Artist-Made Art Supplies Worth Trying: Sketchbook, Washi Tape, and a Coloring Planner

Introduction

Some of the best art products come from working artists themselves, because they already know what works on the page and what falls apart. This roundup covers three artist-made products that put that idea to the test: a square lay flat sketchbook on cream paper, a glossy washi tape with serious adhesive strength, and a planner designed for people who love to color as much as they love to plan.

Each one was used with real materials, including pencils, paint markers, gouache, and colored pencils, so the impressions below come from actual paper and adhesive behavior rather than packaging appeal.

Bailey J Spacey Sketchbook

This square-format sketchbook stands out immediately for its construction. The cover features genuinely beautiful embroidered artwork, with a daisy design running across it, and the book opens with a printed page for your name before you reach the paper. That is a small touch most sketchbooks skip entirely; plenty of titles jump straight into blank white with no introductory page at all.

The paper itself is cream rather than pure white, which is a nice change if you have only ever used standard white sketchbooks. It is a lay flat binding, meaning any page you open to sits completely flat, which makes drawing and painting far easier.

In use, the paper performs very well across mixed media. Pencil and paint marker work sat on the surface without any noticeable ghosting, and nothing transferred through to the other side of the page even with firm pressure. A gouache test, applied heavily on one side of the page and lightly on the other, also held up without buckling or bleed-through.

The cover design options include several embroidered themes, with the daisy version being a particularly charming choice. For a custom artist sketchbook, the price of 35 is very reasonable for this category.

Mirabila Artsy Celebration Washi Tape

Artist merchandise is easy to find and easy to get wrong. Cheap washi tape is everywhere, and a lot of it barely sticks: one recently purchased roll would not stay on any paper it touched and let paint bleed underneath. That is exactly the problem this tape solves.

The Artsy Celebration design, a pencil-themed pattern, is genuinely adorable and pairs well with the rest of the artist’s water-and-flowers-inspired artwork. The tape is glossy rather than matte, which gives it a premium feel on the page.

The real test came under heavy use: the tape was applied over a page receiving very thick layers of gouache, then peeled off to see how cleanly it would release. It came off seamlessly, with crisp edges and nothing bleeding underneath. It also gripped firmly from the moment it touched the paper, unlike lower-quality rolls that lift at the corners.

For journalling, painting, or masking artwork, this is as dependable as washi tape gets, and it earns a full recommendation.

Sarah Renee Clarke 2022 Coloring Planner

A planner made specifically for people who love to color is a genuinely clever idea, and this one pulls it off beautifully. It is built around monthly spreads with sections for the month ahead, goals you want to achieve, and the days or projects you can slot those goals into, so it works as a real planner and not just a novelty.

Every single month includes its own coloring page, and the paper quality is beautiful throughout, working especially well with colored pencils.

It also holds up better than expected outside its intended use. Although the planner is not marketed for paint markers of any kind, it handled coloring with paint markers surprisingly well, which is a rare quality in a printed planner. The box packaging matches the journal design inside, and a separate sticker set with 24 sticky sheets lets you color in and decorate the pages further.

For artists, creatives, and journalling fans, this is easily one of the most attractive planners in this niche.

Testing How They Hold Up

Using all three together tells you a lot about where artist-made products beat mass-market alternatives. The sketchbook took heavy gouache with zero bleed-through. The washi tape released cleanly off a heavily painted page. The planner survived paint-marker coloring it was never even designed for.

The pattern is consistent: these products were designed by people who actually use them, and it shows in the details, from the lay flat binding to the adhesive strength to the paper weight.

Conclusion

All three products earn their place. Choose the Bailey J Spacey Sketchbook if you want a beautiful lay flat sketchbook that handles mixed media without ghosting. Pick the Mirabila washi tape if you need tape that actually sticks and releases cleanly under paint. And go for the Sarah Renee Clarke coloring planner if you want planning and coloring in one gorgeous package.