Mixed media pads are a real upgrade from a regular drawing pad, and they don’t cost too much more. They have thicker and more versatile paper that can handle wet media such as ink and watercolor, and the thicker paper is just more pleasurable to use. They are ideal for drawings, sketches, note-taking, prepatory paintings, student work, and might just be thick enough to use for final drawings. They will also work ok for the occasional watercolor, but none of these is a true watercolor pad.
To find the best option, nine mixed media sketchbooks and pads were evaluated. Testing included a variety of media during a two-month period and my top picks are posted below followed by an overview of each pad. The pads were compared on how they handled different media including watercolor, overall construction and feel, and price, which ranged from $0.11 per sheet to around $0.50 per sheet.
The good news is that all the pads were fine and I’d definitely recommend choosing any of these over a drawing pad with thinner paper. Ultimately, what I was looking for was the best all around pad that could be carried around, thrown in a bag, and would produce great results.
TOP PICK: Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media
Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media Pad, our top pick for a mixed media sketchbook.
When considering overall quality, ability to handle wet media, and price, the best all-around option is the Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media Pad. It has smooth vellum paper with a good tooth, and the 117lb paper can handle watercolor, ink, and markers with ease. You do pay extra for this, around double the price of the budget options, but I feel that it is worth it if you are looking for a true mixed-media pad.
The Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media pads are available in three sizes. A 9x12”, 40-sheet pad typically costs around $12.50, or about $0.31 per sheet.
BUDGET PICKS: Blick Studio or Canson XL
Blick Studio Mixed Media Pad.
If you are looking for an everyday sketchbook with mixed media paper, the Blick Studio or Canson XL pads are great options that check all the boxes except the paper will buckle when using watercolor or heavier applications of wet media. Not ideal, but for everything else, these are nice pads that typically cost $7 or $8 for a 60 sheet, 9x12” pad. They do cost a bit more than comparable drawing/sketch pads, but the thicker paper is worth it.
Canson XL Mix Media Pad.
Choose the Blick Studio Mixed Media Pad if you prefer a natural white paper, or the Canson XL if you want a bright white paper. The Canson XL also features a much thicker cardstock cover, so if you are rough on your sketchbooks, that’s a good option.
UPGRADE PICK: Bee Paper Aquabee Super Deluxe
Bee Paper Aquabee Super Deluxe Sketchbook.
For an upgrade pick, take a close look at the Bee Paper Aquabee Super Deluxe Sketchbook. It’s got a thick, maroon-colored leatherette cover that feels like a fancy sketchbook, but with easy-to-use, lay flat wire binding. The 93 lb, natural white paper is great for everything except watercolor, which will cause it to buckle a bit. But even with that, the watercolor results are very nice. The Strathmore 300 Series may be the best all-around option but the Bee Paper sketchbook just feels nicer and looks better—and it doesn’t have an annoying image on the cover like Strathmore is so prone to do. It’s also a great option for giving a nice but functional sketchbook as a gift.
A 60-sheet, 9x12” Bee Paper Super Deluxe Sketchbook typically costs around $16.50, or $0.28 per sheet. On a per-sheet basis, it’s a bit cheaper than the Strathmore 300 but it has more sheets so it costs more.
Paper Color Comparison
Comparison shot of the 9 pads tested.
This image shows all the pads together to compare the relative brightness of the paper and pad styles. These are all “white paper” pads and ranging from a bright white to what manufacturers call “natural white.” None of these is a true cream-colored paper. Note that the Fabriano Fat Pad and Strathmore 400 Pad are glued, while the other 7 have wire binding.
Bright White Paper: Bienfang, Canson XL, Grumbacher
White Paper: Fabriano Fat Pad, Strathmore 300 Series and 400 Series
Natural White Paper: Bee Paper Super Deluxe, Blick Studio, Strathmore Vision
Table of Contents
Top Picks
Color Comparison
Bee Paper Super Deluxe Mixed Media
Bienfang Mixed Media
Blick Studio Mixed Media
Canson XL Mixed Media
Fabriano Mixed Media Fat Pad
Grumbacher Mixed Media
Strathmore Vision Mixed Media
Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media
Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media
Notes on Testing
Summary
Bee Paper Super Deluxe Mixed Media Pad
Tests with different media on the Bee Paper Mixed Media paper.
The Bee Paper Aquabee Super Deluxe Mixed Media Sketchbook is a high-quality pad made in the USA in Beaverton, Oregon. It features a stiff, maroon-colored, “leatherette” water-resistant cover and cardboard back, wire binding with perforated paper, and 93lb acid-free paper. The paper has an even tooth, which really brings out pencils, charcoal, and other dry media. In testing, the paper did buckle a bit with watercolor, but it stayed flat with ink.
These pads are available in a variety of sizes and they do feel like a real upgrade pick. They’re one of my favorite pads to carry around and to give as gifts, but I do wish the paper handled watercolor a bit better. The extra-thick cover protects the pad and makes it resilient for carrying around. Bee Paper offers these pads in a variety of shapes and you also can buy the paper as loose sheets.
The 9”x12” 60 sheet pad typically retails around $16.50 or $0.28 per sheet. These pads do come at a premium price but I believe that Bee Paper delivers a lot of value for that price in a handsome-looking sketchbook.
Bienfang Mixed Media Pad
Tests with different media on the Bienfang Mixed Media paper.
The Bienfang Mixed Media sketchbook is a thinner notebook-style pad made in Canada for Bienfang / Speedball. It features a thin, glossy-paper cover, cardboard back, spiral wire binding, non-perforated pages, and 90 lb acid-free paper. The paper has a sort of broad tooth that I didn’t mind but is a bit different from other sheets.
With 40 sheets, this pad is on the thinner side, making it easy to slip in a bag or backpack to carry around. The bright white paper has a nice body to it and though the spiral wire binding signals to me that this is “student grade,” I ultimately did like using this paper and pad. I don’t mind that the paper is not perforated, but that may matter to you. It seems like an ideal student sketchbook.
These pads are available in three sizes for as low as about $6.25 for a 9x12” pad, or $0.15 per sheet.
Blick Studio Mixed Media Pad
Tests with different media on the Blick Studio Mixed Media Pad.
The Blick Studio Mixed Media Pad is a traditional style art pad with a cardstock cover, cardboard back, wire ring binding, and perforated sheets with 80lb, natural white paper. It’s made in the USA for Blick, but I couldn’t find info on exactly where it’s made. The paper is smooth, almost vellum-like but still has a slight, even tooth that shows up with broad strokes such as the chunky Art Stix colored pencils. The perforations are quite close to the wire ring which some online reviewers find annoying but it is an efficient use of paper.
I haven’t always been impressed with Blick store-brand products, but this pad really overdelivered. It handled watercolor well even though it was the thinnest paper tested. It’s also an incredible value and the most affordable pad tested. A 9x12” 60 sheet pad retailed for around $6.70 or $0.11 per sheet.
Canson XL Mix Media Pad
Canson XL Mix Media tested with different media.
The Canson XL Mix Media Pad has a very sturdy cardstock cover, cardboard back, and perforated, bright white, acid free 98lb paper. It’s made in the USA with materials from France by the Dixon Ticonderoga Company in Wisconsin (The same company that makes Strathmore papers.) These pads are a great value and in the past few years, are often available in a 2-for-1 sale at the beginning of the school year.
The paper has a nice thickness, even tooth, but did buckle a bit with watercolor. They are right in the same price range and quality as the Blick Studio and Strathmore Vision pads, but pick this pad if you want bright white paper as opposed to a natural white.
These pads are available in 6 sixes and you can also buy the paper loose and in rolls, or one size is available with rough paper. These pads are a good deal, with a 9x12” 60 sheet pad typically costing $7.85 or $0.13 per sheet.
Fabriano Mixed Media Fat Pad
The Fabriano Mixed Media Fat Pad with different media.
The Fabriano Mixed Media Fat Pad truly delivers on its name. It is a 150-sheet pad of 108lb acid-free paper. Made in Italy, it has a paper cover designed to fold back, a stiff cardboard back, and glued pages at the top that can be peeled off individually or in chunks. This is not really a notebook that would be comfortable to carry around (it’s about 1.5 inches thick) but it’s great for individual sheets or to be divided up into multiple pads.
The paper has a rougher tooth that really brings out pencils, pastels and colored pencils, and it only buckled slightly with watercolor. I’ve always had a soft spot for Fabriano paper and while this pad is a great addition to any studio, I’d personally still also want a wire-ring notebook that is more suitable for carrying around.
The Fabriano Mixed Media Fat pad is only available in one size, 9x12” or 22.75cm x 30.5 cm. Although it has a higher price, this is still a great value. A 9x12” pad retails for around $22 or about $0.14 to $0.15 per sheet.
Grumbacher Mixed Media Pad
Different media tested on the Grumbacher Mixed Media Pad.
The Grumbacher Mixed Media Pad is distinguished by its innovative “in & out” tabbed pages that can be removed and reinserted in the wire ring binding without tearing. It’s innovative but not something I’m sure I need—the pages are also perforated to remove the side tabs. The paper itself is 90lb, acid free, and has a rougher tooth. Even though it’s advertised as 90lb paper, it felt thicker to me and it handled watercolor very well. The pad is made in the USA for Grumbacher / Chartpak, Inc.
These pads are available in four sizes, with a 9x12”, 50 sheet pad typically costing around $11.50 or $0.23 per sheet. This is more expensive then a lot of the pads tested, but it’s worth it if you want a sketchpad that can also double as a pad for light watercolor washes and other wet media.
Strathmore Vision Mixed Media Pad
The Strathmore Vision Mixed Media Pad is one of three Strathmore pads in this test and would be the more entry-level / everyday option of the three, comparable to the Blick Studio or Canson Xl pads. It has 98lb, perforated acid free paper, wire binding, cardboard back and two covers: the top glossy cover can be removed to expose a steel blue, mixed-media cardstock cover that can be customized if desired. The pad is made by the Dixon Ticonderoga Company in Wisconsin, USA.
The paper has a smooth, vellum surface, fine grain tooth and when using the chunky Art Stix colored pencils, I did notice some vertical lines in the paper from the manufacturing process. The paper buckled a bit with watercolor.
Part of a line of entry-level Strathmore Vision papers, these pads are available in three sizes. A 70-sheet, 9x12” pad typically costs around $10 or around $0.14 per sheet.
Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media Pad
Different media tests on the Strathmore 300 series Mixed Media Pad.
The Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media Pad is the best option for an affordable pad that can really handle watercolor and wet media. The 40 sheet pad has 117lb, acid-free paper with perforated sheets, and a smooth vellum surface. In my tests, the paper didn’t buckle at all with light watercolor applications. The paper is made in the USA with materials from France by the Dixon Ticonderoga Company (The same company that makes Canson XL pads.)
This paper has a smooth, even tooth that looks great with dry media. I typically gravitate towards a pad with a rougher tooth but I’m glad I did a test: this has become my new favorite everyday pad because of it’s thicker paper, ability to handle wet media, and affordable price.
These pads are available in 3 sizes and a 9x12”, 40-sheet pad typically costs around $12.00 or about $0.30 per sheet.
Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Pad
Different media tested on the Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Pad.
The Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Pad is not an everyday, wire-bound pad for carrying around, but it is an affordable way to get 15 pages of thick paper appropriate for final artworks. It has 184lb, acid free heavyweight paper that is glued at the top. It is manufactured in the USA with materials from France by the Dixon Ticonderoga Company of Appleton, Wisconsin.
This paper has a smooth, vellum surface with a medium grain, and it didn’t buckle with watercolor. It’s much more expensive on a per-sheet basis than other pads in this test, but if you are experimenting with with mixed media or making final drawings or paintings, this is a great paper to add to the mix. For just watercolor, I’d probably switch to a true watercolor paper but this is wonderful for colored pencils, ink, and finished artworks in all sorts of dry and semi-wet media.
This paper also is available in 8-yard rolls, and the pads are available in 4 sizes. A 9x12”, 15-sheet pad typically costs around $7.50 or about $0.49 per sheet. If you like this paper but want an even thicker version, check out the 500 series pads with 12 sheets.
Notes on Testing
For this post, nine mixed media pads were evaluated and tested over a period of two months. The pads were compared on overall quality and features, paper type and quality, and tested with pencil, colored pencils, Sharpie markers, ink pen and watercolor.
In the tests pictured above, the materials used were:
Prismacolore Ebony Pencil
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils
Sharpie Marker
Prismacolor Art Stix
Pentel Brush Pen with ink
Holbein Cobalt Blue Hue Watercolor
Summary
Mixed media pads have become my go to, carry-around sketchpad. I like the thicker and more versatile paper. I had tended to choose the Canson XL pads in the store, but I wanted to test a wide range of pads to see which was the best all around pad. The 9 pads include 7 wire ring pads and two that were glued at the top.
After testing, I definitely revised my previous assumption. Though they were all nice pads with great features, moving forward, I’ll be using the Strathmore 300 Series Mixed Media pad as my everyday sketchbook. I’m also partial to the Grumbacher and Bee Paper Pads, for features such as upgraded paper and an overall pleasurable feel when using. For a budget pad, I’d go with the Blick Studio or Canson XL pads.
What is your favorite everyday sketchbook? Do you like mixed media paper or another option? Let us know in the comments.
