Maxfield Parrish: The Knave of Hearts Coloring Book
By: Maxfield Parish
Rating: 5 of 5
This is an older coloring book by Pomgranate (and may currently be out of print though still available through some bookstores.) The artwork is based on that of famed artist, Maxfield Parrish. The “story” is based on a nursery rhyme made famous by being included in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and was written by Louise Saunders.
Maxfield Parrish illustrated the story which was first published in 1925. The coloring book contains 22 beautifully rendered designs converted to line drawings.
In addition to the the designs, there is a listing of the artwork included. Also included (on the inside of the front a back covers) and full color thumbnails of all of the original artwork.
The designs are open and easy to color. There is a good level of detail but they have left a lot of open area to allow you to color and add your own shading and details.
This is what I found in this coloring book:
22 line drawing designs rendered from artwork by Maxfield Parrish
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 designs from the book:
This is an older coloring book by Pomgranate (and may currently be out of print though still available through some bookstores.) The artwork is based on that of famed artist, Maxfield Parrish. The “story” is based on a nursery rhyme made famous by being included in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and was written by Louise Saunders.
