Author Archives: Iiiireader

Chalk-Style Nature Coloring Book: Color with All Types of Markers, Gel Pens & Colored Pencils

By: Deb Strain

Rating: 5 of 5

I now have three chalk-style coloring books by artist Deb Strain. While they are definitely white designs on a black background, they seem less chalk-like than others I own by other artists. That is perfect for me as I appreciate them as beautiful and detailed designs that have black backgrounds. While I am not a big proponent of colored backgrounds, I find that the black style is one that I do like. It doesn’t dictate what colors I have to use (as a colorful background would do) and it gives my projects a more finished appearance once I am done.

The designs in this book have words and sayings but focus a little more on the design than do my other coloring books by this artist. There are loads of flowers and cute animals as well as trees and other plant life. The designs are detailed but not overly intricate.

I own a number of books by this publishing company and this book contains the things that I have come to expect from them. There are a few pages of artist recommendations and hints, some beautiful colored sample pages and the back of each design page has a quote, journal lines and a cute design (which in the chalk-style books is in color.) What is new and different about the most recent books, including this one, is that 8 of the design pages are medium rather than full page designs. The bottom of the page has a thumbnail of the colored sample and has a few of the colors used in it and some hints on coloring. That portion of the page is perforated so you can remove it if you wish to do so.

I’m torn about this new format. I really like the information included but I miss having the designs in full page format. As these are the same designs we get to see in full page colored samples, I wish that they had reduced the size of the colored sample page and put that information on that page. That way I get the information but still retain the full size designs for coloring. While the smaller size is still good, in some cases, the elements have become a little small and a little more difficult to color.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my various coloring medium on the paper:

32 Nature (Flower, Animals, Plants) in Chalk-board style (white images on black background) with 24 large designs and 8 medium ones

8 Medium Designs include colored thumbnails and coloring advice on the page (info can be removed at provided perforations)

Printed on one side of the page.

Paper is medium weight, slightly rough, black printed on white paper and is perforated for easy removal. The paper is noted as archival-grade and acid free for 200 years.

Designs stop well before the perforations

Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page

Gel pens and India ink pens can spot through to the back of the page

Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.

As I use markers and pencils, I use a blotter page to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below. I recommend this in general or that you remove pages before coloring. I use card stock or several sheets of paper as my blotter page.

Alice in Wonderland Coloring Book

By: Fabiana Attanasio

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really cute and fun coloring book. The designs are detailed but not overly intricate. The characters from the book are well represented and are easily recognizable for anyone familiar with the story. Alice is there as is the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts and her playing card guards.

The story follows from the beginning of the book through to the end and the condensed story at the front of the book tells the high points in just a few pages. While you might want to keep a copy of the book handy, the story by itself is sufficient for telling to little ones and then you get to look through the pages you have colored together.

I am a real fan of Alice in Wonderland, so I have several different coloring books based on this story. I find it really interesting to see the difference in how individual artists interpret one of my favorite stories.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. I did not test the poster as there is only one and my tests usually ruin the design page that I am testing. The poster is heavyweight and, while white, is slightly bluer in tone than the rest of the book.

71 pages of Alice in Wonderland inspired designs plus a 37 x 26 inch folded and removable poster at the end of the book.

Printed on both sides of the page

Paper is white, heavyweight, smooth and non-perforated.

Sewn Binding

Designs do merge into the binding area

25 of the Designs are printed across two pages of the book

The images line up exceptionally well in my copy of the book

Front and back covers fold out with suits of playing cards that can be colored; however, the paper is slick and may not work with all coloring medium

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers, except for the brush end of Tombows, can leave the faintest of shadows on the back of the page if you use dark or bright colors or have to put multiple coats on for coverage. My Tombows did not leak through or leave shadows on the back of the page.

Gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through on my tests. Gel pens required additional drying time.

Colored pencils worked well with this paper. I used both wax and oil based pencils and while the paper was smooth, I was able to layer same colors for deeper pigment, layer different colors, and blend colors well using a pencil style blending stick. Hard lead pencils did not dent through on this paper.

If you choose to use markers, you will probably have bleed through of some sort and that will ruin the design on the back of the page. As with my other book in this series, I have chosen to use coloring pencils to finish this book along with some highlights of gel pens here and there when I want to make something sparkle or gleam.

Peter Pan Coloring Book

By: Fabiana Attanasio

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a fun story coloring book based on Peter Pan. The first few pages of the book tell the story briefly and these pages have some coloring opportunities on them but are really not what I call coloring designs. The next 71 pages are all about the designs with a very cute take on the characters. If that were all that was included, that would be great. However, in addition to these great coloring pages, there is a huge removable poster at the end of the book. The poster, once unfolded, is approximately 37 x 26 inches and is printed on only one side. I’ve seen posters this size sell for more than the combined book and poster, so I view this as a great deal as well as a fun book to color.

All of the characters are present, from Peter to Tinker Bell, from Wendy to Captain Hook, even Nana and the Lost Boys appear as well.

I am having such fun with this book. I’m coloring these story books for my grandchildren to have when they are a little bit older. I love to make them special hand-made items and while I can’t create a story book myself, I can color it uniquely for them. I think about that as I am coloring and it makes me smile to think that one day these books will be in their hands and perhaps a little bit special because their Nana colored in it for them.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. I will note that the poster is a slightly bluer shade of white than the rest of the book. It seems equally heavy but as there is just one poster and in testing I color on a design page, I did not test the poster with my colors.

71 pages of Designs based on the story of Peter Pan plus a 37 x 26 inch folded and removable poster at the end of the book.

Printed on both sides of the page

Paper is white, heavyweight, smooth and non-perforated.

Sewn Binding

Designs do merge into the binding area

22 of the Designs are printed across two pages of the book

The images line up well in my copy of the book though on some pages I can see bits of another page at the binding area.

Front and back covers fold out with star pattern that can be colored; however, the paper is slick and may not work with all coloring medium

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers can leave the faintest of shadows on the back of the page if you use dark or bright colors or have to put multiple coats on for coverage. My brush end Tombows were the one exception and those did not show through at all.

Gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through on my tests. Gel pens required additional drying time.

Colored pencils worked well with this paper. While the texture is smooth, there was still enough tooth to the paper to grab color well with both wax and oil based pencils. I was able to layer same colors, different colors, and blend well using a pencil style blending stick. Hard lead pencils did not dent through on this paper.

If you choose to use markers, you will probably have bleed through of some sort and that will ruin the design on the back of the page. I have chosen to use coloring pencils to finish this book along with some highlights of gel pens here and there when I want to make something sparkle or gleam.

Chalk-Style Family Coloring Book: Color With All Types of Markers, Gel Pens & Colored Pencils

By: Deb Strain

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second coloring book by Deb Strain in the chalk-style format. Effectively, this means that the design is in white with black background. The design is still printed with black ink on white paper but, to some degree, it gives the look of being white marks on a chalk-board. I think that with Ms. Strain’s designs, because of her great details and designs, the pictures look a little less like chalk and more like simply designs on a black background. As I really like her designs, it doesn’t bother me that there is more of a concept of chalk than I find in reality.

The designs in this book are all about family. They all include words or sayings that relate to families and the emotions we have for them (although the dangling hearts are a tad esoteric in that only one heart has the word love in it repeatedly.) I am planning on coloring quite a few of these to mount as big cards to send to my family members. I think it will be a beautiful way to express my feelings for them through my coloring hobby.

What is new and interesting about this coloring book is that the publishers have changed their format a bit. They still have a great couple of pages where the artist gives her opinions and advice, still great colored examples, and the back of the page still has quotes, journal lines, etc. What is different is that the eight colored sample pages are included in the book, not as full size designs, but as medium designs with a thumbnail of the color sample, a few samples of the colors used and a quick sentence or two about the how the colors work with the design.

I’ve now found this in my three latest books from this publisher, so it may be that this will be their new format going forward. The pages with this information have smaller designs and are perforated not only at the binding but also between the design and the information/thumbnail. While I appreciate aspects of the new format, I also miss having those designs in full page. Some of the details become small and intricate once the design has been shrunk making it a little more challenging to color.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my various coloring medium on the paper:

32 Family Style Saying/Word Designs in Chalk-board style (white images on black background) with 24 large designs and 8 medium ones

8 Medium Designs include colored thumbnails and coloring advice on the page

Designs are printed on one side of the page.

Paper is medium weight, slightly rough, black printed on white paper and is perforated for easy removal. The paper is noted as archival-grade and acid free for 200 years.

Designs stop well before the perforations

Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page

Gel pens and India ink pens can spot through to the back of the page

Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.

I use card stock as a blotter with this style of book, if I don’t remove the pages from the book for coloring. The blotter will keep seeping ink and marring dents from damaging the pages below.

Island Escape: My Caribbean Coloring Book

By: Jade Gedeon

Rating: 5 of 5

I originally purchased this coloring book to use to learn watercolor techniques. As soon as it arrived, I knew I wanted to color the book as well, so I immediately ordered a second copy. The designs are wonderful; they take me back to my own Caribbean vacations. I see the beautiful colors and the bright blue skies in my mind’s eye.

The lovely designs are only one of the reasons why this coloring book is so fantastic. The quality of the paper and the way the book has been published is just about as good as it can get. All of my coloring mediums worked well (though my juicy Copic markers did have a tendency to feather as the ink was so quickly pulled into the page.)

The paper is a cream tone and is heavyweight watercolor paper. There are ten double page fold-out designs. All of the pages are perforated for easy removal from the book. While the book is sewn binding (a general hint that the book is higher quality), none of the designs cross over the perforations. If you want to remove pages to frame them, you won’t lose any portion of the design in taking the page out via the perforations.

I am having fun with my first copy with my standard coloring medium. My second copy will be exclusively for learning watercolor and watercolor pencil techniques. I’m thrilled to have found such a beautiful book with which to learn and practice. I will happily purchase any book by this author and/or publisher if they have this quality of book materials. This is one of the books that other publishers should take note of and attempt to measure up to.

This is what I experienced in coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper. I didn’t text any form of watercolor medium as I am just learning how to use it. Because of that, I shy away from saying how it worked for me as any issues I come across are sure to be because of my inexperience rather than any issue with the book.

Beautiful Caribbean Inspired Artwork Designs

Printed on one side of the page with ten double page fold-out designs

Paper is thick watercolor paper in cream, rough texture and all pages are perforated for easy removal.

Sewn Binding

Designs stop short of perforations

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page and can feather side-to-side if the marker is juicy

Water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens do not bleed through the paper. Gel pens dry exceptionally quick with this paper.

Colored pencils work well with the page though, due to the texture, it takes several layers to get a deep pigment. As I personally prefer a lighter look to my coloring, this was a non-issue for me. Both oil and wax based pencils worked equally well. I was able to get good color, layer different colors easily and blend extremely easily using a pencil style blender stick.

Mead Adult Coloring Book: Pam Varacek Shorelines by Mead Academie (54018)

By: Pam Varacek

Rating: 5 of 5

Shorelines is my first coloring book by Pamela Varacek. It is my second one from Mead Academie. I’m pretty impressed with both the designs in the book and how it was put to together though I wish that they had put a framing line around the designs so that they didn’t just abruptly stop mid-elements.

The 46 pages of designs are related to the shore and to sea animals and fish. The designs are in a doodle style and most include detailed and even intricate elements for coloring. On the more intricate designs, f you want to color each element separately, you might need sharp pencils or small nib markers or ink pens.

I spent most of my life living near the ocean and I now live in a land-locked area of the country. For me, this book is a little like going home again. I get to experience, by coloring, a lot of my childhood and young adult life. It’s a fun book for coloring, especially during the summer months.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my various coloring medium on the paper:

46 Designs relating to the shore and to sea animals and fish

Designs are printed on one side of the page (with short quotes on the back of the page)

Paper is medium weight, white, somewhat smooth, and perforated

Glue Binding

Designs do not merge past the perforations

All areas of the design are easy to reach for coloring even while the pages are still in the book.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper.

Water-based markers, except Tombows, leaked through in small spots. Tombows brush ends did not leak through but when I tested the fine point side of the marker, it did bleed through.

India ink pens bleed through to a larger degree than did the water-based markers (streaks more than spots)

Gel pens did not bleed through but brighter and darker colors left colorful shadows at the back of the page.

Colored pencils work very well with this paper. I was able to work with oil and wax based pencils and get good results. Coloring, layering same and multiple colors as well as blending using a pencil style blending stick worked equally well.

If I don’t remove pages from this book, I will use a blotter with it. I like to use markers and the seeping ink can ruin the pages below. I like card stock, chip board, or even several sheets of regular paper as a blotter.

Mead Adult Coloring Book: Charles Wysocki Americana by Mead Academie (54014)

By: Charles Wysocki

Rating: 5 of 5

I have admired Charles Wysocki’s artwork for many years. I have collected some prints, bought a multitude of calendars and puzzles and have stitched various forms of needlework based on his designs. I have been hoping for a coloring book and just discovered this one (yes, discovered because it was hidden away in office supplies instead of being front and center in coloring books.)

The book is very well made with a good grade of paper. The cover shows partially finished coloring of a design that looks more like it was done digitally than in actuality. The designs are printed on one side of the page and the title of the artwork is on the back of the same page. That’s great as they will stay together if you remove pages from the book. I will list the designs included (in order of appearance) in the comments section below for anyone interested.

The designs are based on Mr. Wysocki’s scenic Americana artwork. I was very happy to find some of my favorites, including Peppercricket Farms, Four Aces Flying School and so much more. The designs are detailed for the most part and some have intricate and small elements. It’s a great book for anyone who enjoys Mr. Wysocki’s work or who likes American scenes for coloring.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my various coloring medium on the paper:

46 Detailed Americana scenes based on well-known artwork by Charles Wysocki

Designs are printed on one side of the page (with titles on the back)

Paper is medium weight, white, somewhat smooth, and perforated

Glue Binding

Designs do not merge past the perforations

All areas of the design are easy to reach for coloring even while the pages are still in the book.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper quickly.

Water-based markers, except for brush end Tombows, leak through in small spots. Tombows brush ends did not leak through at all though the fine point tip did bleed through.

India ink pens bleed through to a larger degree than did the water-based markers.

Gel pens did not bleed through but brighter and darker colors left colorful shadows at the back of the page.

Colored pencils work very well with this paper. It has enough tooth to the page to grab pigment well and allow for layering of the same color to get a deep pigment. I was able to work with oil and wax based pencils and get good results. Layering multiple colors and blending using a pencil style blending stick worked equally well.

I am keeping my pages together for right now and, because of that, I am using a blotter page of card stock under my working page. That keeps seeping ink from marring the pages below.

Pride and Prejudice: A Coloring Classic

By: Jane Austen

Rating: 5 of 5

I love Jane Austen novels and one of my favorites (as with many others) is Pride and Prejudice. As a young girl, I remember reading it late into the night with a flashlight under the covers. While I missed many of the nuances of the story at that time, the romance itself was enthralling enough for me to read it over and over again. Later in life, I used this novel for several papers in various English classes. So, I guess you can say I am a big fan of the story.

Sometimes that can and have made me very critical of takes on this novel. While I admit I am disappointed that there are not more designs which include Elizabeth and Darcy or other of the characters, I think the designs are quite lovely and will be lots of fun to color. Some of my favorite excerpts are included, including It is universally acknowledged… so the story is fun to read as I color. Just coloring my first choice of designs in the book made me reach for my Kindle to read the story in full once again.

The cover is in black print on white (with elements you can color) with gold foil highlights on the front. Both covers fold out and there are some elements on the flaps that can be colored but the inside of the covers are really just pretty patterns with nothing to color except background.

As I noted, there are lovely designs of gloves, flowers, and whatnot. The book is a little light on characters. The designs are intricate and detailed in spots but should not pose any particular issues in coloring apart from the fact the book is printed on both sides of the page.

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

78 Storybook designs pages (including three pages of the language of flowers lovely little addition to the book.)

Designs are printed on both sides of the page

Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly smooth, and non-perforated.

Sewn Binding which makes it easy to remove several pages at a time by snipping a few threads. This method makes sure you don’t lose portions of the design if you want to remove pages.

Designs merge into the binding area.

Some designs spread across two pages with essential elements merging into the binding area.

My copy of the book lined up very well on the two page designs.

I could get the book to lay fairly flat by breaking (or creasing) the spine.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through slightly on this paper.

Water based markers (except for brush end Tombows) left the slightest indistinct shadow on the back of the page. Tombow did not leave a shadow.

Gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through this paper.

Colored pencils did well with this paper. I was able to color with light or heavy pigment, layer and blend using both my various wax and oil based pencils. I use a pencil style stick blender for my tests. Hard lead pencils did well and did not dent/score through to the back of the page.

Romeo and Juliet: A Coloring Classic

By: William Shakespeare

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a very well made coloring book which illustrates Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. The line drawings are very well done and very pretty. I do wish there might have been a few more designs of the actual characters in the play rather than props, etc. Apart from that little nit, I am happy with the book in other ways.

The cover is in black print on white (with elements you can color) with orange foil highlights on the front. Both covers fold out with pretty patterns that you can color if you choose to do so.

The story is excerpted with many of the most memorable lines included. There is quite a focus on the end where Romeo and Juliet both die, so it is not a sugar-coated version. It stays true to the actual play.

The coloring book has been published by the Doubleday’s Books for Young Readers but it is not a child’s book. The drawings are intricate and detailed enough for any adult to enjoy.

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

78 Storybook designs pages (including several of The Apothecarys Shelf of herbs and spices)

Designs are printed on both sides of the page

Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly smooth, and non-perforated.

Sewn Binding so you can remove several pages at a time with loss of any of the design elements by snipping a few threads.

Designs merge into the binding area.

A good number of designs spread across two pages with essential elements merging into the binding area.

My copy of the book did not line up extremely well so that the two-page designs were off by a fraction of an inch.

Book can be forced fairly flat by breaking/creasing the spine

Alcohol-based markers bleed through slightly on this paper.

Water based markers (except for brush end Tombows) left the slightest indistinct shadow on the back of the page. Tombow did not leave a shadow.

Gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through this paper.

Colored pencils did well. Using oil and wax based pencils in various brands, I was able to color with light or heavy pigment, layer and blend. I use a pencil style stick blender for my tests. Hard lead pencils did well and did not dent/score through to the back of the page.

Chalk-Style Expressions Coloring Book: Color With All Types of Markers, Gel Pens & Colored Pencils

By: Valerie McKeehan

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my first coloring book by Valerie McKeehan though I have a couple of other chalk-style coloring books by other artists. I was surprised at how life-like these designs were until I read how Ms. McKeehan creates her designs which is process which includes actually creating the design on a slate with chalk. I find the process interesting and the results (the designs in the book) fun to color and visually very chalk like in nature, with the imperfect sketchiness one associates with the style.

Many of the designs include inspirational expressions while others just have a happy saying or thought. In all cases, the words stand front and center with the designs grouped around them.

The designs are printed on the right side of the page. On the back of the page are quotes about life and living it to its highest potential by a variety of sources. There are also journal lines. I’ve seen these before in books by this publisher but the first time I have seen them in color are in this style of chalk-style book with black backgrounds.

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

32 Expression Words Deigns with designs in white on black background

Designs printed on one side of the page

Paper is medium weight, slightly rough, black printed on white paper and is perforated for easy removal. The paper is noted as archival-grade and acid free for 200 years.

Designs stop well before the perforations

Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page

Gel pens and India ink pens can spot through to the back of the page

Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.

I use a piece of card stock as a blotter under my working page. It keeps ink and dents from marring the rest of the book. You can also simply remove the page from the book before coloring to keep the rest of the book safe.