iiiiReader Book Reviews

Color Me Grateful: Nearly 100 Coloring Templates for Appreciating the Little Things in Life

By: Lacy Mucklow

Rating: 5 of 5

Color Me Grateful is my third full-size coloring book in this series. Of 77 designs I counted in the book, 13 are what I would categorize as mandalas. The designs in this book are detailed and intricate. Some have small areas to color which may require sharp pencils or pens/markers with ultra-fine points.

The book has seven chapters, which include: Friends and Family, The Natural World, Good Health, Creature Comforts, Support, Enrichment, The Little Things. Each chapter has a lead-in which describes the intent of the designs within.
For instance, Friends and Families, designs has friends shopping, a tree house, manicures and perfumes and fun things to eat while out and about. In Creature Comforts, designs include a great looking bubble bath, donuts and other pastries, a stack of books with pets surrounding it and a design with electronics that make life a tad easier.
The designs in the book certainly represent many of the things I have been grateful for throughout my life. I think coloring the book will be fun and will remind me to look at the positive in life rather than focusing on the negative.
This is what I found while looking through and coloring in this book:
77 Designs depicting things that we should be grateful for – Designs by Angela Porter
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white (with color print on the back of the page), slightly rough and non-perforated
Sewn Binding
Designs do not merge into the binding. All designs either have a framing line at the outer edges or have finished edges (such as a mandala.)
The book is thick but could be opened to a fairly flat position without breaking the spine
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens leave shadows on the back of the page
Coloring pencils, both oil and wax-based, worked well with this paper. I was able to layer the same color for deep pigment. I could layer multiple colors and blend easily using a pencil style blending stick.

Colortronic Animals: A Kaleidoscopic Coloring Challenge

By: Lark Crafts

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my first Colortronic coloring book so I didn’t really know what to expect. The designs are beautifully drawn and the suggested colors are very vibrant and create a stunning project.

I followed the colors suggested for my first project except that I did not use a background color as yet. It was so much fun that I am considering buying two of the book one to follow the colors by and one with which to do my own color choices.
I used Copic markers and then came back and enhanced the colors and some shading with Polychromos pencils. I found that using both gave a depth of color to the project and allowed me to fine tune my color choices for a more balanced looking project.
Apart from the color choices, the animals are drawn realistically without doodles. The designs are detailed but are not overly intricate. I had no problems using any of my medium in the color areas.
The color numbers do show through unless I used an extremely dark or opaque color. I’d love it if the artist/publisher also published the same pictures in a regular line drawn coloring book but I am sold on their style of color by number.
This is what I found while coloring in the book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
29 Beautiful Animal Designs in a Color by Number format
Designs printed on one side of the page with color guide on the binding side of the perforations
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough and micro-perforated
Sewn Binding
Designs do not cross over the perforations. Each design has a framing line at the outer edge.
I could get the book to lay fairly flat for coloring with a little effort.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. If you use this medium, I suggest using a blotter page to keep ink from seeping through. I use card stock but a couple of pages of paper should work as well. It will bleed through to the quote on the back of the page, which doesn’t bother me, but I want to note it if it is an issue for you.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through the page. Some do leave slight and indistinct shadows on the back of the page. Some gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. It has good tooth and allowed for applying layers of the same color to get rich pigment. I could also layer multiple colors well and I could blend both oil and wax based pencils easily with a pencil style blending stick.

Norman Rockwell Coloring Book

By: Pomegranate

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a beautifully rendered coloring book of line drawings based on artwork by Norman Rockwell. The iconic artwork graced the covers of The Saturday Evening Post. In addition to the the designs, there is a listing of the artwork included, with the date of the original cover designs. Also included (on the inside of the front a back covers) and full color thumbnails of all of the original artwork.

The designs are open and easy to color. There is a good level of detail but they have left a lot of open area to allow you to color and add your own shading and details.
These are the designs included in the book: Gramps at the Plate, Boys Playing Leapfrog, No Swimming, Boy Lifting Weights, Boy Making Football Tackle, Spring, Dog Biting Man, Doctor and Doll, Men Racing to Fire, Springtime: Boy with Rabbit, Couple in Rumbleseat, Little Boy Reaching Grandfather’s Overcoat, Road Line Painter’s Problem, Football Hero, Marble Champion, Boy with Melting Ice Cream Cones, Rosie the Riveter, Girl with Black Eye, The Optician, The Runaway and The Connoisseur.
This is what I experienced in coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
22 line drawing designs rendered from iconic Norman Rockwell illustrated magazine covers from The Saturday Evening Post
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough to the touch and non-perforated
The designs are bound by two heavyweight staples which can be removed to release all of the page from the book without any loss of design.
Designs do not merge into the binding area
Pages can be cut out if you wish without losing any design elements.
Book easily opens to a flat position for coloring.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper easily.
Water-based markers leave shadows and slight spots of color bleed through on the back of the page
If I use any style of marker, I also make sure to use a blotter under my working page. I like card stock but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper works well, too.
Gel pens and India ink pens do not bleed through the page. Some gel pens require slightly more drying time than usual.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. It has a slight roughness to it that allows good pigment coverage from both oil and wax based pencils. I was able to layer the same and multiple colors well and could blend easily using a pencil style blending stick.

Helter Skelter Doodles

By: Phoenix Amulet

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a book of doodle creature designs. The creatures make up part of a larger image (such as flowing in a woman’s hair) or are gathered around and/or in something such as smoke from a chimney or campfire or flowing out of a shell. This style of design is a lot of fun to color as the little creatures and other elements allow you to play with color within a larger image.

The designs are detailed and contain small and intricate areas to color. I’m a fan of the doodle creature genre and this is a fun book to add to my coloring time. While the title may evoke some darker images, I think that it is meant in the sense of the British amusement park ride a rollicking and fun time of coloring.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
30 Interesting and Unusual Doodle Creature Designs
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality used by CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not extend into the binding area.
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils (like Verithins) leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

Pirates and Mermaids Adult Coloring Book

By: Jon Silvergreen

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a wonderful book of 25 different designs depicting pirates and mermaids. There are 2 copies of each design provided for a total of 50 coloring pages. There is also a short story written on the backs of the pages really just quick blurbs which explain the coloring design on the facing page to the words.

The designs are extremely well done and are quite detailed. This is my first coloring book of Jon Silvergreen’s designs and I hope that it will not be the last. The designs are elegantly drawn and provide a great opportunity for coloring. There are some small and intricate areas to color but nothing too extreme.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
25 x 2 each (total of 50 pages) Pirate and Mermaid designs
Designs are printed one side of the page with a short story blurb written on the back of the first 25 design pages.
Paper white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not extend into the binding area. Some of the designs have a framing line at the outer edges
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. I tested both oil and wax based pencils. I also found that hard lead pencils (like Verithins) leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.

The Little Mermaid: A Coloring Book (Classic Coloring Book)

By: Hans Christian Andersen

Rating: 5 of 5

I really like the designs in this book. I think that the illustrations are really beautiful and imaginative. However, this is the second coloring book by this publisher that seems to give credit to a famous artist (in this case, Edmund Dulac) but is actually illustrated by a team of artists: Sophia O’Connor, Lorna Scobie, Ian Cunliffe and Shutterstock.) The quotes in the book are from the original story by Hans Christian Andersen but the artwork is not the original.

The book even gives bio information to Mr. Dulac (both on the back page and the inside flap of the back cover) which is also very misleading. While I believe it is completely incorrect to imply that Mr. Dulac’s work is included, the designs in the book are quite beautiful. The publisher should correct the misinformation on the product page. I’m not including this issue in my star rating but I wish that they would cease this practice.
The 96 pages of designs are detailed and many contain intricate and small areas to color. You will need small nib pens/markers and sharp pencils for those areas.
Many of the designs spread across two pages with integral portions of some of the designs being lost into the binding area. In my copy of the book, the pages line up very well.
There are 26 pages (13 designs) which are wall-paper, repeating designs. What’s interesting is that most of these designs are so well done, it is hard to see them as wall-paper. For instance, there is a town scene that is beautiful but repeats itself over the two pages. I still love the design so I won’t have any issues coloring it. This is true of the majority of the repeating designs. The few that have more obvious repeats are still great, though much simpler designs.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
96 pages of detailed and intricate designs based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.
Printed both sides of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly smooth and non-perforated
Designs merge into the binding
There are many designs which spread across two pages
Sewn Binding. You can remove several pages in whole at one time by snipping several threads. I won’t do that as it will disturb the continuity of the design. The book opens easily to a flat position for coloring.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page. Some gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils work okay with this paper. It is slightly smooth which made blending with a blending stick a little more difficult (slightly smeary.) I was able to get good pigment and to layer colors well. I tested both wax and oil based pencils with similar results.

Fantasia Adult Coloring Book – Second US Edition

By: Nicholas F. Chandrawienata

Rating: 5 of 5

I purchased both the first and second edition of the US printing of Fantasia. While I wish the second edition had been printed with designs on one side of the page, in all other ways, the second edition is vastly superior to the first.

The paper quality is superior (heavyweight with good tooth), the spiral binding is wonderful for ease of coloring, the size is increased and there are micro-perforations for easy removal of pages from the book. As I love using markers along with pencils, I will be buying a second copy of this book as markers definitely bleed through to the back of the page (see below for my coloring medium tests.)
The designs are beautiful with outstanding printing on the better quality paper. The black is true and deep and has a slightly glossy look to it.
The artist has a wonderful imagination and superior skill in illustrations. The earlier version was one of my favorites but this book is now at the top of my list of must-color designs. The designs are detailed and intricate with many small areas to color. The artist still allowed plenty of room for blending and shading.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
61 beautiful fantasy designs by Nicholas F. Chandrawienata
Designs printed on both sides of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Spiral Binding for easy open to flat position for coloring.
Designs stop short of the perforations.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page and will disfigure the designs on the back of the page.
Most water-based markers bleed through in spots to the back of the page. Tombow’s brush end dual markers did not bleed through. The spots that bled through would mar the design on the back of the page.
India ink pens and gel pens did not bleed through. Some gel pens require additional drying time.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. It has good tooth and allowed for applying layers of the same color to get rich pigment. I could also layer multiple colors well and I could blend both oil and wax based pencils easily with a pencil style blending stick.

Mass Effect Adult Coloring Book

By: Bioware

Rating: 5 of 5

Attached to this review, I will post a silent, full book flip-through video. I will also attach a few sample photos as well.

Once again, Bioware has teamed up with Dark Horse to release an outstanding coloring book. This time, the book is based on Mass Effect (the previous one was Dragon Age.) The designs are detailed and fun to color. Some of them contain small and intricate areas to color.
The designs include the characters I hoped to see from the game. The illustrations are by a group of artists (Juann Cabal, Ron Chan, Gabriel Guzman, Andres Ponce and Martin Tunica.) While I can see style differences in the designs, I think the illustrations work well together and the coloring book flows well in the story line. Many of the designs are beautiful and are elegantly drawn. The designs are on the right side of the page with the applicable quote on left side of the page.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
45 great illustrations derived from Mass Effect trilogy and Mass Effect Andromeda.
Designs printed on one side of the page with a quote on the back of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough and non-perforated
Glue Binding
Designs merge into the binding area
I could get the book to lay fairly flat for coloring by breaking/creasing the spine.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page. If you use this medium, I suggest using a blotter page to keep ink from seeping through. I use card stock but a couple of pages of paper should work as well. It will bleed through to the quote on the back of the page, which doesn’t bother me, but I want to note it if it is an issue for you.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens do not bleed through the page. Some do leave light, colorful shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. It has good tooth and allowed for applying layers of the same color to get rich pigment. I could also layer multiple colors well and I could blend both oil and wax based pencils easily with a pencil style blending stick.