iiiiReader Book Reviews

This is a coloring book published by Julia Rivers/Storytroll. Unlike many of their other books, this one does not designate the artist who is responsible for the illustrations. It could be that more than one individual was involved; however, the designs have a consistent look and feel and present a cohesive coloring experience.

The designs are cute and have a different level of detail to finish. Some of the designs have more of a background than others. While some of the design that are more “simple” seem just that, for many colorists, it provides an opportunity and a canvas to create their own additions to the design.

In the past, I would have voted “simple” but more recently, I have been learning how to and practicing my drawing on projects that I am working on. I now appreciate having both complex and simple backgrounds in my colorng books.

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The designs of insects in this coloring book are highly stylized. I see influences of both Art Deco and Art Nouveau within the book. As I enjoy both of these art genres, a coloring book of insects (which is not normally my cup of tea) has become a favorite of mine.

There are many types of “bugs” to enjoy, so if you have a favorite, it might just be included. The book hasn’t changed my opinion of the real deal versions of some of them though there are a number I live with because they do so much good in the garden (not grasshoppers who eat all my veggies!)

The designs have a fairly high level of detail with full backgrounds. They are not intricate or hard to color but can take some time to finish. I’ve included an image of one of my first coloring projects from my original copy of this book (several years ago.) I used just Sharpies on the project and had a fun time of it.

I’ve noticed that the paper quality seems to change quite frequently on the Creative Haven line. Because of that, if you buy one of these books, it may be slightly smooth or slightly rough depending on when and where it was printed. I’ve found that coloring medium, including pencils, work similarly with both slightly rough and slightly smooth paper from Creative Haven. In this case, my coloring book pages are slightly smooth. I purchased this book some time ago so a book today may be slightly different

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This is my second coloring book I have purchased by artist Meredith Dillman. In this book, she explored the fashions of fairies. She has them run a wide range of styles, including steampunk to Grecian/Roman goddess style outfits. The fairies are quite lovely and come across very individual due to the various fashion styles she has chosen to provide for them in this book.

The designs are detailed and some contain small and intricate areas to color. Each design has a framing line at the outer edge for a cleaner looking finished project.

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I have a number of Ming-Ju Sun’s fashion coloring books and am always pleased to pick up another one. I was particularly interested in this book as it reminded me of when my oldest sister was dressing up during that period.

The only small nits I have with the book is that the fashion trends of that decade spanned the gamut of Jackie Kennedy’s classic and demure fashions to the mod scene of London with hip hugger skirts, wide belts and scoop neck t-shirts to the hippie scene of San Francisco with other notable fashion trends in between.

I would have loved to have seen some of the big color block fashions of the mod look but that seems to have been missing from the book, though it had a huge impace on society with the mini-skirt that models just as Twiggy sported.

Many of the fashions are represented but with lots of flowers and motif prints that Ming-Ju Sun is noted for but missing the style of prints that were actually used on the fabric of that time. I remember getting my first pair of double-knit polyester bell-bottoms as a little girl and how heavy they were to wear!

Apart from those nits, I am really enjoying the book. It does recall memories and I will enjoy coloring the book.

The designs are detailed though not really intricate to speak of. Even with the high level of detail on the clothing, the designs are easy to color and don’t require special, small nib or small brush tips to work with.

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This is a small format coloring book (5 x 7 pages – slightly bigger than post card size.) The designs in the book are traditional Christmas including some religious scenes and even a Santa Claus. There are trees, plum pudding, ornaments, carolers and much more.

As the coloring book is published by an English publisher, the subject matter is unsurprisingly more consistent with the holiday as celebrated in England. I enjoy the change from the traditional American style designs but wish that the book had been publisher in a standard size format.

Due to the size, the designs are more intricate and have smaller areas to color. In a larger format, it would have simply been detailed but as it is, I can’t suggest this book to anyone who has visual or fine motor skill issues. Otherwise, if you like small detail and Christmas designs, you may very well enjoy this coloring book (as I do.)

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I own a couple of coloring books by Forest Diver and definitely look for new ones by this talented artist. In this coloring book, the artist has created lovely designs which couple with inspirational sayings. To say inspirational is not quite enough as the quotes provide motivation, challenge and encouragement.

It’s almost worth buying for those alone but along with the quotes are some really lovely and fun designs to color.

The people in his designs have his signature style which, to me, is sometimes almost elfin in nature. The people are generally set in a natural setting with fun elements to color. The designs are detailed but not overly intricate.

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This is a great Entangled coloring book by Dr. Angela Porter. True to her signature style, the designs are quite detailed and a few cross over into intricate and somewhat difficult to color (needing special, smaller nib pens or highly sharpened pencils.)

The designs have a Halloween/Day of the Dead vibe to them. There are lots of skulls and bats and other spooky creatures. At first glance, I don’t see any witches. There are a few jack-o-lanterns that have devilish smiles, though.

Coloring one of Dr. Porter’s designs is always a pleasure and one that can take a lot longer to finish due to the complexity of the designs. Be aware of this high detail. Because of it, I don’t recommend the book for anyone with visual or fine motor skill issues. For the rest of us, be prepared and have fun and remember its just ink and paper and there are no coloring police in real life. Have fun!

I’ve noticed that the paper quality seems to change quite frequently on the Creative Haven line. Because of that, if you buy one of these books, it may be slightly smooth or slightly rough depending on when and where it was printed. I’ve found that coloring medium, including pencils, work similarly with both slightly rough and slightly smooth paper from Creative Haven. In this case, my coloring book pages are slightly rough.

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This is my second coloring book by Camilla d’Errico. The coloring book is filled with imaginative and unusual Manga style designs base on the artist original artwork. The main subject are the mermaid girls with their big, pensive eyes. There are other sea creatures, too, sometimes incorporated into the headgear of the girl.

As with the first book, many of the images are simply headshots with unusual looks to them (including the unusual headgear.) There are full and partial body designs as well, most of which are printed on one page but some spread across two pages (more so in this book than in the previous one.)

The designs and how they are printed are consistent with the first book and met my expectations. The artwork is, once again, unusual and inventive and will make coloring in this book fun.

The designs are detailed and some are intricate. Coloring them is definitely akin to coloring artwork rather than simple line drawings. There is also more shading in a few of the designs in this book which border on grayscale.

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