Suitable for use with a variety of wet and dry media, it inspires creativity by giving artists the freedom to experiment with new ideas and materials. A few weeks ago i received a package of the new stillman and birn softcover sketchbooks to test out. It doesnt lie as flat as i was led to believe and it does buckle slightly with watercolour which is why ive given it 4 and not 5 stars but its. Alpha series, beta series, gamma series, delta series, epsilon series, zeta series. They are best for dry media, light washes, and ink. A study in chicago, alpha paper, watercolour, pen and gouache. The two beta and delta series are virtually identical except that the paper in the beta is white and the delta is ivory. Stillman and birn alpha hardbound sketchbook testing and. With both internal and surface sizing, these papers have exceptional wet strength that supports the application of multiple washes. This was the first sketchbook i ever got when i started art school. Archival quality sketchbooks that are bound in the us. Not sold online available online out of stock online.
Each signature in the alpha softcover is four folded sheets, with the first and last sheets of the book pasted down onto the cover. The alpha does not handle glazing, scrubbing see the end of this post for more on this or a heavy wash. I also love the square spiral beta series sketchbook. With both internal and surface sizing, these papers have exceptional wet strength that support the application of multiple washes. This photo shows four sizes the largest size can be seen in a photo below with only the beta and alpha paper. You can read more about them from my first impression article. Epsilon is not a sketchbook i will go to for watercolour sketches. August 2012 two weeks with family and friends touring newfoundland. Breaking in your stillman and birn alpha, gamma or epsilon. The gamma series is the ivory sibling of the alpha series, providing artists with a hearty, warmtoned canvas for work that calls for rich, mellow backdrops.
Renown for being among the best on the market, these sketchbooks are available in a variety of sizes, paper types and orientations. The main features of the alpha would be its 150gsm natural white paper. Alpha series sketchbooks contain heavyweight 150 gsm white paper with a medium grain surface. The softcovers seem to be relatively new, and the lower price is a plus. Heavy watercolor c light watercolor b fountain pen a dip pen a micron a. These sketchbooks contain the same great mixed media paper as in their hardcover. The one downside, of course, is that thick paper means fewer sheets per sketchbook. The alpha series is one of the six types of sketchbooks offered by stillman and birn.
Softcover bindings are flexible and lightweight and open totally flat. The sketchbook can come in either wirebound or hardbound, and in different sizes. I use it for notes and sketches and watercolors of my sketchbook skool courses online. Allows artists to choose the paper weight, shade, and surface type best suited for their specific media. I was already familiar with their alpha paper because i purchased an alpha 5. The alpha series contains 100lb, natural white toothy surface paper. At this number of pages, i will go with the alpha series. Had that been available as a hardbound book i could have stopped right there, but its only made in. The white, mixed media paper has a medium grain surface and works well with all dry media, light washes, and inks. You can see that there is some warping of the paper, which is really to be expected with a 150gsm sketchbook. Back then i was a newbie sketcher, struggling to find the perfect sketchbook. I decided to test the limits of a stillman and birn alpha hardbound sketchbook to see if it would perform well enough to serve my needs. Since i own a zeta, you can see examples of zeta here, here, and here plus a lot of other places in my sketchbook.