The Jackson Journal (Black)

I love Peg & Awl's mini journals for sketching on the go!

This is my 2nd purchase to have one at the ready when I run out of pages on my first one. At first, it took me a while to use the first one because it was so beautiful but heck, once I started, it opened up the world of quick watercolor for me when I reach the top of a hike. Previously, I would just use colored pencil and ink because the paper was so thin in my other non-Peg & Awl tiny sketchbooks.

The craftsmanship is top-notch so I know I can take it all the time on hikes to do a sketch and know that these memories I capture won't fall apart due to wear and tear. The quality of the paper they chose also holds up very well to ink, watercolor and colored pencils. Last but not least, the added touch of the vintage cloth just really seals the deal for me :).

Wow, this is a very nice journal. No. 1, the binding is strong; the leather is excellent, as is the Strathmore paper. I know this because by the time the package arrived, it was put through quite a bit of abuse.

When I picked the package up from the post office, it had a large dent in the corner and the box's bottom was wet through and through. When I opened up the box, the journal was soaked clear through and the entire book was warped.

Since I usually hand bind my own books/journals, I knew a quality binding/materials could probably handle it, so I placed the journal in my bookbinder under weight for 24 hours, and (with the help of the Arizona dry heat) I was able to flatten the pages. It looks and performs wonderfully! When I fill up this "black beauty" I will purchase another volume.