About two weeks ago I got two brand spanking new journals to draw in! Happy!
The Fabriano Quadrato Artists Journals are 9×9 inchs in size and are no where to be found in North America. I scoured the internet until I located some in the United Kingdom but sadly the company did not ship outside of Europe. I contacted artist Lorrie Whittington who resides in the UK and together we began a Facebook assault to see if other’s were interested in going in with us to buy them. A big thank you to Lorrie with whom I coordinated the ordering and buying of these skecthbooks with!
In the end we found four others including ourselves and purchased eight journals. Lorrie ordered them and then repackaged and shipped me four which in turn I sold two to a close friend of mine. With the shipping each journal ended up costing me about $31 USD which is fantastic! The journals themselves are filled with muti-coloured Ingris paper and are square in format which is my favorite shape to draw on.
And Great Art is now sold out of the 9×9 inch (22.5cm by 22.5cm) size to with only the smaller size remaining in stock! I wonder if we bought the last eight Lorrie?
The Ingris paper inside the artist journal is well suited for ink, pen, marker and pencil.
All the drawings above I created with Faber Castell Pitt Artist pens, Pilot Hi tec C and Pilot Gtec C4 pens and Le Plume II Markers or a combination of them.
As a side note, Lorrie and I have never met in real life but I certainly do call her a close friend. We talk weekly either on Twitter, Facebook and in email. We met on Etsy. Thank you so much Lorrie! xoxo
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
aww sorry to hear they don’t have them in N America
(I live there and have never heard of them, heh) Yay for Etsy friends though!!
Do a search for them perhaps they are back in stock at DickBlick or some other art store. Many stores in North America have the 6×6 inch size but didn’t have the 9×9 inch size. Etsy friends rock including you!
Hey there gorgeous..
Yes, we did indeed take the last eight
You are braver than me, they are so gorgeous I have been afraid to draw in mine. But that first clean white page is so daunting isn’t it? You always feel that the first piece in a new sketch book must be worthy. It’s a facet of my own OCD, that I have been known to carefully remove a page from a new sketch book if I feel it did not pass muster.
Also, I have acquired a few lovely handmade sketchbooks recently, including one from Kreativlink and another from my friend Karen Jinks, AND am currently working in one made by another friend, so am really spoilt for choice at the moment. The drawings you have produced are as always, stunning.
Anyway, Jessica…it was my absolute pleasure and am always happy to help out a good friend, which indeed you are despite the many miles between us. I am working on that email reply which you should get in a couple of days! LOL…
My very best…
Lorrie
xxx
p.s. I mentioned my other handmade sketchbooks and journals, and feel I should leave you a linky to the talented women who made them:
Renate Klinger: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Kreativlink
Karen Jinks: http://chalkhillstudio.co.uk/shop/
HMS Design: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hmsdesign
just out of curiosity, how do these compare to Moleskine sketchbooks? Is it the size that you love, or the paper, or–? Also, nothing hooks me in like the thought that something wonderful is practically unattainable. Probably how I ended up with my Gocco machine, too…Now I’m afraid I’ll become obsessed with finding these for my artist hubby!
Alex, the difference is in the paper, as Jessica said, it is Ingres paper, or Conte paper if you like. It is specially textured and ideally for use with ink, pastels, charcoal etc. Also, the paper coloured, as you can see here: http://www.illusiocreative.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/journals2.jpg
Lorrie
p.s. Ditto on the Gocco machine. I have a PG10.
You made such beautiful and colorful drawings in these. You’re fast! I can understand why you hunted these books the way you day. I love the Fabriano Ingres paper series. That’s why I love their artist journals so much. Though I think those have been discontinued or something. Dick Blick has been selling them on clearance for months now. Not to mention the fact that Fabriano papers are difficult to find in retail stores…I spent the whole week hunting for their Roma series. :sigh:
I just love how your imagination works your art is like a warm spring breeze.
Thank you Tiffany
Yes, DickBlick carries the Fabriano series of journals however they are sold out of the square versions. The ones they have left measure 5×7 and 7×9 inches in size and contain a rainbow of coloured papers rather than the earth tones found in the square 6×6 and 9×9 inch sizes.
And thanks TheRichAnt!
Spring is coming soon!
Sometimes the world doesn’t make sense…and that is when you draw.
I love that…even though I have no artistic talent whatsoever! Thank you for sharing this.
Lamb’s Most Recent Post: I Bought A Chayote Squash. Now What?
Love these illustrations! the fish is amazing!
I bought a sketch book and found my old pens and Jessica has inspired me to draw and to draw any time, any where, and any thing. If it pops into my mind, draw it. I love what you wrote in your sketch book – “Sometimes the world doesn’t make sense, and that is when you draw” I remember your rendering that you use for your banner on Etsy as an advertisement in either House and Home or something like that – for finding amazing art at a new website called Etsy. I was blown away by you and the art world. Thank you for being so creative, thank you for putting pen to paper!
I really love your work!
I believe that Fabriano no longer makes any hand-made papers. Every once in a while a few sheets show up on a Web site selling them on clearance.
Hey there Darling…
Right, I got them from Great Art. I have just looked at their listings, and it looks like they no longer have any of the square format. This is what they have now. Looks like we got the last of them.
http://www.greatart.co.uk/FABRIANOARTISTSJOURNAL-sketch-books.htm
I shall keep my eyes peeled, and if I come across any in the UK stockists, I will knab and keep by.
Lorrie
xxx
Hi Jessica!
I came across your website a few weeks ago when my art journal quest began and am pleased to share your prompt for me to buy the 9X9 Fabriano journal that was next to my two new 9X12 Fabriano Venezia journals in a back alley art supply in San Francisco!
http://www.archsupplies.com/index.html
I found them here as well:
http://www.fineartstore.com/Catalog/tabid/365/List/1/CategoryID/21234/Level/a/Default.aspx?SortField=UnitCost%2CUnitCost
The shipping is upwards of $7, however I hope it is a bit more convenient for those your sketches inspire..
Thank you so much for sharing!
I have been using Molskine and Handbook journals for years for my ink and graphite drawings. Today I was in the mall snooping around when I found these journals in Restoration Hardware. I looked on their website for more listings and couldn’t find any… perhaps if there is a store near you, you could check it out. Mine are 9″ x 9″ and they were only six dollars! Good luck.
Six dollars is really good! I’d never find that kind of deal where I live.
Well done, gorgeous drawings!
Ana Saula, São Paulo, Brazil.