Strathmore 400 Series Wire Bound Toned Sketch Pad, 80 lb. Paper, 11 X 14 inches, Tan, 50 Sheets (412-11)

As an art hobbyist, this is an excellent book. I cant speak for people using this for specific professional tasks but for myself this is my favorite sketchbook so far. I tend to stick with Strathmore sketchbooks overall but have always bought the white page options, the tan pages in this book really make highlights pop and thats exactly what I was looking for. Shadows are as dramatic as ever but the highlights get a new life with the toned tan sheets. The book is quite sturdy and the pages hold up well to pressure while coloring. Speaking of colors it holds them great. I havent had it long but so far Ive yet to open up to a smeared page. It has a little heft in the weight of the book, and isnt flimsy at all. Its easy to pull out and use on the go. Great value for the price, and great purchase all around!

Paper is nice, color shows up well! Haven't had any bleeding issues!

Good quality as expected

I never go wrong with this paper. Prints extremely well.

Strathmore 400 series is solid all around for sketching. The paper takes abuse and there's almost no obvious tooth to the paper. We use this sketchbook as a requirement for my head drawing and anatomy drawing classes at school. The paper weight is thick enough to use wet medium such as markers or ink. No obvious bleeding. I haven't used it with watercolor though. The 9x12 size is perfect for taking out on the field as well and not just in a studio or class environment. The only reason I didn't give the full 5 stars mark is the price. I know this is a good quality sketchbook but most of us students can afford it when it goes on sale. Other than that, nothing to not like about this sketchbook.

Great paper! High quality for charcoal, pastels and other mediums. Perfect for figure drawing!!

I absolutely love these toned paper books. The quality is very good and the price point is excellent. I also love that they use 30% post-consumer fibers and are, therefore, more environmentally friendly than virgin sketchbooks. I have the toned tan and toned gray books in multiple sizes. I use them mostly for sketching in the field with graphite, colored pencil, oil pastels and micron pens, dip pens or fast drying markers. I use the tone of the paper for my mid tone values, then build form with added lights and darks. Even quick gesture sketches have more innate character than those drawn on plain white paper. They offer a nice change of pace from my usual white watercolor sketchbooks. The paper in these books is 80 lb (118 gsm) weight, so it is ideal for dry media. The pages can be lightly sanded to add tooth for soft pastels/pencils, though I think oil pastels or artist crayons work better, since they tend to stay in place. The pages will also accept very light watercolor, gouache or acrylic painting techniques, such as dry brushing in small areas, but are guaranteed to buckle if the paper gets too wet. So, if you use any wet media beyond alcohol-based inks, exercise some caution. In addition to these books, I also have the Strathmore 400 Series Artagain black paper pads, which contain a even higher percentage of recycled fiber (50%) and I enjoy those, as well, for working from dark to light. In those I tend to work with oil pastels, colored pencils, artist crayons, acrylic inks and/or some gouache. If these books were offered in other neutral tones, I'm sure I'd buy them, as well.

Good quality. Thick paper, no bleed through. The spiral binding gets bent easily but that’s pretty common.