Stillman and Birn in State College (PA)

When I left home I didn't go directly to Pittsburgh.  Instead I took an adventurous detour to Allentown to check out Dick Blick's store.

What a grand adventure, to be reported on later.  However, they did not have all the supplies I had on my wish list.

Coming back I took a different but my familiar route by way of State College.  I got into town early, had a marvelous Indian buffet lunch at Kaarma (120 East Beaver Street) and checked out Uncle Eli's, State College's art store.

And yes, they had Stillman & Birn on display front and center.  I bought me a small Alpha like the one I have nearly finished.

Stillman and Birn Blind Tests

Imitating Eric Carle

Left Side: Epsilon sketch paper, Right Side: Alpha sketch paper

The scientist that lives within couldn't resist.

The paper samples I received from Mr. Kalman got folded in half and made into a temporary pamphlet sketchbook, held together by a ribbon.  I didn't take note of which papers were where, I didn't read the writing on any of the samples and just did some work on each of them as they appeared in the random order they got placed into a loose signature.

I worked in various media: Ecoline watercolour ink*; transparent watercolour of various brands;  LuminArt colour; pastel and charcoal; various fountain pen inks; Pentel brush pen and one nasty swipe with a Sharpie (one and only nasty).

As it turned out, it made the testing more fun and a surprise.


Alpha, natural white, vellum, 100 lbs/150 g/m, hard or wire bound has proved itself durable and useful for most media, including wet.  I've been using one with pleasure.

Beta, natural white, rough, 180lbs/270 g/m, wire bound only is a heavy weight paper that responds well to dry and wet media.

Beta, Ecoline watercolor ink with Noodlers Flex pen and Brown 41 ink

Beta, LuminArte colour pots and Preppy fountain pen

Delta, ivory, rough, 180lbs/270 g/m, wire bound only is extremely sturdy and can probably be used for any medium.  I may try some gesso and acrylic to see if it responds well to a heavier application.

Epsilon, natural white, plate, 100 lbs/150 g/m, hard or wire bound may need further testing but performed adequately with wet media.

Gamma, ivory, vellum, 100 lbs/150 g/m, hardbound continues to please (see post here) and although my book is small has proved itself adaptable to dry and wet media.

I have no reservations recommending any one of these sketchbooks, with the caveat that you select one that suits your drawing, sketching and painting style.  The single interruption to a perfect score was the Sharpie which bled through onto the back of the Alpha drawing above (Eric Carle, watercolour and pastel) and we know that Sharpies are notorious for bleeding.

For more about these sketchbooks, see the Stillman and Birn site here.   Now available at Wet Paint (Minneapolis); Utrecht and Flax and other suppliers being added (I see from a Google search).

NB - Not all tests appear in this post.
* Ecoline watercolour ink is lovely, but apparently not available in the States.  I bought two bottles from Quietfire Designs in Canada.  Suzanne Cannon, the proprietor, and I have been online friends for about ten years and I love giving her business.

Stillman and Birn Sketchbooks

A few weeks ago I asked Mr. Kalman for some paper samples and he kindly included a small 4"" x 6 Gamma sketchbook.  I have been using it regularly to sketch some florals in and out of the house.

It is 100 lb/150 g/m vellum paper that appears to take pen, pencil, ink and watercolour washes without difficulty.  It is a strong ivory colour and pleasant on the eye after adding line.  The sketchbook contains 62 sheets/124 pages.  It appears both sides of the paper can be used without much bleed through or reveal.

 Orchid on dining room table,

Stillman and Birn Gamma 4x6 sketchbook

drawn with Safari (F) pen and J. Herbin Noire ink

I like the feel of the book, the paper and even the size, but this small version does not lay flat as you an see from the photo above.  I understand that the larger versions do.

The US based company has four other lines:  Alpha, Beta, Delta and Epsilon, each with different paper.

I hope to test drive my paper samples in the coming days and report back on their response to my usual media.

These sketchbooks are available at Utrecht and Wet Paint;  Stillman and Birn have a good looking web site describing their origin and their papers.