I love cotton rag paper - also known as khadi paper. Have you tried it yet? It's so tactile, a real pleasure to handle and so pleasing to look at. It seems to invite us to create work on its pages - somehow, it has a presence that says 'welcome, let's play'. No blank page terror, here!
Also, it makes artwork look amazing! Colours remain vibrant and true, whether you're using ink, watercolour, or gouache, oil or acrylic wet media. Because the paper is internally and surface sized, there's no stretching, buckling or warping when you apply wet media, even multiple layers.
The natural tooth and texture of handmade cotton rag paper also showcases dry media brilliantly - artists love using charcoal, in particular. I've used Graphitint pencils with water (shown in the image up top), and am so impressed with the results. Collage and embroidery stitching are even possible, too. Imagine creating a stitch journal!
And there's the fact that no two pages are alike. That's because cotton rag paper is handmade in a mould, which gives it attractive deckle edges and natural variation in texture from sheet to sheet.
And the icing on the cake, for me, is that it's environmentally sustainable - it's made from recycled textile manufacturing waste (t-shirt offcuts) that would otherwise end up in landfill. But that's not all - it's also fairtrade so you know the people who made it are fairly treated and given a decent wage. Win, win, win!
I'm a bookbinder and although I make a variety of sketchbook styles with various different papers, cotton rag remains my favourite. Scroll down for inspiration from artists, advice and my tips for what NOT to do with cotton rag paper.
From watercolour to ink and pencil, collage to stitching, cotton rag paper is great for every artist's medium. I use mine for gouache, ink, pencil, embroidering stitching and collage. My artist customers also use their cotton rag sketchbooks for acrylic and oil, calligraphy, collage and mixed media.
Textile artist Samantha Boot used her Wabi Sabi Cotton Rag Sketchbook with ink and used the optional pockets for storing WIPs, inspiration and found objects like feathers. This image is by kind permission and copyright © Samantha Boot, 2024.
Cotton Rag paper is strong yet flexible, partly because it doesn't have a grain direction, so it can be folded any which way you like. If you're looking to make your own sketchbooks, I really encourage you to try using handmade paper for anything and everything! If you're into making your own books, you might like my Bookbinding for Beginners digital downloads - they tell you what you need and where to find supplies.
And if you'd like to buy a cotton rag sketchbook, I've got lots of options for you. Read on for those, plus some thoughts about possible drawbacks to cotton rag paper, and a word of warning!
A4 large cotton rag Japanese Sketchbooks stitched in the traditional 'Hemp Leaf' pattern.
A6 small Japanese Stab Stitch books in the Noble and Simple (4-hole) styles. Order your Japanese cotton rag books here in a choice of 4 styles and 4 sizes
Sustainable materials, handmade style: exposed spine, lay-flat Wabi Sabi Cotton Rag Sketchbook in 'Chunky' size.
Wabi Sabi Cotton Rag Sketchbooks are held closed with an unbleached woven linen ribbon. Like cotton rag paper, linen is an eco-friendly material.
If you'd like to archive your Cotton Rag Sketchbook once it's full, you can now add a cover when you buy your book. Covers are available for both the original linen ribbon Wabi Sabi style and the newer, luxurious Velvet ribbon versions at A6 small and A5 medium size.
I've removed the guess work - you can now buy your favourite artist (hello, is that you?) gift sets of my bestselling cotton rag sketchbooks. They save you 10% compared to buying the books individually.
The Complete Cotton Rag Sketchbook Set with 3 art journals: a Japanese, Concertina and Wabi Sabi, each in a different size but all bound with handmade cotton rag paper.
Concertina books - also known as Accordion or Leporello folded books - are stitched at their centre page, each 'arm' extends outwards, but folds in and tucks into the covers for travel or storage. Their heavyweight cartridge pages are suitable for all dry mediums, ink and light watercolour. The cotton rag covers can be decorated or left plain for a minimal feel.
A6 Concertina Sketchbook, Olive.
Concertina Sketchbooks are available in A6 and A5 size stitched in Olive linen thread as standard, but you can now choose from over 30 colours by selecting the 'Bespoke' option. That's what Belinda did when she ordered two Concertina books to display her wedding photographs:
Belinda chose Orange and Yellow for her Concertina photo album books.
I think the only shortcoming is that fine-nibbed fountain pens struggle with the fibres and tend to pick them up, but medium and wide-nibbed pens are fine. I actually do use my calligraphy nibs and am happy with the results.
I prefer not to use masking tape with cotton rag paper, although I've seen other artists use it and be perfectly happy with the results. I definitely wouldn't recommend using masking fluid! Wax is an ideal way to achieve resist on cotton rag paper, however.
What's your favourite medium for creating artwork on cotton rag paper? Have you tried anything unusual? Leave a comment below, I'd love to learn more about your practice! I'm almost always thinking of new ways I can put the cotton rag paper to use, so please join my newsletter community to be the first to know when exciting new options are released.
I hope this blog post has inspired you to try making or using a handmade cotton rag sketchbook, whether you prefer wet or dry media, collage, photos, embroidery, mixed media - or all of the above!
Scroll down for an overview of my cotton rag sketchbooks, or browse and buy from the full handmade Artists Sketchbook collection; you'll find vegan cork, leather and paperback options.
Susan Green
contact form | info@boundbyhand.co.uk | +44 (0)7748 759371
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