{"id":45915,"date":"2025-09-18T11:53:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T15:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=45915"},"modified":"2025-09-18T11:56:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T15:56:55","slug":"the-cheapskate-strikes-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/09\/18\/the-cheapskate-strikes-back\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cheapskate Strikes Back!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Pen+Gear Sketch Diary\u2014just under $5 and ready for my next masterpiece (or at least some decent doodles).<\/p><\/div>\n

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<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n

Yesterday my eagle-eyed wife and co-host of this site spied the sketchbook pictured above at Walmart for just under $5. She called me to see if I was interested. I was going to tell her to leave it, but I remembered her streak of finding cheap \u201cSketchbooks from Heaven<\/a>\u201d<\/em> in big box stores. This may be another one of her miraculous finds. I decided to trust her instincts and told her to grab it. It is the Pen+Gear Create a Cover Sketch Diary. <\/em>It wasn’t the ideal size I was looking for but 8.5-inches by 11-inches was close enough.<\/p>\n

The really interesting thing about this sketchbook is that it has a plastic sleeve on its front cover so that you can insert your own art or what have you. I sort of wish all sketchbooks had this feature. I can write a detailed index of what’s inside the sketchbook or I could merely decorate it.<\/p>\n

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The Pen+Gear Sketch Diary with a color copy insert in its plastic cover<\/p><\/div>\n

I have yet to draw anything in it so I can not yet attest to the quality of the paper. I seriously doubt that it’s archival, and it may not take some medias very well without bleeding or wrinkling, but that all remains to be seen. I’ll take a crack at this sketchbook, and I will share the results. If it doesn’t work out, I have a new notebook.<\/p>\n

Stay tuned!<\/em><\/p>\n

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

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 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":45916,"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":[120,7,49,16,26,318],"tags":[6007,158,6010,6008,3661,5,6006,3663,25,480,6009],"class_list":["post-45915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curious-clutter","category-illustration","category-it-came-from-the-sketchbook","category-sketch","category-stuff-joe-likes","category-technique","tag-5-sketchbook","tag-analog","tag-big-box-store","tag-cheap-art-supplies","tag-illustration","tag-joe-williams","tag-pengear-sketchbook-review","tag-sketch","tag-sketchbook","tag-usa","tag-walmart"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PenGear-sketchbook-insert.jpg?fit=640%2C529&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-bWz","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":45915,"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":46763,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/12\/31\/the-last-of-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":45915,"position":1},"title":"The Last of 2025","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"December 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I figured I would wind up the year with another drawing of the Teenage Beast. I've been a little lax lately with the drawing as I've allowed myself to become sidetracked by my other obsession which is computers. Once I claw my way out of this particular digital rabbit hole,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Illustration"","block_context":{"text":"Illustration","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/category\/illustration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/last-of-2025-det.jpg?fit=640%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/last-of-2025-det.jpg?fit=640%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/last-of-2025-det.jpg?fit=640%2C300&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45923,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/09\/23\/the-frugal-review-the-pengear-sketch-diary\/","url_meta":{"origin":45915,"position":2},"title":"The Frugal Review \u2022 The Pen+Gear Sketch Diary","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"September 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"When my wife and co-host of this fabulous site, Tina, calls about a cheap sketchbook she\u2019s found at a big box store, I\u2019ve learned not to question her. I just say, \u201cBuy it!\u201d She\u2019s got a knack for spotting art supplies that work better than their price suggests. Case in\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\/Walmart-Sketchbook-1st-drawing-det.jpg?fit=800%2C357&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Walmart-Sketchbook-1st-drawing-det.jpg?fit=800%2C357&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Walmart-Sketchbook-1st-drawing-det.jpg?fit=800%2C357&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Walmart-Sketchbook-1st-drawing-det.jpg?fit=800%2C357&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46109,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/10\/14\/pengear-sketchbooks-not-all-are-winners\/","url_meta":{"origin":45915,"position":3},"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":46177,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/10\/21\/the-beast-of-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":45915,"position":4},"title":"The Beast of Times!","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"October 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm having the beast of times with my Pen+Gear Sketch Diary sketchbook, a gem my wife Tina unearthed for me at our local Walmart. The sturdy paper withstands the rough handling of my pencils and erasers, while its surface handles the ink from my Sailor and Pentel pens better than\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\/Teenage-Beast-Gray-web.jpg?fit=800%2C1029&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Teenage-Beast-Gray-web.jpg?fit=800%2C1029&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Teenage-Beast-Gray-web.jpg?fit=800%2C1029&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Teenage-Beast-Gray-web.jpg?fit=800%2C1029&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":253,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2009\/08\/24\/london-after-midnight\/","url_meta":{"origin":45915,"position":5},"title":"London After Midnight","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"August 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Sketchbook sketch from July of 1985 of Lon Chaney from his sadly lost London After Midnight. Done in technical pen in a Strathmore wire-bound sketchbook.","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":"London After Midnight","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/London-After-Midnight.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45915","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\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}