Daily Archives: January 25, 2017

Little Red Riding Hood: A Fairy Tale Coloring Book with Adorable Fantasy Characters, Enchanted Forest Animals, and Cute Nature Scenes

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the first coloring book I have based on Little Red Riding Hood. It covers the story from beginning to end (though leaving out the most frightening scenes.) I like that the artist used some discretion and substituted in pepper and sneezing for how Grandma gets back out. I also like that the wolf seems so mild at first (very friendly looking) and his wolf demeanor changes when he gets to Grandmas.

It will be a lot of fun to color in this book. I especially like getting two copies of each design in this book (25 different designs but two copies each) as I can share with my grandchildren when they are ready to color something this detailed.
The designs are quite detailed and some of them contain what I consider intricate and small elements to color. I found that my ultra-fine points, brush points and small nib gel pens worked well as did my colored pencils when sharped to fine points. Crayons would be much more difficult to work with unless you can sharpen them to a small 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 each Little Red Riding Hood inspired Designs
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. The back of the page is printed black.
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. There is a slight shadowing effect to the framing line which gives the image an almost 3D effect.
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.

Angels: An Adult Coloring Book with Beautiful Christian Women, Relaxing Floral Designs, and Inspirational Religious Themes

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a lovely book of female Angel designs. There are 25 different designs but you are given 2 copies of each to total 50 coloring pages. The angels are posed against backgrounds rather than a simple figure. Some are full face and others are in profile. The dress is quite different with some in traditional long gowns and others in slightly more revealing two piece dresses or sleeveless gowns.

The designs are quite detailed and will take hours to finish. They are not what I consider intricate as the elements to color do not require special small nib pens/markers. I am able to use a wide variety of coloring medium on these 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 each Angel Designs
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. The back of the page is printed black.
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. There is a slight shadowing effect to the framing line which gives the image an almost 3D effect.
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.