Etchr Hot Press Watercolor Sketchbook Review: A Smooth, Gouache-Friendly Favorite

Introduction

Finding a sketchbook that can handle wet media without falling apart is harder than it should be. The Etchr hot press watercolor sketchbook has been making the rounds among artists who paint more than they draw, so we put it through a full painting session with gouache and ink to see how it really performs. This was an independent purchase for testing purposes, and the goal was simple: find out whether it earns a place on the desk.

First Impressions and Build Quality

The sketchbook arrives in a protective case that feels genuinely premium, complete with an elastic closure that gives it a refined, almost boutique feel. The cover is soft to the touch and the overall construction feels high quality right out of the box. The binding opens comfortably, and opening a few pages ahead helps the book lay flat for working across a full spread, which matters a lot for painting.

The pages themselves are the headline feature. Hot press paper means an extremely smooth surface, and the Etchr delivers that silky feel while still being thick enough to take wet media. If you prefer painting in your sketchbooks over drawing, that combination of smoothness and substance is exactly what you want.

How It Handled Gouache and Ink

The main test involved laying down Winsor and Newton ink first, then working gouache on top and letting some of the ink show through as a stylistic underlayer. The paper held up remarkably well with the ink wash, with only minimal buckling. The bright pigments also sat beautifully on the smooth surface, and the vivid ink color remained visible through the lighter gouache layers.

Where things get more demanding is layering. With two or three layers of gouache, the pages showed only slight buckling. On a page with five or six heavier layers of paint, the buckling became more noticeable, which is a fair trade-off to expect from any sketchbook at that paint load. Blending directly on the page felt natural and different from working on rougher cold press paper, and loose, expressive brushwork looked great on the smooth surface.

Painting Test Two: A Brighter, Looser Spread

A second painting on the opposite page, started straight into paint with no sketching and built up with loose blocks of vibrant color, reinforced the same conclusions. Bright pinks, oranges, and a dark purple background all sat well on the paper, and the spread still laid reasonably flat despite working wet across both pages.

The smooth hot press finish also suits a mixed-media approach: ink underneath, gouache on top, with bold color choices layered in. For artists who like to experiment with color and texture in a single book, it handled everything thrown at it without complaint.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The one critique worth knowing upfront: the pages could be a touch thicker for artists who like to pile on many layers, especially with gouache. If your style involves five or six heavy layers per page, expect some buckling. That is the only real drawback found during testing. Watercolor performance was not personally tested in this session, though the paper is marketed for both watercolor and gouache.

If you prefer a more textured cold press surface for drawing and dry media, this will not be your book. But for painters, particularly gouache enthusiasts, it is a genuinely enjoyable surface to work on and easy to keep reaching for.

Buying Advice

For anyone who paints in their sketchbooks more than they sketch, the Etchr hot press watercolor sketchbook is an easy recommendation. It earns a five-star rating in this test, with the mild caveat about page thickness for heavy layerers. It also makes a great companion to a more textured cold press sketchbook if you like switching between smooth and rough surfaces depending on the project.

Conclusion

The Etchr hot press watercolor sketchbook delivered on everything that matters: a smooth, high-quality page surface, strong durability with ink and gouache, minimal buckling under normal paint loads, and a premium feel that makes the whole painting experience more satisfying. If layered gouache is your main technique, just plan for a bit of waviness on heavily painted pages and enjoy the rest.