Monthly Archives: June 2016

Sweet & Simple Whimsy Girls: Mermaids and More to Color

By: Hannah Lynn

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second full size coloring book by Hannah Lynn. I somehow missed her smaller pocket size book but plan to pick that up in the near future.

The designs in this book are as cute as those I have been enjoying in her first book. The girls all have big eyes and lush hair. I find the designs to be somewhat detailed but not with intricate or small spots to color. At the front of the book, the artist has included thumbnails of each of designs. I appreciate this table of contents as it helps me find my designs and make my coloring decisions. She has also included a few tips and hints as to ways to color with the book.

There are fantasy girls such as fairies and mermaids and there are also some fun themed designs which include Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. I have been having so much fun coloring these designs. I have been using alcohol-based markers or various brands of colored pencils and, in some cases, a combination of both markers and pencils to color my first projects.

This is what I found in coloring and testing this coloring book:

50 Cute Fantasy and Theme Big Eye Girls

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is typical CreateSpace, thin, white, slightly rough and non-perforated.

Glue Binding

Designs do not merge into the binding area

All designs have framing lines around the outer edge which provides a good stopping point and finishes off all elements. I find this makes it easier for me to color and have a more finished looking project.

Alcohol and water based markers bleed through this paper to some degree. Alcohol-based bleed through rapidly while water-based are more spotty on the back of the page.

Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. If I have to apply a lot of color, sometimes the ink can spot through on the page.

Coloring pencils work well: both wax and oil-based pencils lay down color (both with a soft and a firm hand), layer, and blend well; hard lead (like Verithins) dent the back of the page.

Because of the seeping ink and potential for dents, I used and recommend using a blotter page behind the page you are working on. The artist also recommends this. While she suggests 4-5 pages of regular paper, I have found that a page of thick card stock also works well.

Fabulous Women: A Colouring Book for Adults: Lovely Ladies at Work and Leisure

By: Christine Vencato

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a coloring book which depicts women of various time periods size, shape and age. I really appreciate that the scenes are those that I might expect from everyday life. I love the title Fabulous Women and that it applies to all women who do what they do every single day.

The designs are all very nicely drawn and are easy to color. What I notice first about them is how the eyes of the subjects grab your attention and draw you into the design. It is almost like looking into the soul of the woman and seeing what she is doing from her eyes as well as from your own.

For my first project in this book, I used a variety of colored pencils that I have been considering. I purchased a couple from various brands and was pleased with how they worked. That put all of them on my to-be-purchased list over time. I find that my coloring pencils work fairly well with CreateSpace paper.

This is what I discovered in testing and coloring in this book:

24 Designs of Women in everyday events (for their time period)
Printed on one side of the page.
Paper is typical of CreateSpace. It is thin, white, slightly rough, and non-perforated.
Glue Bound
Designs do not merge into the binding area and have a framing line around the outer edge to finish all elements for ease of coloring.
Can be opened to a fairly flat position for coloring
I recommend a blotter page be used under your working page for all types of coloring medium to save the rest of the book from seeping ink or dents.
Alcohol and water-based markers seep through this paper to varying degrees.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page and can spot through if they are used heavily for deeper coverage.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Both oil and wax based pencils put down good color, layered well both with the same and different colors and blended easily. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.

I received a free sample of this coloring book for test and review purposes.