Nurture Your Little Artists With The Crayola Sketchbook
Written: Mar 10 '03 (Updated Nov 09 '04)
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Pros: Inexpensive, high quality paper, great for almost all mediums.
Cons: Pages aren't perforated.
The Bottom Line: Looking for an inexpensive but high quality sketchbook? Give this great Crayola art pad a try!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Crayola Sketch Book |
Regardless of what you might be drawing, sketching, coloring or painting, this Crayola art pad will fit the bill. I first came across these last year during Wal-Marts back to school sale when they were marked down to $1.00 however when I went to pay for them they scanned at .75 cents. Needless to say, I went back and picked up about ten of these since I knew that they wouldn’t go to waste. As I have mentioned in several Crayola reviews, my boys aren’t really into arts and crafts or drawing but from time to time they do get a creative spark. When that happens I want to make sure that I have everything they might need on hand. So far they have really enjoyed using these for their field trips and day camps instead of toting along a wire bound notebook. I’ve used them for sketching, drawing and fine line art designs and have to say that they are just as good as the higher priced sketchbooks you find at art stores.
Crayola Sketchbook
Measuring nine inches by nine inches, this forty page sketchbook is a great size for all types of artwork. The pages are thick and will accept almost all types of mediums including markers, colored pencils, standard pencils, paint and collage patterns. There isn’t a weight listed for the paper but I am guessing it is about 40 pound since it’s about twice as thick as the 20 pound printer paper that I use. Since the paper is thick you can use glue sticks with it without the paper warping or wrinkling. All in all, this is a great addition to any child or adults art supply.
There is a nice shading guide printed on the inside of the front cover of the sketchbook that shows you how to draw basic shapes and then give them depth by adding shading elements to them. This is a great guide for kids that are just starting to explore their artistic side as well as adults that want to take their doodling to a whole new level. The back page of the book is plain and constructed of thick cardboard to give it a little added support if a child is taking this to school with them. When my boys have day camp or field trips I make sure to toss one of these in their backpacks but first I put it inside a large plastic zipper style bag to protect the pages from getting wrinkled or bent.
The sketchbook is fastened with a plastic coated wire binding at the top. The edges are bent inward and looped around the spiral to prevent it from hurting kids but accidence can and will happen. Make sure that you check the edges of the wire from time to time to make sure that they are still bent into the spiral housing. If they aren’t you can take needle nosed pliers and bend them back into place. As I mentioned, when my boys take these with them for field trips I try to put them inside a plastic zipper bag to protect it but you can also use Velcro strips on the bottom of the book to keep the pages secured in place and the cardboard book ends fastened in place.
Artistic Endeavors
As I mentioned, this sketchpad works with a lot of different art mediums. While it is designed primarily for use with pencils I have had a lot of use with markers, gel pens, paints and even rubber stamps. My first suggestion is to use the last few pages of the book as test pages to see if the art supplies you are planning on using will bleed through and ruin other pages. The texture of the paper is smooth so you won’t have to worry about sketches done in pencil having a distorted look to them. Some types of sketchpads feature rough grit like surface, which is great for holding the design and preventing smudging. If you are working with paints you might want to rip out a page and test the paints to see if they will warp the paper. Acrylics seem to do better than watercolors – but that’s just my own personal experience with this sketchbook, you may have different results.
My Only Complaint …
It’s hard to find anything wrong with this but if I had to name one it would be that the pages aren’t perforated at the top. This might make removing pages difficult for smaller kids so some adult assistance might be needed. My youngest son spent the better part of an hour copying a cartouche from one of his books and was so excited to rip it out and hang it on the wall that he ended you tearing one of the corners. Needless to say, after that he removed the page first and trimmed the top of the page to remove the excess paper. While this might not be a concern to those that are going to use this as just a sketchbook without removing pages, it is something that I wanted to mention in case perforated pages were something that you were hoping to find.
The Bottom Line
Because the paper is sturdy and thick, this sketchbook is great for kids of all ages as well as adults. The suggested retail price for this is between $1.49 and $1.99 which is much cheaper than the professional sketchbooks that are carried at art and craft stores. This would be great for kids that are just starting to draw because the thick pages will allow them to scribble without the pages bunching up or tearing. For older artists this will allow them to explore different types of artwork without having to have several different types of art pads on hand.
To see more products from Crayola, please visit their website and online store at www.crayola.com
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Crayola product reviews …
• Big MiniStampers • Doodle Pad • Watercolor Pencils • Art & Craft Brushes – 8 Count • Create-A-Kid • Collecting Keepsakes • Halloween Treat Pack • Halloween Boo Bucket • Washable Water Colors – 8 Color • Pencil Pouch • Crayola Crayons – 24 Count • Metallic Crayons • Superfine Markers – 5 Count • Gel FX Washable Markers • Tub of Fun • Crayola Sketch Pad • Point Tip Scissors • Sidewalk Chalk – Chicks & Eggs • Art & Craft Brushes – 4 Count • Twistables – 16 Count • Stack-N-Store Art Tower • Washable Water Colors – 24 Color • Sidewalk Chalk – Animal Assortment • Crayola Lap Desk • Click ‘Em On Washable Markers • Washable Markers – 16 Count • Alphabet & Number Pad • Blunt Tip Scissors • Spinning Desk Top Organizer • Crayola Online Store •
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): See Review
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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