{"id":41357,"date":"2023-09-05T07:29:23","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T11:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=41357"},"modified":"2023-09-05T07:45:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T11:45:57","slug":"killing-off-the-birthday-sketchbook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/09\/05\/killing-off-the-birthday-sketchbook\/","title":{"rendered":"Killing Off the Birthday Sketchbook"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Ticonderoga Tablet<\/p><\/div>\n

I finished up the Ticonderoga UCreate<\/em> tablet that I received as a birthday gift this past fall. I’ve used these sketchbooks before<\/a>, and the price and size are right, but they just aren’t as special as the mysterious Sketchbooks from Heaven<\/em><\/a>. I kept the sketchbook at hand, but what I scribbled within seemed tentative and uninspired. It was the usual doodles of misfits, monsters and miscreants. I made some OK drawings in it, but nothing got me all too excited. I probably won’t get another one of these unless someone gives me one. In which case, it wouldn’t be a terrible scratchpad or notebook.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Atomic <\/a>
Atomic Warrior 08\/31\/2023 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Mullet <\/a>
Mullet and a beer <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Brush <\/a>
Brush pen monster <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"gray <\/a>
gray brush pen face <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bathing <\/a>
Bathing beauty. Spotted at the Ridgway pool and drawn from memory. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I’ve already purchased a pair of cheap sketchbooks as a replacement. They are the same size and shape as the other small sketchbooks I’ve been working through over the past several years, but these new pads bear the unfortunate name of Fuxi<\/em>. They are from China as are most of these tablets, and I have not tried them out as of this writing. Time will tell whether they are magic or trash.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

I finished up the Ticonderoga UCreate tablet that I received as a birthday gift this past fall. I’ve used these sketchbooks before, and the price and size are right, but they just aren’t as special as the mysterious Sketchbooks from … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[49],"tags":[158,4542,310,3661,5,23,5655,3663,25,480],"class_list":["post-41357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-it-came-from-the-sketchbook","tag-analog","tag-cheap-sketchbook","tag-doodle","tag-illustration","tag-joe-williams","tag-monster","tag-scratch-pad","tag-sketch","tag-sketchbook","tag-usa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-aL3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45995,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/09\/30\/dixon-ticonderoga-ucreate-a-decent-little-sketchbook\/","url_meta":{"origin":41357,"position":0},"title":"Dixon Ticonderoga UCreate — a Decent Little Sketchbook!","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"September 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"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\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\/2025\/09\/Punky-Larry-Hughes-e1759166265768.jpg?fit=640%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Punky-Larry-Hughes-e1759166265768.jpg?fit=640%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Punky-Larry-Hughes-e1759166265768.jpg?fit=640%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45103,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/05\/13\/tiptoe-through-the-sketchbooks\/","url_meta":{"origin":41357,"position":1},"title":"Tiptoe through the Sketchbooks","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"May 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Having finished up the Canson XL Mixed Media Sketchbook, I am working here and there in a few different sketchbooks. The subject is still The Teenage Beast. As far as discount sketchbooks, the Ucreate sketchbook from Ticonderoga is a pretty decent pad of paper. I like how it takes inks.\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\/2025\/05\/detail-Coming-Through-Part-Two.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/detail-Coming-Through-Part-Two.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/detail-Coming-Through-Part-Two.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46109,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/10\/14\/pengear-sketchbooks-not-all-are-winners\/","url_meta":{"origin":41357,"position":2},"title":"Pen+Gear Sketchbooks: Not All Are Winners","author":"Joe","date":"October 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been working on notions of what the final scenes of my Teenage Beast story will be like, sketching ideas in my Pen+Gear Sketch Diary. As I have written before, that sketchbook is a gem as far as price and quality. The paper handles ink nicely, soaking it up without\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\/2025\/10\/detail-Underlit-from-the-Pit.jpg?fit=900%2C481&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/detail-Underlit-from-the-Pit.jpg?fit=900%2C481&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/detail-Underlit-from-the-Pit.jpg?fit=900%2C481&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/detail-Underlit-from-the-Pit.jpg?fit=900%2C481&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38860,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2022\/09\/13\/tuesday-doodle-not-fast-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":41357,"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":41914,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2023\/11\/08\/what-the-fuxi\/","url_meta":{"origin":41357,"position":4},"title":"What the Fuxi?","author":"Joe","date":"November 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"After killing off my last cheap sketchbook which was from Ticonderoga and is readily available as of this writing, I shopped around for a replacement. I am usually gifted or accidentally fall across the scratchpads that have become the Sketchbooks from Heaven. I'm not sure if actively seeking out the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "It Came From the Sketchbook"","block_context":{"text":"It Came From the Sketchbook","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pair-o-fuxi.jpg?fit=700%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pair-o-fuxi.jpg?fit=700%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pair-o-fuxi.jpg?fit=700%2C563&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pair-o-fuxi.jpg?fit=700%2C563&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24433,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2018\/10\/02\/another-cheap-sketchbook-bites-the-dust\/","url_meta":{"origin":41357,"position":5},"title":"Another Cheap Sketchbook Bites the Dust","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"October 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Llama Sketchbook: December 27, 2017 to September 29, 2018 Well, at least there is a llama beneath the stickers. In the back and forth of my commutes, my sketchbooks take a beating so I encrust them with whatever stickers I may find. This wasn't quite as good as the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "It Came From the Sketchbook"","block_context":{"text":"It Came From the Sketchbook","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/it-came-from-the-sketchbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/heaven-2-electric-boogaloo.jpg?fit=640%2C421&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/heaven-2-electric-boogaloo.jpg?fit=640%2C421&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/heaven-2-electric-boogaloo.jpg?fit=640%2C421&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41357","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=41357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41357\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}