Category Archives: Adult Color Books

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.

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.

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.

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 Fantasy Butterflies Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Marty Noble

Rating: 5 of 5

I have and enjoy a number of coloring books by Marty Noble. This book is quite different from those that I already own. The designs focus on butterflies with lots of decorative embellishments within their wings, for instance, butterflies within butterflies or flowers or birds as part of the wing pattern.

This book is a combination of 15 new designs by Ms. Noble and 16 designs which are re-printed from an earlier coloring book by Dover: Fanciful Stained Glass Coloring Book (2012). I don’t own the previous book (which was printed on translucent vellum instead of coloring paper) so getting these designs in the Creative Haven format is really great for me to color.

For my first project, I chose to do a butterfly with butterflies making up its wings. I did the design with regular fine point markers and with the brush end of my Copic markers. This design was fairly easy and open to color but the book contains many designs which are detailed and some with intricate and small spots to color. I’ll post a photo of my first project as well as samples from the book.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I use for testing and for most of my coloring projects.

31 Butterfly designs with lots of decorative touches

Designs are printed one side of the page

Paper is typical of Creative Haven: white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.

Glue Binding with perforations so you can remove them one at a time.

The designs stop well before the perforations

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers bleed through in spots and colorful shadows on the back of the page

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

Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to use both wax and oil based pencils equally well. I was able to get good color and to get deeper pigment by layering the same color. I found that I could layer multiple colors and blend easily using a blending stick. Hard lead pencils, like Verithins, leave dents on the back of the page.

I prefer to use a blotter page under my working page to keep ink from seeping through or dents from marring the pages below. You can also remove pages from the book to color. I like card stock for my blotter page but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper work as well.

Norse Mythology

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

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.

Creative Haven Let There Be Love Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Alexandra Cowell

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a lovely coloring book of hand-drawn, rather sketchy looking designs that celebrate Love of all kinds. There are lots of hearts and flowers, words explaining the type of love shown in the design, and even couples (mostly animals). I especially like the baby carriage design as it is so darn cute. There are also pages of multiple designs that are presented in small blocks. I like the look and the unique quality of that presentation. It gives me a small project (i.e., a block) to finish in a short amount of time. I can usually finish one during a small break in work.

I found the designs to be both detailed and intricate. There are many tiny spaces to color in most of the designs. I used primarily ultra-fine point markers and gel pens on my first project and will certainly be continuing to use these mediums as I color my way through the book. I’ll post a photo of my first project as well as samples from the book.

The designs have a lovely sketch look to them. The hand-drawn quality is especially interesting to me. I like many computer generated and computer drawn designs as well but I am drawn to handwork first and foremost.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I use for testing and for most of my coloring projects.

31 Detailed Sketch style designs with Love as the emphasis.

Designs are printed one side of the page

Paper is typical of Creative Haven: white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.

Glue Binding with perforations so you can remove them one at a time.

The designs stop well before the perforations

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers bleed through with colorful spots and shadows on the back of the page

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

Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to use both wax and oil based pencils equally well. I was able to get good color and to get deeper pigment by layering the same color. I found that I could layer multiple colors and blend easily using a blending stick. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.

I generally prefer to use a blotter page under my working page to keep ink from seeping through but you can also remove pages from the book to color. I like card stock for my blotter page but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper works as well.

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.

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.