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Colour My SketchBook 4: GreyScale Colouring Book

By: Bennett Klein

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the fourth grayscale coloring book in the series by Bennett Klein. The designs in the book are based on Mr. Klein’s original artwork rather than photographs as many grayscale books are. While I like both styles in the genre, I am always impressed by the quality and imagination of Mr. Klein’s work.

With this book, the artist provides a table of contents with the title of each of his pieces of art. The designs are detailed and intricate in nature. Many of them include highly stylized animals and unusual takes on elegant women. They range from whimsical to more than a little bizarre. I always color the designs with tongue firmly in cheek as I think the most unusual of the designs merge comedy and elegance in a wonderful way.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
25 Hand-drawn sketches in grayscale based on the artwork of Bennett Klein
Designs are printed on one side of white, thin, slightly rough non-perforated paper typical of CreateSpace
Glue Binding
Easy to open to flat position for coloring
Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to cut pages out if you choose to do so
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page to some degree. Water-based bleed through in spots while alcohol-based bleed through freely
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of page. India ink can bleed through if you use multiple layers.
Colored pencils work well with this paper. Both oil and wax based provide good color when I use multiple layers of the same color. I am easily able to blend (using a pencil style blender stick) and layer multiple colors as well. I generally prefer wet blenders for grayscale designs as I have found that some designs with smear with a blender pencil. Hard lead pencils leave dents through the back of the page.
Because of the bleed through and dents, I use a blotter page below my working page. I prefer card stock but several sheets of heavyweight paper work as well.

The Wizard of Oz Coloring Book

By: Charles Santore

Rating: 4 of 5

I will include a full and silent flip-through of the coloring book so you can determine if it will work for you. I’ll also upload a couple of sample photos.

This is another entry in the Classic Coloring books featuring the artwork of Charles Santore. The story is by L. Frank Baum and the illustrations are by Charles Santore. Along with the story and the designs, there are thumbnail color pictures from the storybook on the inside front and back covers. I really appreciate that as I can decide to follow the original colors or go my own way.
The book is a larger than standard format. The designs are mostly done in grayscale with a small amount of line drawings in most of the designs. That means that there is a heavy use of gray in the designs. It is meant to be colored over with lighter shades and provides shading which shows through the coloring medium.
It is set up in storybook style, with the text on the left hand side (back of preceding page) and the illustration to the right. Some mediums will bleed through the page or leave shadows of color (see below), which will interfere with the text.
This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
24 Wizard of Oz inspired designs by Charles Santore
Designs printed on one side of the page with storybook text on the back.
Paper is white, every so slightly rough to touch, medium weight and non-perforated
Glue Bound
Designs stop short of the binding and almost all have a framing line at the outer edges
Book opens easily to flat position for ease of coloring.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers and India ink markers leave a slight colorful shadow on the back of the page.
Gel pens do not bleed through an left an indistinct shadow on the back of the page.
Colored pencils did well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I was easily able to get good pigment with multiple layers of the same color. I also was able to layer multiple colors and blend well using a blender stick.

Barn Quilts Coloring Book: Miss Mustard Seed (Majestic Expressions)

By: Marian Parsons

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a lovely book of hand-drawn designs which emphasize both quilt patterns and scenes of barns with quilts hanging on them. While the majority of patterns are patchwork, some have the look of applique. On each of the designs, there is a Scripture quote and cite. The words are in a fairly small print and are not the emphasis of the design but rather there to be appreciated and thought about while coloring. It would be very difficult to read the words from any distance. The verses are from a wide variety Bibles translations.

I have been looking for a coloring book of quilts and was really pleased to find this one as it has many quilt patterns and also the beautiful country scenes. The quilt pattern designs are fairly open and easy to color. The country scenes are highly detailed and contain intricate and small areas to color. It’s a really nice mix of designs and color challenges in a single book.
This is what I found when coloring in this book and testing the paper with my various coloring medium:
55 Designs with Quilts, Barns, and Scripture quotes by artist Marian Parsons
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white, lightly rough and non-perforated
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding area and have a framing line at the outer edges. There is plenty of room to cut pages out if you choose to do so.
Book opens fairly flat for coloring if you crease or break the spine.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through but do leave a colorful shadow on the back of the page.
Colored pencils work well with this lightly rough paper. I get good pigment lay down, can layer same and multiple colors, and blend easily with a pencil style blending stick with both oil and wax based pencils. Hard lead pencils can leave dents on the back of the page.
I use and recommend the use of a blotter page to keep ink and dents from marring the pages below. I use a piece of card stock or several sheets of heavy weight paper.

Color the Words of Jesus: An Adult Coloring Book for Your Soul (Color the Bible)

By: Marie Michaels

Rating: 5 of 5

I have been looking for a coloring book which highlights the words of Jesus. I was very happy to find this book after a long search. While I appreciate all of my Christian coloring books, rather like seeking a red letter Bible, it is wonderful to pick up a coloring book and know that I am reading words from Christ himself. The artist, Marie Michael, is actually a group of three artists: Nicole Wallace, Chris Dugan and Terry Dugan. I own another coloring book by this group and have enjoyed it tremendously (Color the Names of God.)

The words are front and center on the designs while the designs support them. Coloring in the book adds to both my prayer and worship time as I focus on the verse that I am currently coloring. Some designs are obviously inspired by the verse while others are lovely but serve more as a frame. The designs are detailed and a few have intricate and small areas to color. The designs are elegant and flowing rather than cute or filled with doodle elements.
The translations used in this coloring book are: Holy Bible New International Version (NIV), New King James Version, and the New American Standard Bible.
This is what I found when coloring in this book and testing the paper with my various coloring medium:
37 Designs with Scripture Verses of the words of Jesus
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white, lightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs do not cross over the perforations, so you can remove them without loss of content.
Most designs have a framing line at the outer edges.
Book opens fairly flat for coloring if you crease or break the spine.
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the paper to some degree (water-based is mostly in spots while alcohol flows through rapidly.)
Gel pens and India ink do not bleed through but can leave shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. I get good pigment lay down, layer, and blend easily with a pencil style blending stick with both oil and wax based pencils. Hard lead pencils can leave dents on the back of the page.
I use and recommend the use of a blotter page to keep ink and dents from marring the pages below. I use a piece of card stock or several sheets of heavy weight paper.

Mythomorphia: An Extreme Coloring and Search Challenge

By: Kerby Rosanes

Rating: 5 of 5

I will attach a silent full book flip-through video to this review so you can see if it will work for you. I will also post a few photos of designs in the book.

I own both of Kerby Rosanes earlier books (Animorphia and Imagimorphia) and really like both books. I thought it might be difficult for the artist to reach the same level with his new book. I was wrong. This is absolutely my favorite Rosanes coloring book yet. The designs are beautiful and odd at the same time just what I want from this artist. The subject matter is cohesive and presents a great story of mythological creatures and stories.
What was different and made the book more unique, is that there is less of the doodle creatures in the designs. While I love the doodle style, it made for a wonderful change of pace to have less in this book. It really provided a fantastic view of the artist’s wide range of skill. I hope to see more coloring books in both styles in the future.
As soon as I held and saw the physical book in my hands, I immediately ordered a second copy. I want to be able to use whatever coloring medium I wish on these fantastic designs. I’ll probably pick up the UK version (in several months when it comes out) for pencil coloring as my experience is that the UK paper is best for that medium.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my various coloring medium on the paper.
53 Designs based on Mythological creatures and stories as interpreted in a refined form of Kerby Rosanes doodle style artwork.
Designs are printed on both sides of heavyweight soft white slightly smooth non-perforated paper
Many designs spread across two pages
Two page designs have a white strip running down both sides of the page at the binding
Hybrid Glued and Sewn Binding (lots of little stitches rather than the few in a sewn binding.) I don’t suggest cutting pages out as you will lose important parts of designs.
Had difficulty getting the book to open flat for coloring
Alcohol-based markers bleed through
Most water-based markers bleed through spotty (my only exception was the brush end of my Tombows which did not bleed through)
India ink pens left shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens did not leak through the paper
Coloring pencils did well with this paper. While it is slightly smooth, it still has enough tooth to grip pigment fairly well. I tested both oil and wax based pencils with similar results. I was able to layer the same color, multiple colors and also to blend fairly easily with a blending stick.

Year of the Rooster: Adult Coloring Book

By: Phoenix Amulet

Rating: 5 of 5

Mardel Rubio has created a coloring book which commemorates the Chinese Year of the Rooster for 2017. Each of the designs include a rooster and the majority also include a beautiful Asian woman. As I have seen with other coloring books by Mr. Rubio, the designs also include doodle creatures enmeshed into the illustrations. I enjoy doodle creature books but have yet to find any others as refined as those by this artist. It’s fun to have a lovely designs to color and to decide whether to emphasize the creatures or to blend them in.

I was interested in what the year of the Rooster meant. It turns out that 2017 is a year of the Rooster in the Chinese zodiac cycle. There are 12 different animals which rotate as well as five elements. Rooster years always follow the year of the Monkey and preface the year of the Dog.
The Rooster this year is associated with Fire though the coloring book does not seem to emphasize that. I will bring that in with the colors that I use by choosing to use a lot of warm colors throughout the designs. The animal and elements only come together every sixty years, so this is the first time since 1957 it has been the year of a Fire Rooster.
The designs are quite detailed and include intricate elements with lots of tiny spots to color. I would not recommend this coloring book to anyone with fine motor or vision issues. I would also suggest that, for the intricate areas, use of ultra-fine point markers/pens or really sharp pencils would be best.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
36 Designs based on the Year of the Rooster also with Doodle creatures
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs merge into the binding area (and extend to all sides of the page)
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Grimm Fairy Tales: Adult Coloring Book

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

I enjoy fairy tale coloring books and this is one that has designs based on seven different famous stories by the brothers Grimm. The fairy tales included are: Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. Each story has several designs associated with it including a title page with the name of the Fairy Tale in a banner across the top of the page.

The designs are extremely detailed and have many intricate and small areas to color. While some of the designs have shading included, it is usually in the form of cross hatch or lines rather than a heavy use of black. The designs are true to the original stories and are a lot of fun to color. The projects will take longer to finish due to the intricate details.
While you can have access to .PDFs when you purchase this book, my review is based on the book as it is received from Amazon. That way you will know what the pages look like and how they accept color. I like that the publisher provides the digital version as well so you can choose the paper you wish to use and/or to color the pictures as many times as you choose.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
32 x 2 each designs based on Grimm fairy tales for a total of 64 coloring pages
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. The back of the page is printed black.
The designs do not merge into the binding. There is a heavy framing line at the outer edges of the design to give the project a more finished look, especially for framing.
Glue Binding (there is room to cut the pages out if you choose to do so.)
Though you cannot see the bleed-through easily due to the back of the page being printed in black, I recommend the use of a blotter page when working in this book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.

Colour My Sketchbook MYTHIC

By: Bennett Klein

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a number of Bennett Klein’s coloring books and have been amazed at his beautiful fantasy images (as well as his recent animals in Wild.) In Mythic, Mr. Klein and his daughter Mae Klein give us a wonderful vision of his take on mythological creatures. There are vampires, Kraken, Medusa, cyclops, sphinx, trolls and much more. One of my favorites is of Athena in part because of my Greek heritage but also because it is stunningly beautiful.

The designs are done in grayscale and with touches of line drawings. There are a couple of designs which are line drawing symbols rather than creatures and with light gray for accent. All but three of the designs are printed primarily on white background with the three exceptions done on a black background.
Because of the way the designs are presented, I will be able to use both my markers and my colored pencils while coloring in this book. I really like this as this is my preferred coloring method (markers for background and pencils for details.)
As with his latest two released coloring books, this is done as a collaborative effort with his daughter Mae Klein. The artists have once again provided a table of contents with the title of the designs. The titles are indicative of the mythical creatures more so than a fantasy style title as I have found in previous books.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
26 Hand-drawn grayscale designs based on mythological creatures
Designs are printed on one side of thin, slightly rough non-perforated paper typical of CreateSpace. All of the paper is white; even the one with black background, (it is black tone printed on white paper.)
Glue Binding
Easy to open to flat position for coloring
Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to cut pages out if you choose to do so
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page to some degree. Water-based bleed through in spots while alcohol-based bleed through freely
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of page. India ink can bleed through if you use multiple layers or apply heavily.
Colored pencils work well with this paper. Both oil and wax based provide good color when I use multiple layers of the same color. I am easily able to blend (using a pencil style blender stick) and layer multiple colors as well. I generally prefer wet blenders for grayscale designs as I have found that some designs with smear with a blender pencil. Hard lead pencils leave dents through the back of the page.
Because of the bleed through and dents, I suggest (and use) a blotter page below my working page no matter what medium I use. I prefer card stock but several sheets of heavyweight paper work as well.

Posh Adult Coloring Book: Peanuts for Inspiration & Relaxation (Posh Coloring Books)

By: Charles M. Schulz

Rating: 5 of 5

Attached to this review will be my silent video which will show all of the pages of the book. I will also upload a few pages in photos.

I have been a fan of the Peanuts comic characters since I was a little girl. I remember my older brother reading the books to me as well as the comic strips and what fun we had giggling over them. I, in turn, read my children the stories and watched the movies with them. Because of my long history with them, I was really pleased to find an adult coloring book based on those characters. Going through the coloring book brought back many fond memories.
While the characters are all present, the presentation is quite different. Instead of simple line drawings, the designs are quite detailed with many intricate and small areas to color. The designs are set in somewhat of a collage form with other elements added to what was probably the original design. Some of the designs are so intricate, I hesitate to recommend the book to anyone with visual or fine motor issues. I would suggest ultra-fine point pens/markers and/or very sharp pencils for work in this book.
While I wish that the designs had been printed on one side of the page, it is really nice that the pages in this book are perforated for easy removal. I’m debating buying a second book so I can color all of the pages with whatever medium I choose. If not, I will probably stick to colored pencils and gel pens.
Here is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my medium:
124 pages of designs based on the Peanuts characters by Charles M. Schulz
Designs are printed on both sides of the page
Paper is bright white, very slightly rough, medium weight and perforated
Designs stop before the binding area but in some designs there are unfinished elements left on as many as all four sides of the design.
Glue Bound
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper.
Water-based markers leave shadows of color and some bleed through in spots.
India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page.
Gel pens do not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page. Some brands took additional drying time.
Colored pencils work well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and was able to get good results from both. I got good pigment (especially with multiple layers of the same color.) I was able to layer different colors and to blend easily using a blending stick.
If you decide to use markers, you will probably have some amount of bleed-through onto the back of the page which will mar the design on the back of the page.

The Coloring Book of Cards and Envelopes: Summertime

By: Nosy Crow

Rating: 5 of 5

While the title of this set of cards refers to Summertime, the cards are mostly a ocean/seashore theme. There are a couple which show plants, butterflies and birds but most show fish, sea birds, shells, seals, and other subjects related to the ocean. The designs are extremely cute with areas to color or write in on all sides of the note cards. In addition to the set of color yourself cards, the set also comes with fold it yourself coordinating envelopes and stickers to seal them with.

The envelopes have areas to color and decorate as well and the inside of the envelope is done is a all-over coordinating design. The designs are detailed and some have a few intricate areas to color. I don’t find them difficult to color but they may present issues for someone with vision or fine motor skill issues.
The cards are printed on a medium weight card stock while the envelopes are printed on a heavy weight paper. All of the pages are perforated for easy removal from the book, however, you still need to cut (using scissors or paper cutter) certain parts of the page.
Each page of cards has two cards on it with a cutting line to separate them. The book also recommends that you trim the perforated side of the cards and the envelopes to neaten the edge as it is slightly rough once it is removed from the book.
The fold lines are lightly scored on both the cards and the envelopes. There are written instructions on the method of folding the envelopes as well as stickers at the back of the book that can be used to help seal the envelopes.
My alcohol-based markers bled through both types of paper.
My water-based markers were mixed. None of them bled through the note card paper but all but Tombow brush end markers bled through the envelopes.
Gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through or leave marks on the back of either types of paper. I really liked the way that my India ink pens worked with and looked like with these cards.
Colored pencils work well with the slight rough texture. I got could color with both oil and wax based pencils. I was also able to layer and blend well using a blender stick.