Creative Haven Winter Wonderland Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)
By: Teresa Goodridge
Rating: 4 of 5
I like the concept of this coloring book. Where it falls down a tad for me is in the actual execution of some of the designs. For instance, in a number of designs, the faces of people turn into black blobs because too much detail was put into too small a spot. At best, I may be able to use a flesh tone marker on those spots; at worst, I’ll have to leave them as-is. This is a problem that is repeated in other elements throughout the designs. While I can work with it, I think it is important to note for those who cannot or prefer not to work with tiny details in their coloring.
What I do take exception to is that the sample artwork on the cover and on the inside of the front and back cover are of the artist’s actual painting and not of a colored design from the book. The closest the book comes to an actual sample is the partially colored design on the back of the book and that looks suspiciously like it has been done using a digital paint program rather than actual coloring by hand. Based on the coloring books I have purchased in this past by Creative Haven, this is a big departure from their usual way of presenting coloring books.
The designs have a much more cartoon feel to them than the original painted artwork. I think that may have played into the use of the painting instead of an actual colored sample. When I pre-ordered my copy, there was no Look Inside available so I was purchasing based on the cover art. The Look Inside now shows images that are consistent with how the book is actually printed.
The designs are winter scenes with snow falling in most designs. My plan is to try to color around the snow and then use white gel pen if needed. The scenes show houses, children, horses, skaters, and much more that we associate with winter. While it is not a holiday book, there are some designs that are definitely associated with Christmas. As I love to color Christmas designs, I am sure to enjoy the challenge of coloring these in particular.
This is what I found when coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
31 Winter Scene Designs with lots of snowfall
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is standard for Creative Haven: medium weight, white, lightly rough and perforated
Glue bound but pages can be removed easily at perforations
Designs stop before the perforations
Alcohol and water based markers bleed through to some degree
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Both wax and oil based pencils lay down good color, layer and blend well. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.