Hahnemühle Watercolor Sketchbook Comparison

[@makingtings2802]

The detailed painting of the rose at the end was wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

[@wingedjedi_art]

Thank you very much! I also like how it turned out.

[@AlexNik]

hi. I use those the 100% cotton scetchbooks and didn’t have problems with masking fluid so far (I have schmincke blue-ish one). Some colours are hard to lift, but some are better. It looks like the cotton paper absorbs the pigment better rather than pigment just sits on top of the cellulose paper - maybe that’s why it’s easier to lift from non cotton paper. The dark spots - true! but I experienced those on other different papers as well. Don’t really know why they appear. Thanks for the comparison and pointing things out!

[@wingedjedi_art]

Hi! Glad to hear from someone else who has these sketchbooks. I think my masking pen might be getting old. It's getting increasingly difficult to remove from other papers as well. The dark spots are what is scaring me - I want to use this sketchbook for portraits, but now I'm afraid some dark spots might appear on people's faces. xD Thanks for your kind comment!

[@kayz858]

thanks for sharing this information! i'll be keeping this in mind

[@wingedjedi_art]

I'm glad if this is helpful!

[@jennw6809]

Fascinating comparison. I have finished 2 of the cotton books and started 2 more, raved about them endlessly at first -- but later was disappointed by how the sizing on the paper is inconsistent from book to book and signature to signature. In the US the two kinds of books are nearly the same price, and you can even find the cellulose books selling for more than the cotton, depending on where you shop. I still love them for painting quick abstracts. I started painting fruit studies in one of them, and find it just ok for that - real cold press is better for flow and blend -- but I do like the texture of the paper for sketching. I had a sample of the toned paper they use in the older watercolor book and I absolutely hated it, so I never bought any of those. I have also experienced the same strange pressure marks on the pages of the cotton books, though! I've had huge problems with mask (some of which absorbed into the paper and never came off, just like yours!) and tape tearing the cotton paper books, too. Interesting that they have some of the same issues. I've always been confused about why so many people seem to like the cellulose journals. I think it's so much to do with how one paints. I think they have been liked by urban sketchers who do extremely loose line and wash (like Teoh Ye Chie), I can see how he would be fine with this paper since he almost never does more than splash on one incredibly loose layer of color, and then a shadow layer. I really love The Collection paper as well as Lanaquarelle (which Hahnemuhle also now owns.) I guess I'm just going to have to start making my own sketchbooks out of those!! Glad I found you and I subscribed!

[@wingedjedi_art]

Aw, thank you so much for the kind and lengthy comment! I enjoy reading about everyone's experiences here and it is fascinating to see the similarities and differences with your experiences. Seems the cotton sketchbook has a few quality problems, which is a shame because it sounded so promising. I wanted to use mine for portraits, but now I'm hesitating. I heard that some people really enjoy the cellulose sketchbook when working with Gouache, and I can see that as well. But Gouache generally isn't picky about the paper. Interesting point about the urban sketchers as well, that makes sense to me as well. I was afraid I would be too harsh on this paper, so I painted on several pages, but I'm relieved other people have noticed the same points about this paper. I have one of their tones watercolor sketchbooks and now I really want to give it a try soon to see how it feels! I haven't tried The Collection paper yet, because it is rather expensive. I tried HM's Expression paper and liked it, but it is difficult to layer on it, which made me hesitate to buy more expensive cotton paper from HM. Have you been able to layer/glaze without problems on The Collection paper? Lanaquarelle is now owned by HM as well? Wow, guess I might see more of those in local stores now! What did you enjoy about them?

[@jennw6809]

@@wingedjedi_art I know Hahnemuhle has the Harmony and Expression. The Expression is the cotton kind, right? Both Harmony and Expression are "hard sized" meaning a lot of sizing, preventing the water from soaking in very fast. Some like this for "flying white," where white shows through fast large brushstrokes -- to depict snow, etc. On the cover, you can see in the picture the water beading on the paper, which is the ONLY CLUE they give you. I cannot understand why Hahnemuhle doesn't label their various papers better. (I've never tried these papers - we can't get most of the line here in the USA.) I imagine this would be quite hard to layer on. I think you might like The Collection a lot better from watching you paint. (BTW The Collection used to be called Cezanne and Leonardo and you may still see them in shops under that name....) Here in the US the cheapest way to get some Collection is in the 9x12 pad, so you might like to try it that way, or if you can buy a loose sheet locally. I seem to like softer sized papers, and I have heard people say Lanaquarelle is on the softer side. I think The Collection is similar. One of the reasons I love these papers is they don't require stretching and have good internal sizing so they lay quite flat compared to Arches and Fabriano. I really prefer to buy loose sheets and tear them down myself, they are the cheapest and usually the paper is the best of all the forms.

[@wingedjedi_art]

@@jennw6809 Thank you for the in-depth reply! Yes, the Expression paper is 100% cotton. And Hahnemühle really doesn't write anything about sizing on their papers. I've heard about Cezanne and I have a sample of the Leonardo, but didn't know that they became The Collection. I also heard Cezanne is similar to Arches. Now I need to give it a try for sure! I also don't bother stretching my paper, so the fact that it lays quite flat is nice! Need to add both The Collection and Lanaquarelle to my wish list. =)

[@ModernMoonBean]

Thank you for the comparison because I was wondering if the difference in the two. I have the non-cotton sketchbook and I love it. The most vibrant and beautiful sunrise I've ever painted is in that SketchBook. I think a lot of times there our paints and papers that go perfectly together which, contrastly, would mean that some paints and papers don't go as well together. I'm not positive but I think I used Winsor & Newton for it.

[@wingedjedi_art]

Hey, sorry for missing your comment (didn't get a notification). I definitely noticed a difference when using the more vibrant Vivivacolors on the paper. Before that, I think I used Schmincke and Holbein paints. I own some vibrant Mijello Mission Gold watercolors now, so might need to give them a try in this sketchbook! :) Thanks for your comment!

[@annepercival7814]

Great fun to make your own…and get to choose the best paper

[@wingedjedi_art]

That is very true!

[@greekveteran2715]

Hahnemuhle makes THE best papers anyway! For watercolors, either their 100% coton sketchbooks, or even better the Mould made sheets are THE best quality papers out there! Same goes for their "Collection" paper pads. Then for dry media, for Graphite, nothing beats their Bamboo 105gsm A5 sketchbook! Their 120gsm sketchbook is also great (Red Chalk looks a bit better on this!!). The best drawing paper, is the Dessin 150 gsm (for either color or graphite!). For pastels the Bamboo Mixed media 250gsm Rocks!!! Nostalgia , the Grey and the Capuccion are awesome for pensinks etc. I'm sure I forget some,because they make a lot of different papers which all surpass in quality, any other I've tried out there and I've tried all the famous brands. (US made papers, are the most overrated for me, nothing comes close to the European made ones, like HAhnemuhle, then Winsor and Newton, Arches,even Canson and Fabriano makes better papers!)

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

I love your Untamed sketch!😄😄

[@wingedjedi_art]

A fellow fan! Thank you!

[@garthok6224]

I use 0% cotton, but i use watercolors in combination with pencils and gouache. That sketchbook accepts those mediums alone and in combination really good. I have no need for 100% cotton

[@wingedjedi_art]

Ah sorry, just seeing your comment now. I can imagine that it works well with mixed media. If I jump into the 0% cotton sketchbook again, I will give this a try! Thank you!

[@b.lab.__blab_colors]

Hello, nice to meet you. Personally I used Hahnemühle expression as a my main paper. Your comparison is so useful. Thank you 😊

[@wingedjedi_art]

Thanks for your kind comment and nice to meet you as well! =) I own some Expression, too, but I found it a bit hard to layer on it, so I haven't used it a lot yet. What kind of subjects do you use it for?

[@jlunch]

I am just beginning to draw and paint. For what I do, this book would easily meet or exceed my needs.

[@wingedjedi_art]

Sorry for the late reply. That is very true! It highly depends on what your style is and how you wish to use your sketchbook. Best of luck with your art!

[@MrsBarnabas]

Hello, and a huge thank you! I have had the same problems as you have with the 100% cotton paper, while a friend has no trouble at all, and even though I've read other critical reviews, especially how inconsistent the paper is, I still felt that it must be me! Thank you again, for putting my mind at rest and giving my art-confidence a much needed boost! It's actually really odd because I've never seen your channel on my home page before, and had just watched Miranda's video and here was yours, just waiting for me!

[@wingedjedi_art]

Aw, thank you! And I'm glad to hear from others who have the 100% cotton one. I wondered if I had just gotten a dud because other KZbin videos reviews were much better. My channel is still super small (most of my videos get ~10 views), but this video is doing very well, so I'm getting a lot of comments and views now! Makes me want to buy more art supplies and review them! xD

[@MrsBarnabas]

@@wingedjedi_art I've mentioned this one to a couple of other art-tubers (Miranda Watson at Alkali Creek Art and Maggie, at Creating Cute Art) in comments, in reference to this sketchbook, as I've chatted with both about mine, so hopefully you may pick up more viewers from that, too. :) Yes, doing more reviews with paintings / sketches to back up your thoughts are a great way to go. I suggest that you buy what you want to try - not in huge sets or amounts, but a few at a time, so that we know what a few can do, without being overwhelmed with information. Comparison videos seem to go really well, too - like this one, not overwhelming with loads of products, but a few at a time as you build your own stock and try them out. But beware of doing big art hauls. They play to the art suppliers market and don't actually help the individual ArtTuber / viewer in the long term, simply because they're expensive and unrealistic for the average person on an average budget, viewing KZbin. They may pick up huge numbers for that one video, but may not bring in in more subscribers overall. They are also a temptation to others to go and buy stuff they don't really need, and to buy whole sets of things they haven't tried before, not knowing if they're really going to like x, y, or z themselves. Also our planet's sustainability is asking us to use what we've got and experiment slowly with new stuff. Over all, I know that KZbin has a "help grow your channel" section, but remember, that is also geared to advertising - the bigger you grow, the more advertising revenue for them! So they may not encourage what I've suggested I liked this one, and so I'm subscribing so I can see where you go with your art!

[@wingedjedi_art]

@@MrsBarnabas Thank you for mentioning my channel! I absolutely agree with you that the algorithm seems to favor channels that just spend a large amount of money. Like those channels that paint on iPads or something. That is not feasable for me anyway, and like you said, it would also remove my content from what others can afford as well. I find it much nicer to share thoughts about supplies that others own as well. I've greatly enjoyed the discussions below this video. I also want my channel's focus to remain on making art. Thanks again, I look forward to reading your thoughts on my future videos! =)

[@jennw6809]

@@MrsBarnabas Hello, no surprise to see you here. I'm afraid I raved about these books all over KZbin when I first got them and was just painting abstracts, and I hadn't tested the paper. Then I discovered that the books are inconsistent, and that the paper tests badly in comparison to say, The Collection. I feel a bit badly about giving them such positive reviews on the basis of my first impression, which was... shall we say... incomplete. Still, I do enjoy the books, they are priced very well, and I hope the paper consistency improves, because some books and signatures are better than others (I've started 4 so far and completed 2 of them). I also just wanted to agree with all of your video suggestions. I agree 100%. It's sad KZbin promotes the videos that have to do with advertising, products and money.

[@kathyhackney7950]

The flowe was beautiful!

[@wingedjedi_art]

Thank you so much!

[@JohnnyB-art]

This is a really helpful video.. and thanks for sharing where to get the sketchbooks from.. 😊👍

[@wingedjedi_art]

Thank you for your kind comment! I'm glad it helped you. =)

[@thedhamma7969]

One of my beautiful painting with blank background done on Hahnemuhle Britannia Paper has yellow stains after couple years. Might be (hopefully) one sheet didnt pass acidity test 😢 however the paper left on the pad r okay. Sadly , I actually love how this paper turned out on wet on wet techniques.

[@wingedjedi_art]

That sounds like a nightmare! Do you own a light box? You might be able to transfer the initial sketch for your painting to another piece of paper, and try to replicate your painting there.

[@robinfox4440]

I bought the one on the left (in the thumbnail) - the budget one - and have been very frustrated with it.

[@wingedjedi_art]

@@robinfox4440 I've heard some people say that it is very nice with Gouache. I haven't touched mine since this video, though. 😅 Thank you for your comment! ☺️

[@robinfox4440]

@@wingedjedi_art it's good for mixed media and urban sketching but its responsiveness with watercolours is awful. You get like one good wash/splash of colour and the rest you'll have to bring out with markers, pens, pencils, etc.

[@jcookie9448]

Thank you so much for your honest review! I might try out the new 100% cotton version and use it as a journal that I also can paint in. Or do you know if there might be better option around the same price? I have heard that many has been impressed with Paul Ruben's 100% cotton sketchbook, but it's not accessable here.

[@wingedjedi_art]

Thank you for your kind comment! I'm afraid I'm still searching for the best sketchbook myself as well. I've heard good things about the Etchr sketchbooks, but they are bit difficult to get over here. I have also heard good things about the Paul Ruben's sketchbooks, but haven't tried them yet. The one I use the most is the Viviva sketchbook, which is not cotton. It is a bit fragile, so you cannot lift the paint much (need to be very quick, don't do this after the paint has dried). But I'm very happy with the performance otherwise. They also have cotton sketchbooks, but I haven't tried them yet.

[@noodleneedles3561]

I saw a few reviews of the budget sketchbook, saying it was pretty good, so I got two on sale. It's not exaggeration to say I haaaaate them. The colour never lays down nicely, no matter how careful I am. It's like the colour lifts or moves even if you don't go over it a second time. I'm using them for palette swatching but even that doesn't look that nice on it. It's a decently constructed sketchbook but I really don't like the paper. I'm going to stick with my $$$ etchr sketchbooks until someone comes up with something decent for less.

[@wingedjedi_art]

I gotta say I was very surprised by the many positive comments online. I'm not sure if I will be able to fill mine completely. I heard it works very well with Gouache, so I might just turn it into a Gouache sketchbook (I did the same thing with my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook, which is terrible for watercolors). Which Etchr sketchbooks do you have? I've been eyeing their sketchbooks, but they are rather expensive, so I'm very hesitant in case I don't like them...

[@savantbleu0250]

Try baohong papers. It's inexpensive and quite nice.

[@wingedjedi_art]

@@savantbleu0250 I'm super curious about them, but they are a bit hard to get in Germany. Thanks for letting me know your experiences with them. I hope I will be able to try them in the future. =)

[@Ahness89]

Did you hear about Koval sketchbooks? They use high quality cotton papers like Fabriano Artistico, Strathmore and Arches to create professional sketchbooks. Already have 5 of them :D They're Polish company but they ship internationally and tax free.

[@wingedjedi_art]

Thanks for your comment! I think I have looked into them already, but they are a little expensive. I will keep them in mind for the future, though! =)

[@spiroch2187]

Well hahnemüle is mostly a great and very old brsnd and has from low quality or student quality to artist or even high grade quality🤔 so its the saying again; you get what you pay for😅 and the fading and hard edge problems on non cotton paper is most of the time normal, thats why most of the time its a better option to invest in only 1 or 2 100% instead to get more with 50% or 0% cotton and regreat it later... can say that from expirience😑did also notice that sometimes the paper doesnt take in the color/liquid on some spots on non cotton paper as if theyre waxed spots or something like that😅 but its also a factor for what you want to use the paper and what quality of colors youll use. Great video and much info!😁

[@wingedjedi_art]

Yes, that is very true. Their papers all seem to have quiet different properties, so it is good to do some research and try to figure out which one will work for your intended purpose/favored style. Hope I could contribute a little to this!

[@TroliciaPelotilla]

I ask myself why Hahnemühle is so famous, because I’ve never been happy with a single one of their products (and I’ve tried a lot). Being in the art business for many years doesn’t mean quality anymore.

[@wingedjedi_art]

Yes, I've tried a bunch of their papers and each one seemed to have one big weakness, be it lifting or layering or colors fading a lot... Haven't found one yet that I like as much as Arches Cold Pressed.

[@igorace3362]

@@wingedjedi_art Thank god for your review because I just had almost bought 100% cotton HM sketchbook. It looked perfect on paper… but I do not trust HM and went on youtube and luckily saw your review.. I also tried a lot of HM papers and also other brands to find a budget alternative to Arches with no awail. From now on it is only arches for me… spend to much money on papers that I did not like to the point of almost giving up on watercolors.

[@ap_po]

they have reasonable prices for a lot of theire products (not the cotton sketchbook) and they are easy available here in europe/germany. to get arches paper you have to go online the majority of time since stores here dont have them and due to that they are kinda expensive. as someone who is using them with gouache and watercolor, i found some usefull papers from them for my stuff but yes, they have plenty which i would avoid. one of the good things, they have a selection block with different papers to test em out so the chances for you to find the right paper are higher this way then to try out different blocks.

[@wingedjedi_art]

@@igorace3362 Glad I could help. I prefer Arches and Saunder's Waterford (but it is so expensive!) so far as well. I get Arches whenever it goes on sale for around 11€ for the A4 size on Gerstaecker (the shop I mentioned in the video).

[@wingedjedi_art]

@@ap_po Yes, a lot of stores don't have Arches, although I have seen it at Boesner. I think it is more expensive there, though. I'm definitely going to try out a few more of Hahnemühle's papers. So far I've liked their bamboo paper (the more expensive one with 10% cotton) the most.

[@user-qs1xz2mx6f]

Boesner hat dieses Angebot ebenfalls