31 detailed Japanese art inspired designs – printed one side of page

Japanese Designs Coloring Book

By: Marty Noble

Rating: 5 of 5

Marty Noble has been one of my go-to coloring book artists since I first became entranced by putting colored pencil to paper as an adult. Her designs are beautiful and inspiring. In the past, for the most part, the designs had detail but were not what I consider intricate.

It’s interesting for me to see that Ms. Noble’s art has been evolving lately. I have seen more and more intricate elements beginning to dominate her scenes. It’s is almost as if she has taken a few steps back (in her mind) from the scene she is creating and is providing a more lush background and definitely more detail in the overall subject of her design.

With “Japanese Designs”, the intricate and detailed part of this new style is evident. If I didn’t see her name on the book, I might not have known it was her artwork. The designs are beautiful and should be fun to color though perhaps more time intense than others of her earlier books.

The artwork is based on patterns, fabrics, home goods and artwork from various Japanese periods of art.

I’ve noticed that the paper quality over seems to change quite frequently on the Creative Haven line. Because of that, if you buy one of these books, it may be slightly smooth or slightly rough depending on when and where it was printed. I’ve found that coloring medium, including pencils, work similarly with both slightly rough and slightly smooth paper from Creative Haven. In this case, my coloring book pages are slightly rough.

This is what I found in this coloring book and how my coloring medium works with Creative Haven books.

31 Japanese inspired designs by Marty Noble

The designs are printed on one side of the page

Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly rough and has perforated pages

Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple

The designs do not cross over the perforations and there are framing lines at the outer edges of the designs for a more finished look.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page

Water-based markers bleed through in spots and show colorful shadows 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 when I apply more than one layer of ink.

Coloring pencils work well with Creative Haven paper. I am able to get good pigment (color) lay down, layer the same color and multiple colors and to blend easily using a pencil style blender. Both oil and wax-based pencils have similar results. Hard lead pencils, like Verithins, 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.

Here are some sample design pages from the book, including some that are colored by the publisher: