{"product_id":"rosa-gallery-watercolour-sketchbook-a4-cotton","title":"ROSA Gallery Watercolour Sketchbook A4 – 32 Sheets 250gsm 50% Cotton Fabriano Unica Paper, Spiral Hardback, Professional Ukrainian Art Pad","description":"\u003ch2\u003eThirty-two sheets you can actually paint on both sides of\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost watercolour sketchbooks quietly waste half of what you pay for. The reverse of each sheet either shows every wash through, or has a different texture to the front, so you skip it. Thirty sheets becomes thirty surfaces. The \u003cstrong\u003eROSA Gallery A4 Watercolour Sketchbook\u003c\/strong\u003e is built around double-sided Italian paper with identical grain on both faces — so 32 sheets means \u003cstrong\u003e64 working surfaces\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the maths on price per painting changes completely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInside is \u003cstrong\u003eFabriano Unica\u003c\/strong\u003e: 250gsm, 50% cotton, acid-free, with a soft natural grain that comes from centuries of papermaking at the Fabriano mills. ROSA selected it for their professional watercolour range specifically because of how it takes water — the cotton content lets it absorb heavy washes and hold pigment for lifting, while the fine grain keeps fine detail and line work crisp. It is equally happy with water-based markers, liners, gouache and acrylic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e A4 (21 × 29.7 cm), portrait format\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSheets:\u003c\/strong\u003e 32 double-sided sheets — 64 usable surfaces\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePaper:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fabriano Unica, 250gsm, 50% cotton \/ 50% cellulose, acid-free\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrain:\u003c\/strong\u003e fine, natural, identical on both sides\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e wirebound spiral on the long edge — folds fully flat, or all the way back on itself\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCover:\u003c\/strong\u003e rigid board in turquoise with embossed ROSA logo, doubles as a sketching board when you are standing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMicro-perforated sheets\u003c\/strong\u003e — tear out a finished piece cleanly, with no ragged spiral edge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVertical elastic closure\u003c\/strong\u003e keeps the book shut in a bag\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCover artwork:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"The Smile of Autumn\" by Ukrainian artist Olena Vinyarska, painted in watercolour and liner, 2021\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSuitable for:\u003c\/strong\u003e watercolour, water-based markers, liners, gouache, acrylic, pencil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e approx. 700g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy the binding matters more than people expect\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA hardback sewn sketchbook looks beautiful on a shelf and fights you on a hillside. The gutter never lies flat, so a wash running across a double page pools in the crease, and you cannot fold the book back to hold it one-handed. This one is spiral bound with a rigid cover for a reason: fold it fully back, hold it against your forearm, and you have a painting board that weighs almost nothing. Then micro-perforation lets you take the finished sheet out and frame it — something you simply cannot do with a sewn book without a scalpel and regret.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Fabriano Unica\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you know Unica, you may know it as a printmaking paper — that is where Fabriano originally positioned it, developed with printmakers at the Opificio della Rosa. That heritage is exactly why it works here. Printmaking paper is engineered to absorb water and stay dimensionally stable under pressure without buckling, which is the same demand a heavy watercolour wash makes of a surface. It is not a traditional cold-pressed watercolour paper and does not pretend to be: the grain is finer and the surface softer. Painters who like granulating pigments, lifting, and detailed linework tend to prefer it. If you want deep tooth and aggressive texture, a rough 300gsm block will suit you better — and we would rather tell you that now than in a returns email.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho it is for\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlein air and travel painters\u003c\/strong\u003e — rigid cover, flat fold, one-handed working\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUrban sketchers\u003c\/strong\u003e — takes fineliner and waterbrush without feathering\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrators and botanical painters\u003c\/strong\u003e — fine grain holds detail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eImproving watercolourists\u003c\/strong\u003e stepping up from 180gsm student pads to real cotton paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAnyone keeping a visual diary\u003c\/strong\u003e — 64 surfaces in one book, in order, dated\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eA gift for a painter that will not sit in a drawer\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaper is the one thing every watercolourist gets through and nobody buys enough of. Unlike paints, there is no risk of duplicating a colour they already own or guessing wrong on a brand. A cotton-content Italian paper sketchbook with a Ukrainian artist's work on the cover reads as a considered gift rather than a stationery purchase, and sits neatly in the under-£30 bracket for birthdays, art school starts and Christmas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eCan I really paint on both sides?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. The paper is double-sided with the same grain on each face and is sized on both sides. With normal washes there is no show-through at 250gsm. Very heavy, saturated pouring may show a faint ghost — let one side dry fully before working the reverse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eIs this cold press or hot press?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeither in the strict sense. Fabriano Unica has a fine natural grain that sits between hot press smoothness and cold press tooth. Closest comparison: a fine-grain (grana fine) surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eWill it buckle?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 250gsm with 50% cotton, light and medium washes stay flat. Very wet work will cockle slightly, as it will in any pad under 300gsm — tearing the sheet out and stretching it solves this if you work very wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eCan I tear sheets out cleanly?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes — the sheets are micro-perforated at the spiral edge and come away with a clean straight line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eWhat other sizes are available?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eROSA Gallery makes this sketchbook in A5 and a 20 × 20 cm square format as well. Contact us if you would like a size we are not currently listing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eStart filling it\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdd to basket for UK tracked delivery. Stock is limited — ROSA Gallery paper is imported in small batches from Ukraine and we do not hold deep inventory.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ROSA Gallery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53711387492699,"sku":"16920441","price":25.9,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1010\/9029\/6155\/files\/products-12992.png?v=1785755759","url":"https:\/\/artdrawcrafts.co.uk\/products\/rosa-gallery-watercolour-sketchbook-a4-cotton","provider":"ArtDrawCrafts","version":"1.0","type":"link"}