iiiiReader Book Reviews

The Throne of Glass Coloring Book

By: Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 5 of 5

Attached to this review will be a silent flip-through of the entire coloring book and some sample photos so you can make an informed decision as to whether or not it will work for you.

The coloring book is based on various books and novellas in the series of books by Sarah J. Maas. I won’t discuss whether or not this coloring book what is I expected from the books but rather how I feel about it as an adult coloring book in its own right.

The coloring book has 46 different designs from different stories. The designs are by three artists Yvonne Gilbert, John Howe, and Craig Phillips. One of the three artists did not quite match in look and feel with the other two and it gave a slight discordant vibe to the book as I look through it. While I won’t detract in my overall review for that, it was certainly noticeable. Most of the designs are quite beautiful and elegant.

The designs are quite detailed and many of them have intricate and tiny elements to color. What is nice about this book is that the designs are printed on one side of the page with excerpts from the book on the opposing page. That allows me to use any form of coloring medium I choose without worrying about whether or not it will ruin a design on the back of the page.

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 coloring.

46 Throne of Glass Designs by three artists

Printed one side of page (with book excerpts on the back of the page)

Paper is heavy weight, white, ever so slightly rough, and perforated

Sewn binding

Designs are printed beyond the perforations and merge into the binding. Nothing essential will be lost if you remove pages at the perforations; however, you can remove several pages in whole by clipping a few threads of the binding.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper.

Water-based markers, gel pens, and India ink pens did not bleed through the paper. Some gel pens require additional drying time.

Colored pencils worked really well with the paper. The tiny bit of roughness to the paper allowed pigment to easily adhere to the page. I test both oil and wax based pencils and both worked well. I could layer the same color for deeper pigment, layer multiple colors and blend easily using a blender stick.

I like to use alcohol-based markers with this style of book (printed one side of page) but I use a blotter page of card stock under my working page to keep ink from seeping through. I would suggest either using a blotter page or removing the coloring page from the book beforehand if you use alcohol-based markers.

Halloween Faeries Coloring Book

By: Amy Brown

Rating: 5 of 5

I am having a lot of fun with Amy Brown’s light-hearted book of Halloween faeries. The designs are extremely cute and are easy to color. The artist’s sense of humor is evident from the cauldron on legs to what looks like her take on Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors.

The 20 designs are of cute fairies dressed in Halloween clothes and in Halloween settings. There is a nice level of detail to the line drawings without anything too intricate. I’m always looking for cute Halloween coloring books and this one is certainly cute. I own another Amy Brown coloring book so I knew the great quality of artwork to expect.

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 coloring.

20 Halloween Designs featuring Faeries by Amy Brown

Printed one side of the page

Paper is thin, white, slightly rough, and non-perforated. It is standard for any books published by CreateSpace.

Glue Bound

Designs do not merge into the binding and there is space to cut pages out if you want to do so.

Book opens fairly flat for coloring if you break or crease the spine.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the paper rapidly.

Water-based markers bleed through in spots.

Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page which show colors easily. India ink pens can seep through in spots if used heavily or in multiple coats.

Colored pencils worked nicely with this thin but slightly rough paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and got good color with multiple layers of the same color, good results from layers of different colors and nice blending results using a blending stick. Hard lead pencils easily dent through the page and can damage the page below.

I suggest using a blotter page of card stock or a couple of sheets of heavier weight paper under your working page. It can keep seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

By: Hanna Karlzon

Rating: 5 of 5

I recently purchased a set of postcards by Hanna Karlzon that I enjoyed so well that I purchased two more of her books immediately. This is the second of the two books that I bought with Summer Nights being the first one. Both books are somewhat similar but have different designs. I am really enjoying coloring Ms. Karlzon’s designs and find them very unique among the books that I have collected. I like them so well that I have also purchased additional books to give as gifts this holiday season.

Because the book is printed two-sided, I’m being very careful with what I use to color in it. I’m currently using Faber-Castell Polychromos because I like the color mix available for these designs. I like the look of the oil-based pencils on the cream colored paper. There are some wet medium that works okay with the paper but, for my taste, I still prefer the look of colored pencils.

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

90+ pages of imaginative and beautiful designs by Hanna Karlzon

Printed on both sides of the page

Paper is heavyweight, cream color, somewhat smooth, and non-perforated

Sewn binding with some glue as well. You can still snips the threads to remove the pages from the book but may have to contend with a tiny bit of glue on a few pages. I personally will not be cutting the book.

Some designs merge into the binding area. It is difficult to color into those bits due to the hardcover. It makes it more of a challenge to tilt the book to get the right angle for coloring

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. If you use these, you will have ink seep through and mar the design on the back of the page.

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

Colored pencils work well with the paper. I was able to blend, layer the same and multiple colors using both oil and wax-based pencils with ease.

Animals: A Mindful Coloring Book

By: Georgie Woolridge

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my third coloring book by artist, Georgie Woolridge. I have been enjoying her first two books Birds and Waterlife and now have come full circle with Animals. The designs are quite detailed without being overly intricate or too hard to color. There is an emphasis on doodle style drawings within the animals themselves. The designs are a nice blend of common and unusual animals from around the world. There are a number of animals inspired by a trip the artist took to Australia.

On the back of preceding page (opposite the coloring page), there is a thumbnail of the animal along with information about it so you can familiarize yourself with it while you color. There are also thumbnails of the animals at the end of the book along with the name of the animal and what page it is printed on. I will list the animals in the book at the end of my review.

As with Birds and Waterlife, Animals is beautifully made. The cover has a lovely colored pony with copper metallic accents. The front and back cover have fold out flaps that are decorated with colored samples of designs from the book. The book itself is slightly larger than most coloring books.

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 coloring.

37 Animal Designs with lots of doodle and flower details within the line drawings.

Printed on one side of the page (with animal information on the back of the page.)

Paper is heavyweight, white, smooth, and non-perforated

Sewn Binding

Most designs do not run into the binding area

Alcohol-based markers bleed rapidly through the page. I also had feathering (sideways bleeding) with my juicier Copic markers

Water-based markers and India ink pens leave slight shadows on the back of the page.

Gel pens did not bleed through but some of the larger nib pens required additional drying time.

Colored pencils worked well with the paper. I was able to get good pigment from multiple layers of the same color. I was able to layer multiple colors and to blend with a blending stick. Some of my blending was a little smeary probably due to the smooth paper. I tested both oil and wax based pencils.

I will not be removing pages from this book. Instead, I am using the set of three as some of my coffee table books while I am coloring and when I have finished the books as well. I am using a blotter page below the page I am working on to keep ink from seeping through. I generally use card stock for this purpose.

Here are the animals included in this book: Armadillo, Australian Sheepdog, Bactrian Camel, Beagle, Beaver, Bengal Cat, Blackbuck, Blue Dart Frog, Eastern Box Turtle, Galapagos Giant Tortoise, Giraffe, Gold Snub-Nosed Monkey, Highland Cattle, Indian Elephant, Jaguar, Japanese Harlequin Rabbit, Kit Fox, Koala, Lion, Mandrill, Namibian Rock Agama, Panther Chameleon, Pony, Pygmy Goat, Quokka, Red Kangaroo, Red Panda, Red Squirrel, Red-Eyed Tree Frog, Red-Sided Garter Snake, Ring-Tailed Lemur, Sea Otter, Sumatran Orangutan, Thorny Devil, Vicuna, Wolf and Zebra.

Magical Jungle: An Inky Expedition and Coloring Book for Adults

By: Johanna Basford

Rating: 5 of 5

Magical Jungle is a very different coloring book from Johanna Basford. The designs are much less intricate than those of her previous books, especially when compared to the tiny and intricate designs of Lost Ocean. Another big difference is that it seems the artist made a concentrated effort to reduce the amount of elements in designs that cross over two pages (as the book is printed on both sides of the page.) There were still a few but that is so much less than in previous books, it is almost unnoticeable.

The paper in US version of Magical Jungle is ivory. It is not the same color of cream as used in Secret Garden or Enchanted Forest. Nor is it the white color that was used in the first four printings of Lost Ocean. I would have modified my review of that book to mention the ivory color paper starting with the fifth printing but due to a glitch in Amazon’s review system, I am unable to modify my review of Lost Ocean. If you buy a later version of Lost Ocean it now has the same ivory paper as used in Magical Jungle.

The designs are based on the jungle with cartoon style animals and lots and lots of plants and flowers. You should be sure to have a large number of green pencils/pens ready when coloring in this book. My preference turned out to be oil-based pencils for that reason. Between my two sets of oil-based, I have a lot of shades of green.

I also purchased the UK version of this book and found some common areas and some noticeable differences:

First, the paper, while definitely different colors and perhaps weight, were comparable when it came to coloring mediums. I would not choose one over the other thinking I could use a specific medium with better results.

Second, the color of the paper. The US version is ivory and the UK version is white. I will include two photos showing both the color difference and how the two-page designs line up. In those photos, the UK version is on the bottom and the US on the top. The rest of the photos and my colored designs are from the US version as is the video on Amazon.

Third, the UK version has a removable dustcover with a single long designs on the inside. The inside cover is a pea green with a black design printed on it. It does not have inside flaps. The US version has a fixed cover with the front and back having fold out flaps with the same sort of design on the inside. The covers are slightly different colors but still in the ivory family with gold foil accents.

Fourth, the weight of the two are the same (1.23 pounds) with the dustcover on the UK version. Without the dustcover, the UK version is 1.14 pounds. The paper portion of the UK version is 1/16th of an inch thinner than the US version. Between the weight and the slight difference in depth, I think the UK version is a slightly lighter weight paper.

Fifth, the binding is different and this makes for a real difference in how the designs inside line up. The US version is a hybrid glue/sewn binding with multiple stitches. The UK version is sewn binding with only a few stitches. My US version did not line up well but my UK version did line up well. For a couple of designs, there was a noticeable difference but, in general, as few designs spread elements across two pages, it wasn’t a huge factor.

I like both books for different reasons. I like the dustcover and the binding of the UK version but I also like the ivory of the US version. I can’t recommend one over the other. It really comes down to what you prefer for your coloring.

This is what I found as I colored in this book and tested the paper with my coloring medium. I will list, in the comments section below, the coloring medium I used for testing and for most of my coloring projects.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.

Water-based markers (except for Tombow’s) leave shadows and even spots of color on the back of the page. The brush end of Tombows did not bleed through.

Gel pens and India ink did not bleed through the page.

Colored pencils worked well. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils with good results. I was able to layer the same color for deeper pigment, layer multiple colors and to blend easily with a pencil style blending stick. Pencils did not leave indentations on the back of the page.

By: Nicole J. Percy

Rating: 5 of 5

I’ve been a fan of House Mouse for years. I have a number of items around the house with the sweet little mice on them. I have cross stitched several designs with plans for more (great book is available on Amazon), so when I found this coloring book, it was an immediate purchase for me.

The book has 21 cute designs. The designs are heavy on fur detail and has a bit of shading via dots (think pointillism.) I find the designs are very easy to color and are fun and quick projects that I really enjoy. While there are specific House Mouse characters, I choose to color my mice to my own fashion. Some of the designs are a bit more detailed to color but nothing with intricate or tiny details. Some of the designs seem almost like grayscale coloring because of the use of shading.

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

21 House Mouse Designs from simple to more detailed in nature

Printed one side of the page

Paper is typical of CreateSpace published books. It is thin, white, slightly rough and non-perforated

Glue Bound

Designs do not merge into the binding area and there is plenty of room to cut out design if you choose to do so

Alcohol-based markers seep through the paper quickly.

Water-based markers seep through in spots.

Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink pens can spot through if several coats are applied or if you use the ink heavily.

Colored pencils worked well with this paper. It has a roughness to the texture which grips the pigment well. I used both oil and wax based pencils and was able to get good results from layering the same color, multiple colors, and blending with a blending stick. Hard lead pencils left dents which could read through to the page below.

I use and recommend the use of a blotter page to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below your working page. I like card stock but a couple of pages of heavyweight paper work well, too.

Hello Angel Winter Wonderland Coloring Collection (Hello Angel Coloring Collection)

By: Angelea Van Dam

Rating: 4 of 5

As a quick note, the cover of the book currently showing on Amazon (skater’s boots) is not the cover of the book I received. My cover (as seen in my video) has a montage of skates, gloves, and scarves. It is the same book but obviously the cover on Amazon was a concept photo and not what was actually used in publishing. Both designs are in the book in the smaller, medium size format.

Once again, I love the designs in this book but am less than pleased with the face that the publisher is printing 10 of the designs in less than full size. Admittedly, in this book, they have shrunk the designs less than in others but I wish that they would go back to all full size designs. They have included a thumbnail color sample and some sample colors used in their design for inspiration. It takes up the bottom 1 inches of the page. In the last few book I purchased, it took up a full 3 inches of the page. This information could be printed on a separate page or on the actual color sample page rather than on the coloring page. Because of the shrinking of the designs, I have detracted a star from my rating of this book.

In this book, it makes a big difference. Hello Angel books have intricate and detailed designs. By shrinking them down, it takes them from slightly difficult to challenging. I can’t recommend this book for anyone with vision or fine motor issues because of the complexity of the designs and especially for the tiny size of the designs elements.

The designs are really beautiful. They speak to both winter and to the holiday season. I really appreciate the level of detail this designer has put into her work. I like using colored pencils with really sharp points because of the tiny spaces but it is fun and something that I enjoy. The smaller designs are much more difficult to deal with but, for me, there is a way around it but it is at an additional cost.

A good number of the designs in this book (including those that were reduced in size) are available in full size in two of Design Originals anthology Christmas coloring books this year: Deck and Halls and Merry and Bright. I own all three books and it doesn’t bother me to have the duplications as buying the three books gave me most of the full size designs I wished for in this book.

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

32 Intricate and Detailed Winter inspired designs 22 Full Size and 10 Medium Size

Printed one side of the page back of page has a softly colored design, journal lines and a quote appropriate to the subject of the coloring book

Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated

Glue Binding

Designs stop well before the perforations

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.

Water-based markers bleed through the page in heavy spots.

Gel pens and India ink pens can spot through to the back of the page

Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.

I use a blotter page of card stock or heavyweight paper (two sheets0 to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below. I recommend using a blotter or that you remove pages before coloring.

The Art of Laurel BurchTM Coloring Postcard Book: 20 Iconic Designs

By: Laurel Burch

Rating: 4 of 5

The Art of Laurel Burch Postcard Book is a set of various designs by the late Laurel Burch. I have enjoyed many of her designs in household and wearable goods over the years. Earlier this year, I purchased a coloring book of her designs and was really pleased to pick up this set of postcards as well.

Many of her design themes are included including cats, dogs, horses, and others. As with the coloring book, there weren’t any mermaids which is something that I wish it had. I can only hope that there will be other books or cards in the future with some of the ocean designs in it.

Usually, postcards have a glue binding similar to notepads but in this case, each of the cards is perforated for easy removal from the set. However, this method leaves a rough edge on the perforated side. I much prefer the standard glue binding of other postcard sets as the rough edge gives a really unfinished look to the whole project. The address area is set up for postcard mailing and includes a small thumbnail design which can also be colored.

The cover of the set is done with a beautiful glossy rendition of Ms. Burch’s artwork with elements picked out in gold foil. The set is printed on a medium weight card stock rather than some of the heavyweight card stock I have on other postcard sets.

I found that only alcohol-based markers bled through the paper. 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.