As a former art teacher I highly recommend this notebook to anyone who takes the tools seriously. I got this notebook recently as a gift and don't know why in the world I've not run across this til now. I gave the paper a good workout and scrubbing with watercolor pencils, and it held up very well and warpage from water was minimal (is not a problem though because the hard cover irons it out). I like that there is a lot of paper and the paper has just enough tooth to hold water and color well, but will also allow for detail. I think this notebook would also work great for those who are into charcoal, pastels, and ink wash techniques because it is a nice weighted slightly textured paper. Also very much appreciated is the portability: anyone who is serious about art will probably at some point want a handy book to record visions. This is important to practice in real life in real time, and this notebook seems one of the best tools to get better at art.
I have also done quite a bit of professional framing and can attest that the hard cover is essential if you may want at some point to frame your art as the cover keeps the papers flat and from creasing. One thing I want to request from Moleskine though: although I like the portable size, I would also like to see a few more even larger sizes; maybe 8 by 10 and 10 by 12. I am going to stick with this size or larger Moleskine notebook and large rolls of watercolor paper from now on. It's economical, good quality, time tested and I like it a lot.