Category Archives: Adult Color Books

This is a lovely grayscale coloring book. It is, apparently, the third in a series by this artist. It is the first that I have purchased, so I can’t speak for any changes from the first and second stylings to the ones in this book. Also, for those who don’t care for grayscale, it seems that there is now a line drawing version of this book (which did not exist when I purchased my copy some time ago.)

There are 20 designs in this book. The female characters all have a similar look (very, very thin with slightly oversize heads and large features.) The result is rather an elfin type look than an emaciated “Twiggy” look.

It is definitely grayscale, so be aware that there is a use of light gray on each design. Grayscale is a type of coloring which calls for coloring over gray to get shading rather than simply coloring each element on its own. I used to use markers with pencil over top but as my health issues no longer allow me to use markers, I use pencils by themselves. A different look and feel but fun nonetheless.

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This is an older coloring book by Dover. The copyright date is 2001 but has a statement that it was manufactured in 2016. I assume that means that the paper is more like what we expect today versus what was available when it first came out.

The designs are printed on both sides of the page with blurbs of information printed at the bottom of each page as well. This is consistent with what I expect from these older books.

What is great, besides the beautiful designs, is that there are 45 different fashion plates. This is a lot more than I expect from these older Dover books (which more generally seem to have 30 pages.)

The designs are of both men’s and women’s fashions and are based on French fashion of before and after the Revolution and of the clothing of the Napoleonic era. Not only did the Revolution have its effect on the political position of the world, it had a huge effect on the clothing people wore. With regards to women’s fashions, there was a slim down of the silhouette, lower necklines and much thinner (even translucent) fabrics used.

You can see this fascinating change in this book and, if you are so inclined, color the fashions to suit your own imagination. The designs are well done and are detailed without being overly intricate. The fashion plates are as such without any form of background.

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This is a coloring book of nighttime scenes from a wide variety of cities around the globe. While the scenes are quite cute and the concept is fun, the serious problem I have with this book is that the detail is too small. If you have vision or fine motor skill issues, I would definitely not suggest this book for your use.

I own a number of coloring books by Lindsey Boylan and I appreciate her designs on black background. This time, I think it is merely okay. I personally would have preferred the ability to choose the time of day I wanted for my project. For some reason, I also feel that the designs show more of a computer generated feel this time. Perhaps I am wrong but that is what it looks and feels like to me.

Having said all of that, I will enjoy coloring some of these designs. The ones that have high detail, I’ll leave to my husband or friends who have more patience than I have. The designs are cute and may be fun to color; they’re just not always my cup of tea. I would also have liked to have seen the name of the city on the reverse side of the page or, at the very least, a listing on a page at the beginning or end of the book.

I’ve noticed that the paper quality 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. I’ve found that coloring medium, including pencils, work similarly with both slightly rough and slightly smooth paper from Creative Haven. In this case, my coloring book pages are slightly rough.

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This is the latest coloring book by Hanna Karlzon. The designs are exactly what you expect from this artist. In her signature style, there are designs of birds, flowers, cats, mice, gems and lovely ladies with lots of jewelry and artwork on their skin.

The designs are detailed and have intricate and small areas to color. The designs are lovely, imaginative and, most of all, fun to color.

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With each coloring book Hannah Lynn releases, I enjoy her work more and more. One would think she might run out of ideas but each, it seems to me, that her designs get better and more interesting all the time. That’s not to say her earlier books aren’t great but the new themes really appeal to me.

This coloring book is focused on Victorian young ladies. We see Ms. Lynn’s signature big eyed girls (with great lashes and diminutive noses) garbed in gorgeous Victorian styles. I must admit I admire the fashion but would not want to wear them. I have enough troubles with breathing and the thought of being laced into a corset would send me running (okay, walking really slow with oxygen in tow) for the hills.

Still, the young women look lovely and seem to have adapted quite well (though I notice the young lady in her nightgown is curved naturally to the side instead of standing bolt upright!)

The designs are detailed with either a two line frame or finished motifs throughout. I don’t consider the designs to be intricate or hard to color but will take some time and attention. That will make the book even more fun to color

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This is the third Nice Little Town to focus on the cute abodes of mice. As with the second book, the houses in this book are more modern (compared to those in the first book.)

The mouses are long and lean rather than round and cute. Some of them look like they are adolescents who are going through a growth spurt and their clothes are getting a little too short.

Once again, these mice are having fun. They are going about their day and living life well. There is a design of one mouse taking a shower via a watering can spout (how inventive!) There is another with a class learning the importance of recognizing a C A T.

Both my husband and I are enjoying these books and would be happy to see more of them. I have many coloring books by this artist and am always impressed by her range and by her skill.

Just a note, this time the author did not include bonus pages from her other books. She did, however, include thumbnail images from those books, so you can still see the types of designs that are available.

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This is an older coloring book by Pomgranate (and may currently be out of print though still available through some bookstores.) The artwork is based on that of famed artist, Maxfield Parrish. The “story” is based on a nursery rhyme made famous by being included in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and was written by Louise Saunders.

Maxfield Parrish illustrated the story which was first published in 1925. The coloring book contains 22 beautifully rendered designs converted to line drawings.

In addition to the the designs, there is a listing of the artwork included. Also included (on the inside of the front a back covers) and full color thumbnails of all of the original artwork.

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.

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Coloring Book Review

I own a variety of coloring books by Majorie Sarnat but it is only in recent books that the artist has begun including figures in her designs. While I love the animals (including owls, cats and dogs) which are in the older books, it is these newer coloring books that I am reaching for again and again. My earlier book is of angels and this book is of beautiful fairies.

There are 31 designs with a variety of fairy subjects. The artist has included drawings which give a nod to the earlier books (with a fairy with a cat or dog, etc.) She has also included fairies in storybook tales and a wide variety of other scenarios. One of my favorites is of a peacock fairy.

As always with Ms. Sarnat, the designs are detailed. Some include smaller and more intricate areas to color but are not, for the most part, what I consider to be difficult to color. The designs have framing lines at the outer edges but some motifs do cross over the line but remain as finished objects when they do.

I’ve noticed that the paper quality 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. I’ve found that coloring medium, including pencils, work similarly with both slightly rough and slightly smooth paper from Creative Haven. In this case, my coloring book pages are slightly rough.

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In this third of a series of coloring books by artist Forest Diver, the keepers are a group of creatures who are tasked with maintaining the safety of the enchanted forest.

In the first book in the series, we discovered the hidden fantasy creatures who live there. The keepers seem to be consistent with the guardians (are were introduced in the second book.) These keepers/guardians are stronger and bigger than the innocent creatures who live and thrive in the enchanted forest.

The book has 32 designs and lives up to the excellent quality of the first two books. The designs are detailed and, in some cases, have more intricate areas to color.

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This is a coloring book about cats. They are quite cute. What I like most is that most of the designs are of cats are simply being cats. They are not being given human qualities though a few are a bit dressed up.

Personally, the most I could ever get my cats to wear was their collar and tag. Having said that, my youngest daughter, as a child, would take our cats and dress them in her doll clothes and put them in her doll stroller. And they loved it! If I had tried it, they would have tried to remove my spleen through a nostril or something. That this book brings back those memories is a special add-on for me while I am coloring.

The designs in this book are nicely detailed with a fun use of background as a integral part of the design. While I don’t consider these designs to be intricate or hard to color, there is enough going on that a project will take a bit of time to complete.

You can receive a digital download of the book as part of the purchase of the print copy (instructions in the book). While printing those copies is a great plus, I will be reviewing (and videoing and photo images) from the print copy.

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