(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
The Sketchnote Ideabook is made by AirshipNotebooks.com for Mike Rohde, who wrote two books (The Sketchnote Handbook and The Sketchnote Workbook) on how to take notes using the Sketchnote method.
The notebook is A5 size (5.8" x 8.3") with a polyurethane hardcover in gray. The cover is soft to the touch and adorned with icons, Sketchnote and Airship branding, and the "Ideas Not Art" logo.
It has a band closure in teal, two book ribbons (one teal, one orange), and a back cover pocket.
The 160 gsm blank paper (128 pages) is almost as thick as card stock. The pages are sewn with a lay-flat binding and the corners are rounded. The last four pages are perforated. The first two have large boxes for icon drawing reference, the third has small boxes, and the last is blank to use as a blotter. I forgot to take pictures of these pages, but you can see them on the Ideabook website.
The front and back end pages contain a brief introduction to the Sketchnote method, including the five basic elements of drawing and Sketchnoting patterns. Having easy access to these instructions is helpful.
The design of the "This Book Belongs To" page isn't appealing, with the "Reward for Return" (as if) and the drawing of Mike Rohde. Sorry, Mike. I'm sure you're a great guy, but I don't really want your likeness in my notebook.
Although the paper is thick and smooth, it's not meant for fountain pens. In my tests with eleven pens and inks, I found that, although the ink didn't bleed through much, it did feather.
Ink swabbing also demonstrated that this paper isn't meant for fountain pens. The colors of the eight inks I tested are crisp, but the paper absorbs the ink and doesn't exhibit any sheen or shading. Plus, the inks bled through slightly, and the paper puckers. Although the Ideabook website says, "You'll love this paper," I don't love it--not for fountain pens, anyway.
I tested a variety of non-fountain pens. The paper handled them well, with the exception of the Sharpie Magnum, but no one expects mega-Sharpies not to bleed. The fine point Sharpie didn't bleed through at all.
I used my Lamy 2000 (fine nib) inked with Iroshizuku Kiri-Same to try my hand at Sketchnoting. First, I practiced the five basic elements of drawing.
Then I watched a YouTube video by DAS Bookbinding on how to case bind a hand-sewn book. For the first two-page spread, I used the Radial Notetaking method. My pages turned out pretty messy, and I had to stop the video several times to write down the details I wanted. The Sketchnote method didn't hinder me. Rather, the instructions in the video were given too quickly for me to keep up. During lulls in the video, I added little pictures of the tools required and utilized some of the recommended drawing methods.
I varied my note taking methods during the course of the video. On my third page, I used the Vertical Notes method.
For the fourth page I used the Path Notetaking method.
I've always been a visual notetaker. I doodled in the margins while taking notes in school, but I never thought to incorporate doodles into the note taking itself. The Sketchnote method combines note taking with simple drawings to create a visual result. This is especially helpful when you're trying to retain information because drawing and writing create pathways to your brain.
I am, however, very much tied to words, and the Sketchnote method emphasizes writing only the main points, not all the details. I can't take notes that way. I need the details, such as the measuring formulas given in the video I watched. With practice I think I could let go of writing full sentences and focus more on using key words and drawings. I'm going to continue using my Ideabook while watching bookbinding videos to practice sketchnoting. But I will switch to a ballpoint pen or pencil instead of a fountain pen.
You can purchase the Sketchnote Ideabook at Airship Notebooks for $24.00 plus shipping.
(Airship Notebooks provided this notebook free of charge for Pen Addict to review. This post also contains Amazon affiliate links.)
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