{"id":45923,"date":"2025-09-23T00:25:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T04:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/?p=45923"},"modified":"2025-09-23T00:25:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T04:25:04","slug":"the-frugal-review-the-pengear-sketch-diary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/09\/23\/the-frugal-review-the-pengear-sketch-diary\/","title":{"rendered":"The Frugal Review \u2022 The Pen+Gear Sketch Diary"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A pen-and-ink drawing of the Teenage Beast in a variation of its final demonic form. Done with pencil and pen, it was my first test of this sketchbook, and the paper didn\u2019t let me down.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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<\/em><\/strong> She\u2019s got a knack for spotting art supplies that work better than their price suggests<\/a>. Case in point: the Pen+Gear Create a Cover Sketch Diary<\/em> she grabbed for me at Walmart for under five bucks.<\/p>\n

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The Pen+Gear Sketch Diary\u2014$5 and ready for my next masterpiece (or at least some decent doodles).<\/p><\/div>\n

I recently suffered severe sticker shock at my local art supply store while shopping for gifts. I figured I\u2019d grab a small sketchpad for myself, but the princely sum they demanded stopped me cold. I grumbled to Tina about going without, and with that lament in mind, she spotted this gem during a routine grocery run. That\u2019s what brings us to today\u2019s review\u2014a budget sketchbook that punches way above its weight.<\/p>\n

The Backstory: Sticker Shock and Salvation
\n<\/strong>The art store incident left me skeptical about finding quality on a budget. I\u2019m no stranger to overpriced supplies\u2014pads from Strathmore, Fabriano or Canson now cost an arm and a leg, and while they\u2019re great, my wallet wasn\u2019t ready to commit. Enter Tina, my bargain-hunting hero, who snagged the Pen+Gear Sketch Diary<\/em> for a price that barely dented her grocery budget. At 8.5″ x 11″ with 70 sheets of unlined 80 GSM (grams per square meter) paper, it\u2019s beefier than a dollar-store notepad and comes with a customizable clear cover pocket. I slid in a color copy of my work to make it mine, and suddenly, this $5 book looked like it belonged in my studio.<\/p>\n

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

\n
\n

\"\"Tools of the Trade: Pencils and Pens<\/strong>
\nI kicked things off with Pilot Sky Blue leads in a 0.7mm mechanical pencil\u2014a nod to the non-repro blue leads of yesteryear, which are getting harder to find. Back in the analog days, light blue was king for preliminary sketches since it didn\u2019t show up in reproductions. Now, in the digital age, I just love the aesthetic of those soft blue lines. They feel right, like a warm-up for the chaos to come.<\/p>\n

For inking, I reached for my trusty Sailor Fude De Mannen<\/em> fountain pen\u2014hands down my favorite tool. I used to overlook these, assuming they were strictly for calligraphers, but they\u2019re a game-changer for artists. Unlike technical pens with their rigid line weights, the Fude De Mannen\u2019s flexible nib gives me wonderfully varied lines, from whisper-thin to bold and expressive. Technical pens — my former weapons of choice — were reliable but lacked soul, and dip pens? Don\u2019t get me started. Crow quills and their ilk had character but came with a side of ink blobs and smudges\u2014patience-testers I didn\u2019t have time for. Brushes? I love them, but I\u2019m a brush murderer. They fray, split, and lose that pristine line faster than I can say \u201cwhoops, knocked over the ink bottle again.\u201d (Yes, I\u2019ve done that. Multiple times.)<\/p>\n

\"\"

Sailor Fude De Mannen Fountain Pen with 55\u00ba Nib<\/p><\/div>\n

The Sailor Fude De Mannen<\/em> is my sweet spot\u2014expressive, forgiving, and no ink bottles to tip over which is perfect because I do a lot of my work on a sofa or on the go. But a great pen is only half the equation; it needs paper that can keep up.<\/p>\n

The Star: Pen+Gear Sketch Diary
\n<\/strong>This sketchbook is a revelation. I don\u2019t know if the paper is archival, whether it\u2019s bleached wood pulp or has any cotton (rag) content, but frankly, I don\u2019t care\u2014it performs like a dream. At 80 GSM, it\u2019s thicker than I expected for the price, and it handles ink like a champ. I braced for the usual cheap-paper pitfalls\u2014bleeding, feathering, or ghosting\u2014but the Pen+Gear laughed in the face of my skepticism. My fountain pen glided smoothly, laying down crisp lines without a hint of feathering. For the Teenage Beast<\/em> drawing, I piled on juicy outlines and dense cross-hatching, fully expecting to see ink seeping through to the next page. Nope. The paper held firm without bleeding.<\/p>\n

Why It\u2019s a Steal
\n<\/strong>For under five bucks, this sketchbook delivers where it counts. It\u2019s not going to outshine a a premium cotton rag pad, but it doesn\u2019t need to. It\u2019s a workhorse for daily sketching, brainstorming, or unleashing demonic creatures in ink. Compared to pricier brands, it holds its own for pencil and ink work, and the price is right. It made this miser happy.<\/p>\n

The Verdict: A Budget Monster<\/strong>
\nTina\u2019s find is a keeper. The Pen+Gear Sketch Diary<\/em> is proof you don\u2019t need to break the bank for a reliable sketchbook. It took everything my Sailor Fude De Mannen<\/em> and I threw at it and begged for more. Next time you\u2019re at Walmart, grab one, pop your own art in the cover, and go wild.<\/p>\n

Got a favorite budget art supply? Spill the beans in the comments\u2014I\u2019m always on the hunt for the next great steal.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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

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 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":45929,"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":[4953,7,49,4,700,16,26,318],"tags":[6016,6022,1715,6019,6012,6008,6023,310,907,6014,6020,6028,5,5074,23,5573,6021,4866,6011,6015,5907,3663,25,6013,6018,5937,6017],"class_list":["post-45923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doodle-tuesday","category-illustration","category-it-came-from-the-sketchbook","category-news","category-pixels-versus-pigment","category-sketch","category-stuff-joe-likes","category-technique","tag-affordable-art","tag-art-on-a-budget","tag-art-supplies","tag-artist-tools","tag-budget-sketchbook","tag-cheap-art-supplies","tag-creative-supplies","tag-doodle","tag-drawing","tag-drawing-paper","tag-frugal-art","tag-illustrated-story","tag-joe-williams","tag-mechanical-pencil","tag-monster","tag-non-repro-blue","tag-paper-quality","tag-pen-and-ink","tag-pengear-sketch-diary","tag-pencil-sketching","tag-sailor-fude-de-mannen","tag-sketch","tag-sketchbook","tag-sketchbook-review","tag-sketching","tag-teenage-beast","tag-walmart-art-supplies"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Walmart-Sketchbook-1st-drawing-det.jpg?fit=800%2C357&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1ed1x-bWH","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":45923,"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":46109,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/10\/14\/pengear-sketchbooks-not-all-are-winners\/","url_meta":{"origin":45923,"position":1},"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":46763,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/12\/31\/the-last-of-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":45923,"position":2},"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":44824,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/04\/01\/a-doodle-tuesday-miscellany\/","url_meta":{"origin":45923,"position":3},"title":"A Doodle Tuesday Miscellany","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"April 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I used to work in art supply stores, and what I sorely miss -- probably the only thing I miss of that experience -- is the art supplies. I still love them and it's hard to pry me free from a decent art supply store. I can't walk out of\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\/01\/Canson-XL-mixed.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Canson-XL-mixed.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Canson-XL-mixed.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46177,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/10\/21\/the-beast-of-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":45923,"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":46201,"url":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/2025\/10\/28\/47-fewer-shades-of-gray\/","url_meta":{"origin":45923,"position":5},"title":"47 Fewer Shades of Gray","author":"Joe_Williams","date":"October 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A monstrously monochromatic rendering of the Teenage Beast on tonal paper.","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-paper-RGB.jpg?fit=550%2C747&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-paper-RGB.jpg?fit=550%2C747&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Teenage-Beast_gray-paper-RGB.jpg?fit=550%2C747&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45923","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=45923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willceau.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}