Cotton Rag Sketchbook | eco-friendly handmade art journal

This lay-flat handmade cotton rag sketchbook embraces the beauty of tactile natural materials and offers a pleasurable, practical space for your creative adventures. The 210gsm pages are 100% cotton rag handmade paper that’s acid-free, medium surface, with a satisfying tooth and texture for dry or wet media.

Handmade cotton rag paper is an excellent choice whether you're a professional, student or beginner artist, and whatever medium you like to work in. These sketchbooks are beloved by artists working in a variety of styles, read more for details.

"Paper thickness for me is perfect - I used ink, charcoal, pen and collage on my pages and no bleed to the other side."  - Samantha, Hampshire

100% Cotton Rag Sketchbook for wet, dry & mixed media

The high-quality cotton rag paper I selected for these sketchbooks takes all wet media equally well, including watercolour, gouache, acrylic, oil and ink. That’s because the pages are internally and externally sized, so there's no paper buckling to impact how pleased you feel with your finished results.

The natural tooth and texture of the handmade cotton rag pages also provide a good grip for dry media including charcoal and pencil, as well as mixed media collage and even embroidery stitching on paper. This sketchbook is the perfect place for every kind of adventure!

Why choose cotton rag paper?

Cotton rag paper is long fibre and exceptionally strong, so it can handle a lot of use, repeated applications of wet media and dry erasing, too. Colours remain vibrant and true, and the pages retain their structural integrity after many weeks, months or years of use.

Features & Benefits

• Lay-flat binding. Wabi Sabi Sketchbooks lie flat on a table for easy use, so you don't need to use binder clips or weights to use this cotton rag sketchbook! But they also turn 360 degrees in a circle, so your pages are display-ready in a studio or exhibition setting.
• Tactile beauty. These handmade sketchbooks feature natural deckle edges and an exposed spine French Linkstitch binding, which cleverly incorporates an unbleached woven linen ribbon to keep your book securely closed.
• Durable and heardwearing. Although they are intentionally unadorned and coverless for that Wabi Sabi aesthetic, these handmade cotton rag sketchbooks will last your lifetime, thanks to their archival materials and binding style. They'll become an heirloom record of your creative adventures.
• Eco-friendly & ethical. Wabi Sabi Sketchbooks are bound only with sustainable materials: recycled cotton, pure linen and natural beeswax. The handmade paper is fair trade and handmade with offcuts from the fashion industry. This reduces landfill waste and helps to protect our environment.
• Customisable: add optional pockets, fold-out pages and/or covers to your small or medium cotton rag sketchbook, scroll down for the details. 

"It is the most exquisite work of art and yet it is still very practical, perfect for all sorts of art work. I just love it." - Melanie, Berkshire

Sizes

• Small A6 ish: 15 x 10.5 cm / 6 x 4.25 inches, 64 pages if no customisations
• Medium A5 ish: 21 x 15 cm / 8.25 x 6 inches, 80 pages if no customisations
• Large A4 ish: 28 x 21 cm / 11.25 x 8.25  inches, 96 pages
• Chunky: same as Large, but with 128 pages

Buy a Handmade Cotton Rag Sketchbook, 4 sizes

Delivery

• All sizes except Medium are currently in stock, sent within 3 working days from my studio in Dorset, UK. 
• Medium is made to order, please allow 1-2 weeks plus delivery
• Sketchbooks with optional covers, pockets and/or fold-outs are made to order; please allow up to 2 weeks plus delivery.
• Free UK delivery. Standard and express international shipping also available, with door-to-door parcel tracking for your peace of mind. Overpayments of international shipping charges will be reimbursed.

"They are exquisitely made, make beautiful gifts and are packed with love." - Leigh, Kent

Customise your cotton rag sketchbook: pockets, fold-outs, covers

Tailor this sketchbook to your particular creative process with these options:

• Pockets for storing fragments, inspiration, found objects
• Fold-Out Pages for narratives, landscapes, colour mixing
• Cover to leave plain, or title and decorate yourself.

"Little secret compartments you stumble across as you work... I've got feathers, thread samples, fabric and different papers tucked in mine."  - Samantha, Hampshire

Details if you add customisations

• Small with fold-outs or pockets: 4 horizontal fold-outs or pockets and 40 pages. 
• Small with fold-outs and pockets: 2 horizontal fold-outs, 2 pockets and 40 pages.
• Medium with fold-outs or pockets: 5 vertical fold-outs or pockets and 48 pages.
• Medium with fold-outs and pockets: 2 vertical fold-outs, 3 pockets and 48 pages.

Cotton rag sketchbooks inspiration & information

How Artists use Cotton Rag Sketchbooks

• Textile artist Samantha Boot uses ink, charcoal and mixed media in her Wabi Sabi Sketchbook, and uses the pockets for found treasures, fragments and works in progress. The dark images featured here are by kind permission and copyright © Samantha Boot, 2024.
• Botanical artist Anne McKenzie uses this Wabi Sabi Sketchbook as a colour mixing journal.
• Artist Lara D is exploring eco-friendly oil and acrylic mediums in this cotton rag sketchbook.
  

Press

• Country Homes & Interiors magazine included these cotton rag sketchbooks in a 4 page feature on my work

You may also enjoy

• Embroidered Sketchbook Pages
• Intentions & Updates: Wabi Sabi Sketchbooks
• Sustainable Stationery: eco-friendly sketchbooks & notebooks
• Velvet Cotton Rag Sketchbooks: Green, Black, Old Gold, Rust.

FAQs

Would you like to know who made your sketchbook, or how to care for it? Here are some useful links:

• Meet the Maker
• Delivery & Returns
• Info & Care
• Contact