Monthly Archives: February 2017

The Enchanting Fairies Colouring Book

By: Margaret Tarrant

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really beautiful coloring book of designs based on the outstanding artwork of Margaret Tarrant. Whoever was responsible for the translation of the full color designs to line drawings (brown on white pages) did a wonderful job. The designs are show on the right side of the page and a full color image of the artwork is shown on the left side of the page.

The designs are detailed but not what I call intricate. I am able to use standard sizes of nibs for most of the artwork, though crayons might not be able to be sharpened enough to do some of the more detailed areas.
There is a short history of Ms. Tarrant’s art at the front of the book. There are also title banners on each of the designs which is very helpful in seeing what the artist had in mind originally.
This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
45 Line Drawing Fairy designs based on the artwork of Margaret Tarrant
Designs printed right side of page with full color image printed on the left side of page
Paper is white, medium weight, slightly rough and non-perforated
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding. There are framing lines at the outer edge of the designs.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. If you use this medium, it will leak through and mar the design on the back of the page.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens show colorful shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based and could easily layer the same or different colors and blend using a pencil style blender stick.

Fairies and Dragons

By: Deborah Muller

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the first fantasy style coloring book I have by Deborah Muller. I have a number of her religious coloring books and one which features cats and really enjoyed coloring in those books. I took a chance with this book and am really glad I did. While it is the typical thin and cheap paper from CreateSpace, the designs are quite detailed and fun to color.

Most of the designs feature both a fairy and a dragon (one which creatively shows the dragon as a tattoo on the fairy’s arm.) A few of the designs are only of a fairy or a dragon. The designs are cute and whimsical and definitely detailed. Only a few of the designs have intricate and small areas to color which may need ultra-fine nibs and points.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
25 Designs with Fairies and Dragons by Deborah Muller
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality used by CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not extend into the binding area. The designs have a variety of framing style lines or designs 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.
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.

The Velveteen Rabbit Coloring Book: A Classic Editions Coloring Book

By: Charles Santore

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the second in a series of Classic Coloring books featuring the artwork of Charles Santore. The story is Margery Williams Bianco and the illustrations are by Charles Santore. 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 mostly done in grayscale with a small amount of line drawings in most of the designs.
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.
This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
23 Velveteen Rabbit inspired 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.

Hippie Animals Coloring Book (Coloring is Fun) (Design Originals) 32 Groovy, Totally Chill Animal Designs from Thaneeya McArdle, on High-Quality, Extra-Thick Perforated Pages Resist Bleed-Through

By: Thaneeya McArdle

Rating: 5 of 5

I own several of Thaneeya McArdle’s coloring books, including one called Dapper Animals. In this new book, Ms. McArdle goes to the other end of the fashion spectrum and gives us Hippie Animals. While most fall firmly in the category of Hippie, I think a few cross over into the more modern category of Hipsters. In any case, they are cute and are extremely fun to color. It’s time to pull out your psychedelic colors and make a groovy rainbow out of their outfits. There are love beads, bell bottoms, and granny glasses. The peace symbols and the flower headbands remind me of my older sisters during the hippie period.

The designs are detailed with lots of fun doodles to color. The eyes on most of the animals has been done in a shaded grayscale. It makes for a very different eye that what I usually do but it is an unusual and nice change. The back of the page has quotes by famous individuals and unknowns that mostly deal with peace and love (the hippie mantra). I really like that a number of them are quotes from songs. It appears that the publisher has changed from color print on these back pages back to light gray print. 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 I am less pleased with the way 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 Cute and detailed designed Animals in Hippie Fashions 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.

Beauty in the Bible: Adult Coloring Book Volume 3, Premium Edition (Christian Coloring, Bible Journaling and Lettering: Inspirat)

By: Paige Tate

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the third in a series of Scripture and designs by Pen + Paint. I have the previous books in the premium version and was happy to see a new book of designs in the same format. The concept behind the designs is the same. The Scripture is what is front and center with the coloring design elements around it. Some of the designs pertain to the verse while others are more of decorative value.

It’s always a real pleasure to pull out my Christian coloring books. I use them as part of my prayer and praise time. I choose the verse that speaks to me that day, color it, meditate on it, research more about it and use it to guide my prayer that day.
Unlike the two previous books, this coloring book does not give attribution to images from Shutterstock. I’m not sure if that means that the designs are original as it does not list Pen + Paint as the illustrator either. The designs have a lovely hand-drawn look to them which is my favorite style of design.
This coloring book contains 30 larger designs and 12 smaller ones. All of the pages are perforated at the binding area. The small ones are printed two to a page and you have to cut them on the provided cutting line to separate them from each other. The larger design will fit an 8 x 10 inch frame and the smaller design will fit a 5 x 7 inch frame. The 12 smaller designs are not unique and new designs but rather smaller versions of 12 of the larger designs.
The designs are all Scripture-based with verse citations and are from the following translations: Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), New King James Version, and the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.)
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
30 Large Format and 12 Small Format Scripture Based Designs in for a total of 42 coloring projects
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is perforated, antique white, slightly rough and medium weight
Designs do not cross over the perforations
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper
Water-based markers left shadows of color on the back of the page
Gel pens and India ink pens left indistinct shadows on the back of the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils with good results. I was able to get good, deep pigment. I could layer easily (both same and different colors.) Blending was also easy using a pencil style blending stick.
I use a blotter page of card stock or heavyweight paper (two sheets) to keep seeping ink from marring the pages below. I recommend using a blotter or that you remove pages before coloring.

A Whimsy Girls Christmas Coloring Book: Festive Girls, Fairies, & More

By: Hannah Lynn

Rating: 5 of 5

I have a number of Hannah Lynn’s coloring books and was really happy to find that she had recently released a Christmas inspired set of designs. She has put her cute girls in a variety of settings with everything from a Nativity to Rudolph to Santa and even a Sugar Plum fairy included.

I really appreciate that Ms. Lynn included many traditional Christmas elements in her designs in this book. A number of the Christmas coloring books I’ve purchased recently were lacking in this regard. Ms. Lynn’s book is a wonderful representation of both traditional and fantasy Christmas designs.
The girls are set in full background designs which makes the project even more fun to color. The designs are detailed but not what I consider intricate with too small elements to color with standard coloring medium.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
30 designs (2 copies of each) of Hannah Lynn’s big eye girls in Christmas settings
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality used by CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not extend into the binding area. There is a double framing line at the outer edges. 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.

Interior Designs: An Adult Coloring Book with Beautifully Decorated Houses, Inspirational Room Designs, and Relaxing Modern Architecture

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

The designs in this book are of interior designs of rooms. They are not a montage of design elements but instead show you the full look of the room. While they are interior designs, they are more than that. The designs are inside settings that appear to be a lived in and functional room within a house. I have other interior design books which focus on the elements of design. This book shows the function of the room. The designs show a good range of traditional, contemporary and modern rooms. The rooms are from all areas of the house: living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens and many other specialized areas (playroom, study, etc.)

The designs are very detailed and some contained intricate and small areas to color. I suggest using color medium with a very small point for these elements. I don’t think that crayons can be sharpened to as fine a point as needed. I like ultra-fine points.
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 Designs x 2 each (total of 50 pages) based on full room interior 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.

The Inklings Coloring Book

By: James A. Owen

Rating: 5 of 5

This coloring book contains 15 very detailed and intricate designs. The blurb on the back of the books says that the designs are based on the works of the group known as The Inklings. What I found was that the majority of the designs were of the actual members of the group.

There are some designs which are based on works and the Bandersnatch makes his way (in one way or another) into each of the designs of the members. It’s kind of fun to search for how Bandersnatch was incorporated.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium:
15 Designs inspired by The Inklings and their works
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is white, medium/heavy weight, slightly rough and non-perforated
Stapled binding (book can be taken completely apart by removing two staples.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens did not bleed but did leave slight shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils worked very well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils with good results. I was able to get good, deep pigment. I could layer easily (both same and different colors.) Blending was also excellent using a pencil style blending stick.

HBO’s Game of Thrones Coloring Book

By: HBO

Rating: 4 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.

This is a beautiful coloring book based on the HBO series. There are a total of 35 designs (many of them are two page spread designs.) It is in a much larger format than most other coloring books at 11.5 x 11.75 inches. The designs are by artists Allan Jefferson and Adriana Melo and are based on photographs from the series. The styles of the two artists mesh well making it a very seamless looking book of elegant and well-drawn illustrations.
The subjects of the designs are noted on the far left and right margins, so if you don’t recall who/what, it is there to remind you. The designs themselves are quite detailed and have many intricate and small areas to color. Because of this detail and intricacy, it is not a book that I would recommend to anyone with fine motor or vision issues.
The book has the same lush elegance I have found in the cinematography of the series. Both my husband and I have our own copies so we can each enjoy coloring the wide variety of designs. I think it is an excellent coloring book for fans of the series while at the same time equally great for others who don’t watch the series but like the fantasy aspect and the elegant artwork.
What I didn’t like was how many of the designs spread across two pages. In my book, a number of those pages didn’t line up very well. I still really like the book but that issue keeps me from loving it.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium:
35 Game of Thrones inspired designs from the HBO series
22 of those designs spread across two pages and have elements which cross into the binding
Printed on both sides of the page
Paper is white, heavyweight, slightly rough and non-perforated
Sewn binding (several pages can be removed at a time by snipping the threads.)
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens did not bleed through nor did I have discernible shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils worked very well with this paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils with good results. I was able to get good, deep pigment. I could layer easily (both same and different colors.) Blending was also excellent using a pencil style blending stick.