Daily Archives: August 22, 2016

Enchanted Halloween: A Whimsy Girls Fantasy Coloring Book

By: Hannah Lynn

Rating: 5 of 5

I own two other coloring books by Hannah Lynn and have found her designs to be both fun and easy to color. She creates beautiful girls with lovely big eyes. In this book, the emphasis is on Halloween and other fall related themes.

Over the last weekend, I found myself coloring in this book so much, I decided I had to pace myself a bit or I would finish the whole book in a week! I really enjoy Ms. Lynn’s designs!

There are two each of each of the designs. I like that, too, as I can try different colorways or perhaps give one to a friend. Who am I kidding? I’m not giving one of these away but I may buy a second book to share with other… or maybe I want to color each design four different ways.

The designs are easy to color. I like to use markers and colored pencils when coloring these designs. I lay down a foundation color with markers and then had details and shading with my pencils. I find that process is the easiest for me and results in designs that look the way I see them in my mind.

Here is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper. In the comments section below, I will list the coloring mediums I use for testing and for coloring as well.

30 x 2 each Big Eye Girls in Halloween Fun Designs

Printed one side of the page

Paper is thin, white, slightly rough and non-perforated

Glue bound

Designs stop well before the binding area so it is easy to cut pages out if you choose to do so.

Designs have a double framing line around the outer edges for a natural stopping point while coloring.

Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through this paper.

Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can leak through if you apply heavily or use multiple coats.

Colored pencils work well with this paper. I was able to layer the same color for deeper tones, multiple colors, and blend easily using a blending stick with both oil and wax-based pencils. Hard lead pencils dent through the paper.

I suggest and use a blotter page of card stock when coloring in this book. It keeps ink and dents from from damaging the pages below my working page.

Harry Potter Magical Creatures Coloring Kit

By: Running Press

Rating: 4 of 5

This is my second set of Harry Potter coloring card kits. The first was based on the first Harry Potter Coloring book and this new kit is based on the second book and is of Magical Creatures.

The first thing I will note is that this kit is very small. I knew what to expect having purchased the first kit. The dimensions listed seem to be that of the box holder when it is closed. The set of cards takes up very little space within the box, as it also holds the pencils and the magnetic frames.

I’ll provide details on the components below. The designs are very small with detailed coloring elements. I suggest only small nib coloring medium with this kit. I used both the pencils that came with the kit and my own pencils as well.

I consider it a fun kit for any Harry Potter fan. They remind me of exchangeable cards that have been popular over the years. The pencils that came with the kit are very inexpensive and do not provide much by way of color. The other problem with the pencils had to do with the colors. The colors are standard but are not the ones that I would necessarily want to use for Magical Creatures. There wasn’t even a black pencil in the set at all. I detracted a star from my review because of this issue.

Here are the colors which are provided: dark green, medium green, yellow, orange, red, purple, brown, pink, light blue and dark blue. Even the dark colors still go on fairly light. These are the exact same colors I had in my previous kit from this company. I used the included colors to finish Fang (dog) and I used my own oil-based colored pencils color Fawkes (phoenix). You can see the huge difference in how the pencils colored.

There are two folding magnet frames. Cute but inexpensive. They do nicely for holding a picture on the front of the refrigerator or on a locker anything that a magnet will stick to.

This is what I found while coloring the cards in this kit and testing them with my various coloring medium.

30 Harry Potter designs in playing card size

Printed on one side with high glossy back

Cardboard box holds entire set folds open and closes with magnet

Two folding magnetic frames for holding finished artwork

Alcohol and water based markers and India ink pen did not bleed through

Gel pens did not bleed through but some required extra drying time

Coloring pencils did well but no room for blending in minute details

Steampunk Animals Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Jeremy Elder

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second coloring book by Jeremy Elder. My previous one was also a steampunk inspired book, Steampunk Devices. There are many animals in the book including: snail, rabbit, owl, turtle, monkey, walrus and many more.

The designs in the book and imaginative and are lots of fun to color. The animals are set in backgrounds rather than simply an animals on a page. Each of the animals has machinery built-in which is a must for a steampunk fan.

The designs are detailed but are not intricate and hard to color. There is plenty of room for blending or adding your own details to make the coloring project a more personalized one.

My earlier book by Mr. Elder was released under the Creative Haven line of Dover books and I wish that this one, Steampunk Animals had also been so released. Unfortunately, it was released as a standard Dover Coloring book. The difference is distinctive as this book is printed on both sides of the page, has a slightly different feel to the paper, and is not perforated.

However, the price is also less than a Creative Haven book, so I can and will buy a second copy of this book as I will want to use markers on the pages. If you use only colored pencils, you may be happy with just the one book as-is.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium. I will list my coloring mediums that I use for testing and coloring in the comments section below.

30 Steampunk inspired Animals Designs

Printed on both sides of the page

Paper is medium weight, smooth, white and non-perforated

Staple bound with three heavy duty staples

Designs stop well before the binding area and can be removed in whole from the book by removing the three staples at the binding.

All designs have a framing line around the outer edge to give a natural stopping point for the design and all of the elements within it. I really appreciate this feature in coloring books.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers spot through and/or leave colorful shadows on the back of the page

Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can bleed through in spots if you apply heavily or use multiple coats.

Colored pencils worked well with this paper. Both oil and wax-based pencils provided good pigment, layered well with the same or multiple colors and blended well using a blending stick. Hard lead pencils did not dent through the page.

If you choose to use any medium other than colored pencils, you will probably find bleed through or colorful shadows on the design at the back of your working page. For me, that ruins the design. My choice will be to buy a second book if I want to use markers/gel pens/India ink. I still suggest a blotter page under your working page as it will keep the following pages (other than the one on the back of your working page) from being ruined by seeping ink. I like card stock for this purpose but find that a couple of sheets of heavyweight white paper work well, too.

Marie Catoinette: Kitty Wigs Presents A Cautionary Tale of Excess: An Historically Imaginative Adult Coloring Book

By: Julie Jackson

Rating: 5 of 5

This is an adorable set of designs featuring cats wearing wigs similar in style and theme to those decadent wigs worn by the aristocrats of the 18th century. Of the 29 designs, a full 22 of them are of cats. The remaining designs are also nice but not what really drove me to purchase and want to color in this book.

The designs have a lot of shading in them. They are almost but not quite what I would consider grayscale coloring. I will be using some grayscale techniques in coloring this book. The illustrations are by Paul Labadie whose self-taught skill in art is quite beautiful and detailed.

The designs are detailed and some contain intricate and small areas to color. They are of just the cat in the wig and don’t have background to color. I think that works best for this subject matter as the wigs are so elaborately styled you would not want to detract from them in any way.

This is what I found while I was coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium. In the comments section below, I will list the coloring medium I use to test and color with.

29 Detailed and somewhat Intricate Designs with 22 of them being cats in wigs

Printed one side of the page

Paper is typical for CreateSpace publications: thin, white, slightly rough and non-perforated

Glue bound

Designs stop well before the binding area so it is easy to cut pages out if you choose to do so

Book can be opened fairly flat for coloring but you will need to crease or break the spine to do so

Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through this paper.

Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can leak through if you apply heavily or use multiple coats.

Colored pencils work well with this paper. It has enough tooth to grab a good amount of color. I was able to layer the same color, multiple colors, and blend easily using a blending stick with both oil and wax-based pencils. Hard lead pencils dent through the paper.

I use a blotter page of card stock when coloring in any CreateSpace coloring book. I put it under my working page and it keeps ink and dents from marring the pages below.