Daily Archives: August 15, 2015

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.