The Pen+Gear Sketch Diary—just under $5 and ready for my next masterpiece (or at least some decent doodles).

I was in an art supply store recently to pick up some gift items for a friend, and I thought I would pick up a smallish, mixed media, sketchbook for myself. I was thinking a 7-inch by 10-inch sketchbook would suit me well. It fits in my bag nicely and offers more drawing real estate than the tiny tablets I have been using. I was willing to settle for the less expensive store brand, but they had either pads that were too small or too large — nothing that was just right for old Baldilocks. So I started looking at the name brands of sketchbooks, and I was horrified to see that a 7-inch by 10-inch sketchbooks would eat up most of a twenty dollar bill! I decided that the paper I had at home was perfectly suitable, and I would give my wallet a break. I fled the store with the gift items and nothing else. Continue reading →