Monthly Archives: January 2017

Big Kids Coloring Book: Fairy Houses and Fairy Doors, Vol. 4: 50+ Illustrations on Single-Sided Pages Plus Bonus Coloring Pages (Big Kids Coloring Books)

By: Dawn D. Boyer Ph.D.

Rating: 5 of 5

This coloring book is the fourth one in a series of fairy houses and doors. It is my first coloring book in the series and I was amazed at the quantity and quality of the hand-drawn designs. It is hard to imagine that there are three other books all filled with original artwork in the same subject matter but I will certainly be looking for more in the series in the future.

There are 52 new fairy house/door designs ranging from houses built into trees to toadstool houses and more. In a few of the designs, there is even a fairy who pops in. The designs are detailed and some include intricate areas to color.
In addition to the 52 designs (plus title page), there are 23 designs/activities from other books in the Big Kids Coloring Book line.) These pages are printed on both sides of the page where the actual fairy house/door designs are printed single side.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
52 Hand-drawn fairy house and door designs; fourth book in series
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality such as that used by CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not extend into the binding area. There is plenty of room to cut out pages if you choose to do so.
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Art of Coloring: Beauty and the Beast: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity

By: Disney Book Group

Rating: 3 of 5

Attached to this review will be a silent flip-through of the entire coloring book and some photos so you can make an informed decision as to whether or not it will work for you.

The designs in this book are based on the Live Action movie Beauty and the Beast and not the cartoon version that was re-released in 2016. The designs are nicely drawn with a manageable level of detail. The issue for me is the actual content of the designs. I think the book ends up being simply okay when it could have been much nicer.
There are 124 pages with designs on them but most are not character studies. In fact, the most prominent subject is books. There are fully 23 designs devoted to book studies most of which are more in the nature of wall-paper style designs. There are not that many designs of Belle or Beast in the book.
The book does not include any designs of Belle’s father nor of Gaston. It does include Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiere and Cogsworth but they are very few. A good number of the few character studies included have the character in solid black silhouette. That means you can’t color the character but simply the space and swirls and twirls around them.
There are 68 repeating wall-paper style designs in the coloring book. Some of these patterns are duplicated. A few have a banner of words added (at the end of the book) but are really a repeat of an earlier page of wall-paper. That means more than half of the book is repeating patterns and, for me, that is way too many.
Given the number of wall-paper designs, it is very disappointing to me that they were not placed on the backside of character designs. It could easily have been done if the publisher had given it proper attention. I would be happy to waste a wall-paper design in order to use markers but the choice becomes difficult when one of the few character designs backs onto another character designs (such as Belle on one side and the Beast on the back.)
The book is part of the Art of Coloring series and has changed format in a number of ways from the earlier books in this series. Beauty and the Beast has a soft cover, is smaller, has thinner paper, has glue binding and has perforated pages. One of the nice improvements in Beauty and the Beast is that the designs are limited to one page they do not spread across two pages as have other books in this series.
The soft cover is okay but I would have hoped for a better value on the book if the quality of the publishing was being diminished. That is also true of the paper which is thinner than that of the earliest books in the series.
This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing my color medium on the paper.
124 Live Action Beauty and the Beast inspired Design pages
Includes 68 pages of wall-paper style repeating designs
Printed on both sides of page; however designs are limited to one page only (no two-page spreads).
Paper is medium weight, white, very slightly rough, and perforated
Glue binding
Many designs extend across the perforations, some into the binding. I was able to break the spine to get into the binding area a bit easier. If you remove pages, you will not lose anything integral to the design.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper
Water-based markers either bled through or left colorful shadows on the back of the paper.
Gel pens and India ink pens left anywhere from colorful shadows to indistinct shadows on the back of the page but even at best, where still noticeable.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. I was able to get good, deep pigment. I could layer easily (both same and different colors.) Blending was okay though the tooth of the paper was not optimal. I was able to blend with a pencil style blending stick.

Adult Coloring Books: Floral Garden Coloring Books for Adults Relaxation (Flowers, Animals, and Gardens)

By: Adult Coloring Books

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a coloring book which has a variety of subjects in it. The title does not specify which; however, on the title page it does mention gardens and floral animals. I would say the majority of the designs have flowers in them.

It is fairly obvious that many of the elements of a design are reused over and over within the design (e.g., the same flower in different sizes and flipped and angled differently throughout the design.) Some elements are repeated within more than one design. Having said that, the designs are still pleasing to color. These are not wall-paper style designs (though there are a few of those in the book) where a design is filled with repeats over and over again. I just wish there was a little more variation on the repeated elements.
The designs are detailed and fun to color. Some of the designs have intricate and small areas to color. These may require small nib pens/markers and thin, sharp pencil points for coloring. Because of this, I don’t recommend this coloring book to any one who has fine motor or vision issues.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
40 Detailed and Swirling Designs with emphasis on flowers and animals
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality such as that used by CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
Some designs merge into the binding; however, most do not. Most have unfinished elements at all four edges of the edges with blank space beyond.
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Color America: A God Bless the USA Coloring Book for Adults

By: Donna Moses

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second coloring book by Donna Moses and I have found both books to be very charming. The characters in the designs in this book are in a folk style manner with patriotic subjects. The scenes represent individuals and concepts that have gone into making the United States the wonderful country that it is. There are scenes which harken back to the Revolutionary era, to Abraham Lincoln, to the settling of the land and to historic and social events.

This line of coloring books generally deal with the Bible and Christianity. While Color America is not inherently religious in its makeup, there is certainly elements of religion in some of the designs. One of my favorites is Beside the Still Waters which is evocative of Psalms 23 and shows a father and child fishing in a still water pond.
The designs are detailed but not overly so. I don’t consider the artwork to be intricate and small or feel the need to use special small nib pens and markers.
This is what I experienced when coloring in this book and testing the paper with my various coloring medium.
37 Patriotic Folk Style Designs by Donna Moses
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs do not extend past the perforations
Designs all have a framing line around the outside for a more finished look.
Book opens fairly flat for coloring if you heavily crease the spine.
Alcohol based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers bleed through the paper in spots with colorful shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens and India ink do not bleed through but can leave shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well using a pencil style blending stick. Hard lead pencils can leave dents on the back of the page.
I either remove a page before coloring or use a piece of card stock or several sheets of heavy weight paper as a blotter sheet below my working page to keep ink or dents from ruining the pages below.

Adorable Animals Grayscale Coloring Book

By: Jane Maday

Rating: 5 of 5

This grayscale coloring book is wonderful both for design content and for the quality of publishing. I have two other grayscale books which I consider excellent as well. The designs in this book are based on original artwork by Jane Maday.

The 54 designs in this book are really adorable, just as the title states. The animals are realistically drawn and include details such as fur and feathers which is a wonderful time saver in coloring. The animals have complete background artwork so when you have finished, you have a beautiful project that should be fairly easy to frame.
In addition to the great designs, the artist has included a good tutorial on how to color grayscale, along with step by step views of each stage of layering various coloring medium. This is one of the more comprehensive discussions I have seen on the technique actually included in a book. It is a wonderful resource both for this book and for other grayscale coloring books as well.
At the end of the book, there are colored photos of the original artwork which was included in the book. They are printed four to a page.
54 Animal Grayscale Designs based on artwork with full backgrounds
Printed one side of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly smooth and perforated
Sewn Binding
Designs do not extend past the perforations and fit well within the page for framing
Book opens fairly flat for ease of coloring (may need to crease or break spine)
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers, India Ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through but leave the very slightest of shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils work well with this paper. While slightly smooth, there is still enough tooth to the page to get good pigment coverage. I got deep color by layering multiple coats. I could also easily layer multiple colors and blend well using a blender stick. Both oil and wax based pencils worked equally well.

The Peter Rabbit Coloring Book: A Classic Editions Coloring Book

By: Beatrix Potter

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really beautiful coloring book of the tale of Peter Rabbit. The story is that of Beatrix Potter and the illustrations are by Charles Santore. They are a hybrid grayscale/line drawing version of the illustrations in the storybook by the same artist. Along with the story and the designs, there are thumbnail color pictures from the storybook on the inside front and back covers. That way, you can use similar colors if you so choose.

The book is a larger than standard format. The designs are a bit of a mix of line drawings and grayscale with a heavy use of gray in the details. There is still area for blending and shading if you desire. It is a really nice mix and one that will be fun to color.
It is set up in true storybook style, with the text on the left hand side (back of page) and the illustration to the right. Some mediums will bleed through the page (see below), which will interfere with the text but if that doesn’t bother you, you can treat the book as if the designs were one sided.
My current plan is to use a mix of water-based markers with pencil accents. This is a book that I will enjoy reading to my grandchildren, so each week I hope to have a new design finished so my grandson can see the progress as we read through the book
This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
12 Beautifully drawn Peter Rabbit designs by Charles Santore
Designs printed on one side of the page with storybook text on the back.
Paper is white, every so slightly rough to touch, medium weight and non-perforated
Glue Bound
Designs stop short of the binding and have a framing line at the outer edges
Book opens easily to flat position for ease of coloring.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers and India ink markers leave a slight colorful shadow on the back of the page.
Gel pens do not bleed through an left an indistinct shadow on the back of the page.
Colored pencils did well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I was easily able to get good pigment with multiple layers of the same color. I also was able to layer multiple colors and blend well using a blender stick.

More Good Vibes Coloring Book (Coloring is Fun) (Design Originals) 32 Beginner-Friendly Uplifting & Creative Art Activities on High-Quality Extra-Thick Perforated Paper that Resists Bleed Through

By: Thaneeya McArdle

Rating: 5 of 5

This is another fun coloring book Thaneeya McArdle. I own several of her books have always have a fun time with them. This is a second book of feel good and inspiring messages good vibes. I don’t own the first in this series but am having a great time coloring in this book. There are cute designs with sayings and the back of the page has quotes by famous individuals and unknowns which range from inspiring to funny. I noted that the back of the page is now back in gray rather than colors. I prefer that as sometimes the color could show through to the front of the page depending on which medium I work with.

Once again, I love the designs in this book but am less than pleased with the fact that the publisher is printing 8 of the designs in less than full size. They have included a thumbnail color sample, some sample colors used in their design for inspiration and a few words to talk about the colors. It takes up the bottom 2.5 inches of the page. This information could be printed on a separate page or on the actual color sample page rather than on the coloring page.
In this book, it makes less of a difference than in other books. The designs can still be colored as there aren’t tiny elements but I would much rather color a full page designs. As the designs are not difficult to color, I won’t detract any stars from my review.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
32 Inspiring and feel good sayings with fun designs 24 Full Size and 8 Medium Size
Printed one side of the page back of page has soft gray design, journal lines and a quote appropriate to the subject of the coloring book
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs stop well before the perforations
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through the page in heavy spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens can spot through to the back of the page
Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.
I use a blotter page of card stock or heavyweight paper (two sheets) to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below. I recommend using a blotter or that you remove pages before coloring.

I Dream in Color: An Inspirational Journey Coloring Book

By: Hannah Lynn

Rating: 5 of 5

I own several coloring books by Hannah Lynn and have enjoyed all of them. I Dream In Color is beyond a doubt my favorite. It is so inspirational in its makeup and has beautiful illustrations to color as well. It describes the journey of someone who is brave and strong and gives beautiful illustrations of that journey.

The book starts with a six page story about the girl whose story is followed through the coloring pages. These pages include areas to color. At the end, there is a surprise page about the identity of the girl. Then follows some wonderful journal pages, the first nine pages of this journal area are done as illustrated pages you can color and the remaining five are simple journal pages with lines and a few illustrations. This is something I have never seen before but which makes perfect sense and adds so much to the coloring book.
In addition to the above, there are a full 27 pages of coloring designs. They include the beautiful girl with huge eyes but they also include very detailed background elements as well. I am used to designs from Ms. Lynn which focus almost entirely on the person so it is great to get illustrations that are more balanced with background. I’m having a lot of fun with this book.
Here is what I found while coloring in the book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
27 Full Design pages, 7 story pages with designs to color, 9 journal pages with designs to color and 5 journal pages
Designs are printed on one side of 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 have a double framing line at the outer edges
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 or apply heavily.
Colored 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 no matter what medium I use. I prefer card stock but several sheets of heavyweight paper work as well.

Groovy Owls Coloring Book (Coloring Is Fun) (Design Originals)

By: Thaneeya McArdle

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a few coloring books by Thaneeya McArdle; however, this is the first one that I have that is dedicated to owl designs. The designs are so much fun to color. She has given each of them a different personality. I really enjoy the wide range it seems like each and every one is different from the others. I enjoy coloring owls and have done a couple by Ms. McArdle (in books with a wide variety of subjects) so it is really special to get a book with 32 owl designs.

I noted that the back of the page is now back in gray rather than colors. I prefer that as sometimes the color could show through to the front of the page depending on which medium I work with. The back of the page has inspiring quotes, journal lines and a design element or two you can color if you choose to do so.
The publisher is, once again, printing 8 of the designs in less than full size. They have included a thumbnail color sample, some sample colors used in their design for inspiration and a few words to talk about the colors. It takes up the bottom 2.5 inches of the page. This information could be printed on a separate page or on the actual color sample page rather than on the coloring page.
It seems like they gave some thought to it as in this book, it makes less of a difference than in other books. The designs can still be colored as there aren’t tiny elements. I would still much rather color a full page designs. As the designs are not difficult to color, I won’t detract any stars from my review.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
32 Fun to color Owl designs 24 Full Size and 8 Medium Size
Printed one side of the page back of page has soft gray design, journal lines and an inspiring quote
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs stop well before the perforations
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers leave colorful shadows and bleed through in very noticeable spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page and can spot through to the back of the page if applied heavily.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well using a blender stick. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.
I use a blotter page of card stock or heavyweight paper (two sheets) to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below. I recommend using a blotter or that you remove pages before coloring.

Beauty and the Beast: A Coloring Book (Classic Coloring Book)

By: Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

Rating: 4 of 5

I was very curious to see this coloring book as it gives credit to Walter Crane for the illustrations. Unfortunately, while the story has quotations from the original story, I don’t believe that the illustrations are by Mr. Crane. They are from Shutterstock, Eliz Hyseyin, Ian Cunlifee and Lydia Coventry.

If there is any use of Mr. Crane’s artwork, it is miniscule and unrecognizable. The book even gives bio information to Mr. Crane which is also very misleading. While I believe it is completely incorrect to imply that Mr. Crane’s work is included, the designs are very pretty. The publisher should correct the misinformation immediately.
The 96 pages of designs are detailed and many contain intricate and small areas to color. You will need small nib pens/markers and sharp pencils for those areas.
Many of the designs spread across two pages with integral portions of the design being lost into the binding area. In my copy of the book, the pages line up fairly well.
What bothers me a bit is the number of wall-paper style (repeating) designs. Twenty-eight pages of the book are in this style with several others fairly close (slight detail changes on gloves, etc. keep them from being totally repetitive.) That is close to one third of the book. If the publishers had placed these repetitive designs behind the more unique designs throughout, I could have treated them as waste pages and thus be allowed to use color medium that bleeds through the page (see below.) But that was not the case.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
96 pages of detailed and intricate designs based on Beauty and the Beast. Includes many pages which include design elements licensed through Shutterstock rather than designs unique to this book. Also includes many repetitive wall-paper style designs.
Printed both sides of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly smooth and non-perforated
Designs merge into the binding
There are many designs which spread across two pages
Sewn Binding. You can remove several pages in whole at one time by snipping several threads. I won’t do that as it will disturb the continuity of the design.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens do not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page. Gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils work okay with this paper. It is slightly smooth which made blending with a blending stick a little more difficult (slightly smeary.) I was able to get good pigment and to layer colors well. I tested both wax and oil based pencils with similar results.