Recently I found this sketchbook at local art store , Overjoyed. If you have watched my previous youtube video, I have done a short vlog about this art store, you may wish to check it out from my channel.
This Vif Sketchbook came in 2 different format. One is rough (Red cover )another is smooth( Green cover ) . As what I knew from the overjoyed store staff, the smooth type is considered as cold pressed. So Since, I worked mostly on watercolour, I decided to get the cold pressed instead since I love to watch the watercolour react on the surface.
The green cover is sort of velvet feeling and it says ” made in Japan ” . I try to search this on amazon website, unfortunately it doesn’t sell this version, though there are other Vif Art version of sketchbook available.
As it says, it is made of 242 GSM paper and it look much “yellow” than my other sketchbook. S With only 15 leaves and cost SGD 10.50 , I feel it is quite a decent and slim sketchbook to own. It came with a cute cloth ribbon that you can tie it while putting in your bag.I am not sure if it contains any cotton contents, but I doubt so. Let’s talk about my first impression on the paper while painting a mountain scenery.
When I first try on it ,the colour just glide on the surface and it looks quite challenging to apply colours on top. But after awhile, it seems to be ok. But once you apply a layer of watercolour, colours can easily lifted up . So if you make a minor mistake and the paint is not that staining, it will be quite easy to remove it.
Colours look vibrant with few application.But since the paper itself is more to off white, the colours may appear warmer.It can withstand quite a few layer of paint with slight warping. But if you closed the sketchbook with the ribbon , this may not be a big issue. Oh yes, since the book is hardcover, you can flip it to draw easily with support especially if you love outdoor sketching.Overall, I love this cute sketchbook and it is affordable as well. I have the drawing ( time lapse ) process on my youtube channel with the link below.
