Nutcracker Ballet Coloring Book
By: Brenda Sneathen Mattox
Rating: 5 of 5
This is a lovely coloring book inspired by The Nutcracker Ballet. The images tell the story of the ballet, with words on each page to provide context to the images.
The coloring book is dated 2005. According to the copyright page, that was the first date this book was published. It’s hard to tell sometimes with Dover as they are inclined to publish things multiple times with slightly different titles or images.
The designs are lovely and elegant and should be a lot of fun to color. However, since the book is printed on both sides of the page, coloring medium is more limited if you wish to color the entire book.
The designs are open and have some detail and even intricate areas. Unlike most Creative Haven books by this publisher, there are no framing lines. However, the designs are finished with the page. There are no two-page spreads.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium.
30 pages of designs inspired by The Nutcracker Ballet
Printed on both sides of the page
Paper is medium weight, slightly rough, white and non-perforated
Staple bound with three heavy duty staples
Designs stop well before the binding area and can be removed in whole from the book by removing the three staples at the binding.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers spot through and/or leave colorful shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can bleed through in spots if you apply heavily or use multiple coats.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. Both oil and wax-based pencils provided good pigment, layered well with the same or multiple colors and blended well using a blending stick. Hard lead pencils did not dent through the page.
If you choose to use any medium other than colored pencils on the pages of this book, you will probably find bleed through or colorful shadows on the design at the back of your working page.
Here are some design examples from the coloring book:
This is a lovely coloring book inspired by The Nutcracker Ballet. The images tell the story of the ballet, with words on each page to provide context to the images.
