Monthly Archives: January 2017

Colour My Sketchbook DARKER

By: Bennett Klein

Rating: 5 of 5

I have several of Bennett Klein’s beautiful coloring books. I missed getting the limited edition Dark coloring book which was released for a short period of time late last year so I was very happy to see a new book, Darker just released. The designs are wonderfully drawn and take fantasy to a slightly darker level than some of Mr. Klein’s earlier books.

While I don’t have the previous book, I’ve compared some of the designs in my book with those shown on the review of Dark. It seems that there are many duplicates. Without having the first book to do a side-by-side comparison, I can’t confirm that all of the designs are duplicated. What I can say is that there seems to be more pages in Darker which may equate to more designs. You can check my silent video to see what is included in the coloring book.
This is my first book of Mr. Klein’s designs with black background. I have colored in similar style books before but trust Mr. Klein to take the concept forward a step by including beautiful elements in a deep gray tone to accent the final project. It gives a perfect background to those designs on which it is included. I guess you could color those areas but I intend to leave them as deep gray.
The designs are somewhat in gray scale but with so much black in the background, the artist wisely choose to leave more white space in the coloring elements. I will be able to use both my markers and my colored pencils while coloring in this book. As that is my preferred coloring method (markers for background and pencils for details), I am very happy with the way the book has been published.
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.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
30 Hand-drawn illustrations with white on black background (some gray scale elements as well)
Designs are printed on one side of thin, slightly rough non-perforated paper typical of CreateSpace. While the paper is actually white, the background of the designs are printed in black.
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 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.

All You Need Is Love…and a Cat: Coloring Book (Doodle Art Alley Books) (Volume 12)

By: Samantha Snyder

Rating: 5 of 5

I am a huge fan of cat-related coloring books. This is one of the more fun ones that I have. Most of the designs include a cute and cartoon-like cat and all of the designs have a quote or saying on them. I am having a lot of fun coloring in this book and thinking about my various cats (all of whom have passed.) It brings back the good times I had with each of them and gives me a lot of joy.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
50 Cat/Quote designs with fun attitude
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding. The designs have a framing line at the outer edges.
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.
Colored 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.
In addition to the copy of this book that I purchased on Amazon, the publisher provided me with an advance reader copy of this book.

Fantasia: Adult Coloring Book

By: Phoenix Amulet

Rating: 5 of 5

I did not know that there was a version of this coloring book published in Asia. I most assuredly would have purchased it had I known. I have now started looking and can’t find it so hopefully someone will post a link in the comments to where it can be purchased.

However, for those of us living outside of Asia, this is a beautiful book of designs but it is printed on the typical thin (and frankly bad quality) paper which is the only paper that CreateSpace makes available for self-published artists.
I wish that the company (which is owned by Amazon, by the way), would provide artists with a choice of better paper. They don’t and I accept the quality knowing that it is the only way currently to get access to so many wonderful independent artists. I know that many individuals end up scanning the designs in these books and printing them on better quality paper. Irritating but at least it is an option for some.
Having said all of that, I just noticed that this book is no longer available on Amazon. I hope that it returns, either in the CreateSpace quality paper or something better. This is an artist whose work needs to be seen.
The designs are a wonderful range of fantasy from fairies to terrifying creatures and even a flying elephant. The designs are detailed and some have intricate and small spaces to color. The only problem I have with the designs in the book is deciding which order to color them in. I want to color them all right away!
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
61 Imaginative and Beautifully hand-drawn Fantasy designs
Printed one side of the page
Paper is thin, rough, white and non-perforated the same paper that all CreateSpace books are printed on
Glue Binding
Designs merge into the binding area
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 fairly 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 with all forms of coloring medium. 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.

The Coloring Book of Cards and Envelopes: A Year of Celebrations

By: Nosy Crow

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really cute set of color it and make your own style cards. The designs are fun and have areas to color or write in on all sides of the note cards. I would have been happy with just the cards but the set also comes with fold it yourself coordinating envelopes and stickers to seal them with. My first projects will be the Valentine’s day cards for my grandchildren. I missed New Year’s this year but will be using it next year.

The designs are detailed and some have a few intricate areas to color. I don’t find them difficult to color but they may present issues for someone with vision or fine motor skill issues.
There are cards for all types of special occasions or themes. There are 36 cards and matching envelopes and stickers for the following times: New Year (1), Valentine’s Day (2), Easter (2), Mother’s Day (2), Father’s Day (2), Birthday (5) Baby (1), Congratulations/well done (2), Anniversary (1), Graduation (1), Thank You (4), Thanksgiving (1), Happy Holidays (not Christmas specifically)(4), Thinking of you (2), Love (1), Get Well (1), and decorated Blank (4).
The envelopes have areas to color and decorate as well and the inside of the envelope is done is a all-over design (which I won’t color but could present a fun challenge for someone so inclined. The envelopes are made to coordinate with the particular card it is to be used which (these go in the same order in the book, so it is easy to match which one goes with which.) The designs of the cards are really cute with all sorts of elements which pertain to the holiday, special occasion, or the general theme of the card.
The cards are printed on a medium weight card stock while the envelopes are printed on a heavy weight paper. All of the pages are perforated for easy removal from the book, however, you still need to cut certain parts of the page.
Each page of cards has two cards on it with a cutting line to separate them. I prefer using a paper cutter to get a sharp edge but a good pair of scissors and a steady hand works, too. I also trim the perforated side of the cards and the envelopes as it is slightly rough once it is removed from the book (there is a cutting line for this as well.)
The fold lines are lightly scored on both the cards and the envelopes. There are written instructions on the method of folding the envelopes as well as stickers at the back of the book that can be used to help seal the envelopes.
If you are going to mail them, be aware that they are an unusual size and will probably require additional postage. It has been suggested on either books of this type that you can place the envelope inside a standard envelope to utilize regular postage. I give mine out directly or as part of a gift box package, so mine don’t go through the regular post machines, etc.
My alcohol-based markers bled through both types of paper.
Water-based markers, gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through or leave marks on the back of either types of paper. My India ink pens work really well with the designs. I get great coverage and the design elements still show through.
Colored pencils work well with the slight rough texture. I got good color with both oil and wax based pencils, especially when layering the same color for richer pigment. Layering multiple colors worked well, too. I was also able to blend well using a pencil style blender stick.

Womens & Flowers: Adult Coloring Book Stress Relieving Patterns (Womens & Flowers Coloring Books for Grown-Ups) (Volume 3)

By: Sophia Payne

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a slightly smaller than average format coloring book. The designs in it are reduced somewhat on the page as well. This makes for a very detailed and intricate set of illustrations inspired by women and flowers. While I wish the designs were done full page, I like the illustrations themselves. In many cases, if the pictures had been rotated and enlarged, I would have enjoyed the book more. There are designs of women in gardens or simply covered in flowers and also of just flowers and other plants.

The designs are quite detailed and include intricate elements with lots of tiny spots to color. I would not recommend this coloring book to anyone with fine motor or vision issues. I would also suggest that, for the intricate areas, use of ultra-fine point markers/pens or really sharp pencils would be best.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
27 Women and Flower inspired designs which are sized rather small on the page
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding. A few have framing lines at the outer edge but most stop without a line.

LANG – Adult Coloring Book – “Cheerful Journey” – Artwork by Debi Hron – Hardcover – Spiral – Designs for Beginner to Expert – 100 Pages – 9″ x 11″

By: The LANG Companies, Inc

Rating: 5 of 5

I was thrilled to find a coloring book filled with designs by Debi Hron. I’ve enjoyed her artwork over years and the designs in this book are indicative of those I have found in household goods, calendars, Christmas cards and more. There are birds, sunflowers, snowmen, scarecrows, and my favorites, her cute cats.

The designs span through a variety of seasons. Some of them have sayings and quotes and others are solely design focused. They designs appear to be hand-drawn with the wonderful look that one expects from such.
I’m amazed at the fact that the coloring book has 100 pages and is so well made. I wish most coloring books were made to this level, let alone having so many designs to choose from. This is a wonderful value for anyone who enjoys Ms. Hron’s fabulous artwork.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
100 Design pages featuring hand-drawn artwork by Debi Hron featuring many of her design series
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Many designs do cross over the perforations but stop short of the spiral binding. If you remove pages from the book, the edge that you will lose does not contain essential elements of the design.
Spiral Binding with hard covers that help the book lay flat and provide a good coloring table
Alcohol-based markers bled through this paper only slightly. I would still use a blotter of card stock to protect the designs below my working page when using these style of markers.
Water-based markers, gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. It has a good tooth and allowed for applying layers of the same color to get rich pigment. I could also layer multiple colors well and I could blend both oil and wax based pencils easily with a pencil style blending stick.

Red Queen: The Official Coloring Book

By: Victoria Aveyard

Rating: 5 of 5

I will attach a silent flip-through video of the entire coloring book and will post some photos of this book so you can judge for yourself if it suits your needs.

I was really happy to see a coloring book based on the Red Queen series. I had a little problem figuring out which scenes were which and who each of the characters were. It would have been nice if some sort of info had been printed on the back of the page to make it easier to figure out.
The book is made up of 45 design pages (not including intro page.) The designs are in two separate categories which are character based scenes and sayings/quotes. Most of the designs are of characters. The sayings/quotes make up 16 of the design pages and are done is a lovely banner style in both cursive and block letters. The character designs are beautiful and elegant. They also appear to be hand-drawn which is my favorite style of coloring designs.
The character designs are detailed and some have intricate and small areas to color. The sayings/quotes are open and flowing and will be fairly easy to color. I, personally, like having both in the book. The sayings/quotes pages will give me an easy down-time project in between the more involved character pages.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
45 Designs pages (including character scenes and sayings/quotes) inspired by the Red Queen series
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is white, medium weight, ever so slightly rough (good tooth for colored pencils) and perforated pages
Glue Bound
Designs (character scenes only) cross over perforations and merge into the binding area. The sayings designs stop short of the perforations.
If you break the spine (heavily crease it), you can get the book to lay fairly flat for coloring.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens did not bleed through but required additional drying time
Colored pencils work well with the paper. It has just enough tooth to grab pigment well. I was able to layer the same color for deeper color, layer multiple colors well, and to blend easily using a blender stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils.
I use card stock as a blotter page under my working page to keep ink from seeping through to the design below. You can also simply remove pages from the book before coloring to avoid this issue.

Romantic Country: The Second Tale: A Fantasy Coloring Book

By: Eriy

Rating: 5 of 5

I so loved the first book in this series, Romantic Country, I didn’t think it would be possible for artist Eriy to come close to the success of it with her sequel book. I was wrong. If anything, I think that Romantic Country The Second Tale is even better. It is a beautiful set of designs.

It’s hard to imagine but the artist draws her beautiful artwork using ink and a toothpick! Because of this technique, the lines of the drawings have a varying thickness and the print is lighter in tone than in other coloring books. Of the 65 designs in the book, 20 are two-page spreads.
The designs take us back to the beautiful land of Cocot. There is a map at the front of the book which shows all of the landmarks. There are thumbnails at the end of the book which explain each of the designs and what and where they are in Cocot. There is a fold-out poster at the end of the book as well.
The book is divided into five chapters: The Glow of Beautiful Old Castles, Magnificent Lakeside and Mountain Landscapes, Fairies and Works of Nature, The Witch and the Hidden Secret Forest, and Cheerful Town Scenes. Each of the chapter heading pages includes a lovely two-page spread designs. Additionally, the designs within each chapter relate back to the title of the chapter. There are a couple of designs at the front of the book which sit outside of the chapters. These designs are not included in the thumbnails at the back of the book.
The book has a brown kraft paper style attached cover. This cover has line drawings on front and back covers which you can color if you wish. The detached dustcover is beautifully illustrated with colorful designs of Cocot. The inside of the dustcover is white.
This is what I found when I was coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
65 Beautiful designs set in the fantasy land of Cocot. There are 20 two-page designs spreads.
Designs are printed on both sides of the page
Paper is cream colored, heavyweight, smooth and non-perforated.
Sewn Binding
Designs merge into the binding area and two-page spreads cross over the binding as well.
The book opens fairly flat for coloring but a little effort is needed to color into the binding edge
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper. I don’t suggest this medium as it will ruin the design on the back of the page. If you decide to use this style of markers, I suggest a blotter page of card stock or a couple of pages of heavyweight paper under your working page to keep ink from seeping further in to the book.
Water-based markers and India ink pens left slight shadows on the back of the page. I could see them and it bothered me enough not to want to use these for coloring my designs.
Gel pens did not bleed through but required additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked fairly well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and had a little trouble blending with both. Due to the smooth texture of the paper, when I used a blending stick, there was a slight amount of smear versus blend. Otherwise, colored pencils worked well. Pigment went on deep and thick and I was able to easily layer multiple colors.

Hidden Garden: An Adult Coloring Book with Fun, Easy, and Relaxing Coloring Pages (Perfect Gift for Fantasy Lovers)

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a lovely book of coloring designs based on gardens. The designs are whimsical with gates, fountains, birdhouses, animals, fairy houses, and even a young girl on a swing. There are all sorts of elements which bring me right into the garden setting while I am coloring in the book. Having a wide variety of green pens/markers/pencils will make coloring in this book even more fun.

The designs are detailed and a few have intricate and rather small areas to color. The projects will be fun and take some time to finish so there is a great value here. There are 25 designs but the publisher has included two of each design for a total of 50 coloring pages. I have to decide whether I will color the designs two ways or share the book with my husband and see how differently we color the same designs.
While you can have access to .PDFs when you purchase this book, my review is based on the book as it is received from Amazon. That way you will know what the pages look like and how they accept color. I like that the publisher provides the digital version as well so you can choose the paper you wish to use and/or to color the pictures as many times as you choose.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
25 x 2 Detailed Garden inspired designs
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. The back of the page is printed black which is something I am find typical of Jade Summer coloring books.
The designs do not merge into the binding. There is a heavy framing line at the outer edges of the design to give the project a more finished look, especially for framing.
Glue Binding (there is room to cut the pages out if you choose to do so.)
Though you cannot see the bleed-through easily due to the back of the page being printed in black, I recommend the use of a blotter page when working in this 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.
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.

Alice in Wonderland: An Adult Coloring Book with Fantasy Themes and Mythical Creatures (Based on the Classic Fairy Tale by Lewis Caroll)

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

I am a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland and like to pick up different artist’s interpretations of the story. This coloring book has 25 different Alice designs (the referenced 50 comes from getting two of each of the designs.) The designs are very detailed with lots of swirling lines. A few of the designs have intricate spots with small areas to color but for the most part, most standard coloring medium nibs should work fine. I think crayons might be more difficult unless you can sharpen them to a fairly fine point.

While you can have access to .PDFs when you purchase this book, my review is based on the book as it is received from Amazon. That way you will know what the pages look like and how they accept color. I like that the publisher provides the digital version as well so you can choose the paper you wish to use and/or to color the pictures as many times as you choose.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
25 x 2 Designs based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. The back of the page is printed black which is something I am find typical of Jade Summer coloring books.
The designs do not merge into the binding. There is a heavy framing line at the outer edges of the design to give the project a more finished look, especially for framing.
Glue Binding (there is room to cut the pages out if you choose to do so.)
Though you cannot see the bleed-through easily due to the back of the page being printed in black, I recommend the use of a blotter page when working in this 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.
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.