Sketchbooks

I always end up planning really intensive posts and never actually get to posting them. Who knew that improv worked out better for blogging? I didn't.

I don't really have anything in specific to talk about, but I did want to talk about my sketchbooks. Specifically, about what I like and don't like about sketchbooks. Some do's and don't's, I suppose. Just in case there are any sketchbook makers out there who want to pick out some ideas, perhaps? Eheheh . . .

Let's start with a don't. DON'T make all kinds of sizes of sketchbooks and NOT make an 8 1/2" by 11" one. That annoys me to no end. I have one of those fax-and-print-and-scan printers, and it won't accept anything bigger than 8 1/2". So even 9" by 12", while nice and round, isn't nice. It's close, but no banana.

DO have some quantity of pages. Don't charge me $10 and give me 25 pages. That's annoying, too. I don't care how fancy it is, if I can buy a book at the same price with more pages, I'll shoot for it 9 times out of 10.

DON'T bind it like a book. What I like about my hardcover sketchbooks is that I don't necessarily need a desk to work; I can lay it in my lap and work. I can't do that if I can't fold the cover and other pages back, though. Why would you even want a book with stitching?! I mean, that's cool for my favorite novels, but my sketchbook is for me to work and draw and practice...not to hold up for eons upon eons.

DO give me perforated pages, so I can tear out my works.

DON'T perforate the pages, but do it so bull-shitty that it's nigh impossible to tear them out seamlessly. I was trying to get a page from my sketchbook today and it tore. It was only about a centimeter and it wasn't so bad, but that made me rage inside. NOT COOL. I shouldn't have to take a whole minute to pull it out - it should be five seconds and DONE.

DO make the paper have some quality. I bought a sketchbook so I wouldn't have to work with the typical printer paper, so don't give me that.

DON'T use the kind of paper that smudges at the blow of the wind! My last sketchbook was like that, and it was rage-inducing! I had to buy sealant so I could spray the pages and keep them half-alive! Trust me - I work almost entirely with pencil. I don't want that shit smearing on me!

DO make it cheap enough to buy, so I don't have to save for weeks to get it.

DON'T make me pay extra for crap, as mentioned above.

And DO make your sketchbooks so good that I'll want to buy the same brand for years to come.

I know that really does sound like a really annoyed-sounding list, and in some ways, it is. It's inspired by my last couple of purchases of sketchbooks, especially my last one (man was that a load of hooey). No reason behind me posting this, really; just wanted to get my thoughts out there and update my muse a little!

Until later . . .