Liquitex Fine Paint Marker (Burnt Sienna, 0127)

Liquitex acrylic paint markers are in my top-two list of fine art markers. The quality of the paint, the pigment used, the nib and container made them one of the must tools in my art practice. This Burnt Sienna is one of those colours that I always have in every possible medium because of the colour versatility and mixing qualities. These markers are usually expensive, but I got this one at a bargain price. Packaging is great as it clearly indicates colour name, opacity, lightfastness rating and pigments that it contains. This marker is waterproof once it has fully dried. The main downside is that they aren't refillable, which is a shame because it isn't environmentally friendly. 

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Lightwish 100%-cotton 300gsm/140lb Watercolor Journal (4.7x4.7 in)

This is such a cute watercolour journal. It is not only affordable, as most Lightwish products are, but also has a good-quality 300 gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper. It's perfect for both watercolour painting and mixed-media. The size is ideal for travelling or as a carry-on sketchbook.

 

The paper has a bit of tooth to it, so it's a bit rugged. I've tested it with acrylic inks and paints with and without priming. The results are quite good. The paper takes a lot of water in. It buckles a bit when wet, but it recovers its flatness once dry. I've also tried it with  the same materials, adding clear gesso and the inks and paints run more smoothly and I can work the paper harder. 

 

The binding is excellent and I can open the pad almost flat without the stitching coming apart.  However, the colour tends to bleed down through the stitches holes. That might not be a problem if you don't paint the full spread or just focus on motifs on each page, do zentangle or drawing. Painting an inks drip down. Yet, for the price, this is a fab mini sketchbook.

Due to slightly textured surface, the use of fine white markers and Posca pens is not the best, unless the paper is totally dry and they go over a very dark colour.

 

The cover has a fabric-like texture in a beautiful turquoise colour. I like my journals to have the cover in different colours as this helps me easily identify different journals. This is important to me because I use them to explore different colours or materials.

 

The elastic band is a must because, once you start using the pad, this won't close fully. Besides, once the whole pad is used, the band will help close the notebook properly. 

Finally, the pad has a ribbon bookmark, something I really love.

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