Dragon Life II
By: Nathaniel Wake
Rating: 4.5 of 5
This is the second dragon coloring book I have purchased by Nathaniel Wake. The dragons are all great; however, this time the author did not include backgrounds. While that makes the design easier to color, it is less detailed and a trifle less fun for me to color (hence, the 4.5 rating.) I still enjoy the coloring book but the first volume is definitely my favorite.
The designs have areas which are a little detailed in scope. However, the designs are by no means difficult to color nor do they require. There is plenty of room to create your own background if you are so inclined and skilled.
This is what I found in this coloring book:
35 easier to color Dragon designs with 10 bonus designs from other Nathaniel Wake coloring books.
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. In this book, the pages are white on the front and black on the back.
The designs do not merge into the binding. The designs do not have framing lines at the outer edges, however, the elements are all finished with no cut off images.
Glue Binding
Create Space Paper/Media Quality
While you cannot see the bleed-through because of the back of the page is black, the ink does still bleed-through (as noted below. I test the medium on the black backed pages as well as the front pages which are white on both sides.
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 fairly well with this publisher’s paper provided you don’t press extremely hard while coloring. I find that I can layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. This is true of both oil and wax based pencils. I have also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in this type of 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.
Here are some sample photos from the book:
This is the second dragon coloring book I have purchased by Nathaniel Wake. The dragons are all great; however, this time the author did not include backgrounds. While that makes the design easier to color, it is less detailed and a trifle less fun for me to color (hence, the 4.5 rating.) I still enjoy the coloring book but the first volume is definitely my favorite.
