Loose sheets or sketchbooks for practice?

[tintenfuchs]

Hi everyone!

I'm curious– do you use loose sheets or notebooks for practice? I often think that I should keep my practice all together and only use a book, but I find it uncomfortable to write in notebooks since most don't open flat and you can't hold your hand properly because of the bulk they make. So I use all kinds of paper I can find.
What about you?

Best,
Natascha

[AndyT]

Sheets for me, dot-matrix printer paper just lately.

[sybillevz]

Only loose sheets... And they all end up in the bin (or on the back of kid's drawings and then...  )
But I was thinking I should probably practice differently so that I'd want to keep my works...
Here we have Atoma notebooks with disc-binding system that allows to easily remove a page from the notebook then put it back in place if you want to keep it. I bought one, but didn't use it yet.... You can find them at cultpens.com if you're interested

[June P]

I've been writing for a year now. I started out with loose sheets. I liked saving the sheets so I could see my progress. Ended up to be messy piles & a lot of "should I throw?" piles. Now I use  notebooks for when I'm in bed and for jotting down favorite quotes, paper pads for practice & writing.  Usually I initial & date my writing.

[AAAndrew]

Mostly sheets. I will use a Black 'n Red spiral bound notebook for just playing around. But I prefer the paper to be laying flat, and that my sheet not be elevated above the surface.

[ericp]

Sheets for me, dot-matrix printer paper just lately.

You still have dot-matrix paper?!   
I recently came across an old school assignment from a storage box in the basement, and this sort of school paper was (at least in my case) of very bad quality.  If I ever put an ink on it, there would be awful feathering.  Good though to see you're getting some mileage out of that source.

Regarding the original question, I stick to my watercolor paper sketchbooks because loose sheets always end up scattered all over the place and I dislike that.  I also like the chronological aspect of the sketchbook, I can see my progression (or lack thereof  )  Besides, when working with watercolor ink, there aren't too many cheap alternatives.

[Inked botanicals]

Arc-binding here! I make arc notebooks with different papers so I can have them properly stored but also I can remove the paper for practice and then put it back in.

I also have pads of Rhodia paper but always get out the page for practice, so I really use loose sheets.

[Judy G]

Loose sheets. So I can easily throw the ones I don't like.

[AndyT]

You still have dot-matrix paper?!   

I inherited a wad about three inches thick!  It's not bad at all feathering wise.

[Milonguera]

I used to use books and didn't tear anything out but now, it's only Loose Sheets!  Especially if you're planning on doing any flourishing because loose sheets can be kept closest to your writing surface and there are fewer edges for your hand to trip over.  Always have a cushion of 2 or 3 sheets beneath the one you're writing on, though. 

[garyn]

I use a notebook, but it does have problems/issues.
- Not all notebooks will lay FLAT.  I use wirebound notebooks which will lay FLAT.  But they are thick.
- When you get to the bottom of the page, my hand has trouble with the difference in height level between the notebook and the surface that the notebook is on, about 1/4 to 3/8 inch below the notebook page.  I sometimes turn the notebook and flip out a few pages to the right, but then I have the pages on the left getting in my way.
- You are stuck with the limited selection of papers in notebooks.

At some point, I will probably switch to sheets.

[Starlee]

Sheets for ink, including the backside, which I don't really like as the ink often bleeds, but I like maximizing my paper more. I use books for the rare occasion I want to actually to plan it out with a pencil sketch. Although come to think of it, the last time I planned (my Christmas tree), that was done on loose paper...

[lemonpassion]

I use loose sheets because I find them easier to write on than notebooks. I put dates on my practice sheets (if I remember) to gauge my progress. And I've been meaning to sort the papers and organize them in a better manner but haven't gotten to it yet. Maybe this year...

[Mudman]

I actively do both. Clairefontaine notebook on some days and loose sheets on others.

[Ken Fraser]

I use loose sheets in a clipboard.