{"id":40404,"date":"2023-04-11T07:10:50","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T11:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=40404"},"modified":"2023-04-11T07:10:50","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T11:10:50","slug":"second-thoughts-on-a-cheap-sketchbook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/04\/11\/second-thoughts-on-a-cheap-sketchbook\/","title":{"rendered":"Second Thoughts on a Cheap Sketchbook…"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I may get my $3.25<\/em> worth out of the terrible little sketchbook<\/a> from discount chain Five Below<\/em> after all. I have stubbornly refused to put it aside, and I continue to doodle in it as I sit on the couch with a cat and a spouse. It’s been more miss than hit, but I have managed to make a few drawings I am happy with. Pencil still comes out an uninspired gray on its cut-rate pages and ink is an unmitigated disaster as it bleeds, but the water soluble graphite pencils are not too bad. It does not qualify as a Sketchbook from Heaven<\/em>, but I am determined to use it up. Waste not, want not.<\/p>\n

As you can see I have felt the need to encrust the cover with stickers. I couldn’t stand the study hall attempt at Manga<\/em> that was printed on the cover.<\/p>\n

\"PUNCHenstein\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"monster-rumble\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

I won’t be buying another one of these HQ Fine Stroke Sketch Draw <\/em>after this one is spent. I think I’ll chase down some nicer pads that can handle medias wet and dry and can take a nice rich black from my pencils. We shall see!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I may get my $3.25 worth out of the terrible little sketchbook from discount chain Five Below after all. I have stubbornly refused to put it aside, and I continue to doodle in it as I sit on the couch … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4953,49,16],"tags":[4274,310,5597,3661,2034,5,391,3663,25,480],"class_list":["post-40404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doodle-tuesday","category-it-came-from-the-sketchbook","category-sketch","tag-cheap","tag-doodle","tag-five-below","tag-illustration","tag-it-came-from-the-sketchbook-2","tag-joe-williams","tag-monsters","tag-sketch","tag-sketchbook","tag-usa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-avG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":43116,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2024\/04\/09\/tuesday-doodle-stubborn-strathmore-sketchbook\/","url_meta":{"origin":40404,"position":0},"title":"Tuesday Doodle \u2022 Stubborn Strathmore Sketchbook","author":"Joe","date":"April 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I finally killed off a small Strathmore sketchbook that was lying around the house. It was picked up years ago while it was most likely on sale. The price was probably too good to resist. I honestly don't remember. It had some notes scratched in it along with arithmetic, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Doodle Tuesday"","block_context":{"text":"Doodle Tuesday","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/doodle-tuesday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfortunate-strathmore-sketch.jpg?fit=800%2C1036&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfortunate-strathmore-sketch.jpg?fit=800%2C1036&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfortunate-strathmore-sketch.jpg?fit=800%2C1036&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/unfortunate-strathmore-sketch.jpg?fit=800%2C1036&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45192,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/06\/03\/a-doodle-for-a-tuesday\/","url_meta":{"origin":40404,"position":1},"title":"A Doodle for a Tuesday","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"June 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A scribble in a cheap sketchbook...","rel":"","context":"In "Doodle Tuesday"","block_context":{"text":"Doodle Tuesday","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/doodle-tuesday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/family-court.jpg?fit=640%2C1162&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/family-court.jpg?fit=640%2C1162&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/family-court.jpg?fit=640%2C1162&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40462,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/04\/18\/hacking-away-at-a-cheap-sketchbook\/","url_meta":{"origin":40404,"position":2},"title":"Hacking Away at a Cheap Sketchbook","author":"Joe","date":"April 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I continue to throw graphite at the unwilling little sketchbook of which I have written about lately. I've had no evidence of anything close to supernatural brilliance bubbling up from the pad's cheap little pages, but I continue to make a go of it. I'm using it as a sketchbook\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Doodle Tuesday"","block_context":{"text":"Doodle Tuesday","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/doodle-tuesday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Get-the-point.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Get-the-point.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Get-the-point.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38860,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2022\/09\/13\/tuesday-doodle-not-fast-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":40404,"position":3},"title":"Tuesday Doodle – Not Fast Enough","author":"Joe","date":"September 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Today's doodle is another one I did sitting on the couch while watching television. It was drawn in a 6 inch by 9 inch sketchbook manufactured in India for Ticonderoga and was sold at Target. It's got a wire binding which I prefer and an unusual heavy plastic cover that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Doodle Tuesday"","block_context":{"text":"Doodle Tuesday","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/doodle-tuesday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Not_Fast_Enough.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Not_Fast_Enough.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Not_Fast_Enough.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Not_Fast_Enough.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39669,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2022\/12\/13\/more-monsters-in-a-cheap-sketchbook\/","url_meta":{"origin":40404,"position":4},"title":"More Monsters in a Cheap Sketchbook","author":"Joe","date":"December 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been drawing monsters in front of the TV set for as long as I can remember, and it seems the trend continues as of late as I finish my evenings watching trash television and doodling in a cheap sketchbook.","rel":"","context":"In "Doodle Tuesday"","block_context":{"text":"Doodle Tuesday","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/doodle-tuesday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BANG.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BANG.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/BANG.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40370,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/04\/04\/a-sketchbook-not-from-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":40404,"position":5},"title":"A Sketchbook Not from Heaven","author":"Joe","date":"April 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The sketchbook made for the shelves of Philadelphia based discount chain Five Below is coming in below my expectations. I've had a lot of luck with the cheap, juvenile sketchbooks that I have received as gifts from Target, but they have not carried them in years. I think the Out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Doodle Tuesday"","block_context":{"text":"Doodle Tuesday","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/doodle-tuesday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_0908-205x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Teenage-Werewolf-at-the-Reunion.jpg?fit=640%2C578&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}