Daler-Rowney is one of the oldest names in British art materials, and its sketchbooks sit on the shelves of nearly every art store in the US and UK. That ubiquity raises a fair question: are Daler-Rowney sketchbooks good, or just easy to find? The honest answer depends on which line you pick up, because the brand makes everything from cheap school pads to heavyweight hardbacks that handle light washes. This guide breaks down the main lines, what their paper is built for, where they fall short, and how to match one to the way you actually work.
Quick answer: Yes, Daler-Rowney sketchbooks are good for dry media and everyday sketching, and their heavier lines are a solid value for pen, pencil, charcoal and light marker work. Most of their general sketchbooks use wood-pulp cartridge paper rather than cotton, so they buckle under heavy watercolor. For real wet painting, use their dedicated watercolor pads or a sketchbook made for wet media.
Are Daler-Rowney Sketchbooks Good? The Short Verdict by Use
“Good” means different things to a pencil sketcher, an urban sketcher with a pocket watercolor set, and a student filling pages for class. Daler-Rowney covers all three, but no single book covers them equally well. The table below summarizes how the brand’s typical sketchbook paper behaves with common media.
| Medium | How standard Daler-Rowney cartridge sketchbooks usually handle it | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Graphite pencil | Smooth-to-light tooth, erases cleanly, takes layering well | Strong fit |
| Charcoal and pastel | Works for quick studies; limited tooth for many layers | Fine for sketching |
| Ink and fineliners | Crisp lines on heavier books; thinner pages may show through | Strong fit |
| Alcohol markers | Bleed-through on most cartridge paper; use a protective sheet | Workable with care |
| Light watercolor washes | Heavier books cope with small, light washes; cockling is likely | Acceptable |
| Heavy watercolor or wet-in-wet | Paper buckles, pills when scrubbed, dries unevenly | Poor fit |
| Gouache and acrylic | Thin layers on heavy pages only; thick paint warps the sheet | Limited |
So the verdict splits cleanly: excellent everyday dry-media books, acceptable mixed-use books, and not a substitute for proper watercolor paper. If painting is your main goal, compare options in our guide to the best sketchbooks for painting, which focuses on paper that can take water.
The Main Daler-Rowney Sketchbook Lines
Daler-Rowney’s range changes over time and differs between markets, so always check the label for current paper weight and format. Broadly, the lines fall into four tiers.
Ebony: the heavyweight all-rounder
The Ebony series is the one most artists mean when they recommend the brand. It is a hardbound or spiral book with a black cover and heavyweight, acid-free cartridge paper, commonly listed at around 150gsm. That weight is enough to stop most fineliner ink from ghosting and lets you lay a light watercolor wash without the page turning to tissue.
The paper has a smooth-to-medium surface that suits graphite, ink and colored pencil. It is still a cartridge paper, though, not a watercolor sheet. Expect gentle waviness after wet work and avoid scrubbing.
Graduate: the student-friendly option
The Graduate range targets students and hobbyists who want a dependable book at a lower price. Paper weight is usually lighter than Ebony, and the surface is fine for pencil, pen and marker studies. It is a sensible choice for a class that burns through pages quickly.
Simply: the budget everyday pad
Simply sketchbooks and pads are Daler-Rowney’s entry-level line. They are made for practice volume rather than finished work. Use them for gesture drawing, thumbnails and warm-up sketches, and do not expect them to handle wet media.
Specialist pads: Aquafine, black paper and more
Beyond sketchbooks, the brand makes media-specific pads. Aquafine watercolor pads are the relevant one for painters: they use a heavier watercolor paper built to take washes, though the paper is generally wood-pulp based rather than 100% cotton. Daler-Rowney has also sold black-paper sketchbooks for white pencil, pastel and metallic pens. These specialist pads are a better match for painting than any general sketchbook in the range.
What Daler-Rowney Does Well
- Consistency. Paper quality within a line tends to be predictable from book to book, which matters if you keep a long-term sketchbook practice.
- Acid-free paper on main lines. Acid-free stock resists yellowing and brittleness better than cheap newsprint pads, so studies age more gracefully.
- Durable bindings. The hardback books generally open flat enough for two-page spreads and survive being carried in a bag.
- Wide availability. You can replace a finished book with the same paper easily, which keeps your sketchbook shelf consistent.
- Format choice. Pocket, A5, A4 and larger sizes, landscape and portrait, spiral and stitched bindings.
Where They Fall Short
- Wood-pulp paper. Cotton paper holds water in its fibers and dries flat; wood-pulp cartridge paper swells and cockles. That is a material limit, not a quality defect, but it matters for painters.
- Sizing for water. General sketch paper is not heavily sized for wet media, so washes can sink in and look dull, and lifting color is hard.
- Marker bleed. Alcohol markers soak straight through cartridge paper, so you lose the back of each page unless you work on one side.
- Surface tooth. Pastel artists may find the tooth too fine to hold many layers.
Daler-Rowney vs Other Common Sketchbook Choices
Rather than ranking brands, it helps to compare paper types, since that is what decides how a page performs.
| Book type | Typical paper | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daler-Rowney Ebony-style cartridge book | Heavy cartridge, wood pulp | Pencil, ink, light washes | Buckling with heavy water |
| Mixed media sketchbook | Heavier, sized sheets around 200gsm+ | Ink, marker, gouache, light acrylic | Can still cockle with wet-in-wet |
| Watercolor sketchbook (cellulose) | Watercolor paper, often 300gsm | Washes, glazing practice | Less forgiving with lifting than cotton |
| Watercolor sketchbook (100% cotton) | Cotton rag, 300gsm | Serious wet painting | Higher price per page |
| Toned or black paper book | Colored stock | Highlights, white pencil, gouache | Transparent media disappear |
How to Get the Best Out of a Daler-Rowney Sketchbook
If you already own one, or prefer the feel of the paper, a few habits extend what it can do.
- Keep washes small and light. A wash covering a quarter of the page cockles far less than a full-bleed sky. Use less water and more pigment.
- Tape the page edges. Low-tack tape around the area you paint reduces curling and gives a clean border.
- Work on one side when using markers or heavy ink. Treat the reverse as a casualty and slip a scrap sheet behind the page.
- Press after painting. Close the book under a few heavy books once the page is fully dry to flatten mild buckling.
- Prime pages for paint. A thin coat of clear gesso or acrylic matte medium seals the page and lets it accept gouache or acrylic with less warping. Let it dry completely before painting.
- Use a fixative on charcoal and soft pastel. Facing pages rub against each other and smudge loose media, so fix spreads or add tissue between them.
Which Artists Should Buy a Daler-Rowney Sketchbook?
Good fit
- Pencil and ink sketchers who want reliable, affordable paper.
- Art students who need a sturdy book for class assignments and visual journals.
- Urban sketchers who mostly draw and add only small touches of color.
- Anyone building a daily drawing habit who wants many pages without worrying about cost.
Better served elsewhere
- Watercolor painters who work wet-in-wet or with large washes.
- Gouache and acrylic painters who want flat, sealed pages without prep.
- Alcohol marker artists who need bleed-resistant paper.
- Soft pastel artists who need heavy tooth.
Is Daler-Rowney Good for Watercolor?
This is the most common follow-up question, and it needs a careful answer. The general sketchbooks are not watercolor books. They can take a light wash on the heavier pages, but the paper will ripple, colors will look duller than on proper watercolor paper, and techniques such as lifting, glazing many layers or wet-in-wet blooms behave poorly.
Daler-Rowney’s watercolor products, such as Aquafine, are a different story. They are actual watercolor paper with proper sizing, so washes flow and dry more evenly. For a painting-focused book, look for paper listed at around 300gsm (140lb) and, if your budget allows, cotton content. Our roundup of painting sketchbooks compares books built for that kind of wet work.
Common Mistakes When Choosing a Sketchbook From This Brand
- Buying by cover, not paper. Several lines look similar. Read the paper weight and intended media on the label before you buy.
- Assuming “heavyweight” means watercolor-ready. Heavy for a cartridge paper is still light compared with watercolor paper.
- Ignoring binding. Spiral books lie flat and let you fold back a page; stitched hardbacks look neater but can resist opening fully in the first weeks.
- Choosing too large a size. A book you never carry gets used less. Many people sketch more in an A5 or smaller format.
Paper Weight Explained in Plain Numbers
Paper weight is listed in grams per square meter (gsm) or in pounds (lb). Higher numbers mean thicker, sturdier sheets. Here is how weight typically relates to use:
- Under 100gsm: practice and layout paper. Pencil only, quick ideas.
- 110 to 150gsm: standard cartridge sketchbooks. Pencil, pen, charcoal, small washes on the heavier end.
- 160 to 250gsm: mixed media paper. Markers, ink washes, gouache in moderation.
- 300gsm (140lb) and up: watercolor paper. Proper washes and layered painting.
Most Daler-Rowney general sketchbooks sit in the second band, which explains both their strengths and their limits.
A Five-Minute Test for Any New Sketchbook
Paper behaves differently with every artist’s tools, so the most reliable review is the one you run yourself. Use the last page of a new book, where a failed test will not spoil anything, and work through this sequence.
- Pencil and eraser. Shade a small patch with a soft pencil such as a 4B, then erase half of it. Good sketch paper releases most of the graphite without the surface roughening or tearing.
- Ink line. Draw a few lines with your usual pen, wait a minute, then run a finger across them. Smearing suggests the paper is too slick for that ink; feathering suggests it is too absorbent.
- Show-through. Turn the page and hold it to a window. Faint ghosting is normal on cartridge paper; dark, crisp shadows mean you will want to work one side only.
- Water drop. Brush a square of clean water about the size of a postage stamp. Note how fast it sinks in and how much the page lifts as it dries.
- Light wash. Lay one small wash of watercolor next to the water square and let it dry flat. Check whether the color looks bright or dull and whether the edges dried hard or blotchy.
Five minutes of testing tells you more than any spec sheet. A Daler-Rowney book that passes the first three tests but struggles with the last two is doing exactly what cartridge paper is designed to do, and you can plan your media around it.
FAQs
Are Daler-Rowney sketchbooks acid-free?
The main sketchbook lines are generally sold as acid-free, which helps drawings resist yellowing. Check the cover or label of the specific book, since budget pads may differ.
Is the Daler-Rowney Ebony sketchbook good for markers?
It works with water-based markers and fineliners. Alcohol markers will bleed through to the back of the page, so place a scrap sheet behind your work and use one side only.
Can you use acrylic paint in a Daler-Rowney sketchbook?
You can use thin acrylic on the heavier pages, especially if you seal them first with gesso or matte medium. Thick acrylic will warp the page and may stick facing pages together, so let each spread dry fully before closing.
Is Daler-Rowney a good brand for beginners?
Yes. Its sketchbooks are affordable, consistent and easy to find, which makes them a low-risk way to build a drawing habit. Beginners interested mainly in watercolor should start with a watercolor pad instead.
What is the difference between Ebony and Graduate sketchbooks?
Ebony is the heavier, more premium general sketchbook and copes better with ink and light washes. Graduate is a lighter, more budget-friendly book aimed at students and frequent practice.
Do Daler-Rowney sketchbooks lie flat?
Spiral-bound versions lie fully flat. Hardbound books open flat enough for most drawing and loosen further with use, but they may need a little pressure along the spine when new.
Next Step
Daler-Rowney sketchbooks earn their reputation as dependable, reasonably priced books for drawing, ink and light color. Treat them as dry-media workhorses, use their watercolor pads for real washes, and you will rarely be disappointed. If your sketchbook is going to hold paint more often than pencil, see our top sketchbook picks for painters and beginners to find paper built to stay flat under water.
