highly recommend this size for travelers.

You really can’t go wrong with this sketchbook. The paper is very smooth and feels great to work on. I mostly use coloured pencils and it handles layering and blending beautifully. I also plan to use it for gouache and will report back later on how it handles wet media. The softcover is flexible but still feels well made and the sketchbook opens completely flat which is a big plus. I also love the square format. The 7.5" x 7.5" size is perfect for sketching and easy to work with. The paper is pH neutral, lignin and chloride-free which is reassuring if you care about longevity. It’s not cotton paper but that hasn’t been an issue for my use. It is a bit pricey but that’s expected for Stillman & Birn and the quality matches the price. Overall, you really can’t go wrong with it and I’d happily buy it again.

Exactly what I ordered, safely packaged and shipped, great quality paper :)

Ne avevo sentito parlare da altre persone, ma avendolo provato posso solo confermarne la qualità. Lo sto usando con acquerelli e gouache, e devo dire che si comporta bene con l'acqua. A me piace molto e mi sento di considerarlo!

Item was exactly the right thing and purchased for a more than competitive price. Arrived quickly. Very happy.

This is not better than other sketchbooks I've tried. It felt flimsy and cheap. Very expensive for what it is.