Daily Archives: September 8, 2017

Creative Haven Grumpy Cat Vs. The World Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Diego Jourdan Pereira

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second coloring book of Grumpy Cat designs. In this book, Grumpy Cat takes a whirl-wind trip around the world and shows up in various costumes from countries with a floating element that pertains to that country (for example, floating Eiffel Towers are on the French Grumpy Cat design.) The designs have a lot of gray and black included. There are small elements to color or, as I did, use a single color to put a large swathe over a bunch of the tiny elements and leave the intricate detail simply as patterning below the color.

I choose to do the cowboy grumpy cat which seemed to be the one that represented the USA. I had fun with the hotdogs floating around in space. I used a variety of markers to finish the design. I’ll post a photo of my first project as well as samples from the book.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I use for testing and for coloring.

31 Grumpy Cat designs representing countries around the world

The designs are printed one side of the page

Paper is what I have come to expect from Creative Haven: white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.

Glue Binding but you can remove pages at the perforation easily

The designs stop well before the perforations with most having a framing line around the outer edge

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers bleed through in spots 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 if you apply heavily or with with multiple layers.

Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to get good color, layer the same color and multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blender. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils with similar results. Hard lead pencils 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.

Santa’s Christmas: Grayscale Adult Coloring Book

By: Ruth Sanderson

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a wonderful Christmas-inspired grayscale coloring book with 24 unique designs. The designs are based mostly on Ruth Sanderson’s The Night Before Christmas illustrated book. There are a few additional images as well. The designs are so well done, I looked for the regular storybook and was unable to find it but I will continue to look.

The grayscale in Ms. Sanderson’s books are very well done. She also gives hints on how-to do grayscale at the beginning of her book. While the product description says that this book is not suitable for markers, I have found that I can use alcohol-based markers provided I use a blotter (see below) though some water-based markers if you continue to layer with them.
The story the designs tell follows Santa from his workshop to his visit and to his flying away. You can almost hear him shouting Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night as you flip through the final pages.
There are 24 designs in this book and, as Ms. Sanderson has done in the past, there are 12 bonus pages that are duplicates of half of the original designs in the coloring book. In previous books, the grayscale in the bonus area was done in a darker format; however, in this book, the images appear to be the same as the originals.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
24 Grayscale designs plus 12 bonus designs based mostly on The Night Before Christmas plus designs from Lenox collector’s plates.
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 framing line at the outer edges
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly
Water-based markers bleed through in spots and can pill the paper if too many layers are attempted.
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; however, some of the darker areas of the designs had a tendency to smear using this type of blender. I found that liquid forms (Gamsol or mineral spirits) did a better job. This doesn’t bother me as I generally do not use a blender on grayscale designs. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils (like Verithins) 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.

Norse Mythology: An Adult Coloring Book with Fun, Beautiful, and Relaxing Coloring Pages

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really interesting coloring book of Norse Mythology designs. Usually, Jade Summer books are focused on females; however, in this book, there is a full range of mythological characters including many men and some creatures.

The designs have a very realistic look to them rather than a comic character type feel. The names of each character is included in the design. It is incorporated so well, it becomes part of the design and creates almost a storybook type feel to the entire book. There is a definite use of shading and cross hatching throughout which give the designs an almost sketch-like feel but leaves them still fairly easy to color.
The designs are quite detailed and will take time to finish. While the designs have backgrounds, some are much more elaborate than others. The overall designs 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:
30 unique designs (2 copies of each) based on Norse Mythology
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.

Color My Art: Japanese Girl: Grayscale & Underpainting Coloring Book

By: Ikuko

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a lovely set of designs based on the artwork of Ikuko. The designs are grayscale images of young Japanese girls. The girls are mostly dressed in traditional costumes though there are a couple which have modern outfits. I had never seen this artist’s work before so the beauty of the designs was new to me.

There are 22 unique designs in this book and there is a duplicate set of 22. While the images are the same, the first set of designs are printed grayscale on white paper and the second set is printed grayscale on black paper. The designs are moderately detailed and should be fairly easy for anyone who is familiar with coloring grayscale images.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
22 Unique and original Grayscale designs of Japanese girls based on the artwork of Ikuko. There are two sets of the designs for a total of 44 coloring pages.
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality used by CreateSpace: thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. One set of designs is printed on white paper while the second set is printed on black paper.
Some designs extend into the binding but most do not.
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly
Water-based markers bleed through in spots and can pill the paper if too many layers are attempted.
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; however, some of the darker areas of the designs had a tendency to smear using this type of blender. I found that liquid forms (Gamsol or mineral spirits) did a better job. This doesn’t bother me as I generally do not use a blender on grayscale designs. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils (like Verithins) 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.