This is the Japanese Kerria one, 13 x 21cm, which is narrower than a true A5 but the same height, on a 5mm dot grid. Tall enough to write properly in, narrow enough that it does not fight you for space on a cafe table next to a coffee. The cover reads as a strong golden yellow, more egg yolk than lemon, and behind it sit 80 sheets of 140gsm acid free paper that will take a fountain pen without complaining. The everyday one, the size most people mean when they say notebook, in a colour picked for anyone who wants to find this notebook instantly in a bag full of dark things.

★ ART SHED STAFF TIP

Number your pages as you go and keep the first spread blank for a contents list. It turns a pile of notebooks into something you can actually find things in later.

Perfect for

Mixed notes and drawingTrackersMind mapsStoryboardingDaily driverEveryday carry

The colour: Japanese Kerria

Kerria japonica is a yellow flowering shrub the Japanese call yamabuki, and it gives its name to yamabuki-iro, one of the oldest recorded colours in the Japanese palette. It is the gold of old coins and temple detailing, not a highlighter yellow.

Traditional Japanese colour name: yamabuki-iro (山吹色)

What a 5mm dot grid actually gives you

A dot grid is the only ruling that does not decide what the page is for before you open it. Lines commit you to writing and squares commit you to measuring. Dots sit underneath both and let one spread be a list and the next be a drawing.

Choose dots when you do not know yet what the page needs to be. It is the ruling that suits people who plan, list and sketch in the same sitting. At 13 x 21cm you get a full sentence without wrapping, which is the part people forget to think about until they are living with the book.

What you are actually getting

Paper

80 sheets, 160 sides, 140gsm acid free and FSC certified, in a slightly cream white that cuts glare

Ruling

5mm dot grid, printed edge to edge with no pre-printed margin

Cover

hard cover in Japanese Kerria, with rounded corners that will not fray in a bag

Fittings

elastic closure band, bound-in bookmark ribbon and an expandable pocket in the back for loose notes

Questions about the dotted Japanese Kerria notebook in 13 x 21cm

How far apart are the dots?

Five millimetres, the standard dot grid spacing used by most bullet journal layouts, so any spread or tracker you find online will map straight onto these pages.

Why choose dots over lines or grid?

Because one book can then do several jobs. Dots give you the same structure as graph paper but they disappear behind writing and act as registration marks behind drawing, so you are not committing the whole notebook to one kind of page.

Is this a good size to carry every day?

It is the size most people mean when they say notebook. Tall enough to write a proper sentence without wrapping, narrow enough that it is not fighting a coffee for table space.

Is the paper environmentally certified?

Yes. Sakura specifies FSC certified paper, which means the pulp is traceable to responsibly managed forests, and the sheets are acid free so they will not yellow and go brittle with age.

Can I use this for watercolour or ink wash?

Light touches yes, proper washes no. At 140gsm this is a writing and drawing paper, not a watercolour paper, so it will cockle if you flood it. For wet work you want a dedicated watercolour book at 300gsm.

Can I see one before I buy it?

Yes, if you can get to a store. Art Shed has a Melbourne store in Moorabbin and a Brisbane store in West End, both family owned and Australian run. Otherwise we ship Australia wide from local stock and orders move quickly.

(NU94167303)

SKU NU94167303
Barcode # 8712079544522
Brand Sakura
Shipping Weight 0.3900kg
Shipping Width 0.050m
Shipping Height 0.050m
Shipping Length 0.050m

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