Need a new sketchbook, and repairs to my old one

[Elijya]

Several years ago when I first began collecting con sketches, I made the mistake of choosing a crappy sketchbook with hundreds of pages, low quality paper, and a shoddy binding. I put too many sketches into it and didn't want to stop, but now the cover is completely off. So I was hoping the posters here could help me with two things:

 

1. Can anyone recommend a specific, extremely nice new sketchbook? I have no problem paying decent money for it if it's worth it. Good quality paper that works with several mediums, solid binding, nice cover, the works.

 

2. Can anyone recommend me some kind of book restoration company that would be able to rebind my old sketchbook?

[Elijya]

Anyone?

[MattAllen]

If you find someone, let me know. I'm half way to being in the same position

[doughnut42]

I don't know about restoring an old one but I bought this Canson one earlier this year and I love it. I got the 10 1/2 by 13 1/2 size and I've only taken it to one convention so far but it's worked out really well and the artists had no problems with the paper. It's very sturdy and nice looking except for the white ink Bill Sienkiewicz got on the cover.

[AKA Rick]

At this point if the binding is damaged or cover is off, you should consider getting one of those Itoya portfolios and carefully removing each page and placing it in a free-standing type portfolio with pages/sleeves for each piece, then your art is still in a sketchbook format to flip the pages and the art is still well protected, rather than risk trying to re-bind or re-attach the cover and risk damaging the pages and artwork of your sketchbook

[Elijya]

At this point if the binding is damaged or cover is off, you should consider getting one of those Itoya portfolios and carefully removing each page and placing it in a free-standing type portfolio with pages/sleeves for each piece, then your art is still in a sketchbook format to flip the pages and the art is still well protected, rather than risk trying to re-bind or re-attach the cover and risk damaging the pages and artwork of your sketchbook

I've got portfolios of several different sizes for other artwork I've collected over the years (including pieces from 1 or 2 other sketchbooks I've already taken apart) But this takes away the specialness of having everything in a single book, especially since this one is actually a theme book I've taken to over two dozen cons over the last ten years. The binding was always , I'd just like to find maybe some book repair company who might put a nice leather cover on it or some such and then I could retire it and put it on a shelf.

 

edit: (really, the censors here cover up the word cr - ap? Whoever designed that is way too sensitive.)

[AKA Rick]

Does the word SPOON or the phrase "*spoon*" get reversed into another word? Just checking