Author Archives: iiiireaderadmin

Creative Haven Fanciful Foxes Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Marjorie Sarnat

Rating: 5 of 5

I own several coloring books by Majorie Sarnat including a couple in the Creative Haven line. I was really happy to pick up her new coloring book which is inspired by foxes. I really enjoy coloring foxes with their lovely fur, pointed noses, and large, fluffy tails. Ms. Sarnat’s designs take advantage of all of this cuteness and takes coloring a fox to a new and imaginative level.

As with her other coloring book designs, the 31 designs in this book are detailed with lots of swirls and twirls (though not with extremely intricate and tiny elements to color.) There is simply so much to color and to spark my imagination. My current favorite is an homage to my days of learning to type The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Long hours of practicing typing that phrase was never so much fun as coloring Ms. Sarnat’s cute design.
This is what I saw while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I use for testing and for coloring.
31 Cute, Imaginative and Detailed Fox Designs by Majorie Sarnat
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs stop well before the perforations
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots and show colorful shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page. India ink pens can bleed through when I apply more than one layer of ink.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to get good color, layer the same color and multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blender. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils with similar results. Hard lead pencils, like Verithins, leave dents on the back of the page.
I suggest either removing pages from the book to color or using a blotter page under your working page. I like card stock as it keeps ink from seeping through and damaging the pages below.

Creative Haven Deluxe Edition Celtic Nature Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Cari Buziak

Rating: 5 of 5

I enjoy coloring Celtic inspired designs. The symmetry and movement is always a pleasure to shade and enhance. In this coloring book, the Celtic elements are intertwined with elements from nature, including: flowers, leaves, birds, insects, and fish. It is an interesting take which provides a lot of coloring potential.

The book has 63 different designs. The designs are quite detailed and in some cases, intricate with small elements to color. I can see myself (and my husband) spending many hours coloring in this book and experimenting with colorways and shading to enhance the Celtic look and feel of the designs.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
63 Celtic inspired designs with elements from nature (birds, flowers, fish, insects, etc.)
Printed one side of the page
Paper is white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but you can remove pages at the perforation easily
Designs stop well before the perforations
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots and leave colorful shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page. India ink pens can bleed through if you apply heavily or with with multiple layers.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to use both wax and oil based pencils equally well. They lay down good color, layer the same color and multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blender. Hard lead pencils, like Verithins, leave dents on the back of the page.
I either use a blotter page under my working page or I remove pages from the book to color. I like card stock for my blotter page but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper works as well.

HOLIDAY STYLE

By: Mary Man-Kong

Rating: 5 of 5

I’ve been a Barbie fan since I was a little girl. I enjoyed them with my daughters and am now having fun with them with my granddaughter. While this coloring book is aimed at children, I found that I could enjoy it as an adult as well. That makes it fun for all of us to color in. The designs are cute and the figures are big and for the most part are easy to color. There are smaller areas to color but not anything too intricate for a child.

The 24 pages of designs are a larger format than the usual coloring book. There is a handle that creates a cut through hole in all of the pages (too bad as it would have been nicer to have the whole picture but it probably makes it easier for children to carry.) There is also a fun sheet of stickers.
The paper is thin, white (rather than the usual children coloring book newspaper style pages) and pages can be removed from the glue bound edge with a little bit of care. The back of the book is a heavy duty cardboard. It makes for an excellent surface for coloring where ever you are.
What I especially liked about it for my use is that it is printed on one side of the page. This is important for me as some of the medium I use with bleed through the page.
I found that marker bleed through the page so either taking each page out to color or putting a blotter page under the coloring page works best if you are using them. Gel pens show through on the back of the page but don’t leak through. Coloring pencils work well and can be layered and blended well. Crayons work too but it is difficult to get the crayon into the smaller detail areas. I am using a combination of markers, colored pencils, and crayons for my coloring.

MERRY PRINCESSES – B

By: RH Disney

Rating: 5 of 5

We are big Disney fans at our house and were really pleased to find this coloring/sticker book. According to the product description, it is a children’s coloring book. I also found that many of the pages were fun for me to color as an adult. I like that I can share a coloring book with my grandchildren. Most of the design are very simple and easy to color while others are a bit more detailed. Those detailed designs are the ones that I use for coloring.

The 24 pages of designs are a larger format than the usual coloring book. There is a handle that creates a cut through hole in all of the pages (too bad as it would have been nicer to have the whole picture but it probably makes it easier for children to carry.) There is also a fun sheet of stickers. The paper is thin, white (rather than the usual newspaper style pages that are common in children coloring books.) and pages can be removed from the glue bound edge with a little bit of care. The back of the book is a heavy duty cardboard. It makes for an excellent surface for coloring where ever you are.
That the designs are printed on one side of the page is great for my use as my markers bled through the page. I found that marker bleed through the page so either taking each page out to color or putting a blotter page under the coloring page works best if you are using them. Gel pens show through on the back of the page but don’t leak through. Coloring pencils work well and can be layered and blended well. Crayons work too but it is difficult to get the crayon into the smaller details (especially on the dresses.) I am using a combination of markers, pencils, and crayons for my coloring.

Hidden Nature’s Frame Fantasia: A Colouring Book to Keep Your Favourite Moments

By: Toc de Groc

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a beautiful book of designs by Toc De Groc who are also the artists behind Hidden Nature. As with the coloring book, this set of designs include a playful little kitten on each page. The concept of the book is to color a design page and use it for framing or as a border for your own picture or whatnot. I will use them for a variety of purposes including as cards or uplifting sayings by writing my own sentiment in the open space of the design.

The designs are fun to look at and to color. They are detailed but not intricate and small to color. The blank areas range in size and shape according to the design. Some of the designs have themes (such as travel, cooking, artwork, etc.) but others are more generic. I like the diversity of the design concepts but with the cute kitten theme throughout. The designs are printed on one side of the page with the exception of the alphabet at the back of the book. On the back of the design pages there is a design in white on peach that is generic in nature or which coordinates with the design on the facing page.
The book cover is white and has beautiful embossing on it. There is a half size dustcover sleeve which surrounds the book. The book has an open easy hinged binding which allows the book to open flat and to remove pages easily by carefully pulling them away from the binding.
45 Designs (plus alphabet at back of the book and intro pages)
Picture frame template included
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly smooth and non-perforated though still easy to remove pages
Glue binding with notepad style binding for easy removal of pages in whole
Book opens completely flat for coloring with no damage to spine
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page
Colored pencils work well with this slightly smooth paper. It still has enough tooth to grip pigment well. In testing both oil and wax-based pencils, I was able to layer the same color, multiple colors and to blend easily using a pencils style blending stick.
In addition to the copy of this coloring book that I purchased on Amazon, the publisher sent me a sample advanced reader copy of this book.

Colin Thompson Funtastic 72 Page Adult Colouring Book (Ravensburger)

By: Ravensburger

Rating: 5 of 5

I have this coloring book in the German edition and was really pleased to pick up this UK version as well. The only difference between the two books is that this version is in English and the other was in German (though the illustrations have words in English in both versions.) Apart from that, the books are comparable and either one is a pleasure to own.

I have several Ravensburger puzzles by Colin Thompson and enjoy the unusual subjects and intricacies of those. The designs are the same wild and imaginative ones that I have seen in my puzzles just in grayscale rather than in color. Coloring in this book is both a joy and an endeavor as there is simply so much to each and every design. The designs are done in grayscale and have extremes of both white and black as part of the designs.
The designs are printed on both sides of the page and are mostly spread across two pages with the designs merging up to the binding. I have found that the designs in my book line up extremely well and I didn’t lose any portion of the design into the actual binding area itself.
The binding is sewn rather than glued which really helps when I am coloring. I find that sewn bindings are easier it get to lay flat so I can get my pencils in to the parts closest to the fold.
The non-perforated paper is a nice white heavyweight and is ever so slightly rough which gives great tooth for gripping pigment from colored pencils. When I tested my pencils (both wax and oil based), I was able to get great pigment, to layer the same color for deeper tones, layer multiple colors, and to blend easily using my blender stick.
Alcohol and water-based markers all bled through the paper to some degree. India ink pens spotted through to the back of the page. My gel pens did not bleed through but some of the darker colors left an indistinct shadow on the back of the page. I found that colored pencils worked the best and will be what I use in this book exclusively.

Magical Christmas Adult Coloring Book

By: Cindy Elsharouni

Rating: 5 of 5

I own several coloring books by Cindy Elsharouni. I’ve found her designs to be a lot of fun to color, especially those designs which include horses. In her new Christmas book (which is noted as a limited edition), she has a variety of animals in scenes which are inspired by the holidays. The vase majority of the designs are of dogs and horses but there are a few other animals (cats, donkey, etc.) scattered throughout.

I like that Ms. Elsharouni leaves a lot of room for me to play with fur techniques, shading, and adding my own elements. I can either color the design as-is, or have fun with adding my own designs into the picture. Either way, it is always a pleasant time coloring her designs of animals.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
30 Animal designs with Holiday/Christmas inspired motifs
Printed one side of the page
Paper is white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated typical of CreateSpace published coloring books.
Glue Binding
Some designs merge into the binding area; however, most do not
Book opens fairly flat for ease of coloring
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 pencils style blending stick. Both wax and oil based pencils worked well with the paper. Hard lead pencils can leave dents through the page.
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.

Colouring Fantasy 2 – Colouring Book by Scot Howden (Volume 2)

By: Scot Howden

Rating: 5 of 5

Colouring Fantasy 2 is my second coloring book by Scot Howden. I so enjoyed his first coloring book that purchasing the second one in the series was a given for me. The designs are detailed and some are intricate with small areas to color. His designs have an ethereal quality to them that is really wonderful to color. In his first book, the line art was very light. In this book, the line art is darker and is much easier to work with. The designs in this book are a range of women in fantasy, as fairies, and as steampunk-inspired characters.

I’m really pleased to have a new coloring book by Scot Howden and hope to see more in the future. The women he draws have a delicate and feminine look that I really appreciate.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my various coloring mediums on the paper:
24 Fantasy designs plus Title and Dedication page
1 page of thumbnail images with design titles (at the back of the book)
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is thin, white, slightly rough, and non-perforated typical CreateSpace publishing paper
Glue Bound
Designs do not merge into the binding with enough room to cut out pages if you choose to do so.
Book easily opens fairly flat for coloring
Alcohol-based markers rapidly bleed through the paper.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink can leak through if you use multiple coats or apply heavily.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. It has good tooth being slightly rough. I can use both oil and wax based pencils with it and get good results in coloring, layering with the same or multiple colors and blending with a pencil style blending stick. Hard lead pencils dent through to the back of the page.
I use heavyweight paper or card stock as a blotter page under the page I am working on. It keeps seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below.

Fantasy Colouring Book

By: Tomoko Tashiro

Rating: 5 of 5

I own the two previous fairy tale coloring books by Tomoko Tashiro. I was happy to see that there was a third book published. This is the Japanese version which was recently released. The wording on the front and the titles of the tales are both in English and Japanese. The rest of the book, including the introduction and short blurbs about the stories (at the end of the book) are in Japanese.

The book has 82 pages of designs (including the title and introduction pages.) Most of the artwork spans across two pages. The artwork in this book, as in the previous ones (Fairy Tales and Princesses and Fairies) is intricate and detailed with many tiny areas to color.
The designs are all new stories (unlike the previous two which had a few duplications.) The stories in this coloring book are: The Secret Garden, Peter Pan, The Blue Bird, The Wonderful World of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, Manon Lescaut, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Daddy Long Legs, Little Women, The Red Shoes, Twelve Months, and Night on the Milky Way Train.
The book has a removable dust cover which is beautifully illustrated. The inside of the dust cover is plain white and the actual book is olive green with white line drawings on it which can be colored if you wish to do so. I was not able to get the book to lay flat easily (due to the glue binding), so coloring into the binding edge will be difficult (something that is common with glued bindings.) As with her first two Japanese versions books, if I could give this book a 4.5, I would do so because of the binding/printing issues. I always round up when I am faced with this issue, thus a 5 star rating.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
82 pages of intricate storybook/fairy tale designs
Printed on both sides of the page
Paper is heavyweight, warm white, slightly rough and non-perforated
Glue Binding
Designs merge into the binding
Most designs spread across two pages
I had problems getting the book to lay flat on all pages
Alcohol-based markers bled through the paper
Water-based markers and India ink pens left slight shadows on the back of the page.
Gel pens did not bleed through required a longer drying period than normal.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good results with it grabbing pigment, layering the same color, layering different colors, and blending using a blending stick.

The Official Poldark Coloring Book: A Coloring Adventure in Cornwall

By: Winston Graham

Rating: 5 of 5

My husband and I are fans of the Poldark series from BBC One (and in the US, PBS.) This coloring book is based on the first two series and shows scenes from each which includes some hint as to plot lines. The coloring book is really well made and the characters are, for the most part, very true to life.

I’ve purchased the UK version of this book (which was released in September) and will include a comparison of the US and UK version below. In the photos I include, the US version is the smaller one on top and the UK version is the larger one on the bottom. Otherwise, the photos and video in this review are of the US version only. My rating is based only on the US version and does not add or detract because of comparison to the UK version.
The 46 designs include a lot of character studies which I really appreciate. They also give a hint of the lush beauty of the countryside, homes, and clothing that I appreciate in the series.
The designs are done with a very light hand with an almost sketch-like quality to the drawings. The artist has, in a number of the designs, included lines across the characters faces, etc. for shading purposes. Some people like this and some do not. I’m fairly neutral on the matter but wanted to be sure to mention it.
I really appreciate that this book was printed single sided. So many of the of television/movie/book coloring books are done two-sided which makes it difficult for someone who colors with alcohol-based markers. With the high level of detail in these designs, it shows that a single sided book with great designs and detail can be accomplished and accomplished very well.
When I did a side-by-side comparison of the US and UK versions, two things were immediately evident: 1) the US version is much smaller. It is 8.5 x 8.5 inches. The UK version is 9.75 x 9.75 inches. That doesn’t sound like much but it looks like a lot when seen together. 2) the covers are different. The US version is a cropped image of Ross Poldark which is missing the lower portion of the image. It is black and white with metallic (not foil) gold ink highlights. The UK version has a bigger image which is partially colored and the title is in gold foil highlight. The back of the books are different images with the UK version being partly colored. I did note that while the cover image of the US version is cropped, the images inside are the same they are just smaller.
The other difference I noted was in paper quality. The UK version is a definite medium weight paper. The US version is a much lighter paper. It is what I would call light medium weight as not all wet mediums bled through the paper (see below.)
For my take, I would rather have the UK version as it is larger which makes the intricate elements easier to color, the paper is a brighter white and heavier weight which I prefer and the binding is sewn which makes it somewhat easier to get the book to lay flat and/or to remove pages from the book. It does take several weeks to receive the UK version versus a few days for the US one.
In the end, both books are quite nice and either one is a great coloring book.
Here is what I have experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
46 line drawn designs which are based on series 1 and 2 of Poldark
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is light/medium weight, warm white, slightly rough and non-perforated
Glue Binding
Designs merge into the binding area
Book can be opened fairly flat by breaking the binding but it is still a bit difficult to color into the binding area
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. I use a blotter page of card stock under my working page to keep seeping ink from ruining the page below.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens leave a very light shadow on the back of the page
Colored pencils work very well with this paper. The slight roughness to the page provides excellent tooth for pigment. I was able to layer the same color, multiple colors and blend well (using a blender stick) with both oil and wax based colors.