Royal Talens Sketchbook Testing 🎨 Mixed Media: Watercolor, Gouache, Acrylic Gouache, Colored Pencil

#royaltalens #sketchbook #artsupplies #art
Hello!
Today I’m trying out the Royal Talens Art Creation Sketchbook. I wanted to give this sketchbook a try because it comes at a great price and in so many cute colors. I am a mixed media artist, and in this video I test out all the mediums I like to use in this sketchbook, including; watercolor, gouache, acrylic gouache, colored pencil, pen and ink, alcohol Ohuhu markers, and waterbased Tombow Dual Brush markers.
I was inspired to try this sketchbook after seeing a few artists using it and reading good reviews. I saw Emily Hughes Art use this sketchbook in her awesome dog and cat drawings with col erase pencils, and was inspired to see if it would work for the different mediums I use. This is my first video using only captions instead of a voiceover. I was inspired by Chris Hong’s recent Café Hop videos, to try out this caption vs voiceover editing style.
Definitely watch this video if you want to try out this sketchbook and would like to see how the paper handles all these different mediums.
I bought this sketchbook on Blick for about $11.
www.dickblick.com/items/talen...
My Art Instagram:
/ stellarartanddesign
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
uppbeat.io/t/christian-larsse...
License code: Z5ECINCRJ36WYDJ5

[@OzzieOzzieOzzieOyOyOy]

I use these sketchbooks with watercolours, Tombow ABT markers, alcohol markers, Inktense, watercolour pencils and gouache and they’re pretty good. They do warp, but I haven’t experienced the paper disintegrate.

[@stellarartanddesign]

I'll have to keep experimenting with different techniques in it. When I added more than just a touch of water the paper fibers lifted, and it lost its smooth texture. It's still a good sketchbook though! :)

[@ktown.]

I bought this sketchbook 2 times. I am buying it again. The first time I bought it, the size was 13 × 21 (that's the size I like). Next, I bought it for 14 × 9 (It was too small for me. The one I will buy this time is I think 14 × 21. I wanted to get the 13 x 21 but couldn't find it. I still love these sketchbooks. It's an extremely cheap option. In Malaysia, it's 32 rm. 32 rm in usd is 6.77 dollars. Insanely cheap, great quality paper (140 gsm), warm tone (I love warmer tone sketchbooks), lots of pages (140 pages, 80 sheets), and colour variation. I also love warping, it adds thickness and personality. i dont know much but yeah thats ny review

[@Wintersmith.]

I draw rather rarely, but I've been using this sketchoob as a journal and for drawing with mostly alcohol markers, and it works perfect for me! After the one I had, which couldn't handle anything, this is such a great sketchbook.

[@stellarartanddesign]

That is a great idea to use it as sort of an art journal. I think it was really great for alcohol markers and handled them well. I agree for the price and color choices it's a great sketchbook.

[@ArtBrain]

Nice review. You should see what Katie Moody does with these sketchbooks, even with wet media. I love them. I definitely use them with full-on watercolor, but greatly with watercolor pencils and Neocolors on top of inks. You do need to be a bit careful, but they're so cheap that they aren't precious so I feel like everyone should have one ;-). The warping doesn't bother me. I tend to only use one side. You have to be careful with Tombow with many papers because the brush pens will quickly pill paper. I'm with Nat that I wish the paper was white.

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you so much! I'll have to check out Katie Moody. I'll definitely experiment more with it. I agree for the price and the cute color it's a great buy! :)

[@basicbean4997]

Thanks for doing this! I’ve been considering getting one of these sketchbooks, and as a mixed media artist, this review was very helpful. Keep up the good work :)

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you so much for watching! I'm happy you found it helpful! :)

[@Mochatribe]

Thank you so much for this. I have seen other artists use this brand and wondered how it took different mediums. You have saved me some money!

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you so much for watching! I'm happy it was helpful! :)

[@ritawilbur6128]

I've used mine with gouache and with basic watercolor washes - like ink and wash pictures. You can't do a full on, layered, detailed watercolor painting, but for single layers it's fine.

[@stellarartanddesign]

I'll definitely keep experimenting with it. I think for the price it is a very nice sketchbook.

[@contemporarysumera]

What a fantastic video to watch! An artist just doing her thing and making marks all the while teaching us so much about the wonderful sketchbook! Thanks so much. One of my favourite videos of yours ❤❤

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you so much for watching Sumera! I appreciate your kind words! 🥰❤️🎨

[@EwokieBear0]

What a wonderful in depth review of the sketchbook thank you!!! Im always hesitant with mixed media sketchbook claims because of reasons you pointed out!!😻👏👏

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you so much!!! Same here! I had to test it out before I was willing to commit to it. 😸🎨✨️

[@Anonymoi]

I like these sketchbooks as a decent, economical choice for what I might call “low impact” mixed media. I don’t think it is adequate for anything approaching a finished piece with wet media, but I would use it for quick watercolor or gouache sketches. What I found was that with one pass the paper appears to pill, but then when dry, it no longer looks pilled. You can’t scrub at it at all, because it will pill significantly and break through quickly. My absolute favorite true mixed media paper is Strathmore 500 series, which is 100% cotton, and comes in individual sheets, hardcover journals, softcover journals, and their mixed media “Visual Journal” with the wire binding. (Strathmore confirmed to me that the paper in it is the 500 series paper.) It takes anything. But, I like the overall quality of the Talens Art Creation journal. It’s well-made, with a nice ribbon bookmark and elastic closure. The paper has a nice texture for dry media. I actually find the small square one the best to use - you can’t really do much in such a small format so I find it encourages not overworking your wet media. It is good for good composition sketches or quickly recording color notes.

[@Anonymoi]

I forgot to add that one thing I do like is that watercolor paint stays quite vibrant-looking. A lot of non-watercolor paper, including some specifically marketed as mixed media, is sized in such a way that watercolors sink in and the colors look faded. I didn’t find that to be a problem with this.

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you for your great input! The Strathmore Mixed Media 500 Series is my favorite too. I have filled 3 of them now. I'll be reviewing/ testing that one next.

[@melanie990]

Thank you so much for saving me the time, the money and the frustration ❤

[@stellarartanddesign]

I'm so happy you found it helpful. ❤️

[@natwilksart]

I have a few of these sketchbooks and think they are great for dry media like you said. I do use some wet media in them but mainly use them for rough sketches and working out composition. They are a good price for what they are I only wish the paper in them was white. Another great video as always :)

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you so much Nat! Great point, this will make a great rough sketch sketchbook. I couldn't pass it up for the price and the color. 😊

[@valeriegehling4358]

Thanks very informative.

[@immkk1125]

this is exactly how my first page looks as well! i use mine for pen and pencil drawings. didn’t really like the amount of alcohol that the paper absorbed when using markers so i stopped using watercolors and alcohol markers. now i’m thinking of only using gouache on it

[@stellarartanddesign]

That is a great idea to just use it for a medium it handles better! :)

[@samanthajeffers9339]

Nice! Getting a sketchbook that is for watercolors (unless it’s pressed paper) seems to be out the window. I just don’t wanna get a sketchbook that I can only water color in 😅😅

[@stellarartanddesign]

I agree! It is so hard to find the right sketchbook to handle everything! I'm on my fourth Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook and it actually does a really great job with most mediums. I have a couple of sketchbook tours of them if you want to see how they handle everything! :)

[@franny3995]

I have this sketch book and have found watercolour works really nice in this. However it does buckle the paper but I don’t mind this as this is just a practise book.

[@stellarartanddesign]

I'll have to experiment more with it. I definitely think it is a cute and useful sketchbook for the price! :)

[@Veryart1]

The video was really pretty!! 🫶🏻💕

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you! 🩷😊🎨

[@stephanieplata3743]

What goauche did you use because that bright pink is amazing.

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you! The traditional gouache is Windsor and Newton Opera Pink. The acrylic gouache is Holbein Pink.

[@mulle3574]

I use mine with some watercolor but it doesn’t handle too much water. I find it works well with very light amounts of water, for like watercolor pencils. But for real watercolor paintings I prefer regular cotton watercolor paper.

[@stellarartanddesign]

I'll have to keep experimenting, and try watercolor pencils in it. I agree for watercolor paintings cotton paper can't be beat!

[@roterTroll]

I like your watercolor box! What kind is that? And which watercolors do you use?

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you! The watercolor box is from Amazon. I think it was Looneng watercolor palette 56 half pans. I use mostly Daniel smith colors with a few holbein mixed in.

[@sesnighthawk]

Hailey this video is brilliant and very helpful! It’s to difficult to find the perfect mixed media sketchbook. I haven’t tried this sketchbook it looks great though. I just never get why they don’t make them white paper why always cream or Ivory! I agree with Nat ❤❤❤❤ xxx

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you so much Sarah! I agree with Nat on that too. White paper would be preferable. I couldn't pass up the cute color for the price. ❤️❤️❤️❤️🎨

[@tinahatvary2348]

They do make them in white😊

[@stellarartanddesign]

Oh interesting! I'll have to look for it with white paper. :)

[@stephenwelham]

Multi media paper to get the best results is all about water control less water more paint

[@jenns_artlandia7896]

Has anybody tried watercolor ground on top of these sketchbook pages?

[@stellarartanddesign]

That's a great idea! I have some watercolor ground, and I think I'll try it out.

[@he11worm]

I am curious what watercolor and gouache you use? This was a very informative and interesting video as a mixed media sketchbook artist, especially as one new to using paints and such in my sketchbooks. I have good luck with the Pentalic hardcover sketchbooks, though I haven't tried watercolor yet.

[@stellarartanddesign]

I use Daniel Smith tube watercolors and set up my own palette with them. I use Holbein and Windsor and Newton Gouache. Thank you so much! I'm happy that you found the video helpful! I'll have to try the pentalic sketchbook. I have been using the Strathmore mixed media sketchbooks and they are great with all mediums, but I'm on my 4th one so I was looking for a change. :)

[@Emily_Linka]

I’m really surprised to see the paper disintegrated with watercolour for you- I’ve used this sketchbook quite a lot and although I experience the paper buckling, it’s never pilled up. Out of interest what sort of brush are you using? I wonder if something like natural fibres would be too rough?

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you for your input! I do like the sketchbook, and I've been using it as my thumbnail/quick sketch sketchbook since this video. The watercolor brush I used is very soft. It is Princeton Neptune. I do think I'm used to using cotton paper, and went heavy with the water. Maybe it would have held up better with a light wash. My favorite mixed media sketchbook is the Strathmore Mixed Media 500 series. It has cotton paper, and holds up to tons of water.

[@galaxydragons6244]

unrelated but i love your handwriting!

[@stellarartanddesign]

Thank you so much! 😊