Trying Out Viviva Colors' Inktober Sketchbook

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Love #Inktober? Looking for new art supplies to make this popular drawing challenge different and perhaps, more special, this year? Do you enjoy trying out unique art supplies to share with your creative friends? 

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If so, you'll definitely want to check out Viviva Colors' new sketchbook line that's been launched especially in time for Inktober 2020, but will continue being sold worldwide even after this popular yearly drawing challenge concludes at the end of October.

That's right!

Viviva's crowdfunding campaign for these sketchbooks has gone so well, that the company will continue making them available for artists (without the Inktober logo) for an undefined amount of time. 


Inktober is one of the most popular drawing challenges going on in the online space since 2009.

Each year, Inktober creator and renowned illustrator Jack Parker, publishes a new daily prompt list for artists to use as inspiration to create a new drawing/painting/mixed-media piece each day throughout the month of October. 

Every October, thousands of artists and creatives all around the world participate in this challenge, pushing themselves to work on a new piece, every day, for 31 days.

It's no secret that Jake Parker has been involved in a couple of different controversial incidents as of late, which have caused a good amount of people to look for alternative art challenges to work on this October. 

However, lots of die-hard followers of this challenge are still eager to participate and are excited to begin, many of whom aren't necessarily fans of Jake Parker himself, but have found the experience of Inktober a valuable part of their art journeys. 

Many artists believe that the challenge has grown to become more than the person who initially created it.  

Inktober has become a way for artists to push their skills, creativity and build the discipline to stay consistent with their art practice. 

It has become an event that allows lesser-known emerging artists, to gain traction online and start growing their name known amongst a larger audience. 

It's also become an event that brings artists from all over the world together, helping us create meaningful connections that'll last a lifetime. 

Inktober, in my opinion, is about artistic growth, about community, and about sharing the importance of art with the world.

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Image 1. Colorful feathers painted on 7.5 x 7.5 in / Rough / Off-white sketchbook using special edition colorsheets.

In this past blog post I talk about Viviva Colors' history and also share my swatching process, as well as my review, for their original colorsheets. Make sure to check it out to read more about their compact and insanely vibrant watercolors.

Viviva Colors' mission has always been to inspire artists to continue on their creative journeys and to never set their art aside, no matter how busy or how stressful life becomes.

The company is not only constantly improving their products and offerings, but is always looking for new ways to encourage and motivate artists to stay on their paths. 

Viviva knows that, through art, people are able to cope with anxiety and depression, which are rampant this year due to the current pandemic, its economic repercussions, and all of the uncertainty its creating worldwide.

And knowing how challenging 2020 has been, Viviva teamed up with Jake Parker to release an officially licensed set of supplies that'll make this year's Inktober even more special.

These items were designed to make Inktober 2020 #AnInktoberToRemember.


Just like Viviva's original colorsheets, which were officially launched in 2017, these new supplies were crowdfunded via Indiegogo.

With the huge success of the first campaign, Viviva Colorsheets was able to start mass manufacturing their original product and have shipped them out to more than 30,000 artists in over than 100 countries. 

They are currently working on doing the same for the backers of these Inktober sketchbooks and colorsheets!

Viviva's Inktober sketchbook line.

​You can find out more about the products they have available at their website.




Let's talk about the new items!


For Inktober 2020, Viviva launched 4 sketchbook variants, as well as a special edition of their colorsheets.


Sketchbooks

All of these sketchbooks are hardbound with a quality faux-leather cover and (during the Inktober season) also include a silver foil stamp with the Inktober 2020 and Viviva Colors logos on the front cover.

a)  A5 format (5.8 x 8.3 in) / 240 gsm / Ivory white / Smooth Lessebo paper
      / 64 pages

b)  A5 format (5.8 x 8.3 in) / 300 gsm / Off-white color / Rough watercolor paper
      / 40 pages / 100% Cotton

c)  Square format (7.5 x 7.5 in) / 300 gsm / Off-white color /
      Rough watercolor paper / 40 pages / 100% Cotton

d)  *The Easy Sketchbook* A5 format (5.8 x 8.3 in) / 240 gsm / Ivory white
       / Smooth Lessebo paper / 64 pages

*The Easy Sketchbook was created especially for beginner artists who have trouble with their preliminary sketching process. It includes a sketching mirror and an aluminum slot stand to hold it as you're drawing, which helps you transfer the reference's outlines onto paper in an easier and faster way. ​


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See the Easy Sketchbook in action here!

Colorsheets

Aside from the four sketchbooks, Viviva also released a special edition of their colorsheets set which contains an extra 4 colors (their original sets have 16 and this one has 20). 

The 20 colors offered in this edition have been curated by Viviva and Jake Parker especially for Inktober.

Check out my color swatching process for their original colorsheets in this blog post. You'll be able to see the colors' vibrancy and learn about my thoughts as to how they compare with regular watercolors in that post. 

Just like their original colorsheets, the Inktober edition also has the portable booklet format with protective paper in between each page. 

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Viviva Colors' special edition Inktober colorsheets.

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Here are a couple of pieces I've created in my Viviva/Inktober sketchbook, which is the square format with rough watercolor paper. 
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Image 2. Pen and watercolor wash pink flowers painted on 7.5 x 7.5 in / Rough / Off-white sketchbook using Micron drawing pens and Viviva's original colorsheets.

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Image 3. Fall pumpkin painted on 7.5 x 7.5 in / Rough / Off-white sketchbook using professional quality Van Gogh watercolors.

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A few interesting characteristics I noticed about the sketchbooks:
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• The sketchbooks have been designed to be opened flat so that they don't close on you when your drawing or painting and you're able to use the sheets fully. The spine where the pages come together is not glued onto the spine of the cover intentionally, for this purpose (see images below). This said, the first few pages are difficult to open completely without having to press down hard at the spine/base. I was a little worried that I'd damage the spine when I did this, but everything was okay. 

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• Sketchbooks have rounded corners, which I love, as they are more difficult to damage. 

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• I love the elastic included on the covers, as it keeps the sketchbook closed when you're not working in it, protecting your artwork. 

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• I like the pocket included at the back, as I can place loose sketches and notes in there. I wish it had a bit more space. 

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• The watercolor paper included in the watercolor sketchbooks is very different from the commercial paper I'm used to (Arches, Fabriano, Strathmore, etc.). It is a lot more flexible to the touch when dry, has little imperfections in it because it's handmade (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), and I found that the paint gets absorbed in a very different way.  Both the paint from Viviva's colorsheets, as well as regular watercolor paint sinks into the paper very quickly and the paint cannot be moved around. Washes of color react differently when overlapped and the off-white, almost cream color of this paper has an effect on the vibrancy of the colors. I also noticed that the paper is fragile. It doesn't tolerate scrubbing techniques and even erasing can damage it easily.

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Viviva Inktober Sketchbook spine (made to allow the pages to open flat).

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Viviva Inktober Sketchbook open flat.

Viviva Inktober watercolor paper sketchbook next to smooth, white drawing paper sketchbook. Notice differences in texture, as well as color.

Viviva Inktober watercolor paper sketchbook next to a sheet of Arches, cold-press watercolor paper. Notice differences in texture and color. Viviva's paper is a lot more textured and is cream-colored.

Finally, here are a few pros and cons I've found in relation to the items I've had the opportunity to try out, in bullet form. 


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Pros and Cons of Viviva Colors'
and Inktober's Sketchbooks and Colorsheets
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Pros

• Viviva's watercolor sheets are small and lightweight, making them an awesome option for artists who love sketching outdoors or at different settings.​

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• These watercolor sheets offer incredibly vibrant colors and each color can last a long time, as long as they are used carefully (very little water is needed to activate colors). 

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• New dark, inky colors added to the Inktober edition are perfect for this spooky event and for monochromatic pieces. ​​​

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*For more pros and cons about Viviva's color sheets, go here.
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• Two different sketchbook formats are available: rectangular and square, allowing artists to choose which they like best (the square option is great for those sharing on Instagram!).

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• There are 2 sketchbooks that have smooth paper for artists who primarily draw (smooth paper is awesome for pen and ink as well as other drawing mediums), and another 2 with thick watercolor paper for artists who primarily paint with water-soluble mediums (the 100% cotton/300 gsm paper tolerates washes of color well). 

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• The binding of the sketchbooks has been thought of for artists, allowing the sketchbooks to open completely flat.

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• Sketchbooks include the 2020 Inktober prompt list in the back, which saves us time. 

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• Small folder at the back can hold loose sketches and ideas.

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• Thick, protective covers not only look elegant, but protect our work very well. 

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• The elastics included on the covers help keep sketchbooks closed when carrying them around. ​

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Cons

• In terms of the colorsheets, I don't really use white when I'm painting with watercolor. I would have personally preferred another dark color (but that's just me). 

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• It's important to choose your sketchbook wisely, depending on the drawing/painting supplies you'll be using in it (though the smooth paper options can tolerate light washes of color, they aren't really made for wet-on-wet techniques or large amounts of water. The sketchbooks that include 100% cotton watercolor paper is rough and textured, which can lead to the tip of a pen or drawing tool fighting against the tooth of it (See Image 2 to see ink line work on rough watercolor paper). 

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• ​​​Watercolor paint quickly sinks into the watercolor paper and won't move like it does on other types of papers intended for this medium. Because of this, sharp edges are created and organic color gradients are difficult to achieve. 

• ​The paper is handmade, leading to some blemishes. *I like them as they provide an authentic, handmade feel.

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• I noticed the paper doesn't take erasing very well. Fibers became loose easily even with a soft graphite eraser.

• I'm still not sure if I like the off-white/cream color offered in the watercolor paper sketchbooks, as this color affects the vibrancy/color of the paint and creates an older style look/feel. I'd love to see a sketchbook with white watercolor paper and have a feeling the vibrant colors offered in Viviva's colorsheets would pop out more on white. ​​

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Close-up of Viviva's Inktober Sketchbook (watercolor paper). Blemishes can be found here and there because this is hand-made paper. I personally liked these little blemishes, but am not so convinced with the color of the paper.

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Viviva Inktober Sketchbook back folder with prompt list (because my sketchbook was a prototype created prior to mass production, the words appear with "X").

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Viviva Inktober Sketchbook spine (made to allow the pages to open flat).

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Beautiful silver foil logos on the faux leather cover.

These items are all beautiful and high-quality, and I want to send a huge thank you to Viviva Colors for providing me these items to explore and review!

Personally, I won't be participating in Inktober this year due to a lack of time and more important projects I'm working for my online art communities, but I look forward to creating more pieces in this great sketchbook.



*Visit Viviva Colors' website and follow them on social media to see inspiring artwork created with their colorsheets, as well as the latest news from them:

Viviva Colors Website
Viviva Colors on Instagram
​Viviva Colors on Facebook

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