Spellbinding Images: A Grayscale Fantasy Coloring Book: Beginner’s Edition (Volume 2)
By: Nikki Burnette
Rating: 5 of 5
This is my second volume of Nikki Burnette’s Spellbinding Grayscale coloring books at the beginner level. I am just learning how to do grayscale, having started with it just this year. Because of issues I have had with another book, Ms. Burnette’s book was recommended to me. I’m so glad I followed everyone’s advice because Ms. Burnette not only has great designs to color, she also provides many how-to tips that have challenged me to try new ways of coloring both grayscale and with my regular coloring books as well.
Before getting buying this series of books, I only used colored pencils with grayscale. Because of the suggestions in these books, I am now using water-based and alcohol-based markers and even gel pens with my grayscale not only in these books but in my other grayscale books as well. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning grayscale as the tutorial is so well-written.
This is yet another beautiful set of fantasy designs. In addition to the 20 designs being printed on one side of the page, Ms. Burnette has included thumbnail color samples of each design along with two additional thumbnails in which you can test your own colors and mediums. I am definitely using the thumbnails to try out colors and find that it is extremely helpful It feels like the artist has done just about everything but color the design for me to help me with my choices and coloring methods.
The artist also has a tutorial on her website which has proved invaluable as well. If all of this wasn’t enough, she has graciously provided permission to copy her designs onto other forms of paper if your coloring medium doesn’t work well on the paper in this book. The paper is a medium weight that has what she calls a satin sheen and to me, a glossy feel to it.
The designs are printed on one side of the page. The page is non-perforated but I find it opens to a flat position very easily. The designs all stop well before the binding, so you won’t have to twist and tweak the page and book to color in it. You also have room to remove pages if you choose to do so.
I was so impressed with my first purchase of Volume 1 of this series, I knew that I would be buying future books when I found them. I now have volume 2 in both the beginner and advanced form (definitely more challenging) and will be looking forward to more grayscale books by this artist in the future.