iiiiReader Book Reviews

Wells Street by Lang Simply Grateful Adult Coloring Book by Debi Hron, 7.375 x 9.25 inches (6093004)

By: Wells St. by LANG

Rating: 5 of 5

I picked this book up thinking that it would be different from the other Lang coloring book by Debi Hron, Cheerful Journey. Turns out the difference is the size of the designs, the paper used, and possibly some slight differences in cropping. While it is nice to have two sizes of books (this one, Simply Grateful, is the smaller of the two), I probably would not have bought it if I had known that it did not include different artwork.

I’ve enjoyed Ms. Hron’s artwork over years and the designs in this book are indicative of those I have found in household goods, calendars, Christmas cards and more. There are birds, sunflowers, snowmen, scarecrows, and my favorites, her cute cats.
The designs span through a variety of seasons. Some of them have sayings and quotes and others are solely design focused. They designs appear to be hand-drawn with the wonderful look that one expects from such.
If I had to make a choice between the two books, I would certainly choose Cheerful Journey due to the size of the book, the spiral binding, the hard cover and the better grade of paper used. That doesn’t detract from my review of this book, just a statement of my preference. Judging this book on its own merits, I really like it.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
100 Design pages featuring hand-drawn artwork by Debi Hron featuring many of her design series
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is fairly thin, white, slightly rough and perforated
Most designs do cross over the perforations and disappear into the binding. However, if you remove pages from the book, you will probably not lose anything essential to the design.
Glue Bound
Book is approximately 9.75 x 7.25 x .5 inches. The unbound corners of the book are slightly rounded.
Book can be opened fairly flat for coloring but you must heavily crease or break the spine to do so.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper readily.
Water-based markers, gel pens and India ink pens leave colorful shadows on the back of the page. Heavy use of markers and ink pens can cause them to bleed through in spots.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. It has a 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. Hard lead pencils can leave dents through the page.
I suggest using a blotter page, such as card stock, below your working page that or remove pages before coloring. This is keep seeping ink and marring dents from damaging the pages below.

Lang Reflections Coloring Book by Tim Coffey (1020106)

By: Lang

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a lovely book of bird and birdhouse designs. The designs are quite detailed though not what I would consider intricate with small areas to color. Tim Coffey’s designs are fairly open with easy to color spaces.

My only issue with the book is that all of the designs extend to the edges of the paper on all four sides (including past the perforations and spiral binding on the bound side.) This makes it difficult to color.
The coloring book has 100 pages and is very well made. I wish most coloring books were made to this level, let alone having so many designs to choose from. It is an extremely well published book (as are all of the spiral bound Lang books.)
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
100 Original Bird and Birdhouse designs by Tim Coffey
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Almost all of the designs do cross over the perforations and past the spiral binding. However, if you remove pages from the book, you will lose does not contain essential elements of the design.
Spiral Binding with hard covers that help the book lay flat and provide a good coloring table
Alcohol-based markers bled through this paper only slightly. I would still use a blotter of card stock to protect the designs below my working page when using these style of markers.
Water-based markers, gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. It has a 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.

Colour My Sketchbook DRAGONS

By: Bennett Klein

Rating: 5 of 5

I have a number of Bennett Klein’s coloring books and have been hoping that he would do one dedicated to dragons and here it is! It is everything I had hoped for and more. The designs are printed primarily on white backgrounds but a few of them have black printed backgrounds. The dragons have a fierce and very realistic look to them. They are fearsome dragons but seem very gentle with their chosen companions. I am so appreciative of this particular book that I am buying extras for gifts for my friends and family who enjoy coloring fantasy.

As with his other coloring books with black backgrounds, the designs in this format in this book also have wonderful gray tone elements which give the overall look a wonderful accent.
I will be able to use both my markers and my colored pencils while coloring in this book. As that is my preferred coloring method (markers for background and pencils for details), I am very happy with the way the book has been published.
The artist provides a table of contents with the title of each of his pieces of art. I really appreciate that extra touch as many of the titles give context to his intent with the design.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
25 Hand-drawn Dragon illustrations with both white and black backgrounds
Designs are printed on one side of thin, slightly rough non-perforated paper typical of CreateSpace. All of the paper is white; if there is a black background, it is printed on white paper.
Glue Binding
Easy to open to flat position for coloring
Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to cut pages out if you choose to do so
Alcohol and water-based markers bleed through the page to some degree. Water-based bleed through in spots while alcohol-based bleed through freely
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of page. India ink can bleed through if you use multiple layers or apply heavily.
Colored pencils work well with this paper. Both oil and wax based provide good color when I use multiple layers of the same color. I am easily able to blend (using a pencil style blender stick) and layer multiple colors as well. Hard lead pencils leave dents through the back of the page.
Because of the bleed through and dents, I suggest (and use) a blotter page below my working page no matter what medium I use. I prefer card stock but several sheets of heavyweight paper work as well.

Bless Our Nest Coloring Book:Including Designs for Bible Journaling (Creative Faith)

By: Robin Pickens

Rating: 5 of 5

Bless Our Nest is a Christian inspired set of designs. Some of the designs have Scripture quotes (with cites) and others have inspirational Christian sayings. Some of the words used in the designs can be colored but many are printed in black on white and the coloring is in the design portion rather than the words. I’m not sure which translation the verses come from as there isn’t a copyright statement to that effect.

The back of the design page has questions and suggestions for activities which will lead you in your Christian walk. There are also some smaller coloring elements and journal lines in a very light gray tone.
The designs put the message front and center. The hand-drawn coloring elements support the message either by emphasizing it or bringing the subject of the message to life in illustration. The drawings are detailed and some have intricate areas to color.
There are 32 pages of designs. Twenty one are of full size designs, three are of smaller elements (such as bookmarks, corner illustrations, and gift tags) and eight are of purposefully reduced designs.
The publisher continues to print 8 pages of their books as medium rather than full size (to include information at the bottom which could be printed elsewhere in the book.) As this is something that they are doing with all of their books, I know when I purchase one what to expect.
While it has caused me to buy many less books by this publisher, especially when I know that artist does extremely intricate designs, I won’t detract a star from my rating on this book as I know that the book will contain these smaller than desirable images.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
32 pages of Christian based designs
Printed one side of the page back of page has soft gray design, journal lines and thought provoking questions or activities
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs stop well before the perforations
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers leave colorful shadows and bleed through in very noticeable spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page and can spot through to the back of the page if applied heavily.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well using a blender stick. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.
I use a blotter page of card stock or heavyweight paper (two sheets) to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below. I recommend using a blotter or that you remove pages before coloring.

Dominion of Giants Coloring Book: Behemoths of the Fantasy World

By: Eric Messinger

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a new fantasy coloring book by Eric Messinger. I wasn’t familiar with his work but took a chance with this book and I am really happy I did so. The designs are wonderfully hand-drawn and show a race of giants who rule over the earth.

Some of the designs have a bit more of a sketch type look to them with heavier black and gray for shading. The subjects of the designs range from elegant and beautiful to slightly macabre. It is a great look at a new (to me) artist’s take on fantasy.
The designs are quite detailed and most have intricate and small parts to color. I would not suggest this book for anyone with fine motor or vision issues because of the intricate areas to color.
The publisher has printed been 8 of the designs in less than full size. They have included a thumbnail color sample and some sample colors used in their design for inspiration. It takes up the bottom 1.5 inches of the page. This information could be printed on a separate page or on the actual color sample page rather than on the coloring page.
As this is something that they are doing with all of their books for about a year now, I know when I purchase one what to expect. While it has caused me to buy many less books by this publisher, I won’t detract a star from my rating as I know that the book will contain these smaller than desirable images.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
32 Fantasy designs based on the artwork of Eric Messinger 24 large and 8 medium size designs.
Printed one side of the page back of page has soft gray design, journal lines, small designs and interesting quotes
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs stop well before the perforations and have framing lines at the outer edges
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers leave colorful shadows and bleed through in very noticeable spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page and can spot through to the back of the page if applied heavily.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well using a blender stick. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.
I use a blotter page of card stock or heavyweight paper (two sheets) to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below. I recommend using a blotter or that you remove pages before coloring.

Faith, Hope, and Love Coloring Book (Creative Faith)

By: Robin Pickens

Rating: 5 of 5

This is my second coloring book by Robin Pickens. The first was Christmas inspired and I really enjoyed it. When I saw that Ms. Pickens had come out with a Christian coloring book, I picked it up immediately.

The designs are both from Scripture (with verse cites) and Christian inspirations messages. The back of the design page has questions and suggestions for activities which will lead you in your Christian walk. There are also some smaller coloring elements and journal lines in a very light gray tone.
The designs put the message front and center. The hand-drawn coloring elements support the message either by emphasizing it or bringing the subject of the message to life in illustration. The drawings are detailed and some have intricate areas to color.
There are 32 pages of designs. Twenty one are of full size designs, three are of smaller elements (such as bookmarks, corner illustrations, and gift tags) and eight are of purposefully reduced designs.
The last is the only thing I don’t really like about the book. The publisher has been doing for about a year now. They are printing 8 of the designs in less than full size. They have included a thumbnail color sample, some sample colors used in their design for inspiration and a few words to talk about the colors. It takes up the bottom 2.5 inches of the page. This information could be printed on a separate page or on the actual color sample page rather than on the coloring page.
As this is something that they are doing with all of their books, I know when I purchase one what to expect. While it has caused me to buy many less books by this publisher, I won’t detract a star from my rating as I know that the book will contain these smaller than desirable images.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
32 pages of Christian based designs
Printed one side of the page back of page has soft gray design, journal lines and thought provoking questions or activities
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs stop well before the perforations
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers leave colorful shadows and bleed through in very noticeable spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page and can spot through to the back of the page if applied heavily.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well using a blender stick. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.
I use a blotter page of card stock or heavyweight paper (two sheets) to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below. I recommend using a blotter or that you remove pages before coloring.

Fantasy Adventure Coloring Book: Dragons, Dwarves, Elves, and Other Extraordinary Creatures

By: Eric Messinger

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a great fantasy coloring book by Eric Messinger. It includes Dragons, Dwarves, Elves and other creatures. The designs are hand-drawn and show the forgotten creatures that (in fantasy world) populated our lands and became the myths that we are familiar with today. The creatures have a fantastic magical quality to them that I find really appealing.

Some of the designs have a bit of gray linear and crosshatch shading but they are mostly line drawing style designs. There is a wide range of fantasy creatures so, for me, it is a really versatile and complete coloring book.
The designs are quite detailed and most have intricate and small parts to color. I would not suggest this book for anyone with fine motor or vision issues because of the intricate areas to color.
Once again, the publisher has printed 8 of the designs in less than full size. They have included a thumbnail color sample and some sample colors used in their design for inspiration. It takes up the bottom 1.5 inches of the page. This information could be printed on a separate page or on the actual color sample page rather than on the coloring page.
As this is something that they are doing with all of their books for about a year now, I know when I purchase one what to expect. While it has caused me to buy many less books by this publisher, I won’t detract a star from my rating as I know that the book will contain these smaller than desirable images.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
32 Fantasy designs in a wide variety of characters 24 large and 8 medium size designs.
Printed one side of the page back of page has soft gray design, journal lines, small designs and interesting quotes
Paper is medium weight, white, slightly rough and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs stop well before the perforations and have framing lines at the outer edges
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page
Water-based markers leave colorful shadows and bleed through in very noticeable spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on the back of the page and can spot through to the back of the page if applied heavily.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. Both oil and wax based pencils provide good color, layer, and blend well using a blender stick. Hard lead pencils can dent through the page.
I use a blotter page of card stock or heavyweight paper (two sheets) to keep seeping ink and dents from marring the pages below. I recommend using a blotter or that you remove pages before coloring.