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Mary Engelbreit’s Color ME Christmas Book of Postcards

By: Mary Engelbreit

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a cute set of Christmas post cards, gift tags and even ornaments to color based on the artwork of Mary Engelbreit. There are ten postcards, fifteen gift tags and ten cut-out ornaments. Some of the really cute Christmas designs I most appreciate are in this book.

The postcards are preset to be used as such (with mailing address lines, etc. on the back of the card) and the gift tags and ornaments are printed on both sides of the page so there isn’t a colored side and a blank side you can color both or fill in names, etc. You will have to cut these items out of the page but there is a heavy black outer line that will make this a fairy easy task.
A number of the designs are scaled down in size to fit the smaller postcard size format. Because of that there are a number which have intricate and small areas to color. I will be using fairly sharp pencils and ultra-fine or brush markers and small nib gel pens to color much of the designs. Because some of the designs are quite intricate, the set may prove challenging for those who have issues with vision and fine motor skills.
I was so happy that I could use markers without worry of bleed-through. I don’t use most of my postcards as such. Instead, I will mount them on folded blank note cards or frame them as gifts.
This is what I found while coloring in this set of cards and testing my coloring medium on the card stock.
Fun Christmas designs based on the artwork of Mary Engelbreit in postcard size format
Printed on one side of card stock
Card stock is white, heavyweight and slightly rough
Glue binding (in the sense of a notepad where pages can easily be removed in whole.
Back is printed for use as applicable for postcards, gift tags or ornaments.
Alcohol-based markers, water-based markers, gel pens, and India ink artist pens do not bleed through this card stock.
Colored pencils worked well. Both wax and oil based pencils provided good color, layered, and blended well using a pencil style blending stick. Hard lead pencils provide deep and crisp color.

Star Trek: The Original Series Adult Coloring Book – Where No Man Has Gone Before

By: CBS

Rating: 5 of 5

I am a long-time fan of the Star Trek franchise. My first experience, as with many others, was with the original television series. Though it didn’t last for very long, it has left an indelible mark on society. This coloring book really takes me back into the series with both the illustrations and the quotes.

There are 45 designs in the coloring book which are, this time, based on the second and third seasons of the show. The designs are done by a team of illustrators which is something that I have noticed is common in Dark Horse coloring books.
In this case, the illustration team is made up of: Juann Cabal, Will Conrad, Gabriel Guzman and Derlis Santacruz. Interestingly, only one of the artists from volume one (Gabriel Guzman) has illustrations in the book. As with volume one of this series, there are subtle differences in style between the various artists, but I think that the illustrations work well together.
The designs are detailed and a few have intricate and small spots to color. The designs are printed on one side of the page with the applicable quote on the opposite facing page.
This is what I found while coloring in this coloring book and testing the paper with my coloring mediums.
45 Designs based on episodes and scenes from Star Trek seasons two and three of the original series.
Designs printed on one side of page with quotes and Stardates (as applicable) printed on the back of the page
Paper is white, heavy weight, somewhat smooth, and non-perforated
Hybrid glue and sewn binding (lots of small stitches). These are near impossible to snip to remove pages. I suggest cutting pages out instead if you so choose.
Designs merge into the binding area. Cutting out pages will result in some loss of design.
I was able to get the book to open fairly flat with some effort by breaking/creasing 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 shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils worked well with the paper. I could layer well for deeper pigment and blending easily using a blender stick. Hard lead pencils did not leave dents through the page.
I suggest the use of a blotter page with alcohol-based medium. I like card stock but a couple of pages of heavy weight paper will work as well.

Disney Dreams Collection Thomas Kinkade Studios Coloring Book

By: Thomas Kinkade

Rating: 5 of 5

Attached to this review will be my silent video which will show all of the pages of the coloring book, both the designs and the photos. I will also upload a few pages in photos to show how the book is put together.

I own and really like both of the prior Kinkade coloring books but this one has to be my favorite. I am a fan both of his artwork and of Disney in general, so this book combines two of my favorites things. On top of that, I really like the way that illustrators interpreted the designs in this coloring book. Where the first two books had very sketch-like designs, in this book, much of the design is done is straight-forward line drawing. It will be much easier to color because of it. I find that I like the drawings in this book much more than the most recent Disney coloring books.
Many of my favorite classic movies are included and there are also many of the newer sequel film characters included as well. The first thing I did after looking through this book was to go back on-line and order more copies to give away as gifts this holiday season. I know that they will be a big hit among my family and friends.
This is the third Thomas Kinkade coloring book in this series and the first one to feature his Disney artwork. The books are published by Posh and follow the same format. The size of the book is the same as is the texture of the paper. The paper in this book is soft white.
The designs are printed on the right hand side of with the color photo of the actual painting on the left hand side (i.e., opposite each other in the book.) This will allow me to look at the photo of the real painting while I am coloring my own. Certain coloring medium will bleed through and can ruin the colored designs (see below.) I purchased a second copy to keep the photos pristine as I work with alcohol-based markers most of the time.
Here is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my medium:
63 Thomas Kinkade Disney designs with 63 color photos as well
Designs printed on one side of the page with a photo on the back of the page.
Paper is soft white, very slightly rough, non-perforated and medium weight.
Designs stop before the binding area but unfinished elements are left on all four sides of the design which does not have a framing line.
Glue Bound
Pages can be cut out without loss of designs. I don’t plan to do so as I want to keep the continuity of the colored picture and design together.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper.
Water-based markers leave shadows of color (with some spotting through) on the back of the page except for the brush end of dual-end Tombow markers which did not leak through.
India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page.
Gel pens do not bleed through.
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. I recommend using a heavyweight sheet of paper or card stock below your working page. That will keep ink from damaging the next design below.

Chibi Girls 2: A Cute Coloring Book with Adorable Girls, Playful Scenes, and Fun Adventures

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the second coloring book of Chibi Girls designs by Jade Summer. There are 30 different designs (with 2 copies of each design for a total of 60 coloring pages.) The designs show a lot of fun little Chibi girls in a variety of places and occupations. The designs include a Samurai girl, a fairy princess, an elf, a surfer, a birthday girl and many more. Each design is cuter than the last. There are no repeats from the last book.

The word chibi is a Japanese slang term for small person. The cute little girls in this book are small but have beautiful big eyes and even bigger personalities. The designs are detailed with full backgrounds; however, they are not intricate and hard to color.
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:
30 unique designs x 2 each cute Chibi girl designs for a total of 60 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.

The Night Before Christmas Coloring Book (The Classic Edition)

By: Charles Santore

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a wonderful entry in the series of Classic Coloring books featuring the artwork of Charles Santore. The poem is by Clement C. Moore and the illustrations are by Charles Santore. Along with the poem and the designs, there are small color pictures from the illustrated version of this book on the inside front and back covers. That way, you can use similar colors if you so choose.

The coloring book is a larger than standard format. The designs are mostly done in line drawing form with some designs having considerable shading included. Those few images border on the edge of being grayscale designs.
The poem and illustrations are set up in true storybook style, with the text on the left hand side (back of page) and the illustration to the right. The illustrations match well with the text on the facing page with a lot of emphasis on images of Santa.
Some mediums will bleed through the page (see below), which will interfere with the text but if that doesn’t bother you, you can treat the book as if the designs were one sided.
This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
23 Designs inspired by the famous poem The Night Before Christmas. Illustrations are 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
Hybrid glue and sewn binding (lots of small stitches.) You cannot snip threads to remove pages from the book.
Designs stop short of the binding and 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.

Creative Haven Cozy Creatures Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Jessica Mazurkiewicz

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really cute coloring book of designs by Jessica Mazurkiewicz. She has dressed a wide variety of animals in some fun cozy clothing. There are dogs, cats, llamas, tigers, turtles, koalas and even an octopus garbed in (mostly) sweaters. Each design is more adorable than the last and should make for fun coloring during the cold months of winter when I am wearing by cozy clothes as well.

The drawings in this book are detailed but not what I consider intricate or difficult to color. I especially like that the animals are placed in scenes rather than simply having a dog or cat dressed in a sweater and no background. The cute backgrounds give context to the designs.
I’ve noticed that the paper quality over the last few months seems to change quite frequently on the Creative Haven line. Because of that, if you buy one of these books, it may be slightly smooth or slightly rough depending on when and where it was printed.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 line drawing designs of different animals all dressed in cozy clothing
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly rough and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs cross over the perforations but nothing integral to the design is lost if you remove a page from the book. The designs stop at the edges of the page, so coloring in this book will involve unfinished elements at the edge.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots (somewhat heavier than with previous paper in the Creative Have line) 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 pigment (color) lay down, layer the same color and multiple colors and to 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 Vintage Christmas Windows Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: David Bodo

Rating: 4 of 5

This is an interesting coloring book by David and La Jeana Bodo. The concept is vintage Christmas windows. What surprised me is that the drawings were much more like a cartoon than a realistically drawn window scene. While some fall into the category of vintage, others are simply window displays. There are displays of old time scenes and displays of elves surfing with Santa snoozing in a hammock – all in one book.

For me, the one drawback in this coloring book is that the features on the various faces were not drawn with the same detail. Some are quite detailed, others much less so, and finally, others have no detail at all. Given that the size of the faces were similar, I don’t think it was an issue of lack of space but rather a choice or something that was left undone.
The drawings are detailed and some have intricate and small areas to color.
I’ve noticed that the paper quality over the last few months seems to change quite frequently on the Creative Haven line. Because of that, if you buy one of these books, it may be slightly smooth or slightly rough depending on when and where it was printed.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 line drawing designs which represent Christmas window displays
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly rough and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs stop well before the perforations. The window and window coverings make up the frame at the outer edges of each design.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots (somewhat heavier than with previous paper in the Creative Have line) 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 pigment (color) lay down, layer the same color and multiple colors and to 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.

Zendoodle Coloring Presents Mermaids in Paradise: An Artist’s Coloring Book

By: Denyse Klette

Rating: 5 of 5

I admit to being a fan of Denyse Klette’s artwork before finding her coloring books. I loved the first coloring book, Fairies in Dreamland and looked forward to and preordered this book. My only issue with the book (besides wishing the pages were perforated) is that the title might more accurately have been Mermaid and Friends in Paradise. While most of the designs include mermaids or mermaid related items, a good number are of the cute little pig from the prior book, birds, fish and other assorted sea creatures (really cute octopus.) As there are 64 designs in this book, the fact that the designs are not all of mermaids doesn’t trouble me too much.

The book has 64 design pages (including the title and presentation pages which have designs on them as well.) Ms. Klette’s signature style female form is long and thin with beautiful big eyes. Her mermaids such this to perfection (though I did like that a couple of the mermaids were a little more curvy.) Her animal creatures are cute and fun with great expressions.
I love that she worked in a Princess and the Pea image into this book as in the last one (this time a mermaid sleeping in an oversize shell with a kind of large pearl below. I especially like the last design in the book which is of a mermaid holding a cute little fairy in her hand it brings the two coloring books together in a great way.
The designs are detailed and some are quite intricate with lots of tiny details to color. To color some of the tiny detail, I will need to use extra fine nib pens or extremely sharp pointed pencils. Otherwise, regular color medium works great.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium.
64 Cute and Fun Mermaid and Friends Designs by Denyse Klette (includes title and presentation page.)
Printed one side of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough and non-perforated
Glue Bound
Most designs merge into the binding area; however, nothing integral to the design is lost
I can get the book to lay fairly flat with some effort (it is a thick book); however, coloring into the binding area will take some maneuvering (how I wish this book had perforated pages!)
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly
Water-based markers and India ink pens leave shadows (some showing the color) on the back of the page
Gel pens do not bleed through but some larger nib pens required additional drying time. I suggest testing your pens to be sure they won’t accidentally smear.
Colored pencils did well with this paper. I tested various types of oil and wax-based pencils and they all performed well with multiple layers of the same color for deeper pigment, multiple layers of different colors, and blended easily with a blender stick.
I am using and suggest the use of a blotter page under your working page. I use card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper. This will keep seeping ink from getting to the pages below.

Picturing Heaven: 40 Hope-Filled Devotions with Coloring Pages

By: Randy Alcorn

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a lovely Scripture-based coloring book with Devotionals by Randy Alcorn and illustrations by Lizzie Preston. The subject of the book is Heaven. What will Heaven look like and be like according to the Scriptures? The Scriptures and devotionals are on the left side of the open pages and the design for coloring is on the right side. The Bible translations used in the book are listed in the front and are fairly extensive.

I found that most of the designs were representations of the study on the facing page. Perhaps all of them are and a few were too subtle for me to grasp. In any case, I enjoy Ms. Preston’s work and will enjoy coloring this book.
The revelation to me are the devotionals by Mr. Alcorn. I had not read his books but will certainly pick them up. He has a wonderful way of keeping right to the heart of the subject both quickly and eloquently. Each study looks at and discusses a single subject regarding Heaven. Some subjects include: Eternal Freedom from Sorrow, At Last, We’ll Have Time for Everything, Will We Reunite with Our Favorite Pets?, Our Greatest Joy Made Greater, No More Pain, Tears, or Death and much more. I plan to make each devotional a Bible Study lesson for myself. As there are 40 in the book, at the rate of one per week, the book will last close to a year.
The only one nit that I have with the book is the pre-printed flat gold tone on each of the designs. No matter what coloring medium I use, I will not be able to match the color or the texture of the printed color. I will probably use whatever medium I choose for the rest of the design and go over the pre-printed color to make it my own. However, it would have been much better to not have it to deal with.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
40 illustrations by Lizzie Preston based on Picturing Heaven Devotionals by Randy Alcorn.
Designs printed on one side of the page (with Scriptures and Devotionals printed on opposite facing page.)
Paper is heavyweight, white, lightly smooth, and non-perforated. Each design has pre-printed goldtone elements.
Sewn Binding
Designs do run into the binding area.
Book opens fairly flat for coloring if you crease the spine.
Alcohol-based markers bleed rapidly through the page. If you use these, you will mar the wording on the back of the page. I suggest using card stock or several sheets of paper as a blotter to keep ink from seeping through to the next design.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens did not bleed through. Some of the larger nib gel pens required additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked well with the paper. I was able to get good pigment from multiple layers of the same color. I was able to layer multiple colors and to blend with a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils.
While you can remove pages by either cutting them out of snipping binding threads, I will not be removing pages from this book as I want to keep the studies and illustrations together.

Adult Coloring Book: Nice Little Town (Volume 2)

By: Tatiana Bogema (Stolova)

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the second coloring book in a new series of Nice Little Town by Tanya Bogema (Stolova). I love her style and the fun and cute scenes that she portrays in this little town. This is Volume 2 and it picks up where Volume 1 left off. While there are still cute scenes that look from the interior of a house to the town outside, I found that there was more of a focus on outside scenes in this book. From cats frolicking to a lovely lighthouse by the sea, each design is cute and will be fun to color. In the 7 x 10 inch version of this book, the designs are detailed and have a few small and intricate areas to color.

This is the larger of the two versions of this coloring book (at 7 x 10 inches.) It is also slightly more expense but I think it is well worth the additional cost. I purchased the small version of volume 1 and found it made coloring a more difficult because of the tiny spots. It seems like both versions are being sold on this same page, so be sure to order the size you are interested in.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
32 line drawing designs of a scenic little town (including title page) continues from Volume 1. Also included are a couple of sample pages from the artist’s other books.
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding area.
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.