» Users Review The Exacompta Sketchbook – Is it THE Ultimate Art Journal?
Image courtesy of Sophie @ All Rights Reserved
As Karen mentioned in Thursday’s blog post, Exaclair imports a number of products under the Clairefontaine umbrella – including the Exacompta Sketchbook shown above. Also known as the Livres d’Or “Basics” line of journals, they contain a 100g laid paper made at the 400 year old Schut Mill (owned by Clairefontaine) in the Netherlands.
Image courtesy of Cynthia from JournalingArts @ All Rights Reserved
Product Specs for the Livres d’Or “Basics” Journals and Sketchbook:
- Available tan cover w/ gold edge or black w/ silver edge
- Cloth binding to match cover – gray or brown
- Flexible textured hardboard covers
- Sewn binding (It opens & lies flat!)
- 100 sheets (200 pages) of 25% cotton, pH neutral, 100g off white paper
- Ribbon marker
Image of Exacompta Sketch Journal courtesy of Sophie @ All Rights Reserved
Several people, (myself included) have put this book through a plethora of tests to see what kind of media this paper might readily accept.
It is without a doubt suitable for fountain pens & the water based fountain pen inks that are often problematic on some papers. This is a laid paper (a type of paper having a ribbed texture imparted by the manufacturing process) and the texture is slightly more prominent on one side of the paper than the other. (Similar to the G. Lalo Verge products and other fine quality writing papers.)
As the paper has a slight tooth on either side of the page, this makes it quite suitable for pencil use – for both writing and sketching.
Image courtesy of Stephanie Smith from biffybeans.com @ All Rights Reserved
The image above shows a close up of the laid lines. (Art work was created horizontally as the lines in the book run vertically.)
Image courtesy of Alberto from Lung Sketching Scrolls @ All Rights Reserved
In the above image, Alberto shows how versatile the paper is for use with a number of different brush pens.
Image courtesy of Stephanie Smith from biffybeans.com @ All Rights Reserved
And I am showing it’s versatility with a wash created by using a combination of watersoluble crayons with a waterbrush. Colors are vibrant on this paper, and it takes such washes very well.
Take a look through these 4 reviews to see even more images of the sketchbook in use with additional kinds of art supplies such as acrylic paint and watercolor pencils.
Exacompta Sketchbook & Lined Journal on Spiritual Evolotion of the Bean
Exacompta Sketchbook on Lung Sketching Scrolls
Exacompta Sketchbook on For Love and Idleness
Exacompta Sketchbook on JournalingArts
The best thing about these books- aside from how versatile they can be as an art journal, is that they retail for around $12. ($20 with a Maderia cover)
Visit the Exaclair Website for information on where to find the Exacompta Sketchbooks & Journals.
Comments
The Exacompta Sketchbook easily became my favorite when I first put it to the test in February. By summer’s end I purchased several more for myself and my daughter because we are totally sold on the paper quality for pen and ink drawings. The Sketchbook makes an excellent unlined journal as well.
Inkophile review at http://inkophile.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/exacompta-basics-sketch-book/.
GREAT review!
Ah, the Exacompta sketchbook is gaining popularity! It’s such a classic, high-quality book and deserves the recognition.
I too posted a review of the Exacompta sketchbook in my blog back in March, and I figured I’d add a link to go along with your lovely list!
http://colewardell.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/exacompta-sketchbook/
I love mine. I think it’s a great book.
when will these come to europe (preferrably as north as possible hrr)? .( <- pawing at door to economzied sketchbook hevennn
I’m thinking they should be already available there… no?
Nope I dont think so, that’s what’s weird. I even mailed exacompta.com asking for european sources and think it was forwarded to Exaclair at a glance who gave me this link: http://exaclair2.com/show_stores.php?id=425
And going by this it seems it is solely produced as an export product to america (it ought to be available in the homeland of production if it was pushed all over europe):
http://www.exacompta.com/en/catalogue/fournitures_exacompta.php?ssf=ap601
http://www.exacompta.com/pdf_en/exp106.pdf
Maybe someday.
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