Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook Review

Hello friends, I recently finished filling up the pages of another sketchbook and let me share my Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook Review with you.

While I’ve used their other Mixed Media Sketchbooks for hand lettering before, this is my first sketchbook from the Strathmore 500 series. The 500 series are a bit more expensive, but are they worth it?

My Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook Review:

The sketchbook I bought and am reviewing today is the 500 series Mixed Media Paper with Soft cover. It has a soft cover that is leather like but you can also buy a Hardcover version if you prefer that better.

Below are the specifics as supplied by the manufacturer.

• 7.75″ x 9.75″ size, White, 32 Sheets
• Internally sized for use with wet media with a durable vellum finish for drawing techniques.
• Archival grade and lignin-free paper.
• 90 lb / 190 gsm
• 100% Cotton, acid-Free
• Made in the USA

For this Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook Review, I found creative ways to paint abstract rainbow art and boy did I put it through the test!

You can use Tombow Dual brush pens to with a blending pen to soften colors as shown in this How To Paint Simple Watercolor Pen Flowers.

My favorite page in this sketchbook is this Watercolor Salt Technique: Easy Interesting Texture! page, the blending came out so good! Here is my in depth list of the best papers for watercolor markers.

I created a lot of two page spreads like these show in in my How to paint colorful watercolor circles video.

On almost all of the pages, I taped off the edges and am happy to report the tape peel did not rip off the sketchbook pages. Here are the Best Masking Tapes For Artists To Use.

I also heavily layered colors and resists on the pages with great success. Here I tried a Watercolor Crayon Resist and it worked beautifully!

strathmore mixed media sketchbook Review Pros and Cons

Here is my honest Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook Review

PROS:

• I really loved the unique size which is smaller than 8 by 10 inches. A very nice page size
• The paper quality is amazing is great.
• The paper color is a soft cream, very neutral. It’s not a bright blueish white.
• The binding of the sketchbook is good, and the spine held up nicely throughout my use
• Paper did not rip with tape peels.

CONS:

• I like the spine on the sketchbook, but I usually prefer a spiral binding.
• This sketchbook is a little on the spendy, and could be considered a splurge item.
• I went overboard and adding a lot of water to my pages and they have a slight wave to them, but eventually dried somewhat flat. The page is not as thick as a watercolor sketchbook.

Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook Review + Flipthrough

Stop by my YouTube channel to see a flip through of my final finished sketchbook. All of the pages have illustrations and quotes!

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

Conclusion: Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook Review

If you are looking for a sketchbook that is made well, has a soft luxurious cover, and comes in an unique size the Strathmore mixed media sketchbook 500 series does not disappoint. The paper quality and color are also great and I loved filling the pages with watercolor techniques. Now I am contemplating trying out this Strathmore 500 Watercolor series travel journal next which has thicker paper and might be fun!