i make my own. go to a cheap paper store... or your office supply cabinet. and raid it for different types of paper (trace, watercolour etc) i then bind it, usually sewn as it lasts longest. this way when you are sketching you will always be pushed to use different mediums. it also means your drawings start to get scattered through out the sketch book rather than in a linear order as sometimes you want trace, or sketch paper.

It is allot easier to just get an A4 or B4 sketch book. i find A3 way too big, even A4 is sometimes.

I tend to go for small, hardcover, spiralbound.

LIke this one.

i have a moleskine

i go for a hard covered wire bound sketchbook of medium to large size. hard covered because i take it everywhere, wirebound so you can fold it over completely when limited on space, and large because it gives me something to rest my hand on while riding the train.

i don't ever worry about readability by other people, as my sketchbook isn't really meant for anyone else. i spray mount my renderings and napkin sketches in when i remember to, and often sketch over pages a couple of times. i do keep it arranged in a time based format though, because it lets me see where i'm going with things (if anywhere).

As a student, sketchbooks were mandatory from some studio crits. The size they suggested was "small enough to fit in a large pocket." I've always bought the Moleskine 9 x 14 cm. It's a good size for traveling, and when you've amassed a collection, they're easier to store.

moleskines are great - nice paper and beautifully bound - but i've always gravitated toward the less expensive and less precious-feeling windsor & newton pocket sized books. they're about 3.5x5, black hardcover, and the paper is still very nice. $4 to $6 usually.

i've filled a bunch of these over time. i glue some sort of time capsule image or card or something to the cover - or, in one case, stencil and spray paint an image - so i know what period it's from. they line up very neat and uniform on a shelf but each has a distinct character that reminds me of when i was filling it.

i also keep a larger spiral bound in my bag, though. for those times when the small book feels restrictive.

I use pretty much the same book as CuervoMuerto. That one is very common in my studio, so I have a tendency to spray mount pictures and graphics (usually snowboard related) to the front of mine, it gives it a little personal touch, makes it my own.

One of the best tips I’ve gotten about sketchbooks is that they should be records of your daily lives. One professor showed us hers, and it was filled with quick drawings, words, ideas, poems, interesting flyers she had found, her yoga schedule, just basically every thing in her day to day life.

This idea made a ton of sense to me. I do the same now, and I have to say, my life is much more organized. Also, it is SO easy to pick up girls when you are carrying a sketchbook.

I have a hard time sketching on small notebooks. I bought a 4"x4" sketchbook for a trip and hardly wrote in it because it was hard to sketch in. My hand always felt awkward and at an odd angle, which made it unplesant to hold and work with.

I prefer my 10"x10", even though it is somewhat cumbersome to lug around.

moleskine for most everything - with bits of trace, napkin etc. stuck between the pages. If you ask the moleskine, "moleskine, what do you like?" the moleskine responds, "I like a bulge." don't we all.

When in London I purchased several 8.25"x5.75" Seawhite of Brighton sketchbooks and I like them much better than Moleskinds. I am a big fan of heavy, thick paper and the Moleskind is always too thin. Plus, I hesistate to pay so much for a sketchbook when I can order 6 Seawhites for ~18 quid shipped from England.

Moleskines cost about five times what they're worth, and are sold on the basis of being what other cool old people once used.

I use A5, book-bound, and cheap enough that I can go through them at full speed. Sketchbooks are all about speed. If you're still using a sketchbook you started six months ago, you aren't drawing fast enough.

i go for a hardcover 4x6 but not spiral bound.
i find the option of drawing a double page spreads on string bound books is useful sometimes. and also, the spirals always got in the way of my hands...

although i always do pay attention to if the book is designed for 'opening flat.'

Then I surely am not drawing fast enough. Takes me over a year to fill a Moleskine. Right now I am using the plain reporter style, with the thin paper. I too like to glue crap in (I carry a glue stick) and things like that. I end up writing a lot more than drawing. I also draw very small with a fine pen. Plus I have multiple books of stuff. I.e. I keep my "Japan Journal" in a small Muji notebook, I take school notes in a different type of Muji notebook. I've been stocking up since they are dirt cheap here. Too bad I will pay in overweight luggage. Then at school I typically sketch on rolls of trace or in a trace note pad. Everything is all over the place. Things might change when I:m no longer in school. My sketch books are pretty weak. If I use big ones I never fill the pages. I should go back to geology.

Also, I tend to take more photos. Last year in Japan I took over 3000. This year I've taken a ton too. Not sure how many.

I've been totally off photographs for a while now. I just decided that I needed to draw more. My drawing improved vastly just in picking up the pace and never being afraid to turn the page and make another drawing.

Entering my 8th year as a student of architecture, I've had an opportunity to demo many different types of sketchbooks before finding my absolute fav. Aside from any sketchbooks you may be required to keep for a class, with a predetermined size, I would recommend a medium (8.25 x 5.75), cheap (under $10) sketchbook for personal use. I use mine to keep notes and for sketches and doodles too. I date the top of each page to know when I had these thoughts and any other information I may deem as relevant. My biggest suggestion: Get a nice pen (around $15). I can't even begin to tell you about the numerous cheap pens I've had stop working on me when I was taking some serious notes or had a great idea pop in my head. Most importantly though, take your sketchbook everywhere! I don't even go to the liquor store without mine. You never know when an idea may strike like lightning.

I have found that 8 1/2" x 11" hard bound books with fabric covers (at most bookstores) are most comfortable to carry and develop a nice patina with use. I like to do field documentation and measurements of existing buildings in my sketchbooks so I can always refer back to that experience - to have dimensions with my memories of the place. I also do writing but have to be careful letting clients or coworkers get ahold of it because there are some rants. Like Steven, I like to supplement the cover with stickers or graphics.

For a mid size sketchbook, I like surveyors field books - usually with a bright orange (waterproof) cover and rectangular gridded pages. They also usually have some handy formulas on the inside of the covers.

For travel/tight quarters, I like the Bloc Rhodia No 12 3.3" x 4.7". This fits easily into shirt or pants pockets.

Dating your sketches is a good habit to get in. If you are prolific, it helps to be able to follow the chain of sketches. In a firm setting, this is also a good habit for tracking decisions, client input, etc.

wow thanks everyone! this is great advice..i highly appreciate it. sometimes i get really lazy and use a camera instead when visiting a site simply because i don't have time to sketch all the ideas behind the building. i guess sketches can convey ideas easily...depending on situation i guess.

if size is not mandated by a studio, then no matter what you pick, focus on portability. you will (and should) take you sketchbook EVERYWHERE, so make sure it's not difficult to carry around.

I am glad to hear alot of people are sketching. Please post some.
I haven't seen any sketches on this website.

I was just about to suggest the same thing. Although I guess most sketches would be personal. I enjoy looking at other people's but hate to share my own and I'm sure many of us are the same.

Why do you hate to show yours. You should be proud of them!

anyone else find themselves periodically sitting on the floor for hours going through old sketch books when you were supposed to get something else out of the closet? love that.... be sure to save yours and dito on the dating!

I always have two sizes on point: 4X6ish & BIG

Does anyone else have difficulty choosing subjects to sketch?

try not drawing things and drawing configurations instead.

or try drawing everything, all at once, in five minutes

or try drawing two different things at the same time

in the office - the backs of discarded 8.5" x 11" sheets bulldog clipped together.

where would be a good art supply store in nyc to pick up sketchbooks?

pearl art on canal street near church street is one place. Utrecht also sells sketch books (one is on 23 b/w 7 and 8 ave, another is on 4 ave b/w 11 and 12 st). Iif you want to get fancy, there's Lee's on 57 near columbus circle (b/w bway and 7 ave). I would go to pearl, and bring your student/faculty ID if you have one for the discount. I think sketchbooks are on floor 3 in pearl.

for those of you with moleskine skecthbooks which one do u have the "skecthbook" or the "plain paper". plain paper is much lighter paper but the extra pages are appealing

I use moleskines, specifically the sketchbook variety. I like the heavier feeling of the paper, but it still bleeds if you use pantone markers on the pages. The paper is still very high quality, and good for pasting things in.

i walk by pearl everyday on my way to work...i will have to check them out

and i don't like moleskines, their paper isn't heavy enough for my tastes. i found a really great sketchbook in England made by Seawhite of Brighton, but I have used all of them up already and need to find a similar book.