Question Regarding ITOYA.... Do You Use Both Sides?

[EternityOfPain]

I was wondering with the ITOYA 24 pages do you use both sides or do you only use the front sides? I am considering only using the fronts and not the back worried about the pressure that is presented on my sketches.. Whats do you think?

[Keropi]

I use both sides of the page. I have too many things to use only one side. When I first started collecting I only used one side, but by the time I got my fourth folder I was running out of room and didn't really care anymore.

But I try to avoid putting two multiple layered background cels in one page. It makes the page too heavy for my taste. It's not uncommon for me to have only one heavy background cel in a page, but I don't isolate single cels that don't have backgrounds.

[wELCOME cONSUMER]

I think this question has been asked before. To each his own, but I use both sides. Don't see anything wrong with it, no problems arise from it and you get to store more per book (resulting in heavier books). Store them vertically like you would novels on a shelf or hide them in your closet (hanging from hangers, right Lemar? )

[sensei]

I store mine two (or four) to a page and keep the book vertical to minimize pressure on any one cel or sketch. Really delicate sketches I put inside cel bags before putting them in the Itoya, mainly to avoid damage it taking it out and putting it back in, which happens rarely once I "install" a sketch but every so often does when I go through a reorganization kick.

Good question, though!

[EternityOfPain]

See I store my sketches in the Itoya and actually lay the Itoya flat (not vertically). I do store them in 4 mil mylar within the Itoya books.. So I was thinking that since I store them flat maybe I should only use 1 side verses two.. Not sure if the sheer weight of a complete book is good or not...

Thank You for all who post so far.

[miz ducky]

personally, I use both sides and I stack my sketch books. They are just paper and I don't see any reason that pressure would hurt them. I like to have everything bagged before I put them in books just to make sure that there is less of a chance of something getting on them when touching/moving/some freak of nature happens and there is some need to have them more protected than just in a book/etc.

[Sugarflower]

Hi EOP. I only own one of those books at the moment but I do use the front and back sides of each page. I've noticed the book looks a little bulged by doing this but eventually I plan to store the book (and future books) in a different manner than the way it is being stored now.

[wELCOME cONSUMER]

Sketches? Oh, I was answering about cels. Couldn't you store sketches in a box? That sounds like it would be much cheaper, since you typically get more sketches than you do cels. You'd probably be able to put more sketches into a box than in a book. I don't know tho, I don't collect sketches and this thread didn't specify cels vs. sketches.

Stacking doesn't work for cels, but would be fine for sketches.

[safetygirl]

I use both sides, but I've found Prat Start books to be wonderful as well. ^__^ I really like having the binder ability - makes moving cels a lot easier. They also make an easel book in that line that I bought that's been just lovely... While Start is their "economy" line it's still FAR from cheap - Itoya is much more pracitcal.

As for sketches... I found at the art store a expandable plastic file made for scrapbookers that allows for paper up to 12x12 - standard office size wouldn't have been tall enough. And since it's for scrapbookers it's acid free, etc like we need.

[Keropi]

Ah...sketches. For some reason I didn't see "sketches" word in your post.

I don't have many sketches in ITOYA folders. The only sketches I have in them are the sketches I got in small sets (maybe eight pages or less) or came as singles. Most of my sketches are stacked on top of each other.

The things that concern me the most about my sketches are that the humidity in my room is correct, that I keep them out of direct sunlight (obvious) and that I try to prevent the sketches from rubbing against other things they come into contact with (pencil smear and pencil fade in the very long run). Pencil smear/pencil fade never concerned me before, but after I seen it occuring to my other papers it bothered me).

[cutiebunny]

Depends on the size of the cel and book.

I have four different cel books currently that are divided into different catagories of preference. The large 17x25(?) book is dedicated to my absolute favorites(and it just happens that the one cel that forced me to buy this size is in that catagory as well). If the cel is really huge, then, one per page. But, with this large book, if it's a smaller pan or just a normal sized cel, then, two per page or four back to back...all in their proper cel bags.

But for the other books, it's one per page, or two back to back and everything in cel bags. My preference is the large 17x25 book though. It seems more flexible than the smaller sizes(well, other than storing that massive thing).

[Alex]

I usually put cel on one side and sketch on the other side.

[RoboFlonne]

EoP has a ton of Junni Kokki sketches.

I don't put my sketches in Itoya's... WC has said this before, but pressure doesn't hurt pencil.

[EternityOfPain]

I used to store all my sketches in archival boxes but the problem I had was when I wanted to view my nice sketches I noticed its hard to flip through a box of sketches verses an itoya. So my new system is placing the sketches you see on the site i the itoya books so I can easily view them at any time. I still store all my other sketches in 5-6 boxes (actually need to buy more) my main concern was the weight on the sketches however it seems everyone here says its fine so that is great. In my original post I should of specified for sketches my mistake.

RoboFlonne - I hope to buy lots more

[duotrouble]

pressure doesn't hurt pencil.

Actually, it can. If enough pressure is applied or the sketch isn't moved periodically, the pencil from the sketch will stick to the bag or sleeve of the book it's stored in. Unfortunately, I've seen this happen.

In answering your question, I use both sides of my Itoya books for cels and sketches and store them vertically. Sketch sets are stored differently. I currently have them in boxes.