Monthly Archives: November 2016

1-4: Spellbinding Images: A Fantasy Coloring Book Collection: Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4

By: Nikki Burnette

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a couple of grayscale coloring books by Nikki Burnette but had not purchased any of her regular line drawing coloring books. When I saw that she had put together a coloring book which included all four volumes of her first four books, I decided that it would be a good time and a great value to purchase it.

The drawings are familiar to me as the grayscale is based on the same figures. It is quite fun to color some of the same images and there are certainly so many more that I have not yet seen. The drawings are a mix of detailed and more simple drawings. That provides a good change of pace while I am coloring. The detailed drawings have backgrounds and lots of elements where the more simple drawings are of the fantasy female by herself.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
80 Female Fantasy Line Drawing Designs, including witches, fairies and mermaids
Printed one side of the page
Paper is type of CreateSpace paper: thin, white, slightly rough, and non-perforated.
Glue Bound
Designs do not merge into the binding and designs have a framing line at the outer edge for a natural stopping point. There is plenty of room to cut pages out if you choose to do so.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots
Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can seep through in spots if used heavily or in multiple coats.
Colored pencils worked nicely with this thin but slightly rough paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good color with multiple layers of the same color, good results from layers of different colors and nice blending results using a blending stick. Hard lead pencils easily dent through the page and can damage the page below.
I use a blotter page of card stock or a couple of sheets of heavier weight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Mythical Enchantments Adult Coloring Book — Large (8.62 x 11.75 inches)

By: Action Publishing

Rating: 5 of 5

This is one of my first coloring books by Action Publishing. I was surprised at how well made the book was compared to other coloring books. It has a spiral top binding so left and right handed colorists should both have an easy time coloring. It is printed on a good grade of card stock and it also has a plastic blotter page which can be moved around under whatever your current working page is.

The designs are great fun too. There are a full 36 designs with half of them being full page and the other half being banner size. The subjects are all fantasy with dragons, unicorns, castles, mermaids and more. The way the book is arranged, there is a full length design first and then a banner design on the same subject. It’s a different and interesting way of setting the book up.
This is what I experienced while coloring in the book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
36 Fantasy Designs 18 subjects in full page and banner size designs.
Printed one side of the page
Paper is white, card stock, lightly rough and non-perforated
Spiral bound
Cutting line is at the top of each page but the pages are not perforated.
Easily opens flat for ease of coloring
Designs stop well short of the cutting line and spiral binding
Includes moveable medium weight plastic blotter page
Alcohol-based markers bleed lightly through this paper
Water-based markers and India ink pens leave indistinct shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens do not bleed through the paper
Colored pencils worked nicely with this thin but slightly rough paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good color with multiple layers of the same color, good results from layers of different colors and nice blending results using a blending stick.

The Art of Marjorie Sarnat: Elegant Elephants Midnight Edition Adult Coloring Bo

By: Marjorie Sarnat

Rating: 5 of 5

I own this coloring book in the first version which was black line drawings on white backgrounds. When I saw that Marjorie Sarnat was releasing a book with black backgrounds, I purchased it immediately even though I already had the original book. I did so because I have found that designs on black background have a whole new look and vibe and it makes having the design twice a new experience the second time around.

The 34 designs in this book are beautiful and detailed. What is interesting is how much easier it is to color a detailed design with a black background. I don’t have to bother with coloring it myself and I tend towards bright and/or pastel shades with midnight books. That’s really different from what I do with Ms. Sarnat’s other books. Ms. Sarnat also took it a step further than other artists have done and reversed some of the detail elements to be mostly black with white lines on their outlines. Just this extra step makes a world of difference in how the finished design looks.
As with all of Ms. Sarnat’s coloring books, the designs are very detailed but don’t have tiny, intricate details that are hard to color. There are a number of doodle style designs as well as designs which feature other types of details added to the hides of the elephants. This makes coloring fun as you can color the creatures in any fashion you can imagine.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
34 Detailed Elephant Designs by Marjorie Sarnat
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white with black backgrounds printed, slightly rough and non-perforated
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding area and there is enough room to cut pages out if you choose to do so.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper. Water-based markers bleed through in tiny spots (mostly leaving colorful shadows on the back of the page.) I suggest you use a heavyweight blotter page of card stock or several sheets of paper below your project page if you are using alcohol-based markers. This will keep seeping ink from ruining the pages below.
Gel pens and India ink pens do not bleed through the paper but do leave colorful shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils work extremely with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good results with color, layers of the same color, layers of different colors, and blending with a pencil style blending stick.

Scribbles & Doodles: Stress Relieving Doodle Designs: A Unique Antistress Coloring Gift for Men, Women, Teenagers & Seniors with Relaxing Doodle … Relief, Mindful Meditation & Relaxation)

By: Papeterie Bleu

Rating: 4 of 5

This is my first coloring book by Papeterie Bleu. I don’t know if they generally print the reverse side of the page black with gray print or if this book is unusual. For me, it was different and interesting. The designs are black line printing on white background. Because of the black on the back of the page, the white background has a gray tone to it.

The designs are done in a swirly doodle style. The designs all have a hand-drawn look to them with very few straight lines. While I like many computer-generated designs, hand-drawn are still my favorite.
Some of the designs are repeated elements (not wallpaper style as each element is slightly different) and some of the designs are a mass of unusual shapes, lines, and elements. All of the designs have framing lines at the outer edge which provides a natural stopping point in coloring.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
31 Swirling Doodle style designs
Printed one side of page
Paper is thin, white, slightly rough and non-perforated. The back of each page is black with a variety of quotes and designs in gray print.
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding and have a frame around the outer edge. Plenty of room to remove pages if you wish.
Book opens fairly flat for coloring by creasing the spine hard.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper. You don’t see much more than a shadow at the back of the page (because of the black print) but you will need to be careful to use a blotter page so the page underneath does not get ruined by ink bleeding through.
Water-based markers spot through to the back of the page. Again, you can’t see it too clearly but I still recommend at blotter page with this medium.
Gel pens and India ink do not bleed through. If they leave shadows, it is hard to see through the black print.
Colored pencils work well with the rough texture of this paper. I did note that pencil style blender sticks did not work well. I found that using them smudged the black print of the design consistently. While I generally don’t test with wet blending medium, I did so for this book. I found that mineral spirits and other wet blending pens worked well and that petroleum jelly also worked well. No smudging but I would use a blotter page to be safe.
Otherwise, colored pencils did well with pigment lay down and layering with both the same color (for deeper pigment) and multiple colors. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils.

Colorful Fantasy Coloring Book: by Molly Harrison

By: Molly Harrison

Rating: 5 of 5

Molly Harrison is one of my favorite fantasy coloring book artists. I own a good number of her books and always enjoy getting a new one. In this coloring book, the emphasis is on fairies and mermaids though there is a beautiful Cinderella type design as well.

The designs are recognizably Ms. Harrison’s. Her adult fantasy figures have beautiful faces, elegant poses, and long and flowing hair. The designs have a nice level of detail but are not intricate with tiny spots to color.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
25 Elegant Female Fantasy Designs
Printed one side of the page
Paper is type of CreateSpace paper: thin, white, slightly rough, and non-perforated.
Glue Bound
Designs do not merge into the binding and designs have a double framing line at the outer edge for a natural stopping point. There is plenty of room to cut pages out if you choose to do so.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots
Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can seep through in spots if used heavily or in multiple coats.
Colored pencils worked nicely with this thin but slightly rough paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good color with multiple layers of the same color, good results from layers of different colors and nice blending results using a blending stick. Hard lead pencils easily dent through the page and can damage the page below.
I suggest using a blotter page of card stock or a couple of sheets of heavier weight paper under your working page. It can keep seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Creative Haven Sea Life Wonders Coloring Book: Amazing Designs on a Dramatic Black Background (Adult Coloring)

By: Lindsey Boylan

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a few of Lindsey Boylan’s Creative Haven coloring books. She is one of the first in this line to have designs with black printed backgrounds. By doing this, the colors you use pop off the page against the dark color. I find that I like to use bright colors, even neon, as well as pastel to get the most contrast I can with the black.

The designs are complex with detailed elements. In some cases, I think I will need to use smaller nib pens to color in the smaller spaces. My preference with this type of background is to use pens or markers as my colored pencils can leave lighter marks on the black if I happen to color over the edge. I’ve found that the wetter mediums are more forgiving if I cross into the black background.
There are a wide range of sea creatures and plants with the doodle style elements that allow me to experiment with color and have fun creating my own vision of sea life.
This is what I saw while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
31 Sea Life designs including above and below the ocean
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white (though printed with a black background), medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs cross slightly over the perforations (nothing essential lost if you remove the pages from the book)
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots and show colorful shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page. India ink pens can bleed through when I apply more than one layer of ink.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to get good color, layer the same color and multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blender. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils with similar results. Hard lead pencils, like Verithins, leave dents on the back of the page.
I suggest either removing pages from the book to color or using a blotter page under your working page. I like card stock as it keeps ink from seeping through and damaging the pages below.

HOLIDAY STYLE

By: Mary Man-Kong

Rating: 5 of 5

I’ve been a Barbie fan since I was a little girl. I enjoyed them with my daughters and am now having fun with them with my granddaughter. While this coloring book is aimed at children, I found that I could enjoy it as an adult as well. That makes it fun for all of us to color in. The designs are cute and the figures are big and for the most part are easy to color. There are smaller areas to color but not anything too intricate for a child.

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 children coloring book 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.
What I especially liked about it for my use is that it is printed on one side of the page. This is important for me as some of the medium I use with bleed through the page.
I found that marker bleed through the page so either taking each page out to color or putting a blotter page under the coloring page works best if you are using them. Gel pens show through on the back of the page but don’t leak through. Coloring pencils work well and can be layered and blended well. Crayons work too but it is difficult to get the crayon into the smaller detail areas. I am using a combination of markers, colored pencils, and crayons for my coloring.

World’s Cutest Animal Coloring Book, The [US] (Lonely Planet Kids)

By: Lonely Planet Kids

Rating: 5 of 5

The title says it all these are some really cute animal designs. The artist, Lulu Mayo, has had several other animal books that are quite cute as well but focus on a single animal species. I was really pleased to see this new Lonely Planet offering had 22 different types of animals.

The designs are presented in a circular mandala style. They are detailed but intricate (i.e., no tiny little spots to color.) While the book is released in the Kids line, I think it works equally well for adults to color.
What is interesting about the presentation is that the facing page to each design is an already colored example. You can use it as a guide or merely enjoy how the design was colored by someone else as you pick and choose your own color scheme. It has the effect of making the designs printed one-sided (if you don’t care about ruining colored page.) That is what I will do but I will work this book from back to front so I can enjoy the picture while I am coloring.
In addition to the design pages, there is a map at the back of the book which shows where each animal can be found. There is also a couple of pages that give a small bit of information about each animal as well.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
22 Cute Animal designs presented in circular mandala form
Designs printed one side of page (with color version on facing page, I.e, back of the preceding page)
Paper is heavy weight, white, slight smooth and non-perforated
Sewn binding you can remove several pages in whole at a time by snipping a few threads
Book opens fairly flat for coloring by heavily creasing/breaking the spine
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. If you use this medium, it will ruin that colored design on the back of the page I suggest (and use) a blotter page when using this type of medium to keep ink from seeping into the next page. I like card stock for this purpose.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens did not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils work well with this paper. Even though the paper is slightly smooth to the touch, it still had enough tooth to grip pigment. I tested both oil and wax based pencils with good results for pigment lay down, layering the same color, layering multiple colors and blending using a pencil style blending stick.
As this is noted for children (though I think it works well for adults as well), I tested crayons as well. They work well with the paper but lacked the fine point needed for some of the detailed work.