Hey you lot, welcome back.
So, before we get into this video, don’t forget to stay tuned to the end for a quick
update on where I’ve been, where I’m at now and what’s gonna be going on for the
next couple of weeks.
I’ll put some time stamps for different portions of the video in the description below
so you can just skip to whatever interests you.
With that said, getting right into today’s video, I was recently gifted this gorgeous
sketchbook by a brand called Mossery.
They contacted me asking if I’d like to check out their website, try one of their
sketchbooks and… it’s so annoying cos I went on the website and I just wanted everything.
The aesthetic of their notebooks and sketchbooks inside and out, all the different cover designs
and personalisations, and customisations, it’s right up my street, I’m already considering
buying one of their mid-year planners now, if not I’m definitely gonna buy some notebooks,
because the price….
I don’t know, I think it's really affordable.
Especially considering this is a personalised item.
So I got the 224gsm mixed media sketchbook with the cover design Lava Periwinkle, obviously
I love anything marbleised and these colours for me are just *heart-eyes emoji*.
I have my name here on the front in gold.
Umm I don’t normally go for a spiral bound sketchbook just because I do like working
across two pages so maybe it would be nice for them to come out with different binding
options in the future.
On the inside…
here’s why I like this sketchbook so much.
It feels like it was made for me.
Or it at least feels like it was made for artists by artists.
There’s a pocket at the front a two-sided pocket thing here, mine came with this little
ruler that you can slot in anywhere, there’s a pocket in the back as well, elastic to close
it, a ribbon to keep your place, a page for contact info and any other important information.
Also space to write down your values, goals and purposes, which believe it or not is something
I wanted to incorporate into my next sketchbook anyway.
I recently watched a Leigh Ellexson video where she gave tips on daily drawing and one
of the tips was to write down what you want to get out of it basically for the days that
you kind of lose direction and focus.
If you haven't seen her channel by the way I'll link the video that I'm talking about
below.
You will love her, she's amazing.
Then there are these pages, with a square grid design which I love for mapping out ideas.
You an do whatever you want here, write down buzz words, stick things in for inspiration.
I love having this space that I'll be able to refer back to when I need it.
After that they have a page where you can write 3 areas or things that you want to improve
on change or achieve which I think would be great to look back on once you’ve finished
the sketchbook to see if you’ve got there.
And just the colour and design and little things like the font used on these pages,
for me it’s so… spot on.
Like if I were to design a sketchbook for myself, minus the spiral binding, this would
pretty much be it.
Alright so now we’re at the actual sketchbook pages.
As I said, 224gsm so pretty heavy duty.
This is a mixed media sketchbook so it should be able to handle the wettest of wet applications,
ink, watercolour, all that good stuff.
There are 38 sheets, so 76 pages which in comparison to other mixed media or watercolour
sketchbooks I’ve used… the watercolour moleskine of this size has 70 pages and the
stillman and birn sketchbooks I’ve been using have 50 pages...
? 52 pages.
So a few more pages in this one which is nice, as well as the additional pages at the beginning.
How many times am I gonna say pages though.
Now for the most important part, how it performs.
I thought the best way to test this sketchbook would be to do a page of swatches which is
generally what I do with a new sketchbook anyway when I find the blank pages too daunting.
I started out with some watercolour paints, I found the pages held the pigment perfectly,
the pages don’t feel coated, like I’ve found with Moleskine sketchbooks, so there
was the right amount of kind of absorption and ability to spread the paint and water
across the space.
After that, I tested out some gouache on there, again the paper held up fine with the wetness
of it, no wrinkling or buckling, easy enough to blend on the page as well.
I was really impressed with the lines I got from my pitt artist pens and Pentel Brush
Pen, no feathering or bleeding whatsoever and I also didn’t find that the page overly
dried out the ink flow either.
Umm the major test, the question I get asked the most whenever I do on rare occasions use
copic markers, did it bleed through the page.
Well the paper took well to the markers as far as I’m concerned, I’m not a pro with
markers so I can’t really say for sure but I found blending okay.
It did bleed through, I feel like that’s kind of standard for most sketchbooks unless
they are marketed as a non bleed-through marker sketchbook.
It isn’t an issue for me but I thought it’s something worth mentioning for you guys.
With the ink I applied I really wanted to push it with the amount of liquid i was adding
to the page.
The ink just sat really nicely exactly where I put it, no bleeding out or bleeding through,
the paper didn’t start to disintegrate or bobble up or anything, really impressive.
And then finally just to test out the texture of the page I used a couple of coloured pencils,
there is a slight texture to the page but nothing too pronounced.
So overall, I’m thrilled to have been able to try this sketchbook.
I think it’s gorgeous, I love that it’s personalised and that I have different cover
options to choose from, I think it’s accessible price-wise, it seems geared towards artists
like myself who are looking to grow and improve and document goals and achievements.
It’s well-made, I’m a little bit concerned about how well the cover will hold up knocking
around in my bag even though it does seem at least moderately water resistant even though
it's matte in finish.
And it does seem quite sturdy.
Yeah, I really like it.
Thank you so much to Mossery for sending me this.
They've also really kindly given me a 15% off sketchbook code for you guys to use on
their website.
It's valid until the 19th of July.
I will have the website and the code linked below.
I don't know if I'm allowed to use it myself, but I know that I will be spending some coin
on their website in the next few days.
That pretty much concludes the review portion of this video.
I also just wanted to pop on and take some time to say hi, since I didn’t manage to
upload at all last week, and just let you know where I’m at and what’s going on.
So, I’m back.
I got home from Mexico about a week ago now, I had the most amazing time, if you follow
my instagram stories you will have seen a LOT of what I got up to and I’m currently
working on my travel journal so I’m looking forward to showing all of you guys all the
amazing things I got to see and do.
Umm I got back and it’s taken me a little longer than expected to settle back into work
and just normal life.
After being away for two and a half, three weeks, I did just wanna have some time to
catch up with my family.
Also getting a couple of days with my boyfriend before he went away.
And in all the time I was away, plus the time I’ve been back, I haven’t drawn a single
thing.
The time in Mexico was so jam-packed.
We were literally busy every day.
And I really wanted to just be involved in living and experiencing it.
So even though I brought all my art supplies, there was no point that I really felt like
using them.
I just kind of absorbed it all and saved it into my inspiration banks for when I got home.
And so I started on my travel journal a couple of days ago and it’s been so much fun, I
really can’t wait to show you all.
I’m actually really glad I did things this way, rather than trying to find time to draw
while I was there, it just wouldn’t have been the same.
So I’m back drawing again.
I’m trying to work on… being more present on social media I just sometimes…
I dunno.
It’s a bit much sometimes.
Every once in a while I find it a bit overwhelming.
When you are putting yourself out there, it’s like constant feedback.
And whether it's positive or not, thankfully for me it is generally nice stuff, it’s
still like an outside influence, constant input from other people.
So like when you are feeling unsure of the direction you wanna take which I think is
pretty common for creative people, when you kind of lose sight of what you’re doing,
what you want to create and why, and you’ve every day got people saying, ‘well, I don’t
like this’ ‘I prefer when you do that’ ’ ‘can you do that instead’ stuff like
that…
I also found myself a bit disenchanted with social media in general for a bit…
Having people steal my work.
Stealing my videos.
And I have to say I appreciate you guys, for seeing these things and bringing them to me
so I can deal with it, cos if it wasn’t for you all looking out for me I think it
would be a lot worse.
Uhh but what I'm trying to say is, it’s a bit of a double edged sword.
Cos I love what social media has done for me, I love being able to interact with you
guys and I do love the input and feedback, I think it’s helped me grow more than anything.
I think you just sometimes need to step away, ground yourself and remind yourself who you
are without the influence and validation of other people.
If that makes sense.
While we’re on the subject of social media, taking things back to more of a positive note,
and forgive me if I'm rushing through this video, but it's so hot in here.
My camera's overheating, I'm overheating.
So back to the subject of social media, and my instagram story watchers will have seen
this already too, but I got home to find that my 100,000 subscriber, silver play button
had been delivered.
And that was just incredible, that really made me feel… proud of myself and also really
indebted to you all and everything you’ve given me, with your support and encouragement.
Ummm so going forward.
I’m still trying to get my life together.
I wanted to make this video above anything to show my face and let you know I’m still
about but I don’t know how regular my videos are gonna be for the next few weeks.
Next week is my birthday, I obviously plan on having a bit of me-time for that.
After that I'll be spending four, maybe five days at a music festival.
So it’s a bit of a busy time, I’m gonna try and put out as much content as I can but
after THAT, it’ll be time to properly settle down, get back to work, start drawing every
day again, sharing that with you.
I’m also gonna start up a Patreon sometime soon, you guys have been asking about that
for a long time.
So I think that’s it, I think those are all the updates.
It’s great to be back, I missed you guys.
Don’t forget to check out the video description for any details mentioned, a link to the Mossery
website and info on your discount code.
Other than that I will just see you soon for the next one.
Bye!