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Net Galley
Monthly Archives: July 2016
130 Designs by 70 Different Artists for an outstanding value and variety printed one side of page
Adult Coloring Book Treasury 2: 130 Illustrations from 70 Artists
By: Treasury Artists Group
Rating: 5 of 5
Attached to this review will be a silent flip-through video so you can see all of the designs in the book. I apologize for the length (at over 8 minutes) but, as it turns out, it takes a long time to flip through 130 designs.
I have been enjoying the first book in this series and wondered how they could improve on it. Well, they did it by adding an additional 20 designs for about the same value. This is an outstanding coloring book filled with 130 designs by a variety of independent coloring book artists. Some of the artists are familiar to me and some are new. It makes for a great compilation of designs for any colorist.
It is once again fantastic to have the opportunity to try so many different artists in one book. As I finish my coloring projects, I will add them to the photo samples I will include.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. In the comments section below, I will list the coloring medium I used to test this book and which I usually use for coloring my projects.
130 Designs by 70 different artists
Designs are printed on one side of page
Paper is thin, white, slightly rough and non-perforated
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to cut pages out if you choose to do so.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper freely
Water-based markers and India ink pens spot through this paper
Gel pens leave shadows of color on back of page
Coloring pencils work well with the paper but also leave shadows on the back of the page. I was able to get great results from both oil and wax based pencils. I was able to layer the same color for deep pigment, layer multiple colors, and blend extremely well using a pencil style blending stick.
I can get the book to lay fairly flat by breaking the spine of the book; however, as with the first book in this series, it is so thick that even laying flat may be too high for me to color comfortably. I will, most likely, be cutting pages out before I color them.
If you don’t plan to cut pages out, I suggest that you use a blotter page below the project you are working on. I use card stock but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper works well, too.
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48 Gorgeous Nature Designs in Grayscale printed on one side of heavyweight perforated paper
Beautiful Nature: A Grayscale Adult Coloring Book of Flowers, Plants & Landscapes
By: Nicole Stocker
Rating: 5 of 5
Nicole Stocker’s first grayscale coloring book Beautiful Creatures was my first coloring book in this genre. It was so beautiful and beautifully printed, it set a high standard for grayscale coloring books. I have purchased a number of other grayscale books but none have approach the high quality of Ms. Stocker’s book until now. Of course, this is the second book in her series and it is as gorgeous as the first book.
Where her first book focused on animals, in Beautiful Nature, Ms. Stocker has turned her attention to flowers, plants, and landscapes. I was so very happy to see succulents included as well as some of my favorite flowers (roses, peonies, hydrangea, orchids, and the list simply goes on and on.) The landscapes and plant studies are equally beautiful and will be lovely to color.
Since my first venture into coloring grayscale, I have expanded my skills to include markers as well as colored pencils. I find that both work well with this book. I like to use markers to put a color foundation down and then to add shading and blending with my colored pencils.
Essentially, coloring with soft pencils in this book is simple light colors for light areas, medium for medium, and dark for dark areas. You color the light areas first, then the dark areas. Finally, you come through with the medium colors and blend the picture together. I suggest that you have a blending medium (such as a pencil) at hand when working with this coloring book.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. In the comments section below, I will list the medium I used for testing and which I usually use for coloring all of my projects.
48 Beautiful Nature grayscale designs with plants, flowers and landscapes
Printed on one side of page
Paper is heavyweight, acid-free, slightly rough, white and perforated
Pages are water-marked on the back with an area for you to sign your projects
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper readily
Water-based markers bleed through in tiny spots with the exception of my Tombows brush end markers which did not bleed through in my tests.
Gel pens and India ink pens do not bleed through.
Colored pencils work remarkably well with this paper. I could lay down great color, layer, and blend equally well with both wax and oil based pencils. I did find that soft lead pencils were somewhat easier to work with as they blend more readily.
If you use markers, I suggest that you either remove the pages from the book to color or use a blotter page below your working page to keep ink from seeping through to the page below. I use card stock but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper work just as well.
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Third Fantastic Grayscale Coloring book from Bennett Klein printed on one side of page
Colour My SketchBook 3: Greyscale colouring book (Volume 1)
By: Bennett Klein
Rating: 5 of 5
This is the third grayscale coloring book which I have purchased by Bennett Klein. Each of the books so far have fantastic artwork to work with. The designs in the book are based on Mr. Klein’s original artwork rather than photographs as many grayscale books are. I like both styles but the original artwork in the Sketchbook series is really impressive.
I have been coloring in grayscale since early this year and am learning more techniques and I find that Mr. Klein’s designs are ones where I can utilize what I have learned. I’ve more recently begun using markers as well as pencils in coloring my projects and have been very pleased with the results of the new (to me) process.
With this book, the artist provides a table of contents with the title of each of his pieces of art. I really appreciate that extra touch as many of the titles give context to his intent with the design. Many of the designs feature animals in highly stylized concept. There are whimsical designs and designs that are so highly imaginative they border on the bizarre (and I mean that in a good way!)
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper. In the comments section below, I will list the coloring medium I use for testing and which I use for most of my coloring projects.
25 Hand-drawn sketches in grayscale based on the artwork of Bennett Klein
Designs are printed on one side of white, thin, slightly rough non-perforated paper typical of CreateSpace
Glue Binding
Easy to open to flat position for coloring
Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to cut pages out if you choose to do so
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page to some degree. Water-based bleed through in spots while alcohol-based bleed through freely
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of page. India ink can bleed through if you use multiple layers.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Both oil and wax based provide good color when I use multiple layers of the same color. I am easily able to blend (using a pencil style blender stick) and layer multiple colors as well. Hard lead pencils leave dents through the back of the page.
Because of the bleed through and dents, I suggest (and use) a blotter page below my working page. I prefer card stock but several sheets of heavyweight paper work as well.
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31 Wildly Intricate and Fun to Color Landscapes by Dr. Angela Porter printed on one side of page
Creative Haven Insanely Intricate Entangled Landscapes Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)
By: Dr. Angela Porter
Rating: 5 of 5
I always have a lot of fun coloring books by Dr. Angela Porter. They are usually a single subject or a mandala and are somewhat easy to color. Entangled Landscapes is a really different kind of coloring book and one that I am having a blast with. The landscapes in this book are wildly imaginative and abstract.
There are all sorts of small and intricate elements to these designs. I didn’t have any problems figuring out what was what. Simply that there is so much in each designs that it is fun to color in bits and pieces. These are not what I would call fast and easy projects, in fact, the reverse. There are many details and some of the coloring is pretty much insanely intricate which makes sense as the book is part of that line from Creative Haven.
For my first project, I chose to transition the sky at the top of the page first. I then moved to the ocean scene towards the bottom. Then to the cloud city and then back to the stalagmite and stalactite cavern underground. Then on to all of the other fun parts of the design.
This is what I found when coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper. In the comments section below, I will list the coloring medium I use for testing and which I use generally for coloring my projects.
31 Highly Detailed and Intricate Landscape Designs
Printed on one side of the page
Paper medium weight, white, lightly rough and perforated. If you have colored in a Creative Haven book in the last couple of years, this is the standard paper they are now using.
Glue bound; however, pages can be removed easily at perforations
Designs stop before the perforations
Alcohol and water based markers bleed through to some degree (alcohol based bleeds through freely and water based leave spots of color on the back of the page.)
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page. India ink can bleed through in spots with repeated layers.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to use both wax and oil based pencils equally well. They lay down good color, layer and blend well. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.
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Cute Disney Animals in Doodle Style coloring book printed both sides of the page
Art of Coloring: Disney Animals: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity and Relaxation
By: Disney Book Group
Rating: 4 of 5
I am a huge Disney fan. I lived near Disneyland for most of my life and, as an adult with children, I purchased annual season passes for many years so we could visit the Park throughout the year. Looking through this book reminded me of my childhood and of my children’s childhood as well. It showed me how pervasive Disney has been in my life. My grandson loves to watch Disney movies during his TV time at our house and I get to revisit all of these characters for a third time in my life.
The book is filled with many Disney Animal characters. The book is divided into three segements: Animal Heroes, Animal Villains, and Side-kicks. Because of the side-kick portion of the book, many of the major Disney characters make an appearance in this book. The designs are based on a wide variety of movies, including 101 Dalmations, Brave, The Aristocats, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Dumbo, The Lion King and much more.
Oddly, the lead-in on the intro page as a reference (by implication) to Steamboat Willie; however, there weren’t any Mickey Mouse designs in this book. Hopefully, Disney will come out with a book the family of characters, such as Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Pluto, that we know from their older cartoons.
What isn’t mentioned in the product blurb is that these designs are done in a doodle style. Because of that, the designs are not only detailed but also have many intricate and tiny elements to color that will probably require special small nib pens, markers, and/or pencils. This coloring book could be a serious challenge for anyone with vision and or fine motor issues.
The book has a nice heavyweight cardboard cover (front and back) which makes for a great solid surface to color on. The designs are printed on both sides of the page and the paper is not perforated. The binding is sewn rather than glued, so removing it takes only a few snips with a small scissor on a few pages. I won’t be doing this, however, as removing pages will make it nearly impossible to re-align the two-pages design spreads.
There are 23 designs which span across 2 pages. In most cases, there are integral portions of the design that will difficult to color as parts are lost in the binding area. The rest of the designs are one page designs but even those have less essential portions that merge into the binding. There are a number of wallpaper style designs of repeating patterns in the book. I usually don’t like that style of design but these are so cute, I find myself wanting to color those as well.
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Another Beautiful Tropical Coloring Book by Jane Gedeon and this time it focuses on tropical plants and animals
Rainforest Escape: My Island Animal, Exotic Flower and Tropical Plant Color Book
By: Jade Gedeon
Rating: 5 of 5
I recently purchased Jade Gedeon’s first coloring book primarily to learn how to use water colors. As soon as I received it, I purchased a second copy and then pre-ordered two copies of Rainforest Escape. It is really just that good. I want to be able to color one book with colored pencils and use the second one for my learning purposes.
In this new book Ms. Gedeon explores the plants and animals of her tropical experiences (the previous book focused considerably on architecture.) The designs remind me of my own tropical vacations in the Caribbean, Hawaii, and even Bali. There is a lush feeling to the vegetation that makes me remember how it felt to actually be in a rainforest environment.
The paper is a cream tone and is heavyweight watercolor paper. There are ten double page fold-out designs. All of the pages are perforated for easy removal from the book. While the book is sewn binding, none of the designs cross over the perforations. If you want to remove pages to frame them, you won’t lose any portion of the design in taking the page out via the perforations.
I found, once again, that all of my coloring medium worked well with this paper. The only issue I had was with some of my Copic markers that were extremely full and juicy. With those, there was a slight tendency for feathering.
This is what I experienced in coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper. I didn’t text any form of watercolor medium as I am just learning how to use it. Because of that, I shy away from saying how it worked for me as any issues I come across are sure to be because of my inexperience rather than any issue with the book. I will provide a list of the coloring medium I use for testing and for most of my coloring projects in the comments section below.
Lush and Exotic Rainforest inspired Artwork Designs
Printed on one side of the page with ten double page fold-out designs
Paper is thick watercolor paper in cream, rough texture and all pages are perforated for easy removal.
Sewn Binding
Designs stop short of perforations
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page and can feather side-to-side if the marker is juicy
Water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens do not bleed through the paper. Gel pens dry exceptionally quick with this paper.
Colored pencils work well with the page though, due to the texture, it takes several layers to get a deep pigment. Both oil and wax based pencils worked equally well. I was able to get good color, layer different colors easily and blend extremely easily using a pencil style blender stick.
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31 Inuit inspired animal designs – printed one side of page
Creative Haven Untamed Designs Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)
By: Arkady Roytman
Rating: 5 of 5
When I ordered this book, I thought it would be merely doodle style animals. I enjoy coloring that style of design provided it is original artwork. I was really surprised to find that Untamed Designs is inspired by Inuit patterns and designs. I’ve enjoyed Inuit art for a number of years after my husband and I took some vacations in the areas where the artwork is more prevalent.
The designs are quite detailed. In some cases, there are intricate and small elements that may require small nib pens, markers, or sharp pencils to color. In the comments section below, I’ll list the coloring medium I used for testing this book and which I use most of the time for coloring.
The designs in this book feature many types of animals and they all have lots of detailed and sometimes intricate doodles in them or in the rest of the design. I sometimes use these as an opportunity to explore with color variations and other times, I simply color the animal, doodle and all, with one big swathe of color essentially ignoring the doodle. I did a little of both in my first two projects in this book: a wolf and a zebra. I liked the way both turned out and will continue through the book having fun coloring in different ways.
This is what I found when coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
31 Animal designs with an Inuit influence doodle concept
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is standard for Creative Haven: medium weight, white, lightly rough and perforated
Glue bound but pages can be removed easily at perforations
Designs stop before the perforations
Alcohol and water based markers bleed through to some degree.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink can bleed through in spots if you use several layers of ink.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Both wax and oil based pencils lay down good color, layer and blend well. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.
I usually remove pages from Creative Haven books for coloring. If you prefer to keep it in the book, you may want to consider using a blotter page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper to keep seeping ink and marring dents from damaging the pages below you working page.
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31 Abstract Grumpy Cat Designs printed one side of the page
Creative Haven Grumpy Cat Hates Coloring: Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)
By: Diego Jourdan Pereira
Rating: 5 of 5
Grumpy Cat has such a cute little face, I knew that I would have fun coloring in a book dedicated to her. While I’m sure Grumpy Cat is a sweet kitty, her face seems to show superior attitude all of my cats have exhibited towards me over the years. I’ve had cats as pets for most of my adult life and recently lost my last kitty to old age at age 19 years. I miss my little friends from over the years and coloring kitties is my way of remembering them.
Grumpy cat is the central theme of each of the designs. In some designs, there are abstract elements that surround her. They kind of remind me of a Klmit painting (another favorite of mine.) Other designs have an element or two which are floating around her in multiples. Some of the elements include sushi, junk food, fruit, and even calendar days showing Monday.
The designs are not intricate but they are detailed and include abstract parts that you have to concentrate on to color. I had a lot of fun coloring my first project which was one of the ones that seemed a little more abstract in nature.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper. In the comments section below, I will list the coloring medium I used for testing this book and which I usually use for coloring in my books.
31 Grumpy Cat Designs with lots of doodle embellishment
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white, lightly rough and perforated
Glue bound but you can easily remove pages at the perforation at perforations
Designs stop before the perforations
Alcohol and water based markers bleed through to some degree
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Both wax and oil based pencils lay down good color, layer and blend well. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.
I usually take my pages out of these books for coloring. I suggest that or that you use a blotter page of card stock or several sheets of heavy weight paper to keep ink from seeping further into the book.
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31 Decorated Animal Head Designs printed one side of page
Creative Haven Animal Calaveras Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)
By: Mary Agredo
Rating: 5 of 5
For me, calaveras designs involve skulls which is what the word translates from Spanish. I usually see these types of designs in Day of the Dead coloring books. The 31 designs in this book are actually of animal head portraiture rather than decorated skulls or calaveras. While the name of the book doesn’t seem quite applicable, the designs are very nice and are quite fun to color.
There are lots of animals in this book, including a bull, bear, jaguar, pig, owl, horse, wolf, elephant and more. The designs are filled with lots of doodles but the doodles are quite large and are not difficult to color. I had a lot of fun with my first project in this book, which was the raccoon.
This is what I found when coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:. In the comments section below, I will provide a list of the coloring medium I use for testing and which I use for most of my coloring projects.
31 Animals Head Portrait Designs decorated in a style similar to calaveras designs
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white, lightly rough and perforated
Glue bound but pages can be removed easily at perforations
Designs stop before the perforations
Alcohol and water based markers bleed through to some degree
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Both wax and oil based pencils lay down good color, layer and blend well. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.
I remove pages or use a blotter page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper to keep ink and dents from marring the pages below.
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31 repeating pattern designs printed one side of page
Creative Haven Wild Techellations Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)
By: John Wik
Rating: 5 of 5
This is a fun and a bit challenging coloring book. The patterns are so intertwined that I had to really concentrate on my coloring to be sure that I was following the pattern throughout the design. It can be really easy to lose your way and end up coloring something in a way that I had not planned. Not intricate with tiny spots but rather just something I had to pay close attention to.
The designs include lots of fun elements repeated over and over again. I chose the bunny pattern first but there are lots of others that I will have fun coloring as well.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
31 Techellation inspired repeating pattern Designs
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white, lightly rough and perforated and is standard in Creative Haven Coloring Books
Glue bound and pages can be removed at the perforations rather than cut out.
Designs stop before the perforations
Alcohol based markers bleed through the paper
Water based markers spot through to the back of the page
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page. India ink can spot through if you apply more than one layer of ink.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to use both wax and oil based pencils equally well. I could lay down good color, layer and blend well using a pencil style blender stick. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.
I recommend removing pages from the book or using a blotter page when coloring. I use card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper.
Posted in Adult Color Books
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