iiiiReader Book Reviews

Sherri Baldy My-Besties Sweet Treats Adult coloring book

By: Sherri Ann Baldy

Rating: 5 of 5

Sweet Treats Besties is the fifth coloring book recently released by Sherri Baldy. I discovered her designs with the first one and have picked up each of the books as they have been released. The latest coloring book has adorable little girls with huge eyes either holding or lounging in their favorite sweet treat. Following a surgery a few years ago, my sweet treat days are behind me but I get the vicarious enjoyment of them by coloring these little ladies.

Just like with sweets, it is hard to stop with just one and I colored five of these little girls within the last two days. I used my Copic markers for most of the designs with some additions from other alcohol-based markers (Sharpies and Bic Mark-its) as well. I like to do eyes with oil-based coloring pencils rather than markers as I feel that I have a bit better control over the blending.

Here is what I found within this book:

25 x 2 (50) My Sweet Treat Besties Big-eyed Girl Designs
Printed on one side of the page
Page is white, slightly rough, and is non-perforated
Glue Bound
Designs do not merge into the binding
Room enough to cut pages out if you wish to do so
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page
Gel pens and India ink pens leave color shadows on back of the page
Coloring pencils work well: soft lead lay down color, layer, and blend well; hard lead dent the back of the page but lay down good color

The World of Debbie Macomber: Come Home to Color: An Adult Coloring Book

By: Debbie Macomber

Rating: 5 of 5

Harry Potter Postcard Coloring Book

By: Scholastic

Rating: 5 of 5

The Wonderful World of Horses – Horse Adult Coloring / Colouring Book: Beautiful Horses to Color

By: Simone Phillips

Rating: 5 of 5

I really enjoy coloring horse designs, especially those with extra doodles included for coloring fun. The Wonderful World of Horses is one of the best of this style horse coloring books I have. There are thumbnails of 30 of the designs at the front of the book. According to the product description, there are supposed to be 30 designs in the book but I count 31, so that adds a bonus page over what I expected in this book.

The 31 designs are originals drawings by artist Simone Phillips. Her designs have a flowing look to them even though the horse(s) may be at a standstill. A few of the designs also feature a young woman along with her horse. The designs are detailed with some small areas but not to the point of tiny spaces to color.

I enjoyed coloring both of my first two projects and did both of them with a variety of alcohol-based markers. In one, I decided to utilize the white space to be the color of the horse to make the floral designs in its coat stand out. In the other, I colored the horse with brown but had a lot of fun giving it a mane full of color.

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

31 Horse Designs with Floral Embellishments
30 Thumbnail designs
Printed on one side of thin, white, slightly rough non-perforated paper
Glue Bound
Designs do not merge into the binding area
Most designs have a framing line around the outside and those that don’t have the line have all elements finished within the design
I can get the book to open fairly flat by breaking the spine
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the paper
Gel Pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I can put color down with a light touch for a softer, grainy look or by pressing harder or applying several coats, I can get a good solid pigment look. Soft lead pencils blend and layer well. Hard lead pencils leave dents on the back of the page.
I recommend using a blotter of card stock or heavyweight paper beneath your working page to keep the rest of the book in good condition. You can also cut pages out without any loss of design.

I was provided a free copy of this coloring book for test and review purposes.

I Climbed Aboard a London Bus: A Poetry and Colouring Adventure by Squidoodle

By: Ben Riley

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a coloring book aimed at children. It includes some silly poems which should strike the funny bone of a child just right. The poems are original as is the artwork. I found that some of the words and concepts were definitely more geared towards the British rather than the US but was able to explain a bit to the child I read them to. Once he understood what was going on, he thought it was hugely funny.

I usually test coloring books with my coloring medium but this time I also added in some of the types my grandson uses (namely crayons and crayon brand washable markers.) Those worked as expected with the crayons giving a decent coverage and the markers bleeding through.

This is an overview of what I found in this coloring book:

23 Pages of Hand-drawn designs with cute poems
Printed on one side of CreateSpace white, thin, slightly rough, non-perforated paper
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding area and you will not lose portions of the designs if you cut pages out of the book
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through this paper
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Soft lead goes on well though I find that to get heavier pigment, I have to layer color on in thin coats. Hard lead pencils dent the back of the page.
Crayons covered as expected (kind of grainy) but definitely acceptable for a child’s coloring project.
I recommend a blotter page of card stock or heavy weight paper be used beneath your working page to keep ink and dents from marring the pages below.

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

Squidoodle’s Adventures in Coloring and Doodling

By: Steve Turner

Rating: 5 of 5

There are 16 hand-drawn designs in this coloring book. The product description mentions 19 but I count 16 so perhaps there has been a revision to the book. The designs are eclectic and imaginative. They range the gamut from hot air balloons to owls. There is a nice level of detail but the elements are not too small and don’t require special ultra fine nibs in order to color.

I chose a dragon for my first project. I colored it in a variety of alcohol-based markers. I find that alcohol-based work better for me with this paper and designs, so that is how I will probably continue with the book.

This is an overview of what I found in this coloring book:

16 Hand-drawn designs
Printed on one side of CreateSpace white, thin, slightly rough, non-perforated paper
Glue Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding area and you will not lose portions of the designs if you cut pages out of the book
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through this paper
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. Soft lead goes on well though I find that to get heavier pigment, I have to layer color on in thin coats. Hard lead pencils dent the back of the page.
I recommend a blotter page of card stock or heavy weight paper be used beneath your working page to keep ink and dents from marring the pages below.

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

Harry Potter Poster Coloring Book

By: Scholastic

Rating: 5 of 5

Enchanted Art Grayscale Coloring Book: For Grown-Ups, Adult Relaxation

By: Cheryl Casey

Rating: 5 of 5