Dixon Ticonderoga UCreate — a Decent Little Sketchbook!

The Teenage Beast prior to entering his more monstrous manifestation.

I’ve used UCreate sketchbooks manufactured by Dixon Ticonderoga a couple of times before in recent years, and I have just finished off my third. They are affordably priced and are readily available at Target and Walmart. The quality of the paper is consistent, and, best of all, they take ink very nicely. I would certainly have grabbed another one if it weren’t for Tina discovering the Pen+Gear Create a Cover Sketch Diary from Walmart which I wrote about last week. Once I burn through Tina’s new find, I will probably buy another one, but if for some reason they vanish from the shelves, I will make out just fine with another Ticonderoga UCreate.

As I wrote above, the Ticonderoga sketchbook took ink very well. It doesn’t bleed or show through to the next page. This sketchbook combined with my beloved Sailor Fude De Mannen fountain pens has afforded me the opportunity to draw more finished and thus more satisfying works rather than the tentative pencil doodles I have been scratching in sketchbooks for years. The pen and ink drawings are more deliberate and more finished.

It’s nice to have access to tools that I can count on. My search for the perfect, cheap sketchbook has been more miss than hit. For instance, the pair of Fuxi sketchbooks were terrible, and proved the adage “you get what you pay for.” I think now with the Ticonderoga and the Pen+Gear sketchbooks, I have found the niche where quality and affordability meet. Of course, I will rely on the better known name brands of art materials such as Canson and Fabriano in order to do more finished works, but these sketchbooks from the big box retailers have turned out to be great for experimentation and fun.

Below is a gallery of some of the pen and ink works I have produced in this little sketchbook. You can click on the icons for a larger view and swipe through the images or use the arrow keys if you’re using a keyboard.

The first three drawings are a miscellany, and the rest all have to do with The Teenage Beast story. I placed the Beast drawings in the order in which they occur in the story. It sort of helps me as a story board would. I am still in the process of doing a hand-written outline and the drawings expand upon what I have written. I’m also working out what the characters look like and having a lot of fun. Inking is weirdly relaxing.

Dixon Ticonderoga UCreate Sketchbook, 6-inch by 9-inch
March 9, 2025 — September 27, 2025

©2025 Joe Williams