Category Archives: Adult Color Books

Beautiful Birds and Treetop Treasures (A Millie Marotta Adult Coloring Book)

By: Millie Marotta

Rating: 5 of 5

I own all of Millie Marotta’s previous animal theme coloring books and some of her postcard books as well. In Beautiful Birds Ms. Marotta has focusing first and foremost on various Birds but does include an interesting number of other animals which favor living in trees. At the end of the book, there is a listing of the birds and animals (in page order) with both their common name and their Latin name.

As with all of her coloring books, the designs are detailed without being intricate. The illustrations are beautifully done. There are a number of designs that cross over the binding and, in my copy, they line up well but it is difficult to get into the binding area to color. Some of the designs are done twice on the left side with lots of detail and then again on the right side (facing each other) with limited detail. That way, you can do a lot more blending and shading work, making the design your own.
The book is in the larger square format at 9 7/8 x 9 7/8 x .5 inches as are the other books in Ms. Marotta’s series. The book cover is very pretty. It has touches of color and gold foil on the front of the cover. You could certainly color the remainder of the design if you so choose. The inside of the covers are plain white and very slick to the touch.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium:
Designs are printed on both sides of the page
Some designs merge into the binding and some spread across the binding for a two-page design.
Paper is white, heavyweight, slight rough and non-perforated.
Sewn Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper easily.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens leave extremely light shadows on the back of the page, especially dark and very bright colors.
My coloring pencils did the best of the various medium, with the exception of Pablo and Irojiten pencils. Most pencils went on well and blended well. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and could layer and blend easily using a blender stick. The Pablo and the Irojiten did well with everything but blending with a stick. I found that wet blending medium worked better for those two brands.

Posh Adult Coloring Book: Inspired by Nature (Posh Coloring Books)

By: Marjolein Bastin

Rating: 5 of 5

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

This is a beautiful book of designs based on artwork by Marjolein Bastin. The book is published by Posh (who also publish the Thomas Kinkade coloring books) and this one follows the same format as the Kinkade, that is, a line drawing to the right and a matte color photo of the design to the left. The size of the book is the same (smaller than most coloring books) as is the texture of the paper. What is different is that the line drawings are in a variety of colors from yellow to green to blue to purple and more. Each design is done in a single color. The line work is delicately done and somewhat difficult to see and the colored lines do not seem to show through when I am coloring in the book.
I have loved Marjolein Bastin’s artwork for years. I buy her calendars, gift cards, and other household decorated items. I have loved cross stitching her designs, many of which seem to be represented in this book. It is a real thrill to be able to color designs based on her nature work.
The designs are beautiful but lack details so that my finished projects will look quite different from the originals. However, I do get to enjoy Ms. Bastin’s exquisite nature studies while I am coloring. I plan to purchase a second copy of this book to keep just for the colored designs. My coloring medium generally shows through and mars the photo images, so I will want the second book just to enjoy a book of her work.
I could wish for (at least) two other books in the future. I would love to see a book of Vera Mouse designs and I also would love to see a larger format book of grayscale coloring based on Ms. Bastin’s work. That would be a great way of getting all the detail in a coloring book which is inherently difficult with a coloring book of line drawings.
The designs are printed on the right hand side of with the photo of the actual painting on the left hand side (i.e., opposite each other in the book.)
Here is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my medium:
63 Marjolein Bastin nature designs with 63 color photos as well
Designs printed on one side of the page with a photo on the back of the page.
Paper is bright white, very slightly rough, non-perforated and medium weight. Line drawings are printed in a wide variety of colors (one color per design.)
Designs stop before the binding area and do not leave elements dangling unfinished
Sewn Binding
Pages can be cut out without loss of designs or binding threads shipped to remove more than one page at a time. I don’t plan to do so as I want to keep the continuity of the colored picture and design together.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper
Water-based markers leave shadows of color (with some spotting through) on the back of the page except for the brush end of Tombows which did not leak through.
India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page
Gel pens do not bleed through
Colored pencils work well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and was able to get good results from both. I got good pigment (especially with multiple layers of the same color.) I was able to layer different colors and to blend easily using a blending stick.
If you decide to use markers, you will probably have some amount of bleed-through onto the back of the page. I recommend using a heavyweight sheet of paper or card stock below your working page. That will keep ink from damaging the next design below but they will mar the colored picture on the back of the page.

Creative Haven Elegant Angels Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Marty Noble

Rating: 5 of 5

Marty Noble is one of my favorite designers. This is her second coloring book of Angels (though the first one released in the Creative Haven line.) The designs are elegant and beautiful, as one expects from this designer. They are delicate and detailed with lovely backgrounds as well. She always provides enough room for blending and shading so you can make these designs your own.

The angels in the designs range from children to lovely adult women. The scenes sometimes include animals. Many of the designs represent a certain subject, such as a stained glass window, music and several with angels in motion with birds. Simply beautiful and fun to color.
I noticed that the feel of the paper is slightly smoother than some of the Creative Haven books I have received recently. It also appears to be slightly thinner as I can vaguely see some of the from the design below. I’ve noticed that the paper seems to change quite frequently on these books. 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. Colored pencils still work well with the slightly smoother paper (see below.)
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 Elegant and Gorgeous New Angel designs by Marty Noble.
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly smooth 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 designs have a variety of styles of framing lines at their outer edges.
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 Audubon Birds Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Patricia J. Wynne

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a coloring book of line drawings based on the realistic and scientifically accurate bird artwork of John James Audubon (1785-1851). There is a wonderful level of detail included in the designs rendered by illustrator Patricia J. Wynne.

I have many coloring book which have doodle style birds, so I am thrilled to now have one that is realistically rendered and includes many types of birds, such as: the white pelican, titmouse, great horned owl, condor and more. There are also images of several extinct species including the great auk, Carolina parakeet and passenger pigeon.
The drawings are detailed and some have intricate and small areas to color. That is to be expected in designs which so realistically represent nature.
I noticed that the feel of the paper is slightly smoother than some of the Creative Haven books I have received recently. It also appears to be slightly thinner as I can vaguely see some of the from the design below.
I’ve noticed that the paper seems to change quite frequently on these books. 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. Colored pencils still work well with the slightly smoother paper (see below.)
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 line drawing designs which are based on the bird artwork of John James Audubon
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly smooth 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 designs have a variety of styles of framing lines at their outer edges.
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 Midnight Safari Coloring Book: Wild Animal Designs on a Dramatic Black Background (Adult Coloring)

By: Lindsey Boylan

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a coloring book of safari/jungle animals by Lindsey Boylan where the backgrounds are pre-filled in with flat mat black and the design stretches over the entire page from side to side. The paper is still white but is printed black (unlike some publishers who use black paper with white ink.)

There are 31 designs in the coloring book this book. The design have a varied level of detail some are fairly easy to color while others have intricate and small areas. Some of the animals have a bit of doodle style elements included which gives you the ability to use a broader range of colors. There are many animals in the book, including elephant, lion, leopard, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, zebra, flamingos and more.
I noticed that the feel of the paper is slightly smoother than some of the Creative Haven books I have received recently. It also appears to be slightly thinner as I can vaguely see some of the from the design below.
I’ve noticed that the paper seems to change quite frequently on these books. 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. Colored pencils still work well with the slightly smoother paper (see below.)
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 Safari/jungle style animals with doodle elements printed black backgrounds and detail lines. The coloring areas are left white.
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: black backgrounds printed on white paper, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs generally cross over the perforations and some small amount of the image will be lost if you remove the page from the book. Elements are left unfinished at all four edges of the designs.
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.

Celtic Myth & Symbol: A Coloring Book of Celtic Art and Mandalas

By: Jen Delyth

Rating: 5 of 5

This coloring book has forty designs which are Celtic inspired. The designs include spirals, knotwork, mandalas, symbols and even patterns. The artist, Jen Delyth, grew up in Wales and was inspired by the artwork of her youth with its ties to the Celts. For my first project, I choose to color Cranes Knot Panel which incorporates birds into the knotwork design.

The designs in the book have a look of both balance and eternal movement with the unending knots and spirals. Some of the designs are open and easy to color with lots of room to blend while others are more detailed and yet others very detailed and have intricate and small areas to color. The book has a really nice mix of designs and challenge levels.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
40 Celtic inspired designs by Jen Delyth
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.
I was provided an advance reader copy of this book by the publisher.

Art Nouveau Coloring Book

By: Pomegranate Communications Inc.

Rating: 5 of 5

The line drawings in this coloring book are based on artwork by various artists of the Art Nouveau (or New Art) period. This period of art was from 1890 to 1914 and was highly popular in North America and Europe. The artwork was from advertising posters and were large and brightly colored and very different from traditional artwork.

Included is a table of contents at the front of the coloring book which lists the name of the artists, the dates of their life, their citizenship, the name of the work and the date it was published. There are also full color thumbnails of the original artwork inside the front and back covers.
The designs are open and easy to color. There is a good level of detail but they have left a lot of open area to allow you to color and add your own shading and details.
This is what I experienced in coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
22 Art Nouveau derived designs based on famous artwork of the Art Nouveau period
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough to the touch and non-perforated
The designs are bound by two heavyweight staples which can be removed to release all of the page from the book without any loss of design.
Designs do not merge into the binding area. There are framing lines at the outer edges of each design with a caption below the bottom framing line.
Pages can be cut out if you wish without losing any design elements.
Book easily opens to a flat position for coloring.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper easily.
Water-based markers leave shadows and slight spots of color bleed through on the back of the page
If I use any style of marker, I also make sure to use a blotter under my working page. I like card stock but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper works well, too.
Gel pens and India ink pens do not bleed through the page. Some gel pens require slightly more drying time than usual.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. It has a slight roughness to it that allows good pigment coverage from both oil and wax based pencils. I was able to layer the same and multiple colors well and could blend easily using a pencil style blending stick.

Creative Haven Celtic Mandalas Coloring Book (Creative Haven Coloring Books)

By: Cari Buziak

Rating: 4 of 5

I enjoy Celtic-inspired coloring books and was looking forward to receiving this one after pre-ordering it sight unseen. While it is a little more intricate than I had expected, I still enjoy coloring in it. The mandalas incorporate many Celtic emblems and symbols. Because of the intricate detail (small areas to color on most designs), it is not a book I would recommend to anyone with vision or fine motor issues.

The coloring book is the standard size for Creative Haven and the designs are circular. That makes for empty space both at the top and bottom of the design. If I decide to frame a finished project or mount it on a card for a gift, I’ll use a paper cutter to cleanly remove the empty space.
I noticed that the feel of the paper is slightly smoother than some of the Creative Haven books I have received recently. I’ve noticed that the paper seems to change quite frequently on these books. 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. Colored pencils still work well with the slightly smoother paper (see below.)
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 Celtic-inspired mandala designs in a circular format
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs stop well before the perforations with lots of empty space above and below the mandalas
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots 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.

Men’s Coloring Book: A Manly Mans Adult Coloring Book: Cyborg Women, Futuristic Battles, Women And Motorcycles (Adult Coloring Books) (Volume 4)

By: Nathaniel Wake

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a revised version of the Nathaniel Wake Men’s coloring book. From what I understand, the original version of this coloring book may have included illustrations which, unknowing to the publishers of Nathaniel Wake) were copyright infringing.

My review is also newly revised though the date may point to the original book. Any images I include in this review are from the newly revised book. I discarded my originals and contacted Amazon receive the purchase price back which I promptly invested in the new books. It may be a bit confusing as some of the earlier reviews will still reference other designs and/or show fully colored images from them. I do wish the publisher had made the original listing out of print and started fresh with a new page with new reviews to avoid this type of confusion.
This is a fun book that focuses on things enjoyed by men (but I like it, too! – which is a terrible reference to an old bar soap commercial.) The great outdoors is a theme in this book as are the wild west and sexy ladies popping up from time to time. The designs are detailed and many contain small and intricate areas to color. It is a book that both men and women can equally enjoy depending on their tastes.
A word about companies like Nathaniel Wake. This is a publishing company and not an artist. They contract artists from outside sources but present it under an umbrella name that infers a single artist. As such, the real artist or artists of any book with content and style may differ wildly from any others under the same Nathaniel Wake name.
This is what I found in this coloring book:
35 new Men’s themed designs are included with some fun samples from other books
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white front with black back, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. With the newly revised books, the publishers have chosen to use black on the back of the page to prevent bleed-though. It does not prevent it but it does mask it see more about this under tested media below.
The designs do not merge into the binding. None of the designs have frame so all edges are left open with unfinished elements
Glue Binding
CreateSpace Print Paper with tested Media.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly to blotter page though not noticeable on the back backing.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots to the blotter page.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows shadows cannot be seen on the back of the page as it is black. India ink can bleed through to the blotter page if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
As I mentioned earlier, the black on the page merely masks the bleed through. If you do not use a blotter with media that bleeds through, you run the risk of ruining the design pages below. 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. Also, remember to change the card stock from design to design so you don’t accidentally start pulling up an old color through the page of the new design.
Coloring Pencils work fairly well with this publisher’s paper provided you don’t press extremely hard while coloring. I find that I can layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. This is true of both oil and wax based pencils. I have also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.

Creative Haven Autumn Scenes Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Teresa Goodridge

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the fourth book in a series of seasonal coloring books by Teresa Goodridge. For me, each of the books has been even better than the one before. As autumn is my favorite time of year (with changing colors of leaves, the last of vegetables being harvested and the holidays approaching.) While the colored samples are still pictures of the original watercolor artwork rather than colored samples of the actual designs in the book, I don’t have the issues with tiny details that I had in the first book in the series. I’m able to use all types of coloring medium with this book, which makes it a real pleasure to color in.

The designs are exactly what I would hope for in book about autumn. I really like that as I have had problems finding a good autumn coloring book up till now. The designs have lots of trees for coloring the change of leaf colors, pumpkins and other harvest items, Thanksgiving, Halloween and even a football scene. The designs are quite detailed and some few do contain intricate and small areas to color. There are less of the intricate portions in this book than in the prior ones.
I noticed that the feel of the paper is slightly smoother than some of the Creative Haven books I have received recently. I’ve noticed that the paper seems to change quite frequently on these books. 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. Colored pencils still work well with the slightly smoother paper (see below.)
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 Autumn inspired Designs by Teresa Goodridge
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs stop well before the perforations. Most, but not all, of the designs have a framing line at the outer edges. Some simply stop with no line and I wish that they had put the framing line around those as well.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots 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.