Author Archives: Iiiireader

An Adventure in Arendelle (Disney Frozen) (Big Coloring Book)

By: Frank Berrios

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 geared toward children and I understand that completely. However, I found it fun to color in as an adult.

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 childrens off-white 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.

Doodle Animals Coloring Book for Adults

By: Happy Coloring

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a couple of coloring books by Amanda Neel and while I am familiar with her doodle style, this is the first such book I have seen by her which includes a variety of animals. The designs are nicely printed with fairly easy to color doodle areas. Some designs make the doodles so intricate it is hard to get a pencil or pen point into the area to color. That is not true with this coloring book. I also appreciate that these are original designs versus books based on licensed (e.g., Shutterstock) designs.

The designs are a wide range of animals, including: horse, tiger, bear, seal, fish, alligator and many others. I choose to do the zebra as my first project. I’m fairly new to Inktense as a coloring medium but wanted to try it on this type of paper. While I don’t test Inktense or other watercolors (due to my lack of experience with the medium), I can note that the paper rippled a bit from the water. I tried to use it sparingly but it may be that I still put too much on the page.

Here is what I found while coloring in the book and testing my coloring medium on the pages:

30 various original doodle animal designs some with backgrounds (plus a bonus title page to color)

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is typical of CreateSpace publishing thin, white, slightly rough and non-perforated

Glue bound

Designs do not merge into the binding area and have a framing line at their outer edges

Pages can be cut out of the book without losing any portion of the design

Book can be opened fairly flat for coloring by breaking the spine.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper rapidly.

Water-based markers bleed through in spots.

Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can bleed through in spots if you apply the ink heavily or in multiple layers.

Colored pencils work well. I tested both oil and wax-based and had good results with both. I was able to lay down good color, layer the same and multiple colors, and blend easily using a pencil style blender. Hard lead pencils can leave dents through the paper.

I use a blotter page of card stock to keep seeping ink and dents from damaging the pages below my working page. A couple of pages of heavyweight paper works well, too.

tokidoki Coloring Pad

By: tokidoki

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the second Tokidoki coloring book that I have purchased (as well as a fantastic set of postcards.) For fans of Tokidoki, this is a great deal. This coloring pad is a larger format than the coloring book and it has a full 60 different designs in it. So many of the characters are in it that I am having lots of fun imagining my own color schemes for each of them.

The designs are well printed and are easy to color. Many of the designs are detailed but not intricate and small to color. They are printed on one side of the page with the glue binding at the top exactly what you would expect from something called a coloring pad of high quality.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and checking the paper with my coloring medium.

60 full page Tokidoki coloring design pages

Designs are printed on one side of the page

Paper is heavyweight, white, somewhat smooth (but with good tooth), and, not perforated, the pages are easy to remove from the top glue binding

Glue bound with the type of edge you expect from a notepad

There is an additional illustrated cover with gold foil touches which hinges open and away from the pages and a very heavyweight cardboard back cover which provides a great surface for coloring anywhere.

Designs run to the binding but you can remove full pages without loss of any design elements

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper readily

Water-based markers bleed through in tiny spots

India ink leaves slight shadows on the back of the page

Gel pens do not bleed through but require additional drying time.

Colored pencils work really well with this paper. While it is somewhat smooth, the paper has a good tooth for grabbing pigment. I had good results from both oil and wax based pencils with layering same and different colors as well as blending using a blending stick.

I suggest a blotter page under your working page (or removing the page before coloring) if you are using markers. I like card stock but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper work as well. This will keep seeping ink from ruining the pages below.

Myth & Magic: An Enchanted Fantasy Coloring Book by Kinuko Y. Craft

By: Kinuko Y. Craft

Rating: 5 of 5

I have long been a fan of Kinuko Y. Craft’s artwork, especially in puzzles and calendars over the years. I was very happy to see that she had translated her artwork into line drawings for a coloring book. The designs are all very detailed and intricate with many small spots to color. I am using a combination of ultra-fine point alcohol-based markers and sharp pointed colored pencils to be able to color the details in this book.

The designs are elegant and richly detailed. I find them to be an excellent translation of her work into a coloring book. I would be hesitant to recommend this book to anyone who has fine motor control or vision issues but otherwise, I think it is a fantastic coloring book and one that can provide many hours of fun and challenging coloring.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.

40 Hand-drawn intricate Fantasy Designs by Kinuko Y. Craft

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough, and perforated

Glue Binding

Designs do not merge past the perforations and most have a frame of sorts around the outer edge of the design.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page

Water-based markers and India ink pens bleed through the page in spots.

I use a blotter page below my working page when using these wet mediums. It keeps the ink from seeping through. You can also remove pages before coloring to keep the rest of the book from being damaged.

Gel pens leave a slight shadow on the back of the page but do not bleed through. Some pens require additional drying time.

Colored pencils work well with this slightly rough paper. I was able to layer and blend easily with both oil and wax based pencils.

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

Everything Beautiful: A Coloring Book for Reflection and Inspiration

By: WaterBrook Press

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really well made and beautiful Christian-based coloring book filled with inspiring Scripture, quotes, and excerpts from songs. The designs in the book are by nine different artists: Holly Camp, Terra Cypher, Ann-Margret Hovespian, Katherine Howe, Cari Logston, Laura Elizabeth Marshall, Lisa Shirk, Jenny Stewart, and Jennifer Tucker. The publishers of the book provided the artists with the text to inspire the design and each artist came up with their interpretation.

This is the second in a series of compilation Christian coloring books. The first one, Whatever Is Lovely is a favorite of mine and one that I have purchased not only for myself but as gifts for others as well. It is one of the best Christian-based coloring books that I own. Because of the high standard of the first book, I was hoping that the second one would be similar. It absolutely is and will be an item that I include in my holiday gift shopping this year.

There are 45 designs in this coloring book. Some of the designs are based on Scripture while others are based on quotes by famous individuals and still others from hymns, songs, and poems. The inspiration for each design is printed on the back of the design. What is nice about this is that if you remove a page from the book (perhaps as a gift), that information will stay with the page it applies to.

The translations used in this book are: the Holy Bible New International Version (NIV), ESV the Holy Bible English Standard Version, and the Message. While designs may focus on a few key words from Scripture, the entire quote with cite is printed on the back of the page.

I color in many different styles and types of coloring books but the ones that mean the most to me are Christian-based. When times are tough or I’m feeling down, coloring in these books help to focus my attention on the right path. Between the Scripture and the words of others, my mind is reset properly and I have the wonderful refreshed feeling that comes with hearing the Word.

This is what I experienced 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 my tests and for coloring my projects.

45 Inspiring Christian Designs by nine different artists

Printed one side of the page

Paper is white, heavyweight, slightly rough and perforated

Glue Binding

Some designs are printed past the perforations and merge into the binding area. These areas do not include any essential element of the design

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper.

Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens leave indistinct shadows on the back of the page but do not bleed through the paper.

Colored pencils work especially well with this paper. Its slightly rough texture has good tooth to grab the pigment well. I was able to layer the same color, different colors and to blend easily (using a blender stick) with both oil and wax based pencils.

tokidoki Coloring Book

By: tokidoki

Rating: 5 of 5

Tokidoki is a cute Japanese-inspired set of characters that have popular for more than a decade. I have a few items which have these characters and was really happy to find a coloring book with many of them in it.

There are 32 designs in this book. The designs range from easy to more detailed but are all fun and easy to color. The antics of the characters puts a big smile on my face as I am coloring.

The book is in a smaller format and works well for a travel size coloring book. The pages are perforated, so I will plan on keeping the book intact.

This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:

32 Tokidoki designs in a 7 x 9 inch format coloring book

Designs are printed on one side of the page

Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and non-perforated

Glue Binding

Designs merge into the binding area

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper

Water-based markers leave colorful shadows and can spot through the paper if applied heavily

India ink and gel pens do not bleed through. Some gel pens require additional drying time.

Colored pencils work well with this paper. I used both oil and wax based pencils and got good pigment, layered different colors and blending easily using a blending stick.

Epic Journeys (Other Worlds Icons of Fantasy)

By: Larry Elmore

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really great fantasy coloring book which combines the art of four artists: Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Danta Knutson, and Mark A. Nelson. The design groupings all have a distinctive look and feel which gives me a wide variety of artwork in a single book. The designs are detailed and some have intricate and small areas to color.

Each grouping has a story to go along with it. The story is told on the back of the design pages with the applicable story blurb being opposite the page you color. I don’t plan to remove pages from my book (though you can as the pages are perforated) because that would disconnect the stories. The stories, or Epic Journeys are: Aurora’s Fairyland Odyssey by Jeff Easley, Happy Trails by Mark A. Nelson, Evonna the Enchantress by Larry Elmore, and Return of the Queen by Danta Knutson.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.

24 Fantasy Designs 6 by each artist

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is white, heavyweight, somewhat smooth, and perforated

Glue Binding

Designs do not merge past the perforations and the designs have framing lines around the outer edges

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper. I used a blotter page of card stock with this type of medium to keep the ink from seeping through and damaging the pages below.

Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through the page. Some gel pens require additional drying time.

Colored pencils worked well with this paper. I used both oil and wax based and was able to get good pigment, layer and blend using a blender stick.

Santa’s Furry Helpers Coloring Book

By: Kayomi Harai

Rating: 4 of 5

This is the second of two coloring books I have purchased by Kayomi Harai. She is a self-taught artist who does beautiful paintings of kittens. The designs in this book are line drawing interpretations of some of those paintings. I really like the whimsical styling of the cats their poses and expressions are adorable. They also seem to get into some silly hi-jinks along the way (just as my cats did over the years.)

Unfortunately, once again, the publisher Designs Originals has reduced the size of ten of the designs in this book. It has been done in order to include the coloring information that was used to color the sample of the design. While I like that information, it could easily have been included on the page that showed the sample design and then the coloring page could have been left full size. Because of of this issue, some of the elements in the reduced designs are more difficult to color. Also because of this issue, I have dropped what would have been a five star rating on this book to a four star rating.

There are many pages, at the front of the book, with coloring hints and colored samples of designs as well.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring mediums.

32 Santa Helper Kitten designs 22 full size and 10 reduced size designs

Designs are printed on one side of the page with cute quotes and journal lines on the back of the page.

Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated. It is also noted as acid-free archival quality.

Glue Binding

Designs stop before the perforations. Most of the designs have framing lines at the outer edges.

Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page

Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can spot through as well depending on how heavily they are applied.

Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer the same or multiple colors well, and blend easily using a blending stick. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.

I like to use a blotter page below my working page to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below. I use card stock but two sheets of heavyweight paper work well, too. You can also simply remove pages before coloring to keep the rest of the book in good condition as well.

tokidoki Postcard Book

By: tokidoki

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a wonderful set of postcards to enjoy and to color. Most sets of coloring postcards I have purchased have 20 postcards. In this set, you receive 40 postcards to color and 40 of the same designs already colored. That makes for a huge set comparatively. The designs are detailed and somewhat intricate as the characters have been reduced to a smaller size. I found that my smaller nib gel pens, ultra-fine nib markers and sharp pointed pencils could get into the small areas well.

The postcards are printed to two a page. Each page has two of the same design, one is already colored and the other is not. You can use the colored design as a guide or simply enjoy it as you let your own color palette take over (this is what I plan to do.)

The postcards separate via perforations and have an area for stamp and address already defined on the back of the page. The paper is a light weight card stock and is white and smooth to the touch.

Alcohol-based markers seep through the page. If you use these, be sure to put a piece of paper or card stock under your working page to keep ink from seeping through to the next page. Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not. Gel pens definitely require additional drying time as they seem to sit on top of the smooth page rather than be absorbed rapidly. Colored pencils work well except when blending with a blender stick. In that case, the colors smear more than blend.