Category Archives: Adult Color Books

32 Affirming Hand-drawn Designs to Inspire Women printed on one side of perforated page

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Iiiireader

Inkspirations for Women: Color Your World Happy–30 Inspiring Designs to Nourish Your Heart and Renew Your Spirit

By: Marci Shimoff

Rating: 5 of 5

The artwork in this coloring book is by artist Judy Clement Wall. The designs cover a wide variety of subjects but are brought into focus by either the words on the page or the notable quote on the page facing it. The designs are beautifully hand-drawn which is the style that I prefer most of all. The subjects range from peacocks to castles, from standing in the rain to an explosion of flowers in a garden. There is so much to see and to color, it makes for a great addition to my coloring book library.

In addition to the coloring aspects of the book, there are 31 quotes that are inspiring for all individuals whether they are women or men. The quote page is also illustrated in part to match the design page it faces, which gives the coloring pencil colorists opportunities for even more to color (see my color medium tests below.)

The individuals who are quoted are a wide range, including: Oprah Winfrey, Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball, and Albert Einstein among many others. One of my favorite quotes is from Helen Keller, who battled and overcame such great obstacles in her life: Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. Her life proved to be such a wonderful and daring adventure.

I will provide greater detail about the physical book below. Here is an overview of what I found:

32 Hand-drawn Designs and 31 Illustrated Quotes
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Pages are perforated
Glue Binding
Book lays flat easily
Designs to merge into the binding or across the perforations
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on back of the page
Gel pens leave slight shadows on the back of the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper

The designs in this coloring book are printed on one side of the medium weight bright white, perforated paper. The quotes are printed on the page opposite the design (i.e., the back of the preceding design.) The binding is glued but if you want to remove pages from the book, you should consider removing them at the perforations instead of cutting them out. The designs stop well short of the perforations. The book lays flat easily by push down hard on the open spine.

The artist has included a framing line around all of the designs and illustrated quote pages. I really appreciate this thoughtful touch and always try to mention when it is included. It allows me to finish my design in less time, with less ink, and certainly less trouble. It also gives the project a more finished appearance.

I test my coloring books with various mediums. I will list the mediums and my testing process in the comments section below. Here are the results of my tests on this coloring book:

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page readily. Water-based markers and India ink pens leave shadows of color and even tiny spots of bleed through on the back of the page. Gel pens leave indistinct shadows on the back of the page but do not require additional drying time. Coloring pencils work well with this paper. My soft lead pencils went on with a less thick coverage than with some paper but both blended and burnished well. Hard lead pencils had good color and sharp definition but also dented the back of the page.

I am not sure whether I will remove my pages from the book to color or whether I will leave them in. The book opens really well to a flat position. If I leave the pages in the book, I will use and I recommend that you use, a blotter page of card stock or heavyweight paper. This will keel ink from leaking through or dents from marring the page below the one you are working on.

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62 Great Forest Inspired and Hand-drawn Designs printed on one side of page

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Iiiireader

Zendoodle Coloring: Into the Forest: Woodland Creatures to Color and Display

By: Bonnie Lynn Demanche

Rating: 5 of 5

First of all, as of the time I am writing this review, the cover shown on the product page is different from the one that I received. It is the same title and the same author but it has birds rather than a rabbit on it.

The subtitle to this coloring book refers to Woodland Creatures. The book certainly has those in abundance but it also has lots of forest plant life as well. There are lots of animals, including: birds, rabbits, bears, squirrels, butterflies, deer and even a collage of many of these creatures together. Additionally, there are trees, leaves and flowers. At the end of the book, there are twelve designs that focus on patterns and flowers while not something I necessarily think of in the forest coloring book but lovely nonetheless.

For my first project in this book, I chose to do a leaf study. I guess I am always longing for what lies ahead. During fall and winter, I think of spring and gardening. Apparently, during spring, I think of the change of colors that comes with fall. For my project, I decided to use reds, oranges, purples, yellows and greens the colors I see when the leaves start turning. I used Bic Mark-it alcohol-based markers along with Tombow water-based markers to get the look I wanted.

I will provide detailed information about the physical book below, but here is a quick overview of what I found:

62 Hand-drawn Forest Animal, Plant, and Flower Designs
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is perforated
Designs do not merge into the binding area
Glue Binding
Book can easily open to flat position
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers and India ink artist pens leave color shadows on back of the page
Gel pens do not leak through the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper

The designs in this coloring book are printed on a single side of the medium weight, perforated paper. The binding is glued but I suggest that if you want to remove pages from this book, you simple take them out via the perforations.

The designs stop short of the perforations so you won’t lose any portion of the design if you do decide to take pages out. I could easily get the book to lay flat by creasing the binding hard. For my preference, I will remove pages as the book is somewhat thick to color in (because you get so many designs in this book.)

I test all of my coloring books with a variety of coloring medium. I will include the testing methods and the medium in the comments section following this review, but here is what my testing discovered:

Alcohol-based markers of all brands and tips bleed through this paper. Water based markers leave color shadows on the back of the page but my Tombows fine point marker left abrasions on the paper. The brush end worked well and that is what I generally use. I think it is more the case that the fine points are more abrasive then most rather than a fault of the paper.

My India ink pens left a shadow but went on provided a good color on the page. My gel pens did not bleed through and did not require additional drying time; however, I found that they left slight dents on the back of the page. My coloring pencils worked extremely well with this paper. My soft lead pencils went on thick and creamy, layering and blending well. This was true with both wax and oil based pencils. My hard lead pencils went on with good color but, as with gel pens, they left dents at the back of the page.

I plan to remove each page from the book as I color it but if you plan to color within the book, I highly recommend that you use a blotter page behind the page you are working on. That will keep the rest of the book safe from seeping ink and marring dents.

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96 Pages of Beautifully Illustrated Designs for Moms – printed on both sides of page

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Iiiireader

My Mother, My Heart: A Joyful Book to Color

By: Eleri Fowler

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second coloring book by Eleri Fowler. It is as beautiful as the previous one Joyous Blooms. My Mother My Heart is filled with beautiful flowers, butterflies, perfumes, tea cups and many more items associated with mothers and women in general. The concept of the book is dedicated to mothers (and grandmothers) and would make a beautiful gift for Mother’s Day either for Mom to color or for you to color for her. Beyond the designs themselves, there are many pages with quotes and sayings for Mom. There is each a full page dedicated to Mother and to Grandmother where various names for each (in different languages, too) make up the majority of the design.

The designs have a good amount of detail but are not what I would call intricate. A few of the designs do have fairly small elements but those are rare in the book. What is great is that every single page of the book has areas that can be colored, from the title page at the beginning to the last page (About the Author.) That makes it a wonderful value and a really fun book to color.

I lost my mother a few years ago and I really miss her all of the time and especially as Mother’s Day approaches. I can’t give her this book but I can color the pictures and think of her. I can also think of my place as a Mother to my daughters. It’s interesting to think that my own daughter is a Mother, too. I plan to give her a gift of this book as well this year.

I will go into more details about the physical aspects of this coloring book below. Here is an overview of what I found:

96 Pages of Hand-drawn and Pretty Designs
Printed on both sides of Heavyweight, white, non-perforated paper
Sewn Binding (many stitches versus just a few)
Designs merge into the binding
Book lays fairly flat when pressed hard
Alcohol-based markers bleed through easily
Water-based markers bleed through the page as well-loved
India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page
Gel pens do not leak through the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper

The designs are printed on both sides of the heavyweight, non-perforated page. I was able to get the book to lay fairly flat by breaking the spine. The binding is a hybrid of glued and sewn. The sewn binding is the type that has many stitches rather than just a few. Some of the designs merge into the binding while others stop just short of the sewn area. Four of the designs spread shared elements across two pages though a number more are probably designs to be viewed together. In my copy, the alignment of the two-page spreads is excellent. Also, with these four, the designs do not merge into the binding. If you hyper-extend the book, you will see a small strip of white of either side of the stitches. This allows me to get into that area to color but is not noticeable when casually looking through the book.

Because of the binding and the way the designs merge in (though nothing of note is lost in the binding), I will not be removing pages from this book. If you wish to do so, you will have to cut them out and you will probably lose some portion of the design in doing so.

I test my coloring books with a variety of mediums. I will list the type of tests I conduct as well as the mediums I used in the comments section below. Here are the results of my tests:

I must admit that I was a little disappointed with this paper as compared to that of my first book by this author. It is certain that a lesser grade of paper was used in this book as the results of my tests were wildly different. I was so surprised, I went back and double checked both books against each other using the exact same markers/pens/pencils in exactly the same manner. The test results showed different results for each book with the new book being less desirable. While the results of the tests disappointed me, the designs did not. I still really enjoy this book and am pleased to have it in my coloring collection.

My various alcohol-based markers bled through this paper. My water-based markers also bled through to a lesser degree. My India ink pens left shadows of color on the back of the page. My gel pens did not leak through nor did they require extra drying time. The soft lead pencils went on thick with full coverage and blended beautifully. The hard lead pencils worked well and did not leave indents on the back of the page.

If you choose to use anything other than gel pens and coloring pencils, you will mar the design on the reverse side of the page. I would suggest that you use a blotter page to keep the ink confined to just the back of the page and not ruin the following pages.

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60 Wild and Domesticated Animals in Realistic Designs printed on one side of non-perforated page

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Iiiireader

Realistic Animals: A Stress Management Coloring Book For Adults

By: Penny Farthing Graphics

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a number of coloring books by Penny Farthing Graphics. These coloring books are published via CreateSpace which is a publishing company that is generally used for self-publishing. These designs are drawn by a variety of artists from all over the world and are licensed for use in this book via Shutterstock.com. The end result is a large coloring book (although on thin paper) which has a varied look to the designs.

This coloring book contains 60 different designs of animals wild and domesticated. The designs are set up for regular coloring but I wanted to attempt to use some of the grayscale coloring techniques that I have learned recently. Two of my first three projects utilize this form (raccoon and bear) while my giraffe is more of a standard coloring project.

The paper used in CreateSpace coloring books is on the lower end of the scale. The trade-off is getting to see a wide variety of self-published artists. I accept this when I buy these books. I wish that they would improve the paper quality and add perforations but it is not something the artists have access to it is the publishing company (which is an Amazon company) who makes these decisions. If paper quality is of primary importance to you, you should always check to see who publishes the book.

I will provide more detailed information about the physical aspects of the book below but as a quick overview, this is what I found:

60 Realistic Animal Designs
Printed on one side of thin, white, non-perforated paper
Glue Binding
Designs well centered and do not merge into the binding
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through this paper
Gel pens and India ink pens leave spots of color and/or shadows of color on the back of the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper

All of the designs 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. I was able to get the book to lay flat by breaking the spine with a hard crease.

I test all of my coloring books with various mediums and I will provide a list of those at the end of this review. Here are the results of my tests on this book:

All of my markers (alcohol and water based) bleed through the pages. My various gel pens and my India ink artist pens either bleed through in spots or leave a distinct color shadow on the back of the page. My coloring pencils work well with the paper with the soft lead blending well but with the hard lead leaving indents on the back of the page.

If I use anything other than soft lead coloring pencils, 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.

These are the coloring medium that I use for testing. If there is something else you feel I should be testing, please let me know and I will see if I can add it to my growing pile:

Alcohol-based markers Copic Sketch, Prismacolor double ended markers (brush and fine point), Sharpies (fine and ultra-fine) Bic Mark-its (fine and ultra-fine)

Waater-based markers Tombows dual end markers (brush and fine point), Stabilo 88, and Staedler triplus fineliners

India Ink: Faber-Castell PITT artist pens (brush tip)

Gel Pens: Sakura, Fiskars, Uni-ball Signo in the following sizes – 0.28/0.38/0.5/1.0 and Tekwriter

Coloring Pencils: Prismacolor Premier Soft Core, Derwent Colorsoft, Prismacolor Verithins, Caran D’Ache Pablo Colored Pencils and Faber-Castell Polychromos

24 Fun and Easy to Color Designs for Adults and Children

Creative Copycat Coloring: Cool Pictures to Copy and Complete (Copycat Coloring Books)

By: Emily Golden Twomey

Rating: 5 of 5

I have all four books in this series which is being marketed to children by the publisher but as an adult colorist, I like both the pictures and the complexity they provide. The artist in this book is Emily Golden Twomey. This book (as well as her other book in this series) has designs which would traditionally be geared towards boys while the other two books (by another artist) are traditionally for girls. I like both styles.

The book is an interesting concept. The design you color is on one side of the page and a colored copy is on the back side of the proceeding page that way you can look at the finished design for inspiration. What it also means is that for me, as an adult colorist, my designs are printed on one side of the page and I don’t have to worry about ruining another design if my inks leak through. Usually, my books have white back pages, so these colorful ones are just pretty filler for me.

There are 25 designs (including the title page with a dragon, the bookplate page of various peppers, and the end page which is partly colored scooters.) The various designs include: circus designs, cowboy, animals, hot air balloons, and dinosaurs among others. The designs have a nice amount of complexity without having tiny intricate details. These are perfect for an adult who doesn’t want to strain their eyes or for a teenager or even an advanced younger child.

Here is an overview of what I found (details will follow below):

25 pages of designs
Printed on one side of non-perforated page (except for end page)
Sewn Binding
Designs merge into binding
Back of page has full color print of the next design page
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers, India ink and gel pens do not bleed through
Coloring pencils work well with this book

The designs are printed on one side of the page (which the exception of the last two designs which are printed on both sides of a single page. The paper is heavyweight and the coloring surface is a soft white as opposed to a bright white. All of the designs are black lines on white background (unlike the first in the series which had some black backgrounds.) The binding is sewn so you can remove pages by snipping a few threads. I was easily able to get the book to open flat for coloring.

I tested this book with my coloring medium (which I will list in the comments section below.) Here are my test results:

Only alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. My other wet medium (gel pens, India ink pens, and water-based markers) do not bleed through. Coloring pencils work well and blend easily. The hard lead pencils do not dent through the page.

If you want to use alcohol-based markers, you will mar the color image on the page below. I recommend using a blotter page below the page you are working on to keep ink from seeping further into the book.

36 Pattern Designs done 2 ways (total of 72 designs to color) printed on one side of the page

Patterns for Meditation Coloring Books for Adults: An Adult Coloring Book Featuring 35+ Geometric Patterns and Designs (Jenean Morrison Adult Coloring Books)

By: Jenean Morrison

Rating: 5 of 5

I own two other coloring books by Jenean Morrison; however, this the first of her Pattern style coloring books that I have purchased. There are 36 different designs; however, the designs have been done in two ways, so you get a total of 72 coloring pages. The designs range form mandalas to patterns in a rectangular format.

Each design is done as a black line drawing on white background and also a similar style but with many of the elements filled in with black. This should make coloring the design a little easier for someone new to coloring while the designs without black give a great opportunity for the advanced colorist to use their blending and shading skills.

For my first two projects, I chose to do a study of the same mandala in both styles available in the book. The first one is done with Tombow water-based markers on the design with black elements. The second one is done with a mix of alcohol-based markers and Tombows on the more intricate line drawing. It was interesting to see how the black color made the design look very different from the design where I choose all of the colors.

I will provide a more comprehensive discussion of what I found in the book below for those who care for that level of detail. Here is an overview of the major points:

72 Designs Pages 36 Designs done in two styles each
Designs printed on one side of white non-perforated paper
Glue binding
Designs do not merge into the binding
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through page
Gel pens and India ink pens leave color shadows on back of page
Coloring pencils work very well

The designs in the book are printed on one side of white non-perforated paper. Usually, designs are printed on the right hand side of the book. In this case, the artist chose to have each of the similar designs face each other, such that you have two design pages together and then two blank pages together. It is interesting as you can see both of the similar designs at the same time once you have colored them.

The binding is glued rather than sewn. The designs are well centered on the page and do not merge into the binding. This makes it easy to cut the pages out without fear of losing any portion of the design.

The artist has either finished all of the elements on the page or has included a framing line on the outer edges. I always try to mention this in my reviews when an artist has taken the trouble to add this feature. It makes it much easier for me to end up with a more polished result. It also saves me a lot of time and trouble not to mention ink.

I test all of my books with various coloring medium (which I will list in the comments section below): Here is what my tests discovered:

Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page. Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page. Coloring pencils lay down extremely well. The soft lead pencils go on thick and can be blended easily. The hard lead pencils have good color but leave dents on the back of the page.

Because of the results above, I have used and recommend using a blotter page of heavyweight paper or card stock behind the page you are working on. This will keep the rest of the book in good shape. I also recommend highly that you leave your book in the open position until your coloring is fully dried so that you don’t accidentally mar the design on the opposite page.

45 Designs with 25 having Biblical subjects printed on one side of page

Rise and Shine: Inspirational Adult Coloring Book (Majestic Expressions)

By: Majestic Expressions

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a Christian-based coloring book which celebrates joy in life. The artwork is collaboration by three different illustrators: Erin Jons, Ember Canada and Chris Garborg. There are both Christian artwork (primarily Bible verses with a decorated background) and random other artwork, including flowers, animals, hearts, and more. The book alternates between a Bible verse design and a decorative design, so that about half of the book is dedicated to Christian themes. The verses in this book are taken from a wide variety of translations.

For my first project, I chose a cross made up of various flowers. It is one of the few Christian-based designs in the book that is not a Bible verse. I used alcohol-based markers, using mostly Sharpies and Bic Mark-it with a copy of colors from my Copic set as well.

I will provide details about the physical book below, however, here is a quick overview of what I found:

45 hand-drawn designs; 25 are Christian-based
Printed on one side of white acid-free page
Non-perforated pages
Glue binding
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page
All gel pens and India ink artist pens leave shadows on back of page
Coloring pencils work well

The designs in the book are printed on one side of thin, white, acid-free non-perforated paper. The back of the book says that the pages are easy tear-out; however, when I tried to do so, it started ripping the pages, so I don’t suggest this as a means of removing pages. The binding is glued rather than sewn, so I suggest that you cut pages out if you wish to remove them. Many of the designs merge into the binding and you will lose portions of them if you take them out of the book. I was able to get the book to lay fairly flat by pressing down hard and slightly breaking the binding.

I test all of my coloring books with various coloring medium whether I plan to use that medium or not. In the comments section below, I will provide the full list of brands and types that I tested. Here is the results of those tests:

All alcohol-based and water-based markers bleed through the paper to some extent. My gel pens and India ink artist pens did not bleed through but did leave shadows of color on the back of the page. My coloring pencils worked well with the soft lead going on smoothly and blending well. My hard lead pencils worked well, too, but left indents at the back of the page.

As I don’t plan on removing pages from the book to color, I will use a safety page of card stock under the page I am working on. That will keep ink and dents from marring the next design.

30 Flowing and Intricate Postcard Designs printed on one side of card stock

Henna-Mehndi Designs: 30 Coloring Postcards (Serene Coloring)

By: Lark Crafts

Rating: 5 of 5

There are Henna-Mehndi inspired 30 postcards in this set of designs. It seems to be a companion to a coloring book of the same name and is probably scaled down images from that book. While many of the designs should be fairly simple to color, there are a few that have very intricate and very small areas to color. I may color those with larger swathes of color or use my 0.28 Uni-ball Signo gel pens to get into the spots. There are lots of paisley and doodle style artwork in this set that should be a lot of fun to color with a wild assortment of colors.

For my first project, I chose a flower which I was able to color with a variety of Bic Mark-it and Sharpie alcohol-based makers in the ultra-fine tip. The regular fine tip was simply too big to fit in the details.

I will provide a more detailed description of the physical set below, but here is a quick overview:

30 designs based on Henna-Mehndi art work
Printed on one side of heavyweight card stock
Address and Stamp area pre-set up
Glue Binding
Alcohol and water-based markers do not bleed through
India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through
Coloring pencils work well but not enough room to blend

The designs are printed on one side of very heavy weight card stock. It may be the best type of postcard stock that I have purchased for the purpose of coloring. The binding is the type of glue binding that allows you to pull one page off at a time without loss of any of the design. The book is thick and can open fairly flat but due to the thickness it may be easier to remove a card before coloring it.

I test my coloring books and sets with various medium (which I will list in the comments section below.) Here is what my tests show:

This is a great set of postcards for anyone who loves alcohol-based markers. Not one brand or nib type would bleed through. Copic brand usually run through immediately and not even a spec made it through on this paper. Water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens did not leak through either. Sakura, Fiskars and Tekwriter gel pens took a longer time to dry than usual. Coloring pencils worked well but there really is very little opportunity to do any blending with these size designs. I found my Prismacolor Verithins (sharpened to a tiny point) worked the best of my pencils.

Beautifully Illustrated coloring book of Yellowstone National Park designs printed on one side of page

Yellowstone National Park, Adult Coloring Book

By: Dave Ember

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a beautifully illustrated coloring book which depicts Yellowstone National Park. I believe that, while the artwork is specific to the park, it is more universal in its appeal with interesting landscapes and animals in a variety of settings. The animals especially are highly stylized and, in some cases, are showcased in mandala shapes. There are buffalo, wolves, elk, hawks and many more for animals lovers to enjoy coloring.

There are 30 single page designs, eight postcards, and four bookmarks to color included in the book. The postcards and books marks are actually two sets of four and two designs respectively. The book refers to 44 designs. If you count the title pages as well as the postcards and bookmarks along with the one page designs, the total is 44 images to color. I will note, however, that title pages are generally not included in the design totals for coloring books.

The book also provides a good background about Yellowstone. Opposite each designs (on the reverse side of the proceeding page), there is an explanation the next design with history or a current description of each design. While it would be a great gift for someone who loves Yellowstone or who plans to visit it, I find it is also a well made book with great designs.

I will provide more detail of the physical book below, but here is a quick overview:

30 Designs of Yellowstone National Park
2 sets of four postcards and two bookmarks
Printed one side of heavyweight paper
Sewn Binding
Some designs merge into binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens do not bleed through the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper

The designs in the book are printed on one side of heavyweight, white non-perforated paper. Nine of the designs merge into the binding area. The binding is sewn rather than glued, so you can remove a few pages at a time by snipping the threads and you won’t lose portions of the design. I was able to get the book to open fairly flat by push hard on the spine and creasing it.

The postcards and bookmarks are on perforated card stock at the back of the book. The instructions recommend not removing those pages until after you have colored the book as it provides a better support when they are in the book. The postcards are pre-set for mailing and the bookmarks have information about the park on the reverse side.

I test my books for coloring mediums (which I will list in the comments section below.) Here are my test results on this book:

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. Water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens do not bleed through. Gel pens require a little extra drying time. Coloring pencils work really well with the paper. The soft lead pencils blended nicely and the hard lead pencils did not dent through the page.

If you decide to use alcohol-based markers, I recommend using a blotter page under the sheet you are working on to preserve the rest of the book from stray ink.

61 pages of Cute Cat Designs with some issues – printed on both sides of page

A Million Cats: Fabulous Felines to Color

By: Lulu Mayo

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a coloring book of many cats (though not quite a million of them!) The designs have a type of anime look to them. Their heads and tummies are a little on the large size with a distinctly well-fed look to them. The cats seem to inhabit a kind of fantasy land where anything and everything may just be a cat or somehow cat related. One of my favorites is a two page spread of an art gallery where cats are swapped in for some very famous paintings including Gustav Klmit’s The Kiss and Edvard Munch’s The Scream

Many of the designs in this coloring book are detailed in nature with some having many intricate and small areas to color. It will take some of my smaller nib pens and sharp, hard pencils to color certain portions of these designs.

I will provide more details below, but here is a quick overview of the book:

61 pages of cartoon style Cat and cat related designs
Printed on both sides of heavyweight non-perforated paper
Includes many two-page designs
Designs merge into the binding
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through page
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through
Coloring pencils work well but blending is an issue

The coloring book is a smaller than average book at approximately 9 x 7 x .25 inches. The cover is cute and has gold foil accents. The designs are printed on both sides of heavyweight white non-perforated paper. The binding is glued and you will look important portions of designs if you remove the pages from this book.

Many of the designs spread across two pages and designs merge into the binding on most pages. My book is not well aligned across the two-page spreads. There is a lack of consistency in how the pages meet. In some cases, portions of the design are lost in the binding and in other cases, there is a thin white strip on both sides of the page and look odd in the middle of the designs. I could not get the book to lie flat without some tearing at the binding on a number of pages. It is these two issues which cause me to give this book a 4 star rating although I think the artwork deserves a 5 star rating.

I test my coloring books with a variety of coloring mediums (which I will list in the comments section below.) Here are the results of my tests:

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly. My various water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens did not bleed through. My coloring pencils worked well for the most part, except when it came to blending. This is the second coloring book I have by publisher Lark in the last month where I cannot properly blend my soft lead pencils. The color goes on thick but when I try to blend it, it mostly stays put like a big stain. I can get a little blend at the edges but certainly not what I expect from a quality coloring book.

If you decide to use alcohol-based markers with this book, you will mar the design on the back of the page but I recommend using a blotter page below the page you are working on to keep the ink from spreading further into the book.

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Category Archives: Adult Color Books

Inkspirations for Women: Color Your World Happy–30 Inspiring Designs to Nourish Your Heart and Renew Your Spirit

By: Marci Shimoff

Rating: 5 of 5

Zendoodle Coloring: Into the Forest: Woodland Creatures to Color and Display

By: Bonnie Lynn Demanche

Rating: 5 of 5

My Mother, My Heart: A Joyful Book to Color

By: Eleri Fowler

Rating: 5 of 5

Realistic Animals: A Stress Management Coloring Book For Adults

By: Penny Farthing Graphics

Rating: 5 of 5

Creative Copycat Coloring: Cool Pictures to Copy and Complete (Copycat Coloring Books)

By: Emily Golden Twomey

Rating: 5 of 5

Patterns for Meditation Coloring Books for Adults: An Adult Coloring Book Featuring 35+ Geometric Patterns and Designs (Jenean Morrison Adult Coloring Books)

By: Jenean Morrison

Rating: 5 of 5

Rise and Shine: Inspirational Adult Coloring Book (Majestic Expressions)

By: Majestic Expressions

Rating: 5 of 5

Henna-Mehndi Designs: 30 Coloring Postcards (Serene Coloring)

By: Lark Crafts

Rating: 5 of 5

Yellowstone National Park, Adult Coloring Book

By: Dave Ember

Rating: 5 of 5

A Million Cats: Fabulous Felines to Color

By: Lulu Mayo

Rating: 4 of 5

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