The Nutcracker: A Coloring Book
Adapted by Alexandre Dumas from the original story by E.T.A. Hoffman
Rating: 4 of 5
As I have found with other coloring books in this series, the designs are from a team of designers as well as many open-stock images as well. The designs are from Shutterstock, Jill Tytherleigh, Lydia Coventry and Sophia O’Connor.
The book is based on a story version of The Nutcracker and not on the ballet. I like that for a change of pace. The other coloring books I have found have been based on the ballet. The images are lovely but I found that there was a serious use of wall-paper designs and the use of open-stock images were easy to recognize.
The 96 pages of designs are detailed and many contain intricate and small areas to color. You will need small nib pens/markers and sharp pencils for those areas.
Many of the designs spread across two pages with integral portions of the design being lost into the binding area. In my copy of the book, the pages line up fairly well.
This is what I found in this coloring book:
96 pages of detailed and intricate designs based on The Nutcracker story as adapted by Alexandre Dumas from the original story by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Includes many pages which include design elements licensed through Shutterstock rather than designs unique to this book. Also includes many repetitive wall-paper style designs.
Printed both sides of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly smooth and non-perforated
Designs merge into the binding
Some designs do spread across two pages
Sewn Binding. You can remove several pages in whole at one time by snipping several threads. I won’t do that as it will disturb the continuity of the design.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. If you use this medium, you will mar the designs on the back of the page and perhaps the page following as well.
Water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens do not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page. Gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils work okay with this paper. It is slightly smooth which made blending with a blending stick a little more difficult (slightly smeary.) I was able to get good pigment and to layer colors well. I tested both wax and oil based pencils with similar results.
Here are some pages from the coloring book:
As I have found with other coloring books in this series, the designs are from a team of designers as well as many open-stock images as well. The designs are from Shutterstock, Jill Tytherleigh, Lydia Coventry and Sophia O’Connor.
