Monthly Archives: August 2015

Creative Haven Amazon Animals: A Coloring Book with a Hidden Picture Twist (Adult Coloring)

By: Jan Sovak

Rating: 5 of 5

This is an interesting set of 28 Amazon animal and insect designs which include one or more hidden images within each design. The designs are by artist Jan Sovak. Be aware that a couple of the designs show animals about to pounce on their prey (other animals) and that it might be disturbing to some individuals. There is also one design which includes a human which seems a little out of place but it is well drawn and should be interesting to color.

At the front of the book, there is a listing of which hidden design features are included and how many of them are spread throughout the book. At the back of the book, there is a key which shows which elements are in each design and where they are located. I would list the hidden elements but I think that would take away the fun of looking for them while you are coloring.

Ocean Wonders | Color Art for Everyone – Leisure Arts (6703)

By: Leisure Arts

Rating: 5 of 5

This is an adult coloring book with a variety of underwater designs as well as collages of ocean related man made items. This makes this book of designs quite different from the other four offerings in the Color Art for Everyone series as those really focus on the natural world. The designs are all supplied by GMC Designs/Shutterstock, Inc. I don’t know if that means there are various designers within those companies or not, but there isn’t a specific artist mentioned.

There are 24 different designs. There are several schools of fish, visions of underwater flora, hermit crabs and other shellfish, shells, a sampler of sailboats, and an interesting collage of nautical items such as lighthouses, schooners, anchors, compass and more. My husband grew up in Camden, Maine on the coast and loves all things nautical. He has claimed first dibs on this book of designs and that will be okay because these are so affordable I can always buy another book if he colors a design I really want to do, too!

The designs are printed on one side of the page (with the back side blank.) The pages are all micro-perforated so removing them from the book will be easy. The print quality of the design is excellent. While there is a lot of detail in the designs, I don’t think I will need my magnifying lamp for most of my coloring.

I have had some bleed through of color with my markers and gel pens. Not as much as with some other brands but certainly enough that I would either remove the page from the book or put some freezer paper or heavy card stock between the pages while I am working.

Natural Wonders | Color Art for Everyone – Leisure Arts (6704)

By: Leisure Arts

Rating: 5 of 5

This is an adult coloring book filled with gorgeous flower and animal designs. Some of the designs are of flowers or leaves by themselves, some are a mixture and at least one is of an insect in a repetitious pattern. The designs are all supplied by GMC Designs/Shutterstock, Inc. I don’t know if that means there are various designers within those companies or not, but there isn’t a specific artist mentioned.

There are 24 different designs. I really enjoyed the look of the mushroom design as well as several that are of leaf patterns. I noticed butterflies, owls, cactus, mushrooms, and many other lovely details that will be fun to color. The design of the dragonflies is stunning and highly imaginative. I will love adding color to this one and it will be my first project in the book.

The paper weight is nice and heavy – very much a feeling of premium grade paper. The designs are printed on one side of the page (with the back side blank.) The pages are all micro-perforated so removing them from the book will be easy. The print quality of the design is excellent. Interestingly, some of the designs are printed with a heavy ink tone and a lighter, more subtle tone at the same time. I will keep my magnifying lamp handy as some elements of a number of the designs are small and intricate.

I have had some bleed through of color with my markers and gel pens. Not as much as with some other brands but certainly enough that I would either remove the page from the book or put some freezer paper or heavy card stock between the pages while I am working.

At the front of the book there is a section on understanding colors. There is a color wheel that explains primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and how they are made. It also explains Warm and Cool colors and gives examples of how they can be used within their family or with a mix (Warm Colors, Cool Colors, Warm Colors with Cool Accent, Cool Colors with Warm Accents, Tints and Shades of Red, Tings and Shades of Blue, Analogous Colors, Complementary Colors, and Split Complementary Colors.) This is a wonderful addition to a coloring book as it gives a lot of information for beginners and gives examples in actual color.

Living Wonders | Color Art for Everyone – Leisure Arts (6705)

By: Leisure Arts

Rating: 5 of 5

This is an adult coloring book filled with gorgeous animal designs. Some of the designs are of a single animals (with lots of fun and flowing details for coloring) and a lot of them offer a montage of animals in a beautiful pattern. The designs are all supplied by GMC Designs/Shutterstock, Inc. I don’t know if that means there are various designers within those companies or not, but there isn’t a specific artist mentioned.

There are 24 different designs. I like many of the designs but a couple (the fox in the forest, the single owl and the koi fish) leaped out at me to color first. The paper weight is nice and heavy – very much a feeling of premium grade paper. The designs are printed on one side of the page (with the back side blank.) The pages are all micro-perforated so removing them from the book will be easy. The print quality of the design is excellent. Interestingly, some of the designs are printed with a heavy ink tone and a lighter, more subtle tone at the same time. It is definitely not a problem with printing but rather part of the design. I will keep my magnifying lamp handy as some elements of a number of the designs are small and intricate.

I have had some bleed through of color with my markers and gel pens. Not as much as with some other brands but certainly enough that I would either remove the page from the book or put some freezer paper or heavy card stock between the pages while I am working.

At the front of the book there is a section on understanding colors. There is a color wheel that explains primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and how they are made. It also explains Warm and Cool colors and gives examples of how they can be used within their family or with a mix (Warm Colors, Cool Colors, Warm Colors with Cool Accent, Cool Colors with Warm Accents, Tints and Shades of Red, Tings and Shades of Blue, Analogous Colors, Complementary Colors, and Split Complementary Colors.) This is a wonderful addition to a coloring book as it gives a lot of information for beginners and gives examples in actual color.

Kaleidoscope Wonders | Color Art for Everyone – Leisure Arts (6707)

By: Leisure Arts

Rating: 5 of 5

This adult color book lives up to its name, “Kaleidoscope Wonders – Color Art for Everyone.” The images are very reminiscent of that which I would see through a kaleidoscope when I was a child. I remember that magical feeling of shifting and changing the patterns and the colors and now I can have a similar feeling as I color the various designs in this book. The designs are all supplied by GMC Designs/Shutterstock, Inc. I don’t know if that means there are various designers within those companies or not, but there isn’t a specific artist mentioned.

There are 24 designs, which each of them having a kind of repetitious look – some with centered designs and others with the patterns at a slightly off-angle. Most of the designs are either flowing patterns or flowers but there are also designs that incorporate butterflies, tea cups, sea shells, and hearts. The paper weight is nice and heavy – very much a feeling of premium grade paper. The designs are printed on one side of the page (with the back side blank.) The pages are all micro-perforated so removing them from the book will be easy. The print quality of the design is excellent. I will keep my magnifying lamp handy as some elements of a few of the designs are small and intricate but for the most part, I will not need to use my lamp.

I have had some bleed through of color with my markers and gel pens. Not as much as with some other brands but certainly enough that I would either remove the page from the book or put some freezer paper or heavy card stock between the pages while I am working.

At the front of the book there is a section on understanding colors. There is a color wheel that explains primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and how they are made. It also explains Warm and Cool colors and gives examples of how they can be used within their family or with a mix (Warm Colors, Cool Colors, Warm Colors with Cool Accent, Cool Colors with Warm Accents, Tints and Shades of Red, Tings and Shades of Blue, Analogous Colors, Complementary Colors, and Split Complementary Colors.) This is a wonderful addition to a coloring book as it gives a lot of information for beginners and gives examples in actual color.