Review! Nine Rhodia N°18 dotPads #Rhodia #Exaclair #Giveaway

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This month I’m hosted a giveaway for Exaclair, Inc, and they, generously, gave away nine Rhodia N°18 dotPads!  I received one of the dotpads for purposes of a review and this giveaway.  I received no other recompense.  All opinions expressed in the review are mine.

Giveaway Closed

Review
Today I’m just going to give you the Giveaway information and review the look and feel of the N°18 dotPad.  On Tuesday, I have a new tangle pattern step-out that I’ll share.  On Thursday, I’ll show my calligraphy practice on this paper, and on Friday, I’ll share how I used the dotPad to create my own drawing reference showing the proportions of the human face.

Look & Feel
Specs
Binding: Top staplebound
Paper: Clairefontaine, White, 80g Vellum, ph Neutral, Acid-free, Microperforated
Ruling: Dot grid (5 mm), light violet-grey dots
No of Sheets: 80 sheets
Cover: Soft cover cardstock on front and back; heavier cardboard insert in back for extra support
Size: A4 / 21,0×29,7 cm / 8.3×11.7 in.

The first thing that might catch your eye about the Rhodia dotPad is the heavy duty staples and score lines along the top.  They give the appearance of a sturdy product, and indeed, the Rhodia dotPad is exceptionally sturdy.  Both front and back have a soft-cover, and the back has a strong cardboard piece to add stability and strength.

I’m using a photo from one of my other Rhodia pads because the staples and score lines show up better.  This is the orange color that five of the winners will receive, while the four others will receive black (because I got the fifth black one!).

Those score lines make it very easy to fold the top cover back and out of the way.

The paper is perforated just beneath that fold.  It’s a micro-perforation, meaning you can barely see it. Nonetheless, it’s very strong and the cover protects it, so it doesn’t tear easily by mistake.  but if you start at the corner, and tug gently it separates without ripping.

The paper is vellum, so it has some weight without being stiff or as heavy as a cardstock.  It’s silky and smooth with little texture, so your pen glides across the page. 

The dots look gray to my eye, but if I blow them up on the scanner I can see that they are a light lilac color.  It’s very easy on the eyes and definitely less instrusive than a full grid.  I do know at least one person who complained they were too light for her old eyes, so keep that in mind if you need or prefer darker dots.  Graph paper might be better in that case, and the Rhodia pads do come with a graph ruling!

The Clairefontaine vellum in this pad is high grade paper.  I’ve been using it in my other Rhodia pads for three or four years now, and have found drying times are fairly long (as might be expected with vellum) but colors are bright, and in most cases, ink won’t show-through or bleed-through to back of the paper. 

For that reason, it’s fountain pen friendly, possibly the most fountain pen friendly paper that I’ve found.  My experience has been that only the wettest ink or paint bleeds through, and very little shows through.

If you want a pad for watercolor sketches, alcohol markers or markers that you blend with water then this wouldn’t be the pad for you. The wettest parts will bleed-through, and the paper dimples somewhat.  The texture changes and the paper takes on a crinkly sound.  I actually like that sound, and do use the paper for watercolor on occasion just for that reason.  The colors are very bright and while it retains some dimpling, overall the paper dries without much curl.

It may be too smooth for some, especially if you work with pencil, colored pencil or pastels.  For some left-handed people, or those who are simply impatient, the drying times might be problematic.

Having said that, while I wouldn’t use it primarily for pencil or watercolor, I’ve used both and been satisfied.  I’m also left-handed, and have developed habits that ensure that I seldom smudge my ink even though it takes a while to dry.  That’s going to be a matter of technique and experience so consider your own experiences if you are also left-handed.

While appearing sturdy, the pad also has an understated quality about it, that make it a good choice for the workplace.  The only problem you might have there is people wanting to borrow the paper (or the entire pad for that matter, lol!).

I can’t leave you without some example of something I’ve done.  I most commonly use the dotPad for tangling.  Be sure to come back on Tuesday, when I’ll have a new tangle pattern step-out to share!

61 comments

  3. Great review and much appreciated. I order many things online where you can't test the product and see how it feels-whether pen or paper! So reviews like this are great. I am a doodler and use graph paper to help me keep things aligned. I have yet to try the dots, but think it would be a great tool and will blend more into the doodle! Oh, I love your tangle. I am new to tangling and yours is great-especially that basketweave on the bottom.

    Reply

  4. Oh how I would love to win this Rhodia dotted notebook! I've had my eye on this specific notebook since I started tangling, yet never could afford the price. It seems winning one will be my only option. Thank you for the chance to win, Sandra Strait. This is exciting! My email is kelliepage@att.net

    Reply

  20. Sounds like a perfect tool for creating new tangles! Hope they develop other papers with different dot grid sizes and using other types of paper…particularly ones that will better accomodate markers. I am very excited about this product and look forward to trying it out!
    Email: loriebethea@eatel.net

    Reply

  23. Hi there! What a great offer. I would love to try tangling with the dot grid. I've seen folks use the grid on a Moleskine, but to me that feels like the grid is too intrusive. Fingers crossed!
    Meredyth(dot)bass(at)sas(dot)com

    Reply

  43. The posting today of the face and proportions is oh so helpful – thank you!!! This paper has so many possible uses. Would love to tangle my day away on it and now, to practice faces!!!! Thanks for a chance to win, more thanks for sharing your heartartistry! Karen (kaborus@gmail.com)

    Reply

  55. Great to find this site and I thank Rhodia for that! I've used other Rhodia products, really enjoy the webbie, and would love to get my hands on the No 18 dot pad to see how it responds to my pen and ink field sketches. Thanks for making the offer.
    Frank B

    Reply

  58. This paper is GREAT for being able to go dot to dot when making a picture or diagram! Thank You Rhodia for coming up with such a fantastic idea for a pad of paper!!………Mike Smukula

    Reply

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