Review: Etchr Miniature Sketchbook

Review sample provided by Etchr Lab

Etchr miniature sketchbooks were probably released in 2025 and these are some of the smallest sketchbooks I've ever seen:

• 4-inch square - S$ 28 (US$ 22)
• 3-inch square - S$ 22 (US$ 16.50)
• 2-inch square - S$ 18 (US$ 14)
• A7 portrait - S$ 26 (US$ 20)
• A8 portrait - S$ 20 (US$ 15)

Considering the 12 x 16cm Baohong watercolour sketchbook is also SGD 28, the 4-inch square Etchr sketchbook seems expensive. But if you really want those specific sizes offered by Etchr Lab, there aren't many options out there.

The sketchbooks are hardcover and paper is coldpress 230gsm 100% cotton, vegan-friendly and acid-free. There are 52 pages. There's an elastic band to hold the covers together, and a ribbon bookmark.

These are the sizes compared to my phone with a 6.2-inch display. Only the 3-inch and 4-inch square sketchbooks are bigger.

The covers are made with PU leather and I actually prefer this material compared to the white cotton covers used by other Etchr sketchbooks. White cotton covers get dirty easily and are difficult or impossible to clean.

This 2-inch square sketchbook is so small that it's almost the size of Micro Portable Painter Palette with six half pans.

The obvious advantages of small sketchbooks is they are portable and can even fit into your pocket easily. So there's really no excuse to not bring your sketchbook anywhere you go.

Here's sketch drawn on the 4-inch square sketchbook. Since the pages are small, you can complete each sketch quickly, and you can fill up a sketchbook fast. When drawing or painting small, you'll be forced to simplify. So if you're not good at simplification, you can get these small sketchbooks to practice. For drawing, you'll need a fine-tip pen, and for painting you'll need a smaller brush.

There are a few challenges when drawing on such small sketchbooks, especially the smallest ones. Your eyesight has to be good or you'll have to hold the sketchbook very close to your eye. The sketchbook is small so there's no place to rest your palm on it unless you have the sketchbook on a table. If you can't rest your palm, it is more difficult to control the pen or brush. And you need patience if you want to draw details or paint into small areas.

Here's a sketch of the same scene on the 2-inch sketchbook.

Can you even see the 2-inch sketchbook in the photo above?

Personally for me, the smallest sketchbook I'll go with is probably the 4-inch square (above). I prefer the 6-inch square Etchr sketchbook though which to me is a small but still big enough for drawing details and painting.

So do you think ultra small sketchbooks are useful or just a gimmick?

See this video where I used the sketchbooks at a sketchwalk.