Finding my ideal Urban Sketching Book

Over the past three years I’ve tried multiple types of sketchbooks. When I first started my daily sketching habit I used non-watercolour paper, but made sure it was robust enough to handle a like wash of watercolour. I did a lot of just sketching at the beginning, and I didn’t want to waste money on a watercolour book if all I did was sketch on it.

During this sketching phase, I fell in love with Rhodia Touch books. They had a good selection of papers for illustrators and calligraphers which worked well for ink and wash. But as I veered more towards using watercolour I had to search for an watercolour book that wasn’t too expensive and provided a good quality paper I could experiment on.

I’ve landed on Hahnemühle (wish I knew how to pronounce this!)

About my Hahnemühle Watercolour Sketch Book

This watercolour book is the ideal companion for artists who love to capture their holiday memories…Like all Hahnemühle papers, they are age-resistant, acid-free and vegan.

Hahnemühle website

Hahnemühle sell lots of different types of papers and books, but the one I use as my daily sketchbook is the natural white 200gsm paper with a fine grained surface structure on both sides, which means there’s not front or back of the paper—both sides are “front”.

I buy the A5 size in landscape format but they also sell the same books in portrait format. I like the landscape because it allows for panoramic single or double page sketches. But to be honest, I usually fit multiple compositions onto each page.

This watercolour book is ideal for capturing a month’s worth of sketches. It has 60 pages/30 sheets and I’ve got into a rhythm of filling a sketchbook a month, and I like decorating the front cover to personalise each one.

Why I keep Ordering a Hahnemühle Watercolour Sketch Book for Urban Sketching

• It has an elastic band to keep the book closed, which is really useful for holding the right hand side of your book place, when it’s a bit breezy when you’re urban sketching outside.
• The thickness of the cover means that it’s robust enough to sketch on without having to support the book with a board or use a table to lean on.
• The 200gsm weight means it’s robust enough for watercolour.
• The fine surface of the paper means that it’s smooth enough for sketching with a fountain pen.

If you’re looking for an urban sketching book, that isn’t too heavy to carry around, give this Hahnemühle watercolour sketch book a try. And use the comments section below to let me know about your favourite sketch book for urban sketching.