I purchased a couple of the new Moleskine watercolor notebooks today to try them out. I found them at Dick Blick Art Supply.
This is the first sketch and my first impression was that I didn’t like the paper.
It seemed to make the paint aggregate into a grainy consistency; just like the thinner paper in the original Moleskine journal books.
It was particularly problematic with the red pigment. But the paper reacted that way with all the pigments. It was most prevalent when the pigment load was saturated. Light washes were not a problem.
So, before I officially decide to use them or lose them, I’ll perform further tests over the weekend and post them here.
So far, I’ve not found a better thin paper for watercolor sketching than Arches Text Wove.
The Moleskine watercolor paper seems to need more sizing for watercolor to react properly.
But still, it’s a far cry better than the Moleskine sketchbook paper. It was totally unsuited to watercolor.
Of course, opinions vary on all art papers. Each artist’s style produces different results on different papers. So, just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s not a good product! Other artists styles might work perfectly with it.
All I’m pointing out is a characteristic (the graining of the color) that didn’t appeal to me. So, to all you Moleskine devotees, please don’t take offense. Get one and try it out instead.
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