Pentalic Art Traveler Pocket Journal Sketch Book, 6" x 8", Yellow Gold

This journal was easy to pack and the elastic band allows for best reshaping. When painitng you have to force open so you can see your sketch and the journal doesn't close up on you, this is why perhaps a spiral spine would work best. I did not see the advantage of the back pocket; but ring spine would allow you to carry your pens there also.

Great book- I ordered this because my two younger daughters were jealous that they couldn't do the "Mommy and me" journal that I have with my oldest daughter. We are using these books to do an Illustration Journal- we take turns picking a topic to draw and then each draw on that topic. These books make our journals look "professional" (because we could obviously do this project with just any plain notebook). My girls like how 'fancy' they are. The books are well constructed

Great for some sketching and journaling, but the pages do not hold up to paint well and markers bleed through. Binding and pages hold up well

Great quality! There is a handy pocket at the back of the journal. The cover material is smooth and pleasant to hold.

Very good quality. Exactly as promised.

NOTE: If you'd like to see photos of this notebook, I've posted them on my review of the smaller version of this notebook here:http://www.amazon.com/review/R1PMRW1MRH7GEZ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_permI love these journals. I'm on my second one. I use them for writing, not sketching as intended. I received a green and purple one for Christmas and both are identical.Pros:1. The outside cover is soft and I've spilled things on them a few times and wipes right off.2. Elastic band helps keep the book closed and held up to the entire life of me using the journal.3. Back pocket built into cover is great for loose items you may want to store.4. Color-matched bookmark helps you keep your place.5. Binding is great -- holds well together, but book can stretch out to be relatively flat while writing.6. Paper is a perfect thickness -- thick enough that I can use gel pens that you can't see through on the other side, but not so thick that the pages don't turn nicely.Cons:I honestly can't think of any. These have been a perfect alternative to Moleskines!