iiiiReader Book Reviews

Zendoodle Coloring: Love Notes: 20 Cards to Color and Give to the One You Love

By: Bonnie Lynn Demanche

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a cute set of postcards which deal mostly with romantic love. There are a few which may apply to other individuals but it is generally something you would color and give to your sweetheart. The back of each page is pre-set for use as a postcard. The card has a spot for a stamp and is equally divided for a written message and an address.

The designs are detailed and a few have smaller areas to color which might require the use of ultra-fine pens/markers or really sharp pencils. Crayons might be difficult to use unless you are able to sharpen them to a fairly fine point.
The binding is a notepad style where it is easy to remove pages by carefully pulling them away. They will remove in whole without any loss of designs. The paper is a lightweight card stock rather than a heavy weight postcard stock. It is white and fairly smooth to the touch.
Alcohol-based markers were the only coloring medium which bled through the page. Water-based markers, gel pens, and India ink pens did not bleed through or leave shadows on the back of the page. I used a blotter page of card stock when using my Sharpies, Bic Mark-its and Copics to keep seeping ink from ruining the design below.
Colored Pencils worked okay with this paper. I got good pigment and layered colors easily. Blending was a little smeary with both oil and wax based pencils (probably due to the smooth paper.)

The Selection Coloring Book

By: Kiera Cass

Rating: 5 of 5

I will attach a silent flip-through video of the entire coloring book, as well as some photos, so you can decide for yourself if this book suits your needs.

I really like the concept of coloring books which bring novels and series of novels to life for those who like to color. The Selection Coloring Book is a lovely example of beautiful illustrations which flesh out a series of books, in this case by Kiera Cass. It includes five of the six books in the series. The only one I could not find was Happily Ever After.
The books are included as chapters: The Selection, The Elite, The One, The Heir, and, finally, The Crown. I appreciate that only a few pictures from each book could be included but was really happy to see my favorite characters and scenes represented.
My only small nit with the book is the number of illustrated banner pages that are included. While I like to have a few in a coloring book of this nature, the split between character designs and banner pages is even at 20 each. My preference would have been to have at least five more character designs for a 25/15 split. I don’t consider this small nit to rise to the level of removing a star from the rating, it would just have been my preference.
In addition to these 40 pages which are black line drawings on white background, there are five chapter heading pages which are black background with white words and designs. I think that all of the illustrations: characters (by Sandra Suy) and lettering by Martina Flor are beautifully drawn. I will have a lot of fun coloring in this book and will re-read my books as I go along.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
45 Design pages including 20 character designs, 20 banner designs, and 5 chapter heading pages (plus title and intro page designs) from the series The Selection
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is white, medium weight, somewhat smooth (but still good tooth), and perforated
Glue Binding
Many designs spread past the micro-perforations; however, if you choose to remove pages, nothing integral to the design will be lost.
The book opens fairly flat for coloring though I had to heavily crease (break) the spine.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper rapidly. If I were to use this medium, I would put a blotter page below my working page to keep seeping ink from ruining the design below. I prefer card stock but several sheets of heavyweight paper works well, too. You can also remove pages from the book before coloring. I prefer not to do so to keep the continuity of the series intact.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens did not bleed through but they did leave shadows on the back of the page. As the book is printed on one side of the page, this didn’t trouble me.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. While it is somewhat smooth, it still has sufficient tooth (roughness) to grip pigment well. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and liked both with this paper. I was able to get deep pigment with multiple layers of the same color. I was also able to layer multiple colors well and to easily blend colors using a pencil style blending stick.

Ancient Egypt: A Coloring Book with Egyptian Gods, Mysterious Hieroglyphics, and Ancient Architecture

By: Jade Summer

Rating: 5 of 5

I have been looking for a coloring book with Egyptian style hieroglyphic designs and was really pleased to find this one. This coloring book has 25 different designs (the referenced 50 comes from getting two of each of the designs.) The designs really evoke the look and feel of ancient artwork to me. While they are not perfect replicas of known work, they have many of the iconic images I am looking for.

The designs are very detailed with but not what I consider intricate. There are many areas to color but I can use most coloring medium without any issues. I think crayons might be more difficult unless you can sharpen them to a fairly fine point.
While you can have access to .PDFs when you purchase this book, my review is based on the book as it is received from Amazon. That way you will know what the pages look like and how they accept color. I like that the publisher provides the digital version as well so you can choose the paper you wish to use and/or to color the pictures as many times as you choose.
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
25 x 2 Designs based on Egyptian Hieroglyphs with stylized poses
Paper is typical of CreateSpace: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. The back of the page is printed black which is something I am find typical of Jade Summer coloring books.
The designs do not merge into the binding. There is a heavy framing line at the outer edges of the design to give the project a more finished look, especially for framing. There is a slight shadowing effect to the framing line which gives the image an almost 3D effect.
Glue Binding (there is room to cut the pages out if you choose to do so.)
Though you cannot see the bleed-through easily due to the back of the page being printed in black, I recommend the use of a blotter page when working in this 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.
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 leave dents through the paper.

1: Lady Mechanika Steampunk Coloring Book

By: Joe Benitez

Rating: 5 of 5

I will attach a silent flip-through video of the entire coloring book, as well as some photos, so you can decide for yourself if this book suits your needs.

I really like the concept of coloring books which bring novels and series of novels to life for those who like to color. While I am not familiar with the graphic novels of Lady Mechanika by Joe Benitez, I will certainly be looking for them in the near future.
Because I don’t know the stories, I can’t say whether the artwork is lifted directly from the books or not. I think so because I have seen that the first novel in the series has a similar cover to this coloring book. In my first project in the book, I decided to give the beautiful lady red hair. That is what is great about coloring books you can color the characters the way you prefer.
In any case, the 40 designs in the coloring book are beautiful and elaborately drawn. They are nicely detailed and have a heavy use of black as a shading/color element in many of the pages. Some of the designs have intricate and small areas to color. The main focus of the design is, naturally, Lady Mechanika. However, there are a number of design pages which feature other characters as well.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
40 Wonderful Steampunk designs based on the graphic novel series of Lady Mechanika
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is white, medium/heavy weight, somewhat smooth (but still good tooth), and perforated
Glue Binding
Designs stop before the perforations and nothing will be lost if you remove pages from this book.
The book opens fairly flat for coloring though I had to heavily crease (break) the spine.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper rapidly. If I were to use this medium, I would put a blotter page below my working page to keep seeping ink from ruining the design below. I prefer card stock but several sheets of heavyweight paper works well, too. You can also remove pages from the book before coloring. I prefer not to do so to keep the continuity of the series intact.
Water-based markers, India ink pens and gel pens did not bleed through but they did leave shadows on the back of the page. As the book is printed on one side of the page, this didn’t trouble me.
Colored pencils worked well with this paper. While it is somewhat smooth, it still has sufficient tooth (roughness) to grip pigment well. I tested both oil and wax based pencils and liked both with this paper. I was able to get deep pigment with multiple layers of the same color. I was also able to layer multiple colors well and to easily blend colors using a pencil style blending stick.

Colour My Sketchbook DARKER

By: Bennett Klein

Rating: 5 of 5

I have several of Bennett Klein’s beautiful coloring books. I missed getting the limited edition Dark coloring book which was released for a short period of time late last year so I was very happy to see a new book, Darker just released. The designs are wonderfully drawn and take fantasy to a slightly darker level than some of Mr. Klein’s earlier books.

While I don’t have the previous book, I’ve compared some of the designs in my book with those shown on the review of Dark. It seems that there are many duplicates. Without having the first book to do a side-by-side comparison, I can’t confirm that all of the designs are duplicated. What I can say is that there seems to be more pages in Darker which may equate to more designs. You can check my silent video to see what is included in the coloring book.
This is my first book of Mr. Klein’s designs with black background. I have colored in similar style books before but trust Mr. Klein to take the concept forward a step by including beautiful elements in a deep gray tone to accent the final project. It gives a perfect background to those designs on which it is included. I guess you could color those areas but I intend to leave them as deep gray.
The designs are somewhat in gray scale but with so much black in the background, the artist wisely choose to leave more white space in the coloring elements. 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.
With this book, 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.
30 Hand-drawn illustrations with white on black background (some gray scale elements as well)
Designs are printed on one side of thin, slightly rough non-perforated paper typical of CreateSpace. While the paper is actually white, the background of the designs are printed in black.
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.

All You Need Is Love…and a Cat: Coloring Book (Doodle Art Alley Books) (Volume 12)

By: Samantha Snyder

Rating: 5 of 5

I am a huge fan of cat-related coloring books. This is one of the more fun ones that I have. Most of the designs include a cute and cartoon-like cat and all of the designs have a quote or saying on them. I am having a lot of fun coloring in this book and thinking about my various cats (all of whom have passed.) It brings back the good times I had with each of them and gives me a lot of joy.

This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium:
50 Cat/Quote designs with fun attitude
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding. 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.
Colored 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 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.
In addition to the copy of this book that I purchased on Amazon, the publisher provided me with an advance reader copy of this book.

Fantasia: Adult Coloring Book

By: Phoenix Amulet

Rating: 5 of 5

I did not know that there was a version of this coloring book published in Asia. I most assuredly would have purchased it had I known. I have now started looking and can’t find it so hopefully someone will post a link in the comments to where it can be purchased.

However, for those of us living outside of Asia, this is a beautiful book of designs but it is printed on the typical thin (and frankly bad quality) paper which is the only paper that CreateSpace makes available for self-published artists.
I wish that the company (which is owned by Amazon, by the way), would provide artists with a choice of better paper. They don’t and I accept the quality knowing that it is the only way currently to get access to so many wonderful independent artists. I know that many individuals end up scanning the designs in these books and printing them on better quality paper. Irritating but at least it is an option for some.
Having said all of that, I just noticed that this book is no longer available on Amazon. I hope that it returns, either in the CreateSpace quality paper or something better. This is an artist whose work needs to be seen.
The designs are a wonderful range of fantasy from fairies to terrifying creatures and even a flying elephant. The designs are detailed and some have intricate and small spaces to color. The only problem I have with the designs in the book is deciding which order to color them in. I want to color them all right away!
This is what I found while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
61 Imaginative and Beautifully hand-drawn Fantasy designs
Printed one side of the page
Paper is thin, rough, white and non-perforated the same paper that all CreateSpace books are printed on
Glue Binding
Designs merge into the binding area
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 fairly 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 leave dents through the paper.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book with all forms of coloring medium. 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 Coloring Book of Cards and Envelopes: A Year of Celebrations

By: Nosy Crow

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a really cute set of color it and make your own style cards. The designs are fun and have areas to color or write in on all sides of the note cards. I would have been happy with just the cards but the set also comes with fold it yourself coordinating envelopes and stickers to seal them with. My first projects will be the Valentine’s day cards for my grandchildren. I missed New Year’s this year but will be using it next year.

The designs are detailed and some have a few intricate areas to color. I don’t find them difficult to color but they may present issues for someone with vision or fine motor skill issues.
There are cards for all types of special occasions or themes. There are 36 cards and matching envelopes and stickers for the following times: New Year (1), Valentine’s Day (2), Easter (2), Mother’s Day (2), Father’s Day (2), Birthday (5) Baby (1), Congratulations/well done (2), Anniversary (1), Graduation (1), Thank You (4), Thanksgiving (1), Happy Holidays (not Christmas specifically)(4), Thinking of you (2), Love (1), Get Well (1), and decorated Blank (4).
The envelopes have areas to color and decorate as well and the inside of the envelope is done is a all-over design (which I won’t color but could present a fun challenge for someone so inclined. The envelopes are made to coordinate with the particular card it is to be used which (these go in the same order in the book, so it is easy to match which one goes with which.) The designs of the cards are really cute with all sorts of elements which pertain to the holiday, special occasion, or the general theme of the card.
The cards are printed on a medium weight card stock while the envelopes are printed on a heavy weight paper. All of the pages are perforated for easy removal from the book, however, you still need to cut certain parts of the page.
Each page of cards has two cards on it with a cutting line to separate them. I prefer using a paper cutter to get a sharp edge but a good pair of scissors and a steady hand works, too. I also trim the perforated side of the cards and the envelopes as it is slightly rough once it is removed from the book (there is a cutting line for this as well.)
The fold lines are lightly scored on both the cards and the envelopes. There are written instructions on the method of folding the envelopes as well as stickers at the back of the book that can be used to help seal the envelopes.
If you are going to mail them, be aware that they are an unusual size and will probably require additional postage. It has been suggested on either books of this type that you can place the envelope inside a standard envelope to utilize regular postage. I give mine out directly or as part of a gift box package, so mine don’t go through the regular post machines, etc.
My alcohol-based markers bled through both types of paper.
Water-based markers, gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through or leave marks on the back of either types of paper. My India ink pens work really well with the designs. I get great coverage and the design elements still show through.
Colored pencils work well with the slight rough texture. I got good color with both oil and wax based pencils, especially when layering the same color for richer pigment. Layering multiple colors worked well, too. I was also able to blend well using a pencil style blender stick.

Womens & Flowers: Adult Coloring Book Stress Relieving Patterns (Womens & Flowers Coloring Books for Grown-Ups) (Volume 3)

By: Sophia Payne

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a slightly smaller than average format coloring book. The designs in it are reduced somewhat on the page as well. This makes for a very detailed and intricate set of illustrations inspired by women and flowers. While I wish the designs were done full page, I like the illustrations themselves. In many cases, if the pictures had been rotated and enlarged, I would have enjoyed the book more. There are designs of women in gardens or simply covered in flowers and also of just flowers and other plants.

The designs are quite detailed and include intricate elements with lots of tiny spots to color. I would not recommend this coloring book to anyone with fine motor or vision issues. I would also suggest that, for the intricate areas, use of ultra-fine point markers/pens or really sharp pencils would be best.
This is what I discovered while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
27 Women and Flower inspired designs which are sized rather small on the page
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated.
The designs do not merge into the binding. A few have framing lines at the outer edge but most stop without a line.