Daily Archives: May 4, 2017

The Official Eragon Coloring Book (The Inheritance Cycle)

By: Christopher Paolini

Rating: 5 of 5

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

The 46 designs (not including the title page) in this coloring book are based on the entire Inheritance Cycle. The illustrations by Ciruelo are fantastic and provide a new visual interpretation of the stories. Just looking at the designs brought back the fun I had when I first read Eragon. My husband, youngest daughter and I tried to take turns reading it but in the end, we each got our own copies as we couldn’t wait.
We are also all getting our own copies of this coloring book as well. It is great fun to see how each of us interprets a design in our own way. The designs are detailed and some contain small and intricate areas to color.
The 46 designs are based four books: Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance. There is a quote from the book on the facing page of design so you know which book and which scene the design pertains to.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
46 designs by Ciruelo based on the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
Printed one side of page (with book excerpts on the back of the page)
Paper is heavy weight, white, ever so slightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs stop well short of the perforations. There is a double framing line around the edges of each design.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers, gel pens, and India ink pens did not bleed through the paper. Some gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked really well with the paper. The slightly rough texture of the paper provided good tooth which allowed pigment to easily adhere to the page. I test both oil and wax based pencils and both worked well. I could layer the same color for deeper pigment, layer multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blender stick.
If I use alcohol-based markers with this style of book (printed one side of page) but I use a blotter page of card stock under my working page to keep ink from seeping through. I would suggest either using a blotter page or removing the coloring page from the book beforehand if you use alcohol-based markers.

Downton Abbey Coloring Book

By: Gwen Burns

Rating: 5 of 5

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

I really am enjoying the Downton Abbey coloring book. It was and still is one of my favorite series. The designs look like the characters, so it is easy to see that my favorites are all included.
The designs are spread across all seasons of the series with a good selection of characters. There is a quote from the series on the facing page of design which gives context to the design (though they don’t always match up with the actual character such as the quote from Mrs. Patmore about toasters and mixers with the picture of Daisy using a hand mixer.
The designs are detailed and some contain intricate and small areas to color. For the most part, you won’t need special ultra-fine pens/markers to color these designs.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
47 designs (including title page) based on the Downton Abbey television series
Printed one side of page (with quotes from the show on the back of the page)
Paper is heavy weight, white, slightly rough, and non-perforated
Hybrid Sewn and Glue Binding (lots of little stitches that cannot be snipped to remove pages.)
Designs merge into the binding. Nothing essential will be lost if you carefully cut the pages close to the binding to remove. I prefer to keep the book together to keep the continuity of the quote with the design.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers, gel pens, and India ink pens did not bleed through the paper. Some gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked really well with the paper. The slightly rough texture of the paper provided good tooth which allowed pigment to easily adhere to the page. I test both oil and wax based pencils and both worked well. I could layer the same color for deeper pigment, layer multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blender stick.
If I use alcohol-based markers with this style of book (printed one side of page) but I use a blotter page of card stock under my working page to keep ink from seeping through. I would suggest either using a blotter page or removing the coloring page from the book beforehand if you use alcohol-based markers.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Coloring Book

By: Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 5 of 5

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

I am really happy with this coloring book (as I was with the book based on Sarah J. Maas Throne of Glass” series.) The designs are beautifully done by a team of illustrators (Charlie Bowater, Adrian Dadich, Yvonne Gilbert, John Howe, and Craig Phillips.) While their styles differ and once again one artist in particular is quite different in style, each artist is tasked with a series of illustrations which brings a sense of cohesion to the whole book.
The 46 designs are based on the three books: Court of Thorns and Roses, Court of Mist and Fury and Court of Wings and Ruin. There is a quote from the book on the facing page of design so you know which book and which scene the design pertains to.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
46 A Court of Thorns and Roses Designs by five artists
Printed one side of page (with book excerpts on the back of the page)
Paper is heavy weight, white, ever so slightly rough, and perforated
Sewn binding
Designs are printed beyond the perforations and merge into the binding. Nothing essential will be lost if you remove pages at the perforations.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers, gel pens, and India ink pens did not bleed through the paper. Some gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked really well with the paper. The slightly rough texture of the paper provided good tooth which allowed pigment to easily adhere to the page. I test both oil and wax based pencils and both worked well. I could layer the same color for deeper pigment, layer multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blender stick.
If I use alcohol-based markers with this style of book (printed one side of page) but I use a blotter page of card stock under my working page to keep ink from seeping through. I would suggest either using a blotter page or removing the coloring page from the book beforehand if you use alcohol-based markers.