iiiiReader Book Reviews

Balance – For Crayons And Wide Tipped Markers: Angie’s Gentle Mood Menders – Volume 1

By: Angie Grace

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second coloring book by Angie Grace. The first one, Breathe is part of the Extreme Stress Menders series. This book, Balance is the first in the Gentle Mood Menders series. It is a re-working of her popular and best-selling original Balance book.

This big difference is that this book has been made easier to color. Rather than the large and somewhat intricate designs of the first book, this one focuses on the central portion of the design but it is in the same space as the original book. That means a more open design that you can use larger coloring medium with. The mandalas are still quite detailed and are certainly fun to color.

In addition to larger tipped medium, I think it is also a book that can be used by individuals who could not color in the original book due to fine motor or visual issues. While I can’t compare it to the original book as I don’t own it, I did compare it to Breathe. I find that coloring in this book is a lot of fun and that the projects went by quickly for me without having to work in small detailed areas with tiny nib pens.

For my first two projects, I did one in spring colors and the other in fall colors. I plan to do a winter and summer one as well. I used a variety of Sharpie and Bic Mark-it Fine point markers (as opposed to the ultra-fine I used in the other book.) As promised by the title (for use with crayons and wide-tipped markers), I had no problems at all with the fine-point (wider tipped) markers. It was fun to be able to use them for mandalas as I generally cannot due to the size of the nib.

This is what I experienced while coloring in and testing my coloring mediums with this book:

50 Mostly Circular style Mandalas with wider lines and more open space than most mandalas

Printed on one side of the page.

Smaller format book to save paper and lessen dead white space above and below the mandala. This also makes it easier to frame if you choose to do so.

Typical CreateSpace paper thin, white, slightly rough, and non-perforated

Designs stop well before the binding area with plenty of room to cut pages out.

Book lays open fairly flat if you break the spine by pressing down hard on it.

Alcohol and water-based markers seep through this paper to varying degrees (water-based are more spotty depending on the brand.)

Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page India ink can spot through if you use more than one layer of ink for coverage.

Colored pencils work well with this paper. I got good color with repeated layers with light pressure. I can layer and blend well with both oil and wax-based pencils. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.

I recommend the use of a blotter page for under your working page. That way you can keep seeping inks and marring dents from damaging the design below. I like card stock for this but you can use any heavyweight plain paper or multiple sheets of lighter weight paper.

The Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy Coloring Book

By: J. R. R. Tolkien

Rating: 4 of 5

Rather than discuss how this coloring book is like or different from movies (or the books), I will discuss only how I feel about it as an adult coloring book. I will note that this coloring book is based on the movie trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. The characters look like those actors or characters rather than any illustrations in this books.

The designs in this book have two distinct styles. This makes sense as the credits for them are both to an individual (Nicolette Caven) as well as a company. They are different but mesh fairly well together. The designs with the wording are generally fairly simple to color while the more elaborate two-page spreads are quite involved, detailed and have intricate and small spots to color.

Doctor Who: Travels in Time Colouring Book

By: BBC

Rating: 5 of 5

Adult Coloring Book with Color by Number or Not – Mandalas Vol. 1 (Volume 2)

By: C. R. Gilbert

Rating: 5 of 5

This my second book in this series of coloring books which are designed to teach you to color. The concept of the book is quite different. As with my first book in this series, there are two versions of each of the 20 designs. The first is a regular line drawing and the second has color numbers placed in each of the segments of the design. These two pages are followed by an additional page which provides the key to the color by number page as well as two additional spots where you can use your own colors to replace the colors for each number. On this page, you are provided two segments of the design in which you can test out your color choices.

While I generally do not do color-by-number books, I really like the way this book is put together. As I don’t like to have numbers showing through, I can follow the key for colors but do it on the version of the design that doesn’t have the numbers printed. For those who can cover those numbers or for those who simply don’t mind, the pre-numbered designs work well, too.

There are 20 different mandala designs in this book. They range from fairly simple to very detailed. For my first two projects, I chose a a designs that had fewer intricate spots but involved many round shapes. I used different coloring medium for each (pencils on the free-style version and water-based markers on the pre-numbered one.) I did my version of the design first so I would not be influenced by the color by number design and used a wide variety of colors. I then colored the same designs using the pre-printed number page and following the color key which essentially used three shades of blue.

This is what I found in coloring, testing and looking through this coloring book:

20 Designs printed in two formats along with 20 test pages as well for a total of 40 coloring opportunities
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is thin, white, slightly rough, non-perforated paper typical of CreateSpace published books
Book is Glue Bound
Designs do not merge into the binding area
Coloring book can open fairly flat for coloring purposes
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through this paper.
Gel pens and India ink can spot through or leave shadows of color depending on how much I put on the page.
Coloring pencils work well: wax and oil based soft lead lay down color (both with a soft and a firm hand), layer, and blend well; hard lead (like Verithins) dent the back of the page but lay down good color

I received a free sample copy of this coloring book for test and review purposes.

Mermaids Grayscale Coloring Edition (Fantasy Coloring by Selina) (Volume 7)

By: Selina Fenech

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second grayscale coloring book by Selina Fenech. While I loved the artwork in both books, this book is a vast improvement in how it is printed compared to the copy of her first book that I purchased. In that book, the skin tones were too dark and rather muddy. Because of how clear and good the contrast is in this book, I am left wondering if I received a bad printing with the first one.

I really like this book. I love the artwork as I do with Ms. Fenech’s line drawn coloring books as well. This book appears to have been taken, at least in part, from the first mermaids line coloring book Ms. Fenech published. I don’t own that book so I can’t verify that for sure.

This book has many mermaids both close ups of one and group designs of multiple mermaids. There are a couple of designs that mimic Art Nouveau poster art and which match the lovely fairies that I colored in the first grayscale coloring book by this artist.

I’m looking forward to coloring these pictures and having fun with the colorways because the book contains two of each of the twenty-five designs. If I really mess something up, I have another one to try. If I have problems deciding on a colorway, I have two designs that I can try two different ways. For my first projects, I used alcohol markers with an overlay of colored pencils. It worked well but as I am new to all of this, the results are not all that great but I sure enjoyed the time I spent coloring these pretty pictures.

25 x 2 each Grayscale Designs from Selina Fenech’s actual artwork

Printed on one side of CreateSpace typical white, thin non-perforated paper

Glue Bound

Designs do not merge into the binding area. There is a framing line around the outside of each design so you can cut the page out without any design loss.

Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through this paper (I suggest you use a blotter page below the page you are working on if you use these.)

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

Coloring pencils work well with this paper. You can put down light to heavy color, it blends and layers well. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.

Sweet & Simple Whimsy Girls: Mermaids and More to Color

By: Hannah Lynn

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second full size coloring book by Hannah Lynn. I somehow missed her smaller pocket size book but plan to pick that up in the near future.

The designs in this book are as cute as those I have been enjoying in her first book. The girls all have big eyes and lush hair. I find the designs to be somewhat detailed but not with intricate or small spots to color. At the front of the book, the artist has included thumbnails of each of designs. I appreciate this table of contents as it helps me find my designs and make my coloring decisions. She has also included a few tips and hints as to ways to color with the book.

There are fantasy girls such as fairies and mermaids and there are also some fun themed designs which include Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. I have been having so much fun coloring these designs. I have been using alcohol-based markers or various brands of colored pencils and, in some cases, a combination of both markers and pencils to color my first projects.

This is what I found in coloring and testing this coloring book:

50 Cute Fantasy and Theme Big Eye Girls

Printed on one side of the page

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

Glue Binding

Designs do not merge into the binding area

All designs have framing lines around the outer edge which provides a good stopping point and finishes off all elements. I find this makes it easier for me to color and have a more finished looking project.

Alcohol and water based markers bleed through this paper to some degree. Alcohol-based bleed through rapidly while water-based are more spotty on the back of the page.

Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. If I have to apply a lot of color, sometimes the ink can spot through on the page.

Coloring pencils work well: both wax and oil-based pencils lay down color (both with a soft and a firm hand), layer, and blend well; hard lead (like Verithins) dent the back of the page.

Because of the seeping ink and potential for dents, I used and recommend using a blotter page behind the page you are working on. The artist also recommends this. While she suggests 4-5 pages of regular paper, I have found that a page of thick card stock also works well.

Fabulous Women: A Colouring Book for Adults: Lovely Ladies at Work and Leisure

By: Christine Vencato

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a coloring book which depicts women of various time periods size, shape and age. I really appreciate that the scenes are those that I might expect from everyday life. I love the title Fabulous Women and that it applies to all women who do what they do every single day.

The designs are all very nicely drawn and are easy to color. What I notice first about them is how the eyes of the subjects grab your attention and draw you into the design. It is almost like looking into the soul of the woman and seeing what she is doing from her eyes as well as from your own.

For my first project in this book, I used a variety of colored pencils that I have been considering. I purchased a couple from various brands and was pleased with how they worked. That put all of them on my to-be-purchased list over time. I find that my coloring pencils work fairly well with CreateSpace paper.

This is what I discovered in testing and coloring in this book:

24 Designs of Women in everyday events (for their time period)
Printed on one side of the page.
Paper is typical of CreateSpace. It is thin, white, slightly rough, and non-perforated.
Glue Bound
Designs do not merge into the binding area and have a framing line around the outer edge to finish all elements for ease of coloring.
Can be opened to a fairly flat position for coloring
I recommend a blotter page be used under your working page for all types of coloring medium to save the rest of the book from seeping ink or dents.
Alcohol and water-based markers seep through this paper to varying degrees.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page and can spot through if they are used heavily for deeper coverage.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Both oil and wax based pencils put down good color, layered well both with the same and different colors and blended easily. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.

I received a free sample of this coloring book for test and review purposes.

Mythical Mermaids – Fantasy Adult Coloring Book (Fantasy Coloring by Selina) (Volume 8)

By: Selina Fenech

Rating: 5 of 5

Mythical Mermaids the latest fantasy coloring book by Selina Fenech. She is one of my favorite fantasy designers and this is my first book by her that is devoted to mermaids (though she does have an earlier coloring book with a similar subject.) The designs are of primarily mermaids though there are some mermen and a man or two who has been saved from a watery grave by a beautiful mermaid. Some of the designs include more than one mermaid but most of them focus on a single beautiful female.

Once again with Ms. Fenech’s books, I’m really happy that the book contains two of each design because it gives me the opportunity to explore each in different colorways. I generally go towards light and clean looking lines in my coloring but having a second copy of each design gives me an opportunity to try different techniques and darker colors and heavier shading.

The mermaids are all gorgeous, of course. There is a hint of nudity but all of the female parts are well covered by hair and whatnot. The mermen are without shirts but that doesn’t really matter in any case. There are no children in this book and most of the poses are highly romanticized while stressing the female form of the subject.

For my first two projects, I chose to use alcohol-based markers. I have been using pencils to shade but for these two, I tried using my markers for shading as well.

I will provide a more detailed description of the physical book below but here is a quick overview of what I found:

25 x 2 Mermaid Fantasy Designs

Printed on one side of page

Paper is white, thin, slightly rough (tooth) and non-perforated

Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to remove pages if you wish to do so.

Glue Binding

Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the paper (though water-based is more spotty compared to alcohol-based)

India ink pens and gel pens leave shadows on color on back of the page. Gel pens left dents on the back of the page.

Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I was able to put down good color, layer, and blend well with both wax and oil based pencils. Hard lead left dents on the back of the page.

I recommend a blotter page below your working page to keep ink and dents from marring the page below.

The artist has placed a frame around the majority of the designs in this coloring book. There are three that do not have the lines but for the most part have finished elements on the outer edges of the design. I really appreciate when an artist includes this thoughtful touch. It makes it easier for me to complete the project with a finished look and saves me time, trouble, and especially ink.