Daily Archives: January 23, 2017

Posh Adult Coloring Book: Thomas Kinkade Peaceful Moments (Posh Coloring Books)

By: Thomas Kinkade

Rating: 5 of 5

Attached to this review will be my silent video which will show all of the pages of the book, both the designs and the photos. I will also upload a few pages in photos to show how the book is put together.

This is the second Thomas Kinkade coloring book in this series. The books are published by Posh and follow the same format, that is, a black on white line drawing to the right and a matte color photo of the design to the left. The size of the book is the same as is the texture of the paper. What is different is that Peaceful Moments is printed on bright white paper where the first, in comparison, is more of a very slight ivory white.
There are many of my favorites included in this book, so I am thrilled with it though coloring in it will be a challenge as it was with the first book. The designs are beautiful but lack details so that my finished projects look quite different from the originals. That is to be expected, though, because Mr. Kinkade’s artwork is so wonderful.
Most of the designs in this book are architectural in nature with buildings (cottages, Victorian homes, lighthouses, etc.) but a few are simply beautiful landscape scenes. I like the mix and look forward to having a lot of fun with this book.
There will be at least one more book in this series based on Disney artwork. A commenter on one of my reviews suggested that a gray scale coloring book would be lovely. I agree wholeheartedly. It would be wonderful to have such a book in a larger format. That would be a great way of getting all the detail in a coloring book. I hope someone at the publishing house takes up this idea.
The designs are printed on the right hand side of with the photo of the actual painting on the left hand side (i.e., opposite each other in the book.) This will allow me to look at the photo of the real painting while I am coloring my own. Certain coloring medium will bleed through and can ruin the colored designs (see below.)
Here is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my medium:
63 Thomas Kinkade designs with 63 color photos as well
Designs printed on one side of the page with a photo on the back of the page.
Paper is bright white, very slightly rough, non-perforated and medium weight.
Designs stop before the binding area but unfinished elements are left on all four sides of the design which does not have a framing line.
Glue Bound
Pages can be cut out without loss of designs. I don’t plan to do so as I want to keep the continuity of the colored picture and design together.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper.
Water-based markers leave shadows of color (with some spotting through) on the back of the page except for the brush end of Tombows which did not leak through.
India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page.
Gel pens do not bleed through.
Colored pencils work well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and was able to get good results from both. I got good pigment (especially with multiple layers of the same color.) I was able to layer different colors and to blend easily using a blending stick.
If you decide to use markers, you will probably have some amount of bleed-through onto the back of the page. I recommend using a heavyweight sheet of paper or card stock below your working page. That will keep ink from damaging the next design below.

Creative Haven Spring Scenes Coloring Book (Creative Haven Coloring Books)

By: Teresa Goodridge

Rating: 5 of 5

I own the two previous books in this series by Teresa Goodridge (Winter and Summer) and have found the Spring book to be an improvement over both. While the colored samples are still pictures of the original watercolor artwork rather than colored samples of the actual designs in the book, the problems with the tiny details (especially on faces) is much improved in this book. Details are more finished (less open ended, sketchy type details.) Coloring in it is easier as well as being able to use more types of coloring medium with larger nibs.

The designs are quite lovely with lots of spring themes. There are flowers, birds, outdoor scenes with fun activities like kite flying, walking in the part, riding bicycles, and shopping in an open-air market. The designs are quite detailed and do contain intricate and small areas to color. It is not a book that I would recommend to anyone with fine motor or vision issues.
I noticed that the feel of the paper is slightly rougher than other Creative Haven books I have ordered in this last six months or so. I like the new texture as it is even better for use with colored pencils.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 Spring inspired Designs
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly rough and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs stop well before the perforations and each of the designs has a framing line at the outer edge.
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 and even better than many of the more recent Creative Haven coloring books I have bought. I was able to get good pigment (color) lay down, layer the same color and multiple colors and to 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.

Creative Haven Hearts Coloring Book: Romantic Designs on a Dramatic Black Background (Adult Coloring)

By: Lindsey Boylan

Rating: 4 of 5

I own a number of coloring books by Lindsey Boylan and all of them are white line drawings on black backgrounds. Hearts is the same format as the rest. There are 31 designs which include hearts as their theme but I found that the detail in the designs sometimes obscured the hearts to the point of not being noticed. I can hopefully rectify that in coloring by using colors which will bring the hearts to prominence.

The designs are extremely detailed and have intricate elements to color. There are lots of flowers, vines, and tiny little lines within small elements. The hearts themselves are filled with lots of elements as well. It might have been nice to get a more simple heart or two to color with shading, etc. Some areas are so detailed that I will put a swathe of color over the tiny elements as if they were not separate and call it good.
On the whole, I still like the coloring book. It is a book of projects for those who like detail and want projects that will take longer rather than shorter periods of time to finish. It is not a book that I would recommend at all to anyone with fine motor or vision issues. It is simply too intricate and detailed and will require the use of smaller nib pens/markers and very sharp pencils.
I noticed that the feel of the paper is slightly rougher than other Creative Haven books I have ordered in this last six months or so. I like the new texture as it is even better for use with colored pencils.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 Very detailed and intricate heart designs on black background
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white (with black background printed on), medium weight, slightly rough and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs stop before the perforations; however, most leave dangling and unfinished elements at all four sides of the designs (three edges and perforated edge.) Seven of the designs have framing lines with finished edges.
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 and even better than many of the more recent Creative Haven coloring books I have bought. I was able to get good pigment (color) lay down, layer the same color and multiple colors and to 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.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Adult Coloring Book

By: Joss Whedon

Rating: 5 of 5

Attached to this review, I will include a silent flip-through video (and a few photos) so you can see if the book will work for you.

I have been a fan of the original Buffy television series since it first aired and am thrilled to have a coloring book based on those episodes. What makes it even better is that the quotes and episode/season information is also provided.
The designs are great fun and have a good amount of detail. It is fairly obvious that the artwork was done by a team of illustrators as there is a great different in feel and style between designs. What is really interesting is that the back of the book tells you abut each illustrator and gives them credit for each page that they provided.
Some of the designs resemble the characters more than others and some have more of a graphic novel/comic type look to them. I’m fine with both styles. In all cases, the action is great and the scenes chosen are fun to look at and especially to color.
I’m planning on playing the applicable episode in the back ground as I color each design. That way I can revisit the original while I am having fun changing up the colors in my coloring book!
This is what I found when I colored in this book and tested it with my coloring medium:
45 Buffy designs inspired by the original television series plus a great intro/title page designs
Designs printed on front of page and quotes and episode/season information printed on back of pages
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough and non-perforated
Glue bound
Designs merge into the binding; if you cut pages out you will lose portions of the design
Book lays fairly flat for coloring if you heavily crease/break the spine
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. If you use this mediu, I suggest a blotter page of card stock or heavy weight paper under your working page. That will keep ink from seeping through to the next design.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils work really well with this paper. It is slightly rough to the touch and grabs pigment well. I was able to layer the same color for deep pigment, layer multiple colors and blend easily using a blender stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils.