Monthly Archives: October 2016

The Poldark Colouring Book

By: Gwen Burns

Rating: 5 of 5

My husband and I are fans of the Poldark series from BBC One. This coloring book is based on the first two series and shows scenes from each which includes some hint as to plot lines. The coloring book is really well made and the characters are, for the most part, very true to life.

The 46 designs include a lot of character studies which I really appreciate. They also give a hint of the lush beauty of the countryside, homes, and clothing that I appreciate in the series.

The designs are done with a very light hand with an almost sketch-like quality to the drawings. The artist has, in a number of the designs, included lines across the characters faces, etc. for shading purposes. Some people like this and some do not. I’m fairly neutral on the matter but wanted to be sure to mention it.

I really appreciate that this book was printed single sided. So many of the of television/movie/book coloring books are done two-sided which makes it difficult for someone who colors with alcohol-based markers. With the high level of detail in these designs, it shows that a single sided book with great designs and detail can be accomplished and accomplished very well.

This is the UK version of the coloring book. As both my husband and I color, I also pre-ordered the US version and will provide a comparison of both coloring books when I receive that book.

Here is what I have experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.

46 line drawn designs which are based on series 1 and 2 of Poldark

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and non-perforated

Sewn Binding

Designs merge into the binding area; however, several pages at a time can be removed by snipping a few threads and no portion of the design will be lost

Book can be opened fairly flat by breaking the binding but it is still a bit difficult to color into the binding area

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page

Water-based markers do not bleed through

India ink pens leave a very light shadow on the back of the page

Gel pens do not leak through but require a few minutes more of drying time.

Colored pencils work very well with this paper. The oh, so slight roughness to the page provides excellent tooth for pigment. I was able to layer the same color, multiple colors and blend well with both oil and wax based colors.

An Adventure in Arendelle (Disney Frozen) (Big Coloring Book)

By: Frank Berrios

Rating: 5 of 5

We are big Disney fans at our house and were really pleased to find this coloring/sticker book. According to the product description, it is geared toward children and I understand that completely. However, I found it fun to color in as an adult.

The 24 pages of designs are a larger format than the usual coloring book. There is a handle that creates a cut through hole in all of the pages (too bad as it would have been nicer to have the whole picture but it probably makes it easier for children to carry.) There is also a fun sheet of stickers. The paper is thin, white (rather than the usual childrens off-white newspaper style pages) and pages can be removed from the glue bound edge with a little bit of care. The back of the book is a heavy duty cardboard. It makes for an excellent surface for coloring where ever you are.

Doodle Animals Coloring Book for Adults

By: Happy Coloring

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a couple of coloring books by Amanda Neel and while I am familiar with her doodle style, this is the first such book I have seen by her which includes a variety of animals. The designs are nicely printed with fairly easy to color doodle areas. Some designs make the doodles so intricate it is hard to get a pencil or pen point into the area to color. That is not true with this coloring book. I also appreciate that these are original designs versus books based on licensed (e.g., Shutterstock) designs.

The designs are a wide range of animals, including: horse, tiger, bear, seal, fish, alligator and many others. I choose to do the zebra as my first project. I’m fairly new to Inktense as a coloring medium but wanted to try it on this type of paper. While I don’t test Inktense or other watercolors (due to my lack of experience with the medium), I can note that the paper rippled a bit from the water. I tried to use it sparingly but it may be that I still put too much on the page.

Here is what I found while coloring in the book and testing my coloring medium on the pages:

30 various original doodle animal designs some with backgrounds (plus a bonus title page to color)

Printed on one side of the page

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

Glue bound

Designs do not merge into the binding area and have a framing line at their outer edges

Pages can be cut out of the book without losing any portion of the design

Book can be opened fairly flat for coloring by breaking the spine.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper rapidly.

Water-based markers bleed through in spots.

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

Colored pencils work well. I tested both oil and wax-based and had good results with both. I was able to lay down good color, layer the same and multiple colors, and blend easily using a pencil style blender. Hard lead pencils can leave dents through the paper.

I use a blotter page of card stock to keep seeping ink and dents from damaging the pages below my working page. A couple of pages of heavyweight paper works well, too.

tokidoki Coloring Pad

By: tokidoki

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the second Tokidoki coloring book that I have purchased (as well as a fantastic set of postcards.) For fans of Tokidoki, this is a great deal. This coloring pad is a larger format than the coloring book and it has a full 60 different designs in it. So many of the characters are in it that I am having lots of fun imagining my own color schemes for each of them.

The designs are well printed and are easy to color. Many of the designs are detailed but not intricate and small to color. They are printed on one side of the page with the glue binding at the top exactly what you would expect from something called a coloring pad of high quality.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and checking the paper with my coloring medium.

60 full page Tokidoki coloring design pages

Designs are printed on one side of the page

Paper is heavyweight, white, somewhat smooth (but with good tooth), and, not perforated, the pages are easy to remove from the top glue binding

Glue bound with the type of edge you expect from a notepad

There is an additional illustrated cover with gold foil touches which hinges open and away from the pages and a very heavyweight cardboard back cover which provides a great surface for coloring anywhere.

Designs run to the binding but you can remove full pages without loss of any design elements

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper readily

Water-based markers bleed through in tiny spots

India ink leaves slight shadows on the back of the page

Gel pens do not bleed through but require additional drying time.

Colored pencils work really well with this paper. While it is somewhat smooth, the paper has a good tooth for grabbing pigment. I had good results from both oil and wax based pencils with layering same and different colors as well as blending using a blending stick.

I suggest a blotter page under your working page (or removing the page before coloring) if you are using markers. I like card stock but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper work as well. This will keep seeping ink from ruining the pages below.

Myth & Magic: An Enchanted Fantasy Coloring Book by Kinuko Y. Craft

By: Kinuko Y. Craft

Rating: 5 of 5

I have long been a fan of Kinuko Y. Craft’s artwork, especially in puzzles and calendars over the years. I was very happy to see that she had translated her artwork into line drawings for a coloring book. The designs are all very detailed and intricate with many small spots to color. I am using a combination of ultra-fine point alcohol-based markers and sharp pointed colored pencils to be able to color the details in this book.

The designs are elegant and richly detailed. I find them to be an excellent translation of her work into a coloring book. I would be hesitant to recommend this book to anyone who has fine motor control or vision issues but otherwise, I think it is a fantastic coloring book and one that can provide many hours of fun and challenging coloring.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.

40 Hand-drawn intricate Fantasy Designs by Kinuko Y. Craft

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough, and perforated

Glue Binding

Designs do not merge past the perforations and most have a frame of sorts around the outer edge of the design.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page

Water-based markers and India ink pens bleed through the page in spots.

I use a blotter page below my working page when using these wet mediums. It keeps the ink from seeping through. You can also remove pages before coloring to keep the rest of the book from being damaged.

Gel pens leave a slight shadow on the back of the page but do not bleed through. Some pens require additional drying time.

Colored pencils work well with this slightly rough paper. I was able to layer and blend easily with both oil and wax based pencils.

In addition to the copy of this coloring book that I purchased on Amazon, the publisher sent me a sample advanced reader copy of this book

Everything Beautiful: A Coloring Book for Reflection and Inspiration

By: WaterBrook Press

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really well made and beautiful Christian-based coloring book filled with inspiring Scripture, quotes, and excerpts from songs. The designs in the book are by nine different artists: Holly Camp, Terra Cypher, Ann-Margret Hovespian, Katherine Howe, Cari Logston, Laura Elizabeth Marshall, Lisa Shirk, Jenny Stewart, and Jennifer Tucker. The publishers of the book provided the artists with the text to inspire the design and each artist came up with their interpretation.

This is the second in a series of compilation Christian coloring books. The first one, Whatever Is Lovely is a favorite of mine and one that I have purchased not only for myself but as gifts for others as well. It is one of the best Christian-based coloring books that I own. Because of the high standard of the first book, I was hoping that the second one would be similar. It absolutely is and will be an item that I include in my holiday gift shopping this year.

There are 45 designs in this coloring book. Some of the designs are based on Scripture while others are based on quotes by famous individuals and still others from hymns, songs, and poems. The inspiration for each design is printed on the back of the design. What is nice about this is that if you remove a page from the book (perhaps as a gift), that information will stay with the page it applies to.

The translations used in this book are: the Holy Bible New International Version (NIV), ESV the Holy Bible English Standard Version, and the Message. While designs may focus on a few key words from Scripture, the entire quote with cite is printed on the back of the page.

I color in many different styles and types of coloring books but the ones that mean the most to me are Christian-based. When times are tough or I’m feeling down, coloring in these books help to focus my attention on the right path. Between the Scripture and the words of others, my mind is reset properly and I have the wonderful refreshed feeling that comes with hearing the Word.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I use for my tests and for coloring my projects.

45 Inspiring Christian Designs by nine different artists

Printed one side of the page

Paper is white, heavyweight, slightly rough and perforated

Glue Binding

Some designs are printed past the perforations and merge into the binding area. These areas do not include any essential element of the design

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper.

Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens leave indistinct shadows on the back of the page but do not bleed through the paper.

Colored pencils work especially well with this paper. Its slightly rough texture has good tooth to grab the pigment well. I was able to layer the same color, different colors and to blend easily (using a blender stick) with both oil and wax based pencils.

tokidoki Coloring Book

By: tokidoki

Rating: 5 of 5

Tokidoki is a cute Japanese-inspired set of characters that have popular for more than a decade. I have a few items which have these characters and was really happy to find a coloring book with many of them in it.

There are 32 designs in this book. The designs range from easy to more detailed but are all fun and easy to color. The antics of the characters puts a big smile on my face as I am coloring.

The book is in a smaller format and works well for a travel size coloring book. The pages are perforated, so I will plan on keeping the book intact.

This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:

32 Tokidoki designs in a 7 x 9 inch format coloring book

Designs are printed on one side of the page

Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and non-perforated

Glue Binding

Designs merge into the binding area

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper

Water-based markers leave colorful shadows and can spot through the paper if applied heavily

India ink and gel pens do not bleed through. Some gel pens require additional drying time.

Colored pencils work well with this paper. I used both oil and wax based pencils and got good pigment, layered different colors and blending easily using a blending stick.

Epic Journeys (Other Worlds Icons of Fantasy)

By: Larry Elmore

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really great fantasy coloring book which combines the art of four artists: Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Danta Knutson, and Mark A. Nelson. The design groupings all have a distinctive look and feel which gives me a wide variety of artwork in a single book. The designs are detailed and some have intricate and small areas to color.

Each grouping has a story to go along with it. The story is told on the back of the design pages with the applicable story blurb being opposite the page you color. I don’t plan to remove pages from my book (though you can as the pages are perforated) because that would disconnect the stories. The stories, or Epic Journeys are: Aurora’s Fairyland Odyssey by Jeff Easley, Happy Trails by Mark A. Nelson, Evonna the Enchantress by Larry Elmore, and Return of the Queen by Danta Knutson.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.

24 Fantasy Designs 6 by each artist

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is white, heavyweight, somewhat smooth, and perforated

Glue Binding

Designs do not merge past the perforations and the designs have framing lines around the outer edges

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper. I used a blotter page of card stock with this type of medium to keep the ink from seeping through and damaging the pages below.

Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through the page. Some gel pens require additional drying time.

Colored pencils worked well with this paper. I used both oil and wax based and was able to get good pigment, layer and blend using a blender stick.