Top Moleskine Sketchbooks for Creative Minds in 2025
Posted on July 17, 2025 | Updated on July 17, 2025
Moleskine sketchbooks are of the highest quality. The brand uses ethically sourced forest products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for responsible management. Attention to detail and care are visible in every product.
You may be surprised to find there are dozens of Moleskine sketchbooks, notebooks and art albums to choose from. They differ in size and paper weight, so your choice of media and drawing style will impact your choice. Which is best for you?
| Product | Size | Pages | Weight | Cost |
| Limited Edition Van Gogh Sketchbook | 5” x 8.25” | 104 | 165 GSM | $$$ |
| Limited Edition Vegea Notebook | 7.5” x 10” | 176 | 100 GSM | $$$$ |
| Art Collection: Large Watercolor Album | 5” x 8.25” | 72 | 200 GSM | $$$ |
| Smart Notebook Extra Large | 7.5” x 10” | 192 | 100 GSM | $$$ |
| Art Collection: Large Japanese Album | 5” x 8.25” | 48 | 165 GSM | $$ |
| Amazon Basics Art Sketch Book | 5” x 8.25” | 72 | 200 GSM | $ |
| Limited Edition Looney Tunes Sketchbook | 5” x 8.25” | 240 | 165 GSM | $$$$ |
| Classic Collection: Plain Notebook | 7.5” x 9.75” | 192 | 70 GSM | $$ |
| Art Collection: Large Art Logbook | 5” x 8.25” | 160 | 120 GSM | $$$ |
| Limited Edition Silk Notebook | 2.4” x 4.25” | 176 | 70 GSM | $$ |
| Art Collection: Large Sketchbook | 5” x 8.25” | 104 | 165 GSM | $$ |
| Beechmore Books: A5 Sketchbook | 5.8” x 8.3” | 156 | 160 GSM | $$ |
| Art Collection: Square Sketch Album | 7.5” x 7.5” | 88 | 120 GSM | $$ |
| Art Collection: Watercolor Album | 5” x 8.25” | 72 | 200 GSM | $$ |
| Limited Edition Studio Collection | 5” x 8.25” | 240 | 100 GSM | $$ |
This table is excellent for a quick comparison. However, each listing has details you won’t see at a glance. After skimming the table, give the list a once-over to learn more about the cover style, binding type and paper quality.
1. Moleskine Limited Edition Van Gogh Sketchbook
Vincent van Gogh’s “Almond Blossom” oil painting inspired this large, hard-cover Moleskine sketchbook’s design. The art is spread beautifully across the cover and endpaper. It also contains quotes from Van Gogh — the perfect gift for people passionate about art.
Like all Moleskine products, it is thread-bound, contains acid-free ivory-colored paper and is made with material from FSC-certified forests. It comes with a matching teal elastic closure band and a bright red bookmark ribbon.
2. Moleskine Limited Edition Vegea Notebook
Consider this extra-large sketchbook if your sketches are as large as life. It is another limited edition item with excellent craftsmanship. The cover is 100% VEGEA — a vegan material made from converting organic waste from the Italian wine industry into new materials.
The soft faux leather is comfortable, ethical and aesthetic. The blank pages are just as high quality. At 100 GSM, ghosting is minimal and you shouldn’t experience bleedthrough. The notebook itself comes in an elegant gift box with gold lettering.
3. Moleskine Art Collection: Large Watercolor Album
The large watercolor album uses 200 GSM paper, which is about the highest weight you can find. This means you can use wet media like watercolors, gouache or paint without worrying about soaking the other side of the sheet.
Moleskine’s 200 GSM paper is a cold-pressed cotton blend. It can handle large amounts of water or heavy eraser use on both sides without bleedthrough or tearing, making it an excellent option for a heavy-duty sketchbook.
4. Moleskine Smart Notebook Extra Large
A smart notebook works with a smart pen — sold separately in this case — to digitize your sketches in real time. As you draw, it transfers the content from the paper to your device via the Moleskine notes app, which is available on iOS and Android.
If you work collaboratively, are a content creator or often send sketches to clients, this product would save you time. Plus, if you ever misplace your notebook, you can use the app to reference your work.
5. Moleskine Art Collection: Large Japanese Album
Influenced by the traditional Japanese horizontal emakimono scrolls, this large Japanese album contains one sheet of heavy sketch paper folded into numerous accordion pages. It is a fantastic choice if you have a niche interest in the craft or prefer this binding style.
6. Amazon Basics Art Sketch Book
Although this is a list of the best Moleskine sketchbooks, this Amazon Basics product is an excellent alternative for those on a budget. It is the same size, color and shape. It even has 200 GSM paper and is made with material from FSC-certified forests, which is great for the price.
The only noticeable catch is that the cover is described as “sturdy,” but visibly differs from Moleskine’s leather-like material. It looks similar, so it may not be an issue, but you may be able to tell if you are a fan of Moleskine products.
7. Moleskine Limited Edition Looney Tunes Sketchbook
The Looney Tunes sketchbook comes in a collector’s box featuring Tweety for safekeeping and display. It contains a pencil box with five graded graphite pencils and multiple themed stickers. The hard cotton canvas cover features Tweety and Sylvester.
Unlike other limited edition Moleskine sketchbooks, this one shows you which one you have since each is individually numbered. On the endpaper, you will see a number out of 4,999. This is essentially a built-in certificate of authenticity.
8. Moleskine Classic Collection: Plain Notebook
This budget-friendly plain notebook is larger than usual and has nearly 200 blank pages. The only downside is that the pages are 70 GSM, which is lighter than standard printer paper. It is not suitable for alcohol markers, watercolor, paint or highlighters.
Writing and drawing are fine as long as you do not mind some ghosting. With dry media, bleedthrough is minimal. Even though this quality isn’t great, getting a hydrangea blue Moleskine notebook at this price is a great deal.
9. Moleskine Art Collection: Large Art Logbook
Unlike the other entries on this list, the art logbook contains a mix of lined, blank, dotted and index pages. It is ideal for jotting down ideas, making client notes or scrapbooking. Even if you only want to use it for drawing, it is still a good option — it may inspire you to get creative.
10. Moleskine Limited Edition Silk Notebook
This extra-small Moleskine sketchbook is just 2.5 inches by 4.25 inches. It is part of the Silk collection, which uses high-quality Italian silk made by Mantero — a century-old, family-owned Italian textiles company. The cover is subtly padded to help the material catch the light.
Behind the blue paisley pattern on the cover, you will find 176 blank pages weighing 70 GSM. It may be pocket-sized, but it has room for nearly 200 sketches. Since it lies flat at 180 degrees, its size should not matter much.
11. Moleskine Art Collection: Large Sketchbook
While this Moleskine sketchbook is standard in almost every way, its bright red color makes it stand out from the typical black and white items. The pages are thick enough for a watercolor sweep and gouache.
12. Beechmore Books: A5 Sketchbook
For variety, here is another product from a seller other than Moleskine. It comes in various colors and has over 150 blank pages at 160 GSM. They are perforated, so you can easily rip them out without damaging the binding or tearing the paper unevenly.
Also, it has lay-flat binding so it sits at 180 degrees when opened. Like Moleskine sketchbooks, it has an elastic closure band, a ribbon bookmark and a deep inner pocket for storing sketches or notes.
13. Moleskine Art Collection: Square Sketch Album
This square Moleskine sketchbook is excellent if you prefer working with fewer size constraints. Whether you want to make true-to-life sketches or large storyboards, you can. It opens at 180 degrees, so you do not have to rest your arm on one side to keep it open while you work.
14. Moleskine Art Collection: Watercolor Album
The watercolor album opens vertically instead of horizontally, which is great if you are left-handed or simply prefer that style. If you want to create a two-page spread, you can lay the pages horizontally while you work.
Even though it only has 72 blank pages, they weigh 200 GSM, so you do not have to worry about ghosting or bleedthrough. The hard cover will protect your sketches from tearing or smudging, even if you use wet media.
15. Moleskine Limited Edition Studio Collection
This Moleskine sketchbook features art by Yukai Du, a Chinese artist, titled “I Dreamed in a Dream.” Once you remove the sketchbook, you reveal a print of the artwork. The packaging resembles a framed painting — something you can hang in your home.
You get 240 pages, which is more than most Moleskine products have. They are ivory colored and made with materials from FSC-certified forests. Since they are 100 GSM, wet media is not suitable unless you accept there may be some ghosting and bleedthrough.
Which of These Moleskine Sketchbooks Will You Choose?
A sketchbook can be an incredibly personal thing, so it should reflect your personality. Whether you grew up admiring Van Gogh’s oil paintings or Looney Tunes cartoons, you will find something to your taste. This brand has something for everyone.
As an Amazon Associate, Designerly may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
