The 11 Best Sketchbook Watercolor journals (2023 reviews)

There are several advantages of having a sketchbook watercolor journal. Let’s take you step by step, type by type, and find the best sketchbook watercolor journal for you.

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Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Strathmore Sketchbook Watercolor Journal READ REVIEW

Best For portrait: Buy: Speedball Sketchbook Watercolor Journal READ REVIEW

Best For adding White highlights: Buy: Strathmore Watercolor Paper READ REVIEW

Best For more experienced Artists: Buy: tumuarta Sketchbook Watercolor Journal READ REVIEW

Best With Acrylic Paint: Buy: tumuarta low Cotton content Paper READ REVIEW

Best For urban sketching: Buy: Paul Rubens Sketchbook Watercolor Journal READ REVIEW

Best For mediums: Buy: Liphontcta Sketchbook Watercolor Journal READ REVIEW

Best For multi Media: Buy: Wanderings Sketchbook Watercolor Journal READ REVIEW

Best With envelope: Buy: creative mark Watercolor Paper READ REVIEW

Best For Artist: Buy: Arches Sketchbook Watercolor Journal READ REVIEW

Best For Acrylic: Buy: creative mark Sketchbook Watercolor Journal READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Strathmore Sketchbook Watercolor Journal

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Strathmore line of journal come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. These are heavy duty books that hold up exceptionally well to most media and even the elements. They are easy to draw on and take watercolor very nicely without buckling. The paper is slightly textured and holds paint well. It's built sturdy and the paper is high quality and nice and thick and toothy. The paper is also lightly perforated if you ever want to remove your paintings.

The paper is a great size and weight, good thickness and texture. It is great size for packing in your purse and taking to the park.

• Wonderful for washes, full paintings, and visual journaling
• Thick, luscious watercolor paper that can take lots of water without crumpling
• Designed to be carried around in the bottom of your art supply travel case

Best For portrait: Speedball Sketchbook Watercolor Journal

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Best part: speedball sketchbook watercolor journal costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. Watercolor travel journal books are bound in natural linen and offer watercolorists an attractive and practical option for travel painting. It is exceptionally well made and bound with a cover made with finely woven beautiful european linen. The paper wrinkles a little (like almost all watercolor paper) so use a little masking tape to keep it down when painting.

The quality of the paper is absolutely superb. The paper is the perfect size and texture, smooth enough to draw in ink with a fine nib fountain pen, yet textured enough to produce interesting watercolor effects. The paper has a little tooth as well if you intend to use it with pastels or charcoal.

• Lies flat, both sides work, great cover texture
• Works nicely with graphite and pen/ink
• Nice for traveling and easy of sketching and painting
• Nice paper & sweet size for little landscape sketches

Best For adding White highlights: Strathmore Watercolor Paper

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Strathmore makes beautiful and great journal with classic and smartly choosen materials. This intermediate grade watercolor paper has a strong surface that is ideal for watercolor. It's cold pressed with slight tooth on one side and smoother on the other side. The soft cover of this Strathmore Mixed Media series is as wonderful as it's hardcover series and it's signatures are as finely and securely sewn as the hard cover. The paper is fairly smooth but there is enough grit for conte crayon and even a little light pastel.

For a sketchbook to test layouts and color schemes, and do quick watercolor sketches, this is perfect. It is perfect for journaling or small watercolors. This is definitely a well-rounded truly mixed-media sketchbook.

• Easy to carry around for art work on the go
• Cotton fiber, acid-free, lignin-free, and archival
• Excellent even for moderate watercolor use

Best For more experienced Artists: tumuarta Sketchbook Watercolor Journal

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate journal. The tumuarta sketchbook watercolor journal is exactly that - it's a simple journal that hits all the right notes. 8.25 x 8.25” large square watercolor sketchbooks are a good way to organize and store your daily work. It will take pen and ink, watercolor (not dousing the page with water, however), light acrylic or gouache detailing, and some watercolor markers.

The Round corner protects you from accidental paper cuts, sturdy and durable heavy board with linen covers support you to paint and draw, and the book lays flat for working two-page spreads. The cover is tough fabric so the book will not be easily turned or removed if desired, it opens completely and allows the book to lay flat, the micro-perforated sheet is easy to tear off without harming the artworks, and put the artworks in the frame if you want.

The quality of the paper is excellent. It is great for beginners and more experienced artists. It has a cardboard label over the top of it.

• Cute and travel size for your convenience
• One of the new comers and featured product

Best With Acrylic Paint: tumuarta low Cotton content Paper

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Compared with other journal in this category, the tumuarta low cotton content paper has a convenient design. The 5.5 x 5.5” square watercolor notebooks are perfect for painting your thoughts anywhere. The round corner protects you from accidental paper cuts, sturdy and durable heavy board with linen covers support you to paint and draw, and the book lays flat for working two-page spreads. The paper is thick and can take anything you want to throw at it. The binding is sturdy and it’s the perfect size for painting at home or taking on the go.

This wee journal is excellent for studies, technique experiments, and miniature paintings. The wood heels are great, the hinges feel sturdy and magnets work well. The elastic closure is also sturdy. The binding is sturdy and it’s the perfect size for keeping in your vehicle and painting on the go. This is also the perfect size for a special trip or even as an autograph book or sign in for an event or celebration, like a graduation or a special birthday.

• Good quality paper in a well crafted binding
• Excellent for studies and minature paintings
• Beautiful in the outside, very well constructed,its a five star

Best For urban sketching: Paul Rubens Sketchbook Watercolor Journal

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Next on the list, we've got yet another journal that manages to win our hearts. It's the paul rubens sketchbook watercolor journal and it's widely considered as journal that has the most suitable features. The quality of watercolor paper is really important for beginners. The paper is thick and lightly textured so it takes watercolor beautifully. It's 140 lb (300 gsm), so it's thick enough that it doesn't significantly buckle when used for watercolor. The paper allows watercolor without buckling or bleeding through to the other side.

The paper's surface has enough texture for the watercolor work, but not so much that it affects the air brush work. These are also perforated so that they can be torn out if needed.

The classic book cover can protect the works on the inner page. It does have a slight texture which is noticeable when using watercolor pencils.

• Nice and thick, double sided, quality 100% cotton paper in a travel sketchbook
• Nice paper for light watercolor washes
• Good investment for long term

Best For mediums: Liphontcta Sketchbook Watercolor Journal

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Best part: liphontcta sketchbook watercolor journal costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. At 140lb/300gsm weight, the paper in this watercolor book is thicker than many others so you can create with confidence. It holds the water well. It has beautiful texture on both sides, a great buy, provided you use media that is in wet paint form when applied. It works best with watercolor paint.

You can use gouache paint with it and it holds up extremely well. It warps and curls with very little water. The paper is heavy and thick enough so it doesn’t really buckle after washes. It's a great purchase, provided you use media that is in wet paint form when applied.

• Made well, and watercolor works well on the paper
• Consists of 32 double sided sheets for a total of 64 pages to use
• High quality cold press paper and leather cover, best size for traveling

Best For multi Media: Wanderings Sketchbook Watercolor Journal

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention wanderings sketchbook watercolor journal for daily usage. The presentation of this book is almost as good as the book itself, which is a very high bar to reach as the book is incredible. It is used to the feel of it, the absorption, the sizing. It is great as a photo album, sketchbook, scrap book, vintage writing journal, or travel log for women or men.

This paper has a lovely texture, not as dry and toothy as arches, kind of soft feeling, but beefy enough to take a ton of layers without buckling, tearing or pilling. The quality in general is very good and it is packed so nicely you can send it as present for sure or just gift yourself. The pages are thick and will be good for multi media.

• High quality, nice gift,a little heavy
• Handmade, they are all different and take testing and getting used to for sure
• Super cute, packaging and presentation was great

Best With envelope: creative mark Watercolor Paper

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If you want nothing less than best convenient journal, then creative mark watercolor paper is the one you should definitely consider. This is the kind of watercolor journal that makes you look forward to filling it up. It supports multi media expressions and features an elastic strap for travel and micro perforated sheets to easily remove your artwork without harming the artwork. It doesn’t like heavy washes, and it will buckle a bit if you try it.

The paper is thin, it handles watercolor superbly and does not bleed through. It has a fine perforation allowing it to be removed without harming the artwork. There is a break free serrated edge on each page. The paint dried very vibrant and sharp. It actually takes a lot of water with very little warp.

• Nicely put together with lay-flat binding and perforated sheets
• Should be a fun, calming time for many evenings to come
• Perfect book for watercolors or watercolor pencils
• Excellent for pen, ink and watercolor

Best For Artist: Arches Sketchbook Watercolor Journal

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Arches is known for creating pragmatic and minimalist journal for people on the go, and its line of arches sketchbook watercolor journal definitely falls in line with that reputation. This little book is perfect for plein aire painting and taking with you. It is available in several formats and sizes including blocks, pads, sheets and rolls, and 3 luxurious textures. It provides extra rigidity for stable painting on location. It is easy to fold the pages back and keep the book flat for painting on location. The pages are thick and handle water perfectly.

This 6x10 watercolor journal boasts 15 sheets of rich, cold press, 140 lb watercolor paper. It is made from 100% natural cotton fiber with no optical brightening agents, the arches paper has an archival, natural white color and an exquisite texture unlike other papers on the market. Love the paper and the way it will hold the paint and give the best presentation. The size is great for holding in one hand of your need while painting on the go.

• Great paper and makes a nice watercolor journal
• One of the new comers and featured product

Best For Acrylic: creative mark Sketchbook Watercolor Journal

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate journal. The creative mark sketchbook watercolor journal is exactly that - it's a simple journal that hits all the right notes. This watercolor sketchbook features an acid free paper with a clean white appearance, a beautiful cold pressed fine texture and heavy tub and external sizing to allow ink and paint to sit up nicely on its surface. It supports multi media expressions and features an elastic strap for travel and micro perforated sheets to easily remove your artwork without causing damage. The paper is heavy enough to use the backs for paintings, or you can make notes on one side and paint on the other. It is great to use for testing an idea or just jotting down some thoughts down as an image.

• Cold-press paper with an elastic strap to keep it closed and protect your artwork
• Nice size and holds color well
• Good quality and doesn't bleed through