Hahnemühle ZigZag Book Review

Accordion? Concertina? Fanfold? Leporello fold? We’re talking watercolor books here, so what do those words mean? Except for that cool elastic band across the corner, the new Hahnemühle ZigZag book looks like any other sketch book, right?

What it means is that the Hahnemühle ZigZag has one long single sheet of paper, glued at each end to a hard cover, and folded like an accordion. You end up with eighteen pages. There are ten on the front, including the inside front and back covers, and eight pages on the back. So, the book above, opens out like this ….

Hahnemühle ZigZag Accordion Fold Sketchbook

You can paint on one or two pages as you would with a traditional style watercolor book, or you can clear some space, spread the book out, and work on several pages at once. It is excellent for urban sketchers, panoramic landscapes, elongated subjects, and storytelling. Once you are done, you can set the book up on a table or counter, where the work can be seen as a whole.

Hahnemühle USA sent me an A5 book so I could give it a whirl, and let you know what I thought. My video lets you see it in action. The written review gives you more detail and time to study the various points of interest.

Hahnemühle ZigZag Book Specs

300 gsm/140 lb.
fine-grained, natural white, acid free
18 pages, 1 fan-folded sheet
cloth-bound hardcovers

The ZigZag book comes in four sizes:

A5 (5.8 x 8.3 in)
A6 (4.13 x 5.83 in)
14 x 14 cm (5.5 x 5.5 in)
5.08 x 5.08 cm (2 x 2 in)

The Hahnemühle ZigZag is part of the Akademie line, with alpha-cellulose paper. Although the Akademie is considered student grade, I felt this paper was more of an artist’s grade. Here’s a video so you can see the action – especially some of the drippy watercolor work. Then the written review goes into more specific detail and you can take your time looking at things.

Hahnemühle ZigZag Look & Feel

The first thing that catches your eye is the Elastic Band that stretches from back over the top right corner.

The Zig Zag book has no spine, so covers that extend past the paper help to protect it.

Because the pages are folded the book has more bounce than most sewn binding books. The covers overlap, when you have the book open to a two page spread, which helps to even this out. Or you can open the book to three pages or more and eliminate the problem entirely.

The paper is hard-sized, stiff enough to hold its shape when standing upright. The surface is fine-grained. Hahnemühle does not describe it as cold-pressed or matt, but that is what it is. This pencil shading gives you a pretty accurate idea of the texture.

Performance

My 37th wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of this month and I decided to use my ZigZag book to paint an illustrated story that I could give my hubby, while testing the paper thoroughly as well. I didn’t have time to finish the story for this review, so I’ll make a video of that once it is finished. I’m hoping you’ll all be spell-bound and eagerly awaiting to see what happens to Diggory Wombat!

I decided that I would use the first two pages to see how the paper handled pencil and pen, as well as testing to see how the paint handles. I also checked to see how well it held up to abuse.

Sorry for the quality of this photo. I had to punch it up in order for all but the darkest pencil to show.

Graphite pencil goes down dark but because this is watercolor paper, you do need to layer the pencil and *burnish for solid coverage. This gives you a wide range of values and lots of texture. If you are penciling in for preliminary work, you should use a hard lead and be careful to avoid smudging. All but the darkest, most burnished areas erase easily.

(*burnish – Making your pencil work polished, by rubbing layer upon layer of pencil into the paper until it is solid and glossy.)

I worried that the pencil lines might smudge and dirty the paint color, but even though I left most of my pencil work intact, that was not a problem.

Pencil Sketch by Sandra Strait - Doodlewash

I used an .05 nib technical pen to draw the pictures. As with the pencils, there is texture from the paper so the lines are dark, but ever-so-slightly jagged. This is perfect for my style and I squirkled and hatched with abandon. Fine-grain watercolor paper is too harsh for delicate pens, and this paper is no exception. I use sturdy technical pens so that was not a problem.

Watercolor Painting Painting In ZigZag by Sandra Strait - Doodlewash

For these pages, I tested wet-into-wet, saturating the page until the paint pooled. The left side is the inside cover, glued to the hardcover, so there was no dimpling or buckling. On the right, I did get slight dimpling but I was impressed with how little.

The paint flow was excellent – just the way I like it best. The paint flowed so colors blended well, giving beautiful soft and lost edges. However, it dried quickly enough to give me control and allow hard edges where I wanted them. I do think humidity played some part in how fast the paint dried, but given the hard-sizing of the paper I don’t anticipate too much difference when the weather changes.

I like to find the point of no return on a paper, so I overworked the layers. I lifted color, scrubbing in a way that would make most people flinch (I’m cruel to my paper this way!) It took a while before I saw even a little damage, in the form of pilling – bits of paper working loose.

It’s sturdy paper. I’m impressed.

For the next two pages, I tested to see how well the paper handles masking fluid.

Masking Fluid On Hahnemuhle Zig Zag Book Example

Instead of using a pen, I did my initial drawing with masking fluid pens, one 0.7mm and the other 2mm.

I did my painting, using lots of wet-into-wet, and dry-brushing.

Wet In Wet Watercolor Painting Example - Doodlewash

I used some salt for texture. Usually, timing is critical – not too wet or the salt will dissolve too much; not too dry or the salt won’t dissolve enough. However, I dropped salt into areas with different levels of wet and got decent texture throughout.

Removing Masking Fluid On Zig Zag Watercolor Paper

I removed the masking fluid and … oh! This paper is MADE for masking fluid. It came off so easily. The .2 mm pen I used will leaves blue stains on some paper, but there wasn’t a bit of blue here. I don’t want to seem dramatic, but I don’t think I’ve ever had masking fluid work so well before.

Another common problem with masking fluid is that it will roughen the paper. You may not see it with the eye, but when you draw or paint over it the pigment won’t stick or will be dull. Pens might catch and leave distorted lines.

Nope. None of that happened here. The pen worked as well after the masking fluid as it did before.

Watercolor Painting Example Sandra Strait - Doodlewash

There was no difference in paint flow, color or intensity. It was the same in the areas covered with masking fluid as the areas without.

I’m worked the next six pages as one painting. I did need to find a space large enough so I could have the book opened wide.

It was wonderful to work this in panoromic style, creating a compositional flow that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Hahnemühle ZigZag Accordion Fold Sketchbook Painted Example

I just kept moving back and forth – painting a little here, a little there. It was so much fun watching it all come together.

For this review, I felt I needed to paint on the other side of the paper, and subject it to the same testing that I did on the front.

Watercolor Sketching Example - Sandra Strait - Doodlewash

I used masking fluid, erasing, wet-into-wet, heavy saturation, lifting, and scrubbing. The paper held up as well on the back as on the front.

Both sides are sturdy, holding up well to everything I threw at it!

Overall

I found the Hahnemühle ZigZag book a joy to paint in.

It held up well to masking fluid, overworking, lifting and scrubbing. Colors are bright, flowing and blending well., You can get drippy effects but still have good control. I felt I gained a wonderful cohesion of composition and color because I was able to work several pages at once.

Because it is an accordion book, I wouldn’t use it for plein air, unless you had a very cozy setup – the pages might be difficult to control.

I feel it has a good paper for beginners because it will hold up to damage caused by bad technique, and a good paper for more advanced painters because it allows for a wide range of techniques.

The elegant over-the-corner elastic band gives the book a sophisticated look. The accordion format allows for panoramic subject matter and storytelling. Last, but not least, the finished book becomes a unique decoration.

Be sure to check out the March Doodlewash Giveaway for a chance to win all four sizes of the ZigZag book and DaVinci watercolors. I also have a giveaway at my blog for a 2 x 2 ZigZag book, an A6 Hahnemühle Nostalgie book, a six-pack of Zebra Zensations Technical Pens and one Uniball Signo Broad White Gel Pen.

Tools

Where can you find the wonderful toys I used in this review?

Disclaimer:

Hahnemühle USA sent me an A5 Hahnemühle ZigZag Book for the purpose of this review. I received no other considerations, though this post contains affiliate links which help support Doodlewash community features. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Hahnemühle has produced paper since 1584, making it the oldest German paper mill for artist papers. They have offices in the UK, France, USA and China. Their Akademie line of watercolor paper is produced on a Fourdrinier machine, which uses natural felt to obtain the surface structures. The papers and boards created this way are suitable for watercolors, gouache, tempera, pastel, charcoal, pencil and crayons.

Sandra Strait

I’m a self-taught artist who dances about with all sorts of artistic mediums. My main loves are Watercolor, Zentangle and Ballpoint pen. The subjects of my work are many and varied and change at whim. I’m a little bit crazy, but doesn’t that come with being an artist? I post Reviews and Tutorials here on Doodlewash.

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6 recommendationsPublished in Art Supply Reviews

34 thoughts on “REVIEW: Hahnemühle ZigZag Book”

Great, thorough review! This looks like a fun book to try. I like the accordion format, and your paintings demonstrate it well.

Hahnemühle ZigZag Book Specs

Hahnemühle ZigZag Look & Feel

Performance

Overall

Tools

Sandra Strait

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