Daily Archives: December 5, 2015

This is a large book full of flowers in bloom. As a gardener, I love my flowers during springtime but during the fall and winter months and the heat of the summer, I can’t grow much of anything with color. Those are the times when I will really appreciate this book this most. It has all types of flowers from ones that I can recognize fairly easily to others I think may exist only in the imagination of the artist. This coloring book contains a good bit of intricate detail but it is not so small as to cause issues for me.

This is my third coloring book by Penny Farthing Graphics. They are published via CreateSpace which is generally used for self-publishing. The designs are drawn by a variety of artists from all over the world and are licensed via Shutterstock.com. What we end up with is a great coloring book (although on thin paper) with a large and varied selection of designs which range from hand-drawn to computer drawn. Each page is its own little adventure.

The pages are printed on thin white paper which is not perforated. The designs are printed on one side of the page with the back left blank. The designs stop well short of the glued binding and can easily be removed with a pen knife if you so choose. Almost all of the designs all have frames to finish the edge of the design. The few that do not have frames instead have all of the design elements finished so I am not left hanging without a proper ending point. I really appreciate this care in design as it gives me a more finished looking final page.

My gel pens and markers all leaked through this paper. My coloring pencils went on well but left a shadow at the back of the page, too. Not a problem, though, as I can put a piece of chipboard or a couple of heavy weight pieces of paper under the page I am working on to keep the ink from leaking through.

I’m really pleased that CreateSpace is offering an avenue for independent artists (or groups of artists) to self-publish their designs. Added to that, Penny Farthing brings in so many designers in one book, it is a real adventure to color. Between the two, colorists have a huge choice of artwork to choose from.

A free sample of this coloring book was provided for test and review purposes.