iiiiReader Book Reviews

Color Your Own Young Marvel by Skottie Young

By: Skottie Young

Rating: 5 of 5

This coloring book is simply excellent fun. For anyone who enjoys Marvel Comics, the designs in this book can bring a smile to your face. Who would think that the good guys and the bad guys were such adorable youngsters.

As soon as the coloring book arrived, my husband and I started a bit of a tug-of-war over it. I won but we are ordering a copy for him as well. I’m hoping to see more of this type of comic coloring book in the future. The printing and publishing of the book is spot on with one sided printing and perforated pages.

I plan on doing some designs in the traditional colors of garb associated with each character but then I want to play a bit with color and give them my version of their costume. My only problem with the book was deciding which character(s) to start with. I definitely did not start with the first page and go from there. I looked for something fun and found Deadpool. He was fun and easy to color with alcohol-based markers with a little colored pencil accent as well.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my color medium on the paper:

59 Young Marvel character designs in a slightly smaller format

Designs are printed on one side of the page

Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough, and perforated

Glue bound but you can easily remove pages at the perforations

Design may cross over the perforations by a tad but nothing of importance will be lost if you remove a page from the book.

Easy to get at all corners of the design (though many designs reach extend border of the page on three sides.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based markers, India ink pens, and gel pens all leave colorful shadows on the back of the page.

Colored pencils work well with this paper. I was able to get good color, blend, and layer well with both wax and oil based pencils. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.

I recommend either removing the page from the book to color or putting a safety blotter page under the page you are working on. That will keep the pages below safe from seeping ink or dents.

Creative Haven Winter Wonderland Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Teresa Goodridge

Rating: 4 of 5

I like the concept of this coloring book. Where it falls down a tad for me is in the actual execution of some of the designs. For instance, in a number of designs, the faces of people turn into black blobs because too much detail was put into too small a spot. At best, I may be able to use a flesh tone marker on those spots; at worst, I’ll have to leave them as-is. This is a problem that is repeated in other elements throughout the designs. While I can work with it, I think it is important to note for those who cannot or prefer not to work with tiny details in their coloring.

What I do take exception to is that the sample artwork on the cover and on the inside of the front and back cover are of the artist’s actual painting and not of a colored design from the book. The closest the book comes to an actual sample is the partially colored design on the back of the book and that looks suspiciously like it has been done using a digital paint program rather than actual coloring by hand. Based on the coloring books I have purchased in this past by Creative Haven, this is a big departure from their usual way of presenting coloring books.

The designs have a much more cartoon feel to them than the original painted artwork. I think that may have played into the use of the painting instead of an actual colored sample. When I pre-ordered my copy, there was no Look Inside available so I was purchasing based on the cover art. The Look Inside now shows images that are consistent with how the book is actually printed.

The designs are winter scenes with snow falling in most designs. My plan is to try to color around the snow and then use white gel pen if needed. The scenes show houses, children, horses, skaters, and much more that we associate with winter. While it is not a holiday book, there are some designs that are definitely associated with Christmas. As I love to color Christmas designs, I am sure to enjoy the challenge of coloring these in particular.

This is what I found when coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:

31 Winter Scene Designs with lots of snowfall

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is standard for Creative Haven: medium weight, white, lightly rough and perforated

Glue bound but pages can be removed easily at perforations

Designs stop before the perforations

Alcohol and water based markers bleed through to some degree

Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page

Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Both wax and oil based pencils lay down good color, layer and blend well. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.

Creative Haven Rose Windows Coloring Book: Create Illuminated Stained Glass Special Effects (Adult Coloring)

By: Joel S. Avren

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a coloring book that purports to give the colorist the ability to have a stained glass look to their coloring if they use wax crayons. I tried wax crayons as well as wax-based colored pencils, oil-based colored pencils, alcohol-based markers and water-based markers. While I did like the effect that I got with the wax crayons as well as I did the different effect that I got from alcohol-based markers, I can’t say that it looked like a stained glass window.

Using wax crayons gave the finished design a glossy look as well as a translucence. Using alcohol-based markers were translucent but not glossy. The other mediums worked okay as well but while some colors were translucent, others did not. Perhaps that was due to a color having a deeper pigment than others.

Other than not agreeing with the whole stained glass concept of the book, I liked the designs. They appear to be more of a gray scale design than one with special effects. I did note that all of the designs presented a moir pattern when I recorded the video and, to a lesser extent, when I took sample photos. Because of that, I assume that there is some sort of special print method being used to enhance the stained glass effect once the designs are colored.

I found that I liked coloring the designs in the book even though I didn’t feel that the end result looked like an illuminated window. The designs were easy to color if with mostly open areas to fill in. Because of the heavy dark grays, I’m not sure that someone with vision issues would find it as easy as I did.

This is what I found out about the book while coloring in it and testing various coloring medium:

31 Mandala style stained glass window type designs

Printed in heavy gray/black tones on one side of the page

Paper is medium weight, white, lightly rough and perforated as usual for Creative Haven coloring books

Glue bound but pages can be removed easily at perforations

Designs stop before the perforations

Alcohol and water based markers bleed through to some degree

Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page

Coloring pencils work well with this standard Creative Haven paper. Both wax and oil based pencils lay down good color, layer and blend well. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.

Keep Calm and Color — Tranquil Trees Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Marica Zottino

Rating: 4 of 5

I was very surprised to see that this new book by Dover Publishing was printed on both sides of the page. Further, the pages are not perforated. Given the success of their Creative Haven and Sparks lines and their new Escapes line, I would have thought they would understand that printing on one side of the page with perforated pages is generally thought to be a good thing. For me, the publishing aspect of this line of books (Keep Calm & Color) is a huge step back. I purchased only one of three new books in this line and will probably not purchase the other two based on how they were printed.

The designs are actually a reprint of a French book from 2015, Ma Pause Nature A Colrier Arbres de Vie by Rustica Editions. That doesn’t bother me as many international artists are now finding US publishing groups to make their books available in the US. For me, that’s a great thing and I have a number of coloring books that fall into that category.

The designs are tree-related but with imaginative twists. Most of the designs are single page designs but there are a number which spread across two pages. Some of the two-page designs don’t line up extremely well in my book. Be prepared there are a lot of leaves in this book. That makes sense as it is about trees but there are lot of them and I wanted to mention it specifically.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the page:

62 pages of tree-inspired designs

Designs are printed on both sides of the page

10 Designs spread across two pages

Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and non-perforated

Glue Bound

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper

Water-based makers bleed through in spots with this paper

Gel pens and India ink artist pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page

Colored pencils work well with this paper. It has a decent amount of texture to it and both wax and oil based pencils lay good nice pigment, layer and blend well. Hard lead pencils can dent/score through to the back of the page.

Sherri Baldy My-Besties TM Halloween Coloring Book BOO!

By: Sherri Ann Baldy

Rating: 5 of 5

I own a few of Sherri Baldy’s coloring books and was really happy to see that she had released one that features Halloween designs. The designs feature her cute little big eye girls in various poses and costumes. There are lots of cute designs and, as with all of her coloring books, she provides you with two copies each of the 25 designs in the book. I really appreciate that as it allows me to explore two color ways with each design or to share a design with a friend. There are pirates, witches, animals and lots of pumpkins with easy to color designs.

I have a lot of fun coloring these see little girls. I like to color these in between more difficult and complex projects. It’s wonderful to have something to color that I can easily finish in an afternoon. My preference for coloring her designs is to use markers and then colored pencils on top for details and shading.

This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my various coloring medium:

25 x 2 Big Eye Girls in Halloween costumes (50 total pages to color)

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is typical for CreateSpace publications white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated

Glue Bound

Designs do not merge into the binding area

Alcohol and water based markers all bleed through the page though alcohol bleed through more fully and quickly while water based spot through.

Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows at the back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you use repeated layers or try to blend several colors.

Colored pencils work well with this paper. Both oil and wax based could be used with a light or firm hand. I use a light hand and get good pigment color by repeated layers and use of my blending pencils. Layering and blending work well with this paper. My hard lead pencils like Verithins dent or score through to the back of the page.

I use and recommend the use of a blotter page of some sort. I use card stock but heavyweight paper or several sheets of regular white paper work as well.

Hebrew Illuminations Coloring Book: A Coloring Journey Through the Jewish Holy Days — A Coloring Book for Adults by Adam Rhine

By: Adam Rhine

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a beautiful coloring book of designs by Adam Rhine. The artwork I have seen by Mr. Rhine are exquisite watercolors. The designs in this book have been derived from those designs and are presented as black line drawings on medium weight paper.

These designs are a rendering of the Jewish Holy Days. The designs are printed on the right hand side of the page and, except for the first design which has its explanation directly on the design page, there is a bit of information about the Holy day on the left hand side of the page. The name of the day is written in English and Hebrew (using the English alphabet) and has an excerpt from various sources such as the Torah, Psalms, Proverbs, prayers, etc.

The designs are beautiful to look at as well as to color. There is a lovely level of detail that provides a nice challenge in coloring each one. There is a quote from the artist in the book that I really appreciate and agree with: The act of creation brings us closer to God in ways unique to each of us. What a beautiful way of expressing the joy and inner peace that can be found in creating something such as coloring a beautiful design.

While I am not Jewish, I really appreciate this coloring book as a guide through the Jewish Holy days. I’ve learned about a few of them in Bible studies throughout my life and am very interested to learn about more of them. A small group of family and friends will be using this book as a integral part of our study in the coming weeks and months.

This is what I discovered while coloring in this book:

38 Intricate full page Judaic motifs about the Jewish Holy Days

Designs are printed on one side of the page while information is printed on the opposite side of the page.

Paper is heavy weight, white, lightly smooth, and non-perforated

Glue Bound

Designs do not merge into the binding

Alcohol and water-based markers seep through the paper to varying degrees

India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page

Gel pens do not seep through the paper

Colored pencils work well with this paper. I was able to get good color, blend and layer well with hard and soft core pencils whether they were oil or wax based.

I was provided a free sample of this book for test and review purposes. I have since bought multiple copies for family and friends to use as noted above.

To The Ocean Deep: The Longest Coloring Book in the World

By: Sarah Yoon

Rating: 5 of 5

I recently finished my first fold-out kind of coloring book (by another publisher) and having enjoyed that one so much, I decided to try out the really long fold-out design by artist Sarah Yoon. This coloring book unfolds in a continuous sheet to a full fifteen feet long.

The ocean background is pre-colored in a light to deep green (it gets darker as you get closer to the bottom.) The actual designs are black lines on white. I found that the pages are a little to maneuver unless you have a really big area in which you color. I found that folding the pages the opposite direction from the way they came also helped keep the fold-out manageable.

The design concept is a long tower that reaches from a ship at the surface of the ocean down to the ocean floor. Above the ship are what looks like cloud cities so you have some fun to color at the top as well. The tower is filled with all sorts of characters and elements it reminds me of some of the crazy cartoon designs I used to see in Mad magazine as a child. There are robots, castles, sea creatures, stairways, trees and more. They make up the pathway to the ocean bottom where a treasure chest awaits you.

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

15 page continuous fold-out cartoon Ocean theme designs

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is heavyweight, lightly smooth, filled background, non-perforated. The final page is glued to the cardboard backing while the other 14 pages fold out.

Cover (front and back) is a lightweight cardboard.

Alcohol-based markers seep through the paper

Water-based markers, India ink artist pens and gel pens did not seep through the paper

Colored pencils worked well with this paper. I was able to get good color, layer, and blend well with both oil and wax based pencils.

Color the Psalms 2017 Weekly Planner

By: Michal Sparks

Rating: 5 of 5

I am really pleased with this weekly calendar. It has all of the notation space I look for and more. The designs are printed on the left side of the page with the calendar on the right. I plan to color a design each week throughout the year. The translations used in this book are taken from the New King James Version, the Holy Bible New International Version, the Good News Translation in Today’s English, and the Holy Bible New Living Translation.

The Bible Scripture will help set the tone for my meditation time as I really enjoy reading and studying the Psalms. I find that the psalmist has expressed what could be my joy, my sorrow, my questions and my answers as if he were looking into my mind.

The designs are very done. If you, as I do, own the Color the Psalms coloring book by this author, you will see duplication of the designs. That’s generally what I expect in this type of calendar booklet. What I like is that this is a different size and quite different paper.

The cover of the book is nicely done in an off white with fold outs on the front and back cover. The color decoration on the cover is in a very pretty gloss while the rest of the cover is matte. The front and back binding is re-enforced with a good sturdy tape so they should not separate with use throughout the year.

In addition to the weekly calendar and design, there is a full page calendar of 2017, pages for important dates throughout the year, pages for birthdays, two-page spread calendars for each month of the year, pages for important dates 2018, address pages, password pages, pages for to-do lists, and many pages for notes. Each of the weekly pages shows a small full-month calendar in right lower right hand corner.

The paper used in the book is a medium weight off white non-perforated page. The outlines of the calendar is printed in beige and the words are in black. The designs are black lines on the off-white paper. The book is glue bound. Alcohol-based markers, water-based markers, and India ink art pens all bleed through the paper to some degree. Gel pens did not bleed through. Colored pencils worked well with good color, layering and blending by both oil and wax based pencils.

Fabulous Copycat Coloring: Pretty Pictures to Copy and Complete (Copycat Coloring Books)

By: Sally Moret

Rating: 5 of 5

I have all four books in this series which is being marketed to children by the publisher but as an adult colorist, I like both the pictures and the complexity they provide. The artist in this book is is Sally Moret though the cover is illustrated by Cindy Wilde. This book has some designs which would traditionally be geared towards girls but many of the designs are gender neutral.

The series of books, including this one, has an interesting concept. The design you color is on one side of the page and a colored copy is on the back side of the proceeding page that way you can look at the finished design for inspiration. What it also means is that for me, as an adult colorist, the designs are printed essentially printed on one side of the page. As I don’t care about the colored images, I don’t care if my coloring medium leak through and ruin them.

There are 24 designs (including the bookplate page of various buttons, and the end page which is partly colored flowers and other designs which have a stitched together look.) The various designs include: butterflies, dancers, flamingos, jellyfish, and faceted jewels among others. The designs have a nice amount of complexity without having tiny intricate details. These are perfect for an adult who doesn’t want to strain their eyes or for a teenager or even an advanced younger child.

Here is an overview of what I found (details will follow below):

24 pages of designs

Printed on one side of non-perforated page (except for end page which is printed on the back of another design page)

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

Designs are black lines on soft white background

Sewn Binding you can easily remove several whole pages at a time by snipping a few threads if you wish to do so

Designs merge into binding

Back of page has full color print of the next design page

Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page

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

Coloring pencils work well with this book I got good color and was able to layer and blend easily with both oil and wax based pencils.

If you want to use alcohol-based markers, you will mar the color image on the page below. I recommend using a blotter page below the page you are working on to keep ink from seeping further into the book.

Whimsical World #2 Coloring Book: Fairies, Mermaids, Witches, Angels and More!

By: Molly Harrison

Rating: 5 of 5

While this is my first coloring book by Molly Harrison which is devoted to little girls fantasy characters, it is actually the second in the series. I have colored a few of this style of designs that were included in other coloring books by Ms. Harrison. I enjoyed them so much, I decided to purchase this book as well.

The designs are adorable. The little girls are fairies, mermaids, angels, witches, and maybe even just little girls! They have sweet round faces with rounded shoulders and non-existent noses. They are set in cute backgrounds which give context to the subject of the design. Some have animals to cuddle while others have balloons to hold or a crescent moon to sleep on.

The designs are also easy and fun to color. I like these kinds of projects to work on while I am working on something more difficult. Rather than get bogged down, I pick up a fun, happy and easy project and finish that. It usually gives me the burst of energy to finish off my longer project as well.

This is what I experienced while coloring in and testing the paper of this book with my various coloring medium:

25 Whimsical Fantasy Designs of Little Girls

Printed on one side of the page

Paper is typical of Createspace it is white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated

Glue Bound

Designs do not merge into the binding area and have double framing lines at the outer edge of the design. I really appreciate this finishing feature on designs.

Book opens fairly flat for coloring purposes.

Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper.

Water-based markers bleed through to a lesser degree with spotting more than a full bleed through

Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. India ink can bleed through if I use multiple coats or blending of two colors.

Colored pencils work really well with this paper. I can get good color with both wax and oil based pencils. I can layer and blend well using a blending pencil. Hard leads such as Verithins can dent/score through to the back of the page.

I used and recommend the use of a blotter page of card stock or several sheets of paper under your working page to keep seeping ink and dents from ruining the design below.