Stillman & Birn

Stillman & Birn is one of my favorite sketchbook makers right now! I managed to get a pack of different papers so I decided to test them out with different materials. The little hearts cut in the corner is so I can put them on a ring, later. 

• Beta was the best for Copic markers. There was no ghosting for any materials tested on the back of Beta. Zeta and Nova were the next best for Copic markers.
• Alpha showed some feathering for the Sailor Calligraphy High Ace Neo 2.0 -- might not be the greatest for large nib fountain pen fans.
• Epsilon showed off the most shading of Sailor 123.
• There was no ghosting for Sharpie at all!

I have the Epsilon ring sketchbook. I've thrown everything at it including heavy fountain pen ink swatches and it hasn't warped at all. It's 150gsm, so within this selection it's not as intense as the 270 gsm.

No warping!

So here's a heavy ink based drawing. The back of this drawing is the one below (fountain pen ink). You can see ghosting if you squint. I'm not the most picky about ghosting, but if this level bothers you I would go up to the 270 gsm.

I can really recommend everything as good-- Epsilon as the average choice that works for everything, and Zeta as the more intense version of that. If you tend to do more watercolor / acrylic sketches, go Delta for Ivory, Beta for white.