Category Archives: Adult Color Books

24 Fun and Festive Christmas and New Year Designs printed on one side of non-perforated paper

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Iiiireader

Christmas Coloring Book for Adults

By: Happy Coloring

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a coloring book of primarily Christmas designs at an excellent price. There are a couple of ones dedicated to New Year and another few that are sort of winter type designs. As Christmas is my favorite time of year, this is a fun book for me to color. A lot of the designs are of Christmas trees but there are others of reindeer, ornaments, presents, stockings, etc. I like that a number of the designs are scenes (both indoors and outdoors.)

All of the design stop well before the binding. The designs are printed on one side of thin white non-perforated paper that is typical for books published by CreateSpace. The binding is glued but there is plenty of room for you to cut a page out if you choose to do so. The artist has put a frame around each design, which I really appreciate. The frame is either a plain line or the words Merry Christmas Happy New Year repeated over and over again, a fun touch that is out of the ordinary. It gives me a proper stopping point while I am coloring.

All of my markers bleed through and my gel pens either bleed through or leave a distinct shadow on the back of the page. My coloring pencils work well with the paper. I will use a piece of chipboard or heavy paper behind the page I am working on so I don’t ruin the following page with leaking ink.

While I could wish for thicker, perforated paper, it appears that this is the quality that comes from CreateSpace (which is an Amazon company.) What I really like about the CreateSpace is it is a way that independent artists can get their work self-published. That way, I get a huge choice of design styles albeit with not the best paper.

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40 Lovely Doodle designs in a variety of styles plus 10 sample pages from other titles printed on one side of page

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Iiiireader

Doodle Coloring Book to Color My Stress Away: (Adult Art Doodle Coloring Book) Enjoy the Creative Invasion! (Volume 1)

By: Grace Sure

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a coloring book filled with flowing doodle style designs. A few of the designs are more geometric but most of them have a beautiful and delicate flow to them. There are both abstracts and takes on real subjects in the various designs. There are even a couple of mandalas, too! The designs range from open and flowing to quite intricate and detailed. While almost all of the designs are fairly intricate, only a few have small details. I find that the designs in this book will take some time to complete but won’t be too intricate to get the tip of your coloring medium into to color.

The pages are printed on thin white paper which is not perforated. The designs are printed on one side of the page with the back left blank. The designs stop well short of the glued binding and can easily be removed with a pen knife if you so choose.

My gel pens and markers all leaked through this paper. My coloring pencils went on well but left a shadow at the back of the page, too. Not a problem, though, as I can put a piece of chipboard or a couple of heavy weight pieces of paper under the page I am working on to keep the ink from leaking through.

What is really quite nice about this line of books by Grace Sure is that she is also making them available for you to print additional copies if you purchase the book. You can either purchase the book and get the access to the on-line version. If you prefer, you buy the Kindle version of the book or, at the time I am writing this review, you can use your Kindle Unlimited to borrow it, too. You can decide to print the designs on whatever paper can use in your printer. When I have this option, I use my laser printer on chipboard. It keeps it safe from my water-based markers and water colors and gives me a good surface to color on. I may do this for a couple of prints but I am happy with the quality of the printed book for most of my coloring needs.

A free sample of this coloring book was provided for test and review purposes.

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22 Imaginative Hand-drawn Faery Forest Designs printed on one side of non-perforated paper

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Iiiireader

The Curious Coloring Book: Faery Forest

By: Andrea Mina Savar

Rating: 5 of 5

This coloring book contains 22 hand-drawn designs (not including the title or bookplate pages which also have elements to color as well.) The designs are the artist’s vision of a faery forest and are both interesting and imaginative. There are lots of faeries, flora, and fauna in the designs. On the back of each page, a line from the Faery Forest Song is printed and the entire poem is printed at the end of the book. While it is nice to have the words on the back, I generally consider that side of my page to be a waste area when a design is printed on this type of thin paper. While the designs are intricate, the spaces are not too small for coloring easily.

All of the design stop well before the binding. The designs are printed on one side of thin white non-perforated paper. The binding is glued but there is plenty of room for you to cut a page out if you choose to do so. All of the designs (except for the very last one) have completely finished elements. One of my pet peeves are unfinished elements which give my final project an uneven look. I’m not sure why the last one was cut off at the edges. Perhaps it was simply too large for the page.

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My Magical Mosaic Coloring Masterpieces

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Iiiireader

Mosaic Coloring Books for Adults My Magical Mosaic Coloring Masterpieces (Volume 1)

By: Grace Sure

Rating: 5 of 5

While most of the designs in this book have a mosaic style vibe, there are a number which are what I would categorize as geometric. I like a variety of designs, so this works well for me. If I were looking for solely mosaic style, I might be disappointed. Most of the subject matter is abstract but there are some designs which are based on real elements but are depicted in mosaic style tiles. There are a few designs which contain small and intricate areas to color but for the most part, the elements of the designs are open and easy to color.

A free sample of this coloring book was provided for test and review purposes.

Large Selection of Beautiful and Intricate Drawn Animals printed on both sides of heavy weight non-perforated paper

Mystical Menagerie Coloring Book

By: Lark Crafts

Rating: 5 of 5

This is an absolutely beautiful book of stylized animals. I hesitate to say doodled as the drawing is so exquisitely done. The artwork is attributed as redrawn from images from 123RF, iStockphoto and Shutterstock and Paola Piaco is noted for Graphic Design. Otherwise, there are no artistic attributes noted. A shame as I would have liked to have known the artist(s) involved.

The book says there are 60 designs but by my count, there are 75 (not including the introduction page of the inside of the cover. I counted two-page spreads as one and individual page designs as one. Perhaps some of the individual pages were actually part of a two-page spread but if I could not find an element that spread from page one to page two, I counted them as individual pages.

I love the way these designs are presented. There are animals made up of flowers and swirling lines and there are also animals which are realistically portrayed and still others who are stylized with many intricate lines drawn in almost a fur-like style. The designs are all intricately drawn and many of them include small spaces for coloring. I would say that a good eye and steady hand would be necessary for this book.

The designs are printed on both sides of the non-perforated page and there are 15 two-page spreads of a single design. A number of those two-page spreads don’t line up perfectly. The paper weight is very nice and heavy. The binding is sewn rather than glued, so you can remove a number of pages at one time by snipping a few threads. The front and the page of the cover have beautiful touches of color including gold foil but there are still parts which can be colored if you wish. The cover is matte but may still resist some types of medium. The inside of the front and back of the cover have line art and should be easy to color as well.

None of my water-based markers bled through. I tested Stabilo 88, Staedler triplus fineliners, Tombow dual end – both brush and marker ends, and Pentel fine points.) All of my alcohol-based markers bled through easily. My gel pens did not leak through or even show a shade; however, they need more drying time than usual. I find this happens with better grade of paper as the ink sits on the surface instead of seeping into the paper. My coloring pencils worked fantastic and as expected for each type of lead (soft and hard.) Because of the double-sided printing, I don’t recommend alcohol-based markers with this book unless you are willing to waste the design on the backside of the page. I will be using all other mediums but those and I will keep my book together due to the misaligned pages.

31 Lovely Floral Hand-drawn Imaginative Designs – printed on one side of perforated page

Serenity Adult Coloring Book (31 stress-relieving designs) (Studio Series Artist’s Coloring Book)

By: Peter Pauper Press

Rating: 5 of 5

This book has 31 lovely hand-drawn flower and plant designs that are quite abstract in look an feel. I have a particular affinity for hand-drawn designs as I feel a bit more connected to the artist when I am coloring them. There is an organic and flowing feel to these designs which make it fun for me to imagine them in wild colors. If they were drawn true-to-life, I would have to fight my instinct to color them as such, too. As they are imaginatively drawn, it unleashes my imagination, too. While the designs are fairly intricate, the elements are not so small as to limit the coloring medium used or make it difficult to color otherwise.

Some of the earlier Peter Pauper coloring books were by a variety of artists but this book focuses on only Sarajo Frieden’s work a change in focus that I am really enjoying. I have now purchased three books from this publisher that focus on a single artist and have seen that there will be a few more in the coming year.

A few of the designs have intricate components but they don’t look that difficult to color provided you have ultra-fine point pens/markers/pencils and a steady hand. I don’t know that crayons would work that well on those particular designs. Other designs are more open and free-flowing and a colorist should be able to use a variety of coloring tools and points with those designs.

The pages are a heavyweight of bright white paper that is micro perforated. The designs are printed on one side of the page only and stop right at the perforations. The designs do not merge into the binding area; however, a number of design elements are cut off on the edges of the designs which leaves open-ended parts to the design. I much prefer either finished elements or a frame around the design which gives a natural end point for the colorist to stop. It is never much fun trying to color of the edge of the page. The paper is also acid-free which means that it will not turn colors with age and all the work you put into coloring the designs should be safe. Additionally, the glued binding can be pushed into lying flat to give you access to make coloring in this book if you prefer that over taking pages out.

The only markers that bleed through on this paper are my alcohol-based markers (Sharpie – fine and ultrafine, Copic, Prismacolor.) None of my gel pens or water-based brush, fine, or ultra-fine markers bleed through. Coloring pencils work well and according to their type (hard or soft lead.) If you are using alcohol based markers or just for general safety, you can put an extra page of heavyweight paper under the page you are working on just in case some color leaches through (my preference is chipboard as it can be reused over and over again.) Be sure to check your particular markers/pens to see if there is any leaking for that brand.

Beautiful and Stylized Animals Coloring Book printed on one side of non-perforated paper

Adult Coloring Books: Wild and Free: Featuring Stress Relieving Animal Designs (Wild Animal) (Volume 3)

By: Adult Coloring Books

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a coloring book with animal designs from a variety of artists. As is common with these curated books, the images are licensed from artists via Shutterstock.com. It is an excellent way to provide colorists with a variety of styles and allows artists to get their work published.

The book contains 26 designs (27 if you include the preface to the title page which is the cover art image.) The designs range from highly stylized animals to a fun doodle style (which I find so much fun to color.) The animals include: elephants, tiger, lion, butterfly, ram, horse, and many more. Some designs have heavier black lines than the others. While many of the designs are intricate, I don’t consider them to be difficult to color as the spaces are a good size and I can get all of my various coloring medium into those spots.

The pages are printed on thin white paper which is not perforated. The designs are printed on one side of the page with the back left blank. There is room between the designs and the glue binding so you can remove the pages with a pen knife or by heating the edge (though that is something I have yet to attempt.)

My book has a publishing issue that I will note though it may not be in all copies. There is a black frame around all but one design and in my copy, that frame is off-set so that only three sides are complete. The top of the frame disappears on the near the margin. That isn’t an issue for me as I did not intend to color the background on these designs but I did want to note it in case it is a problem with the entire run of this book.

My gel pens and markers all leaked through this paper. Not a problem, though, as I can put a piece of chipboard or a couple of heavy weight pieces of paper under the page I am working on to keep the ink from leaking through. Coloring pencils work well with the paper.

I received a free sample of this coloring book for test and review purposes.

Lovely Variety of Floral and Butterfly Designs printed on one side of non-perforated paper

Adult Coloring Book: Butterflies and Flowers:Stress Relieving Patterns

By: Coloring Books

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a coloring book with butterfly and flower designs from a variety of artists. The styles vary considerably and I find that these curated books are a good way for a colorist (especially those who are new to the hobby) to get a wide range of designs to choose from without having to buy multiple books.

The book contains 27 designs (if you include the preface to the title page which is the cover art image and the inscription page.) The designs vary in intricacy with some being open and easy to color while others have intricate and small details that might prove a little more difficult. Some of the designs are very detailed and life-like while others are more whimsical and fun. While I did find the front cover art included, I did not find a design based on the exact picture on the back of the cover.

The pages are printed on thin white paper which is not perforated. The designs are printed on one side of the page with the back left blank. There is room between the designs and the glue binding so you can remove the pages with a pen knife. Close to half of the designs merge into the binding and you will lose what appears to be non-essential portions of these designs if you remove them from the book.

I received a free sample of this coloring book for test and review purposes.

30 Beautiful Postcards Images from original Tropical World printed on one side of heavyweight postcard stock

Millie Marotta’s Tropical World (Postcard Book): 30 postcards

By: Millie Marotta

Rating: 5 of 5

This review is for the 30 design set of glue-bound postcards. I will address the differences between this and the 50 design postcard set towards the end up this review. The silent video with this review will show what is included with this set.

This set of 30 postcards is based on Millie Marotta’s Tropical World which is her beautiful and successful second coloring book adventure. The subject of the postcards are tropical flora and fauna. The cards are all from the book and vary from full designs which have been shrunk to fit the new size or which are a subset of the original design (and possibly smaller, too, but not to the same degree as the full designs.) Some of the designs are so small, I must warn that they contain many extremely small and intricate details. So much so, I believe that I will only be able to use a hard lead colored pencil (like Prismacolor Verithins) to get the point I will need to color them. I will attempt to upload two images that demonstrate the shrunken design and the subset design.

The cover of the cards is once again gorgeous. It is a smaller and subset version of the cover of the book it is beautifully drawn and has touches of color and metallic gold. Unlike the book, the postcards are definitely printed on only one side. The size is perfect for use as a postcard or to color and frame to make small gifts or a collage of prints on a wall. The back of the design is pre-set for postcard information. The postcards are glue-bound and you pull a card off like you would a note from a notepad.

My water-based markers did not bleed through this paper. However, my Sharpies (both fine and ultra-fine), Copics, and all other alcohol-based markers did bleed through easily. Gel pens did not leak through but did need extra drying time. Coloring pencils worked great. If I want to use alcohol-based markers, I will cut a piece of chipboard to fit the book and carry it with me to keep ink from leaking through to the next page.

Interestingly, there are two sets of postcards based on Tropical World: this one which is a 30 design glue-bound set and a slightly more expensive set of 50 designs which are loose-leaf and come with a nicely decorated heavy-duty cardboard holder.

There are really only two main differences between the two sets: 1) the bigger set has 20 designs which are not included in this set, and 2) the bigger set is also just slightly larger so a tiny bit more of images are printed. They are not printed in a larger size, just less of the design is cropped. The cards in 30 design set are approximately 6.25 x 4.25 inches. The cards in the 50 design set are approximately 6.375 x 4.375 inches. The differences each direction is approximately 1/8th of an inch. The real difference is the number of cards and the carrying box.

As to which is better it depends on your budget, how many designs you want, and how you want to use them. I find that the glue-bound is great for carrying in my purse where the box set is better for coloring at home. Provided I can get my photos to post (glitchy review system!) I will include two photos on the 50 design set which shows what is included in that set that is not included in this one.

50 Beautiful Postcards in a Box set Images from original Tropical World printed on one side of heavyweight postcard stock

Millie Marotta’s Tropical World (Postcard Box): 50 postcards

By: Millie Marotta

Rating: 5 of 5

This review is for the 50 design box set of postcards. I will address the differences between this and the 30 design postcard glue-bound set towards the end up this review. The silent video with this review will show what is included with this set.

This set of 50 loose leaf postcards is based on Millie Marotta’s Tropical World which is her beautiful and successful second coloring book adventure. The subject of the postcards are tropical flora and fauna. The cards are all from the book and vary from full designs which have been shrunk to fit the new size or which are a subset of the original design (and possibly smaller, too, but not to the same degree as the full designs.) Some of the designs are so small, I must warn that they contain many extremely small and intricate details. So much so, I believe that I will only be able to use a hard lead colored pencil (like Prismacolor Verithins) to get the point I will need to color them. I will attempt to upload two images that demonstrate the shrunken design and the subset design.

Unlike the book, the postcards are definitely printed on only one side. The size is perfect for use as a postcard or to color and frame to make small gifts or a collage of prints on a wall. The back of the design is pre-set for postcard information. The postcards are glue-bound and you pull a card off like you would a note from a notepad.

This set comes in a lovely box which is very nicely made as well. It is a smaller and subset version of the cover of the book it is beautifully drawn and has touches of color and metallic gold. I will certainly find a use for it once I have finished my cards.

Interestingly, there are two sets of postcards based on Tropical World: this one which is a 50 design loose-leaf box set and a slightly less expensive set of 30 designs which is glue bound with a heavy cardboard cover.

As to which is better it depends on your budget, how many designs you want, and how you want to use them. I find that the glue-bound is great for carrying in my purse where the box set is better for coloring at home. Provided I can get my photos to post (glitchy review system!) I will include two photos on this review which show the 20 designs that come with this set that do not come with the smaller set.

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Category Archives: Adult Color Books

Christmas Coloring Book for Adults

By: Happy Coloring

Rating: 5 of 5

Doodle Coloring Book to Color My Stress Away: (Adult Art Doodle Coloring Book) Enjoy the Creative Invasion! (Volume 1)

By: Grace Sure

Rating: 5 of 5

The Curious Coloring Book: Faery Forest

By: Andrea Mina Savar

Rating: 5 of 5

Mosaic Coloring Books for Adults My Magical Mosaic Coloring Masterpieces (Volume 1)

By: Grace Sure

Rating: 5 of 5

Mystical Menagerie Coloring Book

By: Lark Crafts

Rating: 5 of 5

Serenity Adult Coloring Book (31 stress-relieving designs) (Studio Series Artist’s Coloring Book)

By: Peter Pauper Press

Rating: 5 of 5

Adult Coloring Books: Wild and Free: Featuring Stress Relieving Animal Designs (Wild Animal) (Volume 3)

By: Adult Coloring Books

Rating: 5 of 5

Adult Coloring Book: Butterflies and Flowers:Stress Relieving Patterns

By: Coloring Books

Rating: 5 of 5

Millie Marotta’s Tropical World (Postcard Book): 30 postcards

By: Millie Marotta

Rating: 5 of 5

Millie Marotta’s Tropical World (Postcard Box): 50 postcards

By: Millie Marotta

Rating: 5 of 5

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