31 Different and Fun to color Otherworldly Designs by Fred Von Tobel designs printed one side of the page

I Don’t Know What They Are. I Just Draw These Things!: An Adult Coloring Book of Otherworldly Creations

By: Fred Von Tobel

Rating: 5 of 5

I like to color unique and different styles of fantasy. This is a coloring book that fits that description to a T. The designs are imaginative and include many fantasy creatures, a few scantily clad (or less) females and more. Some of the creatures border on the grotesque but never cross the line to downright ugly. Some of them are even cute in their strangeness. That the artist has a great sense of humor is evident not only in his designs but also in both his dedication statements and the after statement about the artist.

The designs (which appear to be hand-drawn) are detailed but not what I consider intricate and small to color. There is a heavy use of black in some of the designs both for shading and as a pre-filled in color. The lines are a thicker black than many other coloring books.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
31 line drawing fantasy designs by Fred Von Tobel
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality used by CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not extend into the binding area. The designs have a dark black framing line at the outer edges
Glue Binding
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 well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick; however, some of the black areas of the designs had a tendency to smear using this type of blender. I found that liquid forms (Gamsol or mineral spirits) did a better job. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils (like Verithins) leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the 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.