Daily Archives: June 23, 2017

Vincent Van Gogh (Art Colouring Book): Make Your Own Art Masterpiece (Colouring Books)

By: Daisy Seal

Rating: 5 of 5

This is one of a new series of Make Your Own Art Masterpiece coloring books from Flame Tree. In this coloring book, the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh is explored. The designs in this book have a lot of detail which can be sometimes intimidating. In this book, some of detail lines suggest areas for shading.

There are 45 line drawing designs to color. The designs were chosen by Daisy Seal and were illustrated by David Jones. The designs cover a good range of Van Gogh’s artwork. It’s amazing to think that such a wonderful and popular artist only sold one painting during his lifetime.
On the opposite facing page of each design, is the name of the work, when it was created and how it was published. There is a thumbnail of a small portion of the design with some color showing.
The inside flaps at the front and back of the book have black and white line drawings which can be colored as well. The cover is quite smooth but will accept various forms of color medium.
This is what I found in coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper
45 Designs based on the artwork of artist Vincent Van Gogh.
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is light ivory, heavy weight, slightly rough and is perforated.
Sewn Binding. You can remove pages at the perforations if you wish but it will separate the designs from the describing thumbnails.
Book fairly easy to lay flat in the open position.
The designs do not merge into the binding area. The designs have framing lines at their outer edges so you don’t have to color up to and over the edges.
Alcohol based markers bleed through this paper.
India ink pens can leave slight shadows of color on the back of the page.
Water based markers and gel pens do not bleed through the paper.
Coloring pencils worked well. Both oil and wax based pencils worked well for providing good pigment. Though the paper is slightly smooth, I was able to layer the same color for deeper tones, layer multiple colors and to blend easily using a pencil style blending stick.
If you use a medium that bleeds through the paper, I suggest using a blotter page under your working page. I use card stock but heavy weight paper works well, too. This will keep ink from seeping through and marring the pages below.

Color Your Own Spider-Man

By: Various

Rating: 5 of 5

I will attach a silent video to this review of a page by page flip-through so you can decide for yourself if it suits your needs. I’ll also attach some sample photos of the pages as well.

In this latest coloring book by Marvel in their Color Your Own series, Spider-Man is the character whose comic series is highlighted. The coloring book contains the associated characters from the series that I would hope to see. There are also mock-up pages from the front of comic books and even pages which include dialog boxes.
The designs are highly detailed with small and intricate areas to color. The designs are done by a large group of individuals. Interestingly, though there are many different styles represented, the book is still a great cohesive presentation of the series. There is a heavy use of black in the designs which doesn’t bother me but may be an issue for others.
This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
59 designs based on the comic Spider-Man
Printed one side of the page
Paper is white, medium weight, slightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
The designs stop at the perforations
Alcohol and water based markers bleed through the paper to some degree
Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page
Colored pencils work well with the paper. I tested both oil and wax based with good results. I could get good pigment due to the rough tooth of the paper. I could layer the same and multiple colors easily and blend well using a pencil style blending stick. Hard lead pencils can leave dents through the paper.
I use and suggest others use a blotter page behind the working page (if you don’t remove pages from the book to color.) I use card stock but a couple of sheets of heavy weight paper work well, too.

She Said It Best: Dolly Parton: Wit & Wisdom to Color & Display

By: Kimma Parish

Rating: 5 of 5

This is one of a new series of She Said It Best coloring books from by Kimma Parish. In this coloring book, the wit and wisdom of Dolly Parton is explored. While most of the quotes are from statements she has made over her career, some are quotes from her songs and movies.

Ms. Parton is a no-holds back kind of lady. It comes through in her words and in her music. The quotes range from very funny to sincere to slightly sad but true statements. She is a real go-getter and is not shy about letting others know.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Parton on stage at the Grand Ole Opry and her performance was the highlight of my husband and my trip to Nashville. It’s wonderful to have this book to remind me of that great concert and all the pleasure I have had from her music and performances over the years.
While some of the designs are directly related to the applicable quote, not all are that specific. They are appropriate to the overall subject with cowgirl boots, microphones, and high-heel shoes among them.
The format of the book is smaller at approximately 8.5 x 6.25 inches. It makes it easier to carry if you wish to work with it on-the-go. As the book is sized down, it does make for some small and intricate areas to color. On the whole, I would not categorized the book as intricate; however, it does have a nice amount of detail on most of the designs.
This is what I found in coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper
61 Designs based on the quotes by Dolly Parton.
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is white, medium/heavy weight, slightly rough and is perforated.
Glue Binding. You can easily remove pages at the perforations if you wish.
Book fairly easy to lay flat in the open position by creasing/breaking the spine.
The designs do not merge past the perforations.
Alcohol based markers bleed through this paper.
India ink pens can leave slight shadows of color on the back of the page.
Water based markers and gel pens do not bleed through the paper.
Coloring pencils worked well. Both oil and wax based pencils worked well for providing good pigment. Though the paper is slightly smooth, I was able to layer the same color for deeper tones, layer multiple colors and to blend easily using a pencil style blending stick.
If you use a medium that bleeds through the paper, I suggest either removing the pages from the book before coloring or using a blotter page under your working page. I use card stock but heavy weight paper works well, too. This will keep ink from seeping through and marring the pages below.

She Said It Best: Jane Austen: Wit & Wisdom to Color & Display

By: Kimma Parish

Rating: 5 of 5

This is one of a new series of She Said It Best coloring books from by Kimma Parish. In this coloring book, the wit and wisdom of Jane Austen is explored. While most of the quotes are from her books, there are also a few which are derived from her personal correspondence.

While, in many cases, the words are from a character, you can see the wonderful humor and insights of the author that make the works of Ms. Austen as fresh and fun today as they were when she first wrote them. I am a real fan of her books, having first read them when I was in grammar school. I re-read them often and each time I find something new and delightful.
While some of the designs are directly related to the applicable quote, not all are that specific. They are; however, appropriate for the period in which Ms. Austen wrote (such as clothing design, furniture, etc.)
The format of the book is smaller at approximately 8.5 x 6.25 inches. It makes it easier to carry if you wish to work with it on-the-go. As the book is sized down, it does make for some small and intricate areas to color. On the whole, I would not categorized the book as intricate; however, it does have a nice amount of detail on most of the designs.
This is what I found in coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper
61 Designs based on the quotes by Jane Austen.
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is white, medium/heavy weight, slightly rough and is perforated.
Glue Binding. You can easily remove pages at the perforations if you wish.
Book fairly easy to lay flat in the open position by creasing/breaking the spine.
The designs do not merge past the perforations.
Alcohol based markers bleed through this paper.
India ink pens can leave slight shadows of color on the back of the page.
Water based markers and gel pens do not bleed through the paper.
Coloring pencils worked well. Both oil and wax based pencils worked well for providing good pigment. Though the paper is slightly smooth, I was able to layer the same color for deeper tones, layer multiple colors and to blend easily using a pencil style blending stick.
If you use a medium that bleeds through the paper, I suggest either removing the pages from the book before coloring or using a blotter page under your working page. I use card stock but heavy weight paper works well, too. This will keep ink from seeping through and marring the pages below.