Sketchbooks

For many years I have used a 6x8 inch hardbound sketchbook that lies flat when open and has a lovely medium weight paper which is wonderful for drawing, light painting and also journaling as I use my sketchbook for everything.  A few years ago, I came across these sketchbooks at Indigo and Chapters that feel very much like the ones I used to use though come are available at a fraction of the cost.  They do have a few less pages (maybe 50?) but they feel just as lovely in my hand.  I typically use one of these sketchbooks each year but also use a small pocket moleskine which I keep in my purse - also for notes, doodles, and sketches.  I think if I were a writer I would use these as well as I tend to prefer unlined paper and this works just as well with a fountain pen as a pencil or almost everything else I use.  I have tried gouache (which was lovely but I find that the paint dries too quickly and I really don't like the smell of it), watercolour (less water is better so I use the Peerless watercolour papers which are nice and vibrant along with a koi waterbrush), M.Graham water miscible oil paint (though I am a bit impatient and it dries too slowly), acrylics (excellent especially when I prepare the paper with gesso first) along with conte, chalk pastel, charcoal, pencil, pencil crayon, crayon, sharpees, pen and ink.