The Fairy Tale Art of Walter Crane: Coloring Book
By: Walter Crane
Rating: 5 of 5
I am really pleased with this Pomegranate coloring book. I’ve purchased some that seemed more geared towards children but “The Fairy Tale Art of Walter Crane” is definitely for the adult or older child.
The artwork of Walter Crane is interpreted in line drawings. The individual(s) responsible for the conversion did, in my opinion, an excellent job. The designs are detailed and most have intricate and small areas to color.
The book is based on storybooks but is not, itself, a storybook. It has quotes from the story that apply to the design (and has a list of the included designs at the front of the book.) There are also full color thumbnails of the original artwork on the inside of the front and back cover pages.
I hope that Pomegranate continues with this style of coloring book. I’ve purchased a few of their grayscale interpretations of famous artists and, with a few noted exceptions (Intricate Ink), I have not been as happy with that style. While line drawings take more time and trouble to adapt to, the end result is much more colorist friendly.
This is what I found in this coloring book:
22 line drawing designs rendered from the artwork of Walter Crane
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough to the touch and non-perforated
The designs are bound by two heavyweight staples which can be removed to release all of the page from the book without any loss of design.
Designs do not merge into the binding area
Pages can be cut out if you wish without losing any design elements.
Book easily opens to a flat position for coloring.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper easily.
Water-based markers leave shadows and slight spots of color bleed through on the back of the page
If I use any style of marker, I also make sure to use a blotter under my working page. I like card stock but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper works well, too.
Gel pens and India ink pens do not bleed through the page. Some gel pens require slightly more drying time than usual.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. It has a slight roughness to it that allows good pigment coverage from both oil and wax based pencils. I was able to layer the same and multiple colors well and could blend easily using a pencil style blending stick.
Here are some sample photos from the book:
I am really pleased with this Pomegranate coloring book. I’ve purchased some that seemed more geared towards children but “The Fairy Tale Art of Walter Crane” is definitely for the adult or older child. 
