I tested the paper first without gessoing the page to see what the paper would stand. It was great for almost everything, except for the fact that scratches for textural purposes show on the back and there is a limit of liquid that you can use before the sheet warps.
This
paper didn't react well to my lifting masking liquid with a normal
eraser (which would not lift anything), with my fingers (lifted just a
bit), or with a hard rubber (which lifted the masking tape and the paper
as well). I think it's a combination of both the masking tape being
too thin and the paper not resisting much friction.
On
the other hand, none of the materials I used bled (acrylic
markers, inks and different paint viscosities; water soluble pencils,
among others).
My second test was done after applying a coat of liquid gesso to the page I worked on. I was able to do a bit of more stuff on it but, again, the paper wraps if you use a lot of liquid or flow paint. It still did not bleed and stood a some of my rubbing a bit better. A thick gesso coat would improve workability bu would also add weight, and that would be counter-intuitive.
The pad comes with a silicone protector to place between the sheets, something that is extremely handy and prevents transferring of any bleed onto the page underneath. On the other hand, I'd have loved this silicone sheet to be 1 cm longer on each side so that it protrudes a bit and protects the edges of the pages underneath, which were totally stained. For the rest, this silicone sheet is really good and it can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth or running water.
The pad sheets are micro-perforated, just in case you want to use any to create specific pieces of artwork, not just as a sketchbook. Unless I was drawing or using dry materials, I would not want to cut the pages out for anything.
The back cover is thick and sturdy, and this is a great support to the bulky pad. However, the front cover is not; it's too thin to my liking and not strong enough to keep the pad well protected or hold it properly. Yet, this pad is really good price for what you get.
