Hahnemuhle Hardback Watercolour Books

I have been looking for a book like this for a long time, for me it is just perfect. It's rare to find a watercolour sketchbook with 100% cotton paper and this is a decent weight. It is beautiful to paint on, taking watercolour washes well without buckling and putting up with all my scrubbing and lifting as well.

I purchased both the A5 and the 14x14cm watercolour books. The 14x14cm is ideal for small botanical subjects. The paper is white, but not bright white is excellent quality taking the paint beautifully. I found lifting off the watercolour very easy for bringing up highlights. The paper did not cockle up I was doing layers not washes of colour.

I purchased both the hardback and Akademie versions of these sketchbooks in A5. Both are quality books with the 100% cotton version being slightly thicker due to the heavier paper. A straightforward pair of sketchbooks with no fancy pockets or bifolded sheets etc. both have the same elastic closure and page divider which is nice. The hardback is a lovely sturdy book which folds out fairly flat with nice thick paper and a reasonably fine grain surface. I’m used to rough paper but this works well for A5 size. The paper doesn't cockle on the hardback version when using wet washes nor does it leave hard edges while bringing a wash down the page. The Akademie version page curls slightly and doesn’t leave a hard edge either but you need to work a bit faster to avoid one. The Akademie paper flattens out later when dry and the books closed so not really an issue. The 100% cotton paper can easily take paintings on both sides while the Akademie wood pulp paper is slightly thinner and dark paintings do show through very slightly. Hahnemuhle have confusing version names of their sketchbooks but the 100% cotton hardback sketchbook is the best and the one I would buy again. If you don’t use heavy wash’s and mostly pencil sketches or similar then the Akademie is perfect and cheaper (it even has a nicer cover). Pick the one which suits your media or painting/drawing style and you’ll be happy with your purchase.