A sketchbook with a genuinely good environmental story — and genuinely good paper to go with it. The Seawhite ECO Tan Crush range is made using Corn Crush paper, produced from the recycled by-products of the food industry — specifically corn cobs that would otherwise be waste — processed and manufactured using hydroelectric power. The result is an acid-free, 140gsm all-media paper with a natural, warm tan tone that offers something both practically and aesthetically distinctive from a standard white cartridge sketchbook.
The tan ground is the defining quality. A warm, earthy mid-tone that sits naturally with pencil, graphite, charcoal, and ink, it provides the kind of toned ground that artists have traditionally prized — allowing both lights and darks to be worked against the paper colour rather than having to establish all tones from white. White and light-coloured media — chalk, white pencil, white ink, light pastels — show up clearly and brilliantly against it, while darker media read just as well as they would on white paper. The surface texture is subtly interesting, with a slight natural variation that gives marks a character that smooth white cartridge cannot replicate.
The paper is sized for wet media as well as dry, handling watercolour washes, light acrylic, pen and ink, and mixed media work alongside pencil, charcoal, graphite, pastel, and fine liner. The spiral binding is a wide 3/4" wire that opens completely flat and allows every millimetre of the page to be used right to the edge — a practical detail that matters when working to the full extent of a large format sheet. Each book contains 30 leaves. Made in the UK by Seawhite of Brighton.
Available in A4 portrait and A3 portrait.
Paper weight: 140gsm Leaves: 30 Orientation: Portrait Binding: Wide 3/4" spiral wire Paper: Corn Crush — recycled corn cob by-product, acid-free Made in: UK using hydroelectric power
What is Corn Crush paper? Corn Crush is Seawhite's ecological paper made from the recycled by-products of the food industry — specifically corn cobs — which are processed and manufactured using hydroelectric power. The process produces an acid-free, 140gsm paper with a warm tan tone and a subtly textured surface, giving it a natural character that standard white cartridge paper does not have.
Why work on tan paper? A toned ground allows artists to work with both light and dark media simultaneously, using the paper colour as the mid-tone of the composition. White chalk, light pastels, and white ink show up brilliantly against the tan surface, while darker media — graphite, charcoal, ink — read just as well as on white paper. The warm earthy tone also gives finished drawings a natural warmth and coherence.
What media can be used on the Tan Crush paper? Pencil, graphite, charcoal, pastel, pen and ink, fine liner, white chalk, coloured pencils, watercolour washes, light acrylic, and mixed media. The internal sizing gives the paper extra wet strength that makes it more versatile than standard coloured paper for wet media applications.
Does the spiral binding allow the book to open flat? Yes — the wide 3/4" spiral wire binding allows the book to open completely flat, providing full access to the entire usable surface of the page right to the edges.
Is it environmentally friendly? Yes — the paper is made from recycled corn cob by-products from the food industry and manufactured using hydroelectric power, making it one of the more genuinely sustainable sketchbook papers available. The paper is also acid-free for long-term stability.
