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crescent rendr sketchbook

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Mixed media sketchbook - crescent rendr sketchbook review

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Introduction:
Welcome back fellow art lovers!

Today's review features Crescent's RENDR Sketchbook.

When looking for a sketchbook to record my creative process, I didn't know exactly
what I needed to know to purchase one.
I had no clue that each sketchbook is different with different thickness of paper.
I love to use mediums like watercolour, markers, and paints but didn't want to fork
out money to buy seperate sketchbooks for each medium.
Purchasing the crescent rendr sketchbook allowed me to have a mixed media
sketchbook that I could use different mediums in one book.

Things to consider before purchasing a sketchbook:

Having a handy sketchbook is great for having all your drawings in one place.
It's sort of a time capsule of all that you have done and learnt along the way.
Sketchbooks are great for artists that draw a lot, or want to draw more than they
use to.

Before buying Crescent's RENDR sketchbook, you will need to think about:
- If the thickness of the paper is right for you (e.g. paper for watercolour should
be at least 200 gsm)
- Whether you want a hardbound sketchbook or soft cover (soft cover allows you to
lay the pages flat)
- The size of the sketchbook

Presenting the product:

The Crescent Rendr Sketchbook is just like any other sketchbook except that it has
a special kind of paper that results in no bleed through on the other side of the
paper.
Crescent claims that the paper, "will not allow any bleed or show through from the
other side of the paper no matter what media is used."
They also state that becuase of the 'revolutionary' paper, you're able to use 100%
of the sketchbook pages, front and back.

3-5 pros:
- paper stops any bleed through
- you can use all 48 pages (effectively 96 pages)
- comes in different sizes and types (hardbound or soft cover)
- various mediums can be used (e.g. markers, paint, ink, etc.)

3-5 cons:
- Not recommended for all mediums (e.g. watercolours)
- Pages don't lay flat when opened
-
Features & benefits:

The paper of the Crescent Rendr Sketchbook is designed for you to use different
mediums on it.
It is 180 gsm (110 lb), heavyweighted, has a smoothe feeling, and has a nice
cardstock-like thickness to the paper.
The paper is also capable of using markers without any ink bleeding through on the
other side which is great when you can use all 48 pages, front and back, without
wasting any space.

The hard cover allows for the pages to lay fairly flat when closed.
The end paper (paper fixed to the inside of the cover) of the Crescent Rendr
Sketchbook is black and thinner than the 'revolutionary' paper.
It's not the same type of paper as the mixed media sketchbook (and because it's
black, most colours won't show on it), but it would be great for creating white
drawings with gel pens, POSCA pens, etc.

Using the sketchbook:

Throughout my time using the Crescent RENDR Sketchbook, I overall enjoyed my time.
I was able to use both alcohol based markers and ink quite well, which supprised
me.
I did use some watercolour in my drawings but not too much because it didn't work
as well as watercolour paper.

Below is a page that I tested to see which mediums that I had would work on this
type of paper.
The paper is definately great for markers and does well with acrylic paint and ink
(although the ink was a bit patchy when water wasn't used).
[insert photo]

Water on the otherhand, sadly doesn't do too well in this sketchbook.

Adding water to the ink created a sploshy and an uneven look to the surface even
though the surface is still smooth.
Using watercolour had the same effect when using the 'wet on wet' technique;
however, the 'wet on dry' technique (bottom half of the watercolour swatch shown
above) resulted in a smoother look to it.
If you do use watercolour, only fill in a small area (unless you don't mind the
look), you might also be able to get away with it by applying minimal water to the
watercolour pigment/ink.
Supprisingly though, none of the mediums tested didn't bleed through, only tiny
specks from the alcohol-based marker showed on the backside of the paper.

In this sketchbook I was able to create three different drawings using either
alcohol-based markers, water-based markers, and ink.
The alcohol-based marker that I used was from Ohuhu, the same markers I previously
reviewed.
I loved using them in this sketchbook becuase I was able to colour areas in without
worrying about them bleeding through.
[insert photo]

The next drawing that I created was using water-based markers.

Again, it was great to see that I was able to colour in areas without the fear of
markers bleeding through onto the other side.
[Insert photo]

Lastly, I created an ink drawing of a fish using [this ink] and a white gel pen.
I was able to fill the circle in with ink and even do several layers, but still the
ink didn't bleed through the paper.
I also used a light amount with a bit of the ink to give some texture to the fish.
[insert photo]

Social Proof:
Looking at reviews online for the Crescent RENDR Sketchbook, the majority of
reviews were positive while a few were slightly negative.

Alternatives:
Listed below are a few alternatives to the Crescent RENDR Sketchbook if this mixed
media sketchbook doesn't take your fancy:

- Canson XL Series Mixed Media Sketchbook:

This mixed media sketchbook is a great and inexpensive product (US$7.49 (AU$) at
time of publication) which you could use it for coloured pencils, pastels,
charcoal, pen & ink, acrylic, and markers.
It can also be used for light washes of ink and watercolour, but not too much as
the paper is 160 gsm and not designed for heavy watercolour usage.
If you are wanting to do lots of watercolour and want to stick with the brand I
would suggest purchasing Canson's XL Series Watercolour Pads.

Instead of the sketchbook being hardbound, it is wire bound and comes in different
sizes () which contains 60 sheets.
Canson has stated that this mixed media sketchbook is ideal for beginner and
intermediate mixed midea artists.

- Strathmore 566-8 500 Series Hardbound Mixed Media Art Journal:

At US$18.04 (AU$) (at time of publication), this mixed media journal comes with 32
sheets with dimentions of 8.5"x11" (available in 5.5"x8.5", 8.5"x11", and 11"x14").
The paper is 190 gsm and Strathmore state that it can be used with wet media
(watercolour, gouache, acrylic, and pen & ink) and dry media (graphite, coloured
pencils, charcoal, gel pens, etc.)
It does cost almost double than the Canson XL Series sketchbook, but the paper is a
bit more heavier (190 gsm compared to 160 gsm) which will be better to use
watercolours.

- Bianyo Bleedproof Marker Paper Pad:

If you are wanting paper that stops markers bleeding through like the Crescent
RENDR Sketchbook, then this is another option.
Although it's not a proper sketchbook, the marker pad works well for markers and
ink mediums which absorbs less ink from markers and makes markers last longer.
The marker pad consists of 50 sheets and 'ultra-smooth' paper weighing at 70 gsm,
and yes, the paper is quite thin but it has a special coating that stop markers
bleeding through.
One A4 pad of 50 sheets costs US$10 (AU$) (at time of publication), there is also
A3 pad with 50 sheets available as well as 100 sheets for the A4 size.

Final thoughts:
I was so suprised that the Crescent RENDR Sketchbook was bleed proof and stopped
the ink bleeding through from alcohol-based markers, water-basaed markers and the
ink.
It's great to have paper that doesn't bleed through because it means you can use
both side of the page and get to fill in double the amount pages that a normal
sketchbook would have.
This mixed media sketchbook great to have if you like to create artwork using
different mediums and don't want to spend more money to get specified paper for
them.

The Crescent RENDR Sketchbook only cost US$ (AU$) (at time of publication) and .

To purchase this mixed media sketchbook click here.

For more information about the brand, you can check them out here.