I've been working on my new book as well as my Spring 2022 collectiion. One of my biggest challenges is finding sketch paper that works well with the mediums I prefer to work with. Handmade watercolors are my favorite but COPIC Markers have been my GO-TO recently because I can refill the markers when they run out of ink.
One of the biggest issues I have with COPIC is the bleed thru rate of the markers on paper. I've tried expensive mix media paper, marker paper, and watercolor paper but the bleed thru still continued. Finally I looked up Cresent Rendr No Show Thru Paper.
I read mixed reviews about the Cresent Rendr Sketch book. One of the issues artists seem to have with the Rendr sketch book is the vividness of the markers on the page. The other issue artists seem to have is how many layer they can use with the Cresent sketch book. One thing you should know is like most artists sketch books, the Cresent sketch book favors some markers and paint brands over other. If you're interested in getting this brand of No Show Thru Paper, here are a few tips:
1. COPIC MARKERS will give your sketch a softer feel. You won't get deep and rich colors no matter how many layers you put down. If you want rich colors you need to use TOMBOW alcohol based markers with this brand of paper.
2. I don't care what this company states about their all medium paper, it doesn't work well with watercolor. There's a reason why we have watercolor paper and this brand isn't it. You'll get a smudgy mess if you use water color paints. If you want to use watercolors with this brand TOMBOW water-based markers are great when used on no bleed paper.
3. Finally, Don't over-layer mixed media. For example, don't place four layers of TOMBOW markers, Three layers of COPIC Markers, and then two layers of color pencils. If you do, things will not go well. You'll just end up with a big mess on your hands.
I hope this article helped you decide whether the Rendr Sketch book is worth the money. After all this sketch book is $27.00 for a 48 sheet sketch book. That's no small potatoes for an art book so choose wisely.
