iiiiReader Book Reviews

Creative Haven Steampunk Mandalas Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Marty Noble

Rating: 5 of 5

I have both of Marty Noble’s previous Steampunk inspired coloring books. Those are figure and machine drawings versus the mandala format of this new book. I recognized many of the elements from the first two books as incorporated (in smaller form and format) into the mandalas in this book. Because of the circular format, many of the designs represent cogs and clocks which evokes steampunk as well.

The designs are all in circular format and includes gears and clock workings, guns, hot air balloons as well as elements of fashion (such as hats, wrist-lets, feathers, gloves and goggles.)

The designs in this book are detailed and contain intricate and small areas to color. I used my ultra-fine point markers and pens to color the clock mandala as my first project. I’ll post a photo of it as well as samples from the book.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I use for testing and for coloring.

31 Steampunk inspired mandalas in circular format

Printed one side of the page

Paper is white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.

Glue Binding but you can remove pages at the perforation easily

The designs stop well before the perforations

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers bleed through in spots and leave 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 if you apply heavily or with with multiple layers.

Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to use both wax and oil based pencils equally well. They lay down good color, layer the same color and multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blender. Hard lead pencils, like Verithins, leave dents on the back of the page.

I either use a blotter page under my working page or I remove pages from the book to color. I like card stock for my blotter page but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper works as well.

Creative Haven Animal Whimsy: A WordPlay Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Jessica Mazurkiewicz

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a coloring book with designs of animals made up of words. I’ve done this type of pattern with cross stitch before but never with coloring. The projects are fun and fairly fast to color. There is plenty of room to add embellishments or blending if you choose to do so. The words describe the animal and take on the shape of the animal as well.

There are lots of animals in these designs, including: elephant, cat, rabbit, horse, wolf and more. I chose to do the design of the rabbit as my first project. I’ve been visited by a number of them over the spring and summer as they sampled my garden vegetables. I’ll post a photo of my first project as well as samples from the book.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I use for testing and for coloring.

31 Animal word play designs

Printed one side of the page

Paper is white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.

Glue Binding but you can remove pages at the perforation easily

The designs stop well before the perforations and have a framing line around the outer edge

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers bleed through in spots 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 if you apply heavily or with with multiple layers.

Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to get good color, layer the same color and multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blender. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils with similar results. Hard lead pencils, like Verithins, leave dents on the back of the page.

I either use a blotter page under my working page or I remove pages from the book to color. I like card stock for my blotter page but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper works as well.

Creative Haven Art Deco Patterns Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: William Rowe

Rating: 5 of 5

This coloring book contains designs which were first introduced in two Dover books: Original Art Deco Allover Patterns (1989) and Original Art Deco Designs (1973). As I don’t have either of these two previous books, the designs are all new to me. At a guess, the original books were also printed double-side and without perforations so the re-publishing of them in the Creative Haven line makes them much more friendly for those who like to color with a variety of mediums.

The designs are interesting patterns and include shapes that are certainly evocative of the Art Deco period. The designs are made up of straight lines and circles without any sort of swirls which is certainly a trademark look of the clean lines of the art period. I choose to do my first project as a gray and purple scale with colors moving from light to dark in a variety of patterns. I’ll post a photo of my first project as well as samples from the book.

I did not find the designs to be overly detailed or intricate so coloring them was fairly easy. A number of the designs are heavy in black ink but I will simply incorporate that into my color scheme for that page and consider it a saving of black ink.

This is what I saw while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I use for testing and for coloring.

31 Art Deco inspired Pattern designs

Printed one side of the page

Paper is white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.

Glue Binding

The designs stop well before the perforations and most of the designs have a framing line around the outer edge

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers bleed through in spots 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 if used in several coats or applied heavily.

Colored pencils work well with this paper. They lay down good color for nice pigment, layering the same color provides deeper color, and I could easily layer multiple colors as well as blend using a pencil style blender. This was true of both oil and wax based pencils. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.

I use, and recommend the use of a blotter page when working in the book. You can also remove a page before coloring. Either will keep ink from bleeding through and damaging pages below. I use card stock for my blotter page.

Fairy Tale Coloring Book

By: Tomoko Tashiro

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really elegant and pretty fairy tale coloring book. There are 78 pages of designs (79 if you count the title page) with most of the designs spreading across two pages. The designs are detailed and intricate with many have very tiny spots to color. This may not be the best choice of coloring books for someone who has fine motor skill or vision issues.

The fairy tales included are: Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Swan Lake, Twelve Dancing Princesses, Cinderella, The Magic Horse, The Mermaid, the Snow Queen, and The Nutcracker. The titles are incorporated into many of the pages within elegant banners.

I own this coloring book in the Japanese version and will provide a comparison to that edition at the end of this review. The video and photos, with the exception of the ones showing both books, are of the US version only. I reviewed the Japanese version of this book in February 2016. In the photos that show both version, the US version is at the top and the Japanese version is at the bottom.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium.

78 pages of designs based on fairy tales

Designs are printed on both sides of the page

Paper is heavyweight, white, smooth and non-perforated

Sewn Binding

Attached cover with gold foil accents

Many designs spread across two pages

Most designs merge into the binding area

Book can lay fairly flat by breaking the spine.

Alcohol-based markers, water-based markers, and Indian ink pens all bleed through this paper to some degree. The only exception was Tombow brush end markers which left a slight shadow when I used dark colors.

Gel pens leave faint shadows on the back of the page.

Colored pencils work well for the most part. I had problems blending hard lead pencils which ended up rather smeary as opposed to well blended. Otherwise, softer lead oil and wax-based pencils provided good pigment, layered well and blended well using a blending stick.

All forms of wet medium from markers to pens may show through to the back of the page and mar the design on the back.

Comparison to Japanese version:

The US version cover is fixed while the Japanese version has a removable dustcover. The paper in the US version is white and smooth while the Japanese version is slightly off white and has a bit more tooth to the feel of the paper. Coloring medium worked similarly although all colored pencils blended well on the Japanese version.

For me, one of the biggest difference was with the binding. The US version is sewn and lays fairly flat so that I can, with some effort, get into the binding area to color. The Japanese version was glued and I could not get it to open to a flat position. It was simply impossible for me to color into the binding. That may have just been my copy but I have had this issue with some types of glue binding before.

Additionally, the Japanese version had several pages at front and back explaining coloring medium and the stories but as I don’t read Japanese, it was not of use to me. It also had thumbnails at the end of the book which I wish the US version had included but it did not.

While I like the paper in the Japanese version, my preference is for the US one as, even though my pencils didn’t behave as well, I could color the full picture.

America’s Favorite Birds: 40 Beautiful Birds to Color

By: Myoko Chu

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a beautiful coloring book which focuses on 40 American birds. The designs have a nice level of detail and the details look more like feathers to me than simply doodle designs which is unusual compared to most the other bird coloring books I own. The book is separated into seasons so you will know what time of year to be looking for each birds. There is also information about how to learn more about birds in general at the front of the book. I’ll list the birds included in the comments section at the end of this review for anyone interested.

The designs are printed well with nice dark lines and some background as well. The information about each bird is on the back of the page opposite the coloring design. While I really appreciate having the information, I wish it had been printed on the back of the design page so if I chose to remove it from the book, the design and information would stay together.

I, personally, do not plan to remove pages as it will disrupt the continuity of the information about the bird and then the picture. This book is quite beautiful and well published and can and will be a coffee table book for my guests to enjoy. Quite often, I will only put out books once I have finished coloring them; however, the wealth of information and pictures in this book is great as-is and I will leave it out even in the midst of my coloring in it.

The cover is quite pretty with green foil accents. It is attached and both front and back covers fold out to great information. On the inside of the front cover, there are small thumbnails of the actual designs with the page number at which you can find it (a visual table of contents.) The back page folds out to color photographs of each bird (though not the one on which the design is based) so you can see the colors of the bird to inspire you.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the pages.

40 American Bird Designs with backgrounds

Designs Printed on one side of page with information summary and thumbnails printed on the back of the page.

Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly smooth and perforated

Sewn binding

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper.

Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens did not bleed through the page.

Colored pencils worked well with the paper. It has a slight amount of tooth and was able to grab pigment well. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and was able to get good color by layering multiple coats of the same color, also layered different colors, and blended easily using a blender stick.

Jasmine Becket-Griffith Halloween Coloring Book: A Spine-Tingling Fantasy Art Adventure

By: Jasmine Becket-Griffith

Rating: 5 of 5

Zendoodle Coloring Presents Fairies in Dreamland: An Artist’s Coloring Book

By: Denyse Klette

Rating: 5 of 5

I first came across Denyse Klette’s artwork in her funny and quirky quilt fabrics and panels. I was immediately drawn to her unusual artistic style and have enjoyed it for several years now. When I found Fairies in Dreamland, it was a much buy on my list even though I could not even see a Look Inside at the time I pre-ordered the book. I absolutely have not been disappointed as the same cute style of illustration I enjoy in quilting is now available to me in an extra thick coloring book.

The book has 64 design pages (including the title and presentation pages which have designs on them as well.) The designs are of long thin fairies draped over toadstools, vines, branches and what have you in a garden setting. There are tons of quilts in the pictures as well. I especially like the cute little pigs that pop up from time to time. The designs are detailed and some are quite intricate with lots of tiny details to color. To color some of the tiny detail, I will need to use extra fine nib pens or extremely sharp pointed pencils. For most of the designs, my regular coloring medium will work well.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing it with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I use for testing and coloring.

64 Quirky Fairy Designs by Denyse Klette (includes title and presentation page.)

Printed one side of the page

Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough and non-perforated.

Glue Bound

Some designs merge into the binding area

I can get the book to lay fairly flat with some effort (it is a thick book); however, coloring into the binding area will take some maneuvering

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly

Water-based markers and India ink pens leave shadows (some showing the color) on the back of the page

Gel pens do not bleed through but some larger nib pens required additional drying time. Be sure to check your specific gel pens so you don’t smear your work or close the book before it finishes drying.

Colored pencils did well with this paper. It has just enough tooth to grip pigment well. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils and they all performed well with multiple layers of the same color for deeper pigment, multiple layers of different colors, and blended easily with a blender stick.

I am using and suggest the use of a blotter page under your working page. I use card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper. This will keep seeping ink from getting to the pages below.

Off the Beaten Path Coloring Postcard Book: 20 Adventurous Designs

By: Samarra Khaja

Rating: 4 of 5

I have enjoyed my first coloring book by Samarra Khaja (Off the Bookshelf) and have been looking forward to her releasing more in the same vein. I just discovered her new set of post cards in Off the Beaten Path and was happy to pick them up. The illustrations are rather quirky and show the interesting view that artist has of the world. Some of the designs are easy to color and some have very tiny and intricate parts that will require the use of tiny nib pens or very sharp pointed pencils.

While I really like the illustrations in this set, what I don’t like is how the set of post cards were put together. Usually, post cards are glue bound in a manner similar to notepads where you can remove a page easily and in whole. This set of post cards is set up with perforated pages. I’ve only experienced this with one other set and that was by the same publisher.

The perforations leave a rough edge when you remove them from the book but more problematic, in this book unlike the other one from the same publisher, the designs cross over the perforations and into the binding. I’ve found that in some instances (such as the one that I have colored and will upload with this review) that important parts of the design will be lost if I remove the post card from the book. Coloring over the perforations was also difficult.

I rate the illustrations a five and the publishing a 2, and as I cannot leave a 3.5 on Amazon, I always round up – hence an overall of a 4. I like the set but it could have been much improved with a little forethought. I wish that the pictures had been sized to fit on the page without crossing over the perforations or that the publisher had used the standard glue-bound post card binding. Either would have worked and made the set easier to color.

I found that only alcohol-based markers bled through the paper which is a medium weight card stock. Water-based markers, gel pens, and India ink pens did not bleed through. Colored pencils (both oil and wax-based) did well with layering and blending and did not dent through the page.

Because of Bethlehem Christmas Coloring Book: Love is born. Hope is here. (Coloring Faith)

By: Max Lucado

Rating: 5 of 5

I have read Max Lucado’s books over the years and have found that his words have always been a straight arrow into my heart and soul in pointing me back to the direction I know I should be following. This coloring book is based on one of his books with his writings and with Scripture quotes/cites as well. The book is illustrated by Lizzie Preston and Claire McElfatrick.

The designs are quite detailed and are Christmas oriented. There are lots of doodle style elements for adding lots of different colors. While the designs are detailed, they are not intricate with tiny spots to color. Approximately half of the designs incorporate wording as well. Some of those designs are more detailed than others. In the designs, there are many Christmas and seasonal subjects, including among them: Christmas trees, stockings, sleighs, snow globes, various animals, the Three Wise Men, the Manger Scene, nutcrackers and even a partridge in a pear tree.

While I really appreciate the designs, for me, the words are what I am looking for first. They speak to the need for a Savior and other life lessons that are important, not only to a believer, but to all. The Scriptures are taken from a variety of sources, including: New King James Version, the Holy Bible New International Version (NIV), The Living Bible, and the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I used for testing this book and which I generally use for coloring.

124 pages of Inspirational Christmas Designs and words (not including title pages)

Designs are printed on both sides of the page; however the designs are limited to a single page

Paper is heavyweight, smooth, white and perforated

Some designs cross over the perforations and into the binding. Some portion of these designs will be lost if you remove a page from the book

Glue Binding

The book is somewhat difficult to lay flat for coloring. It took an effort to break the spine enough to get it fairly flat.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page rapidly.

Water-based markers (except for the brush end of Tombows markers) and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page. Tombows did not leave shadows even when I tried dark brown

Gel pens do not bleed through or leave shadows but some require a considerably longer drying time than usual.

Colored pencils, both oil and wax-based, worked fairly well with this paper. With the exception of hard lead pencils in blending, I was able to get good results in pigment with multiple layers of the same color, different colors and blending with ease with a blending stick. The exceptions for blending were my Prismacolor Verithins and Tombow Irojiten. Those pencils had more of a smeary look to their blends than did my other pencils.