Creative Christmas Coloring Book
By: Marjorie Sarnat
Rating: 5 of 5
“Creative Christmas” is the first Christmas theme coloring book by Marjorie Sarnat. I enjoy her design work and I really enjoy Christmas coloring designs, so I am very happy with the book. While I do like Christian theme images to color, this coloring book does not really contain much that I would consider religious.
There are a couple of angel designs and a possible one of the three wise men that reads a little more like three Green Men to me.
Apart from that, the designs are fun to color and evoke the festive time of year. There are Santas and sleigh rides and snowmen, and of course, Ms. Sarnat’s signature cat and dog designs.
The designs are detailed but not really intricate or too difficult to color. There are full backgrounds and framing lines for a nice, fully finished look.
I’ve noticed that the paper quality 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 Fun traditional secular Christmas inspired designs included in the book
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 is a framing line at all of the edges of the design
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 samples of photos from the book:
“Creative Christmas” is the first Christmas theme coloring book by Marjorie Sarnat. I enjoy her design work and I really enjoy Christmas coloring designs, so I am very happy with the book. While I do like Christian theme images to color, this coloring book does not really contain much that I would consider religious.
