Variety of Original Owl Designs 40 designs printed one side of the page

Adult Coloring Book: Magical Owls: The Amazing Compendium of the Wizard’s Owls

By: Julia Rivers

Rating: 5 of 5

Magical Owls is a great coloring book of designs by Alina Marchenko. Her owls are different from others that I have seen and are placed in interesting scenarios. From geometric to steampunk to even being used a ladies hats, the owls are a refreshing change from many of the stock designs that appear in other coloring books.

It appears that Okami Coloring and Storytroll publishing companies are somehow connected as they list both publishers books at the end of this book. I really appreciate the quality of their artists though the CreateSpace paper always leaves something to be desired. I also appreciate that they have included the actual artist’s name though they seem to be developing a specific name (Julia Rivers) to cover the coloring books they deliver. This is similar to what another publisher has done with the name Jade Summer.
The designs are detailed but do not, for the most part, include intricate elements with lots of tiny spots to color.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
40 Owl designs in a wide variety of styles and scenarios
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding. While there is no framing line at the outer edges of the designs, the elements at the edges are finished so it is easier to color.
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. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils 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.