This book is so different to any I've reviewed before. The page backgrounds are black, with red touches here and there. The name really suits the type of book it is; very dark and unusual. It's one of my favourites already, mainly because of the quirky images and steampunk references!
As you can see this is a deliciously dark and mysterious colouring book! Right up my street! It reminds me of a scary video game like Silent Hill, where everything is not as it seems and normal objects take on an eerie/odd quality. I keep thinking the portrait in the living room picture is going to have eyes that move! Love it.
The standard of paper is brilliant. Thick, crisp pages, and as most of them are black you don't have to worry about things going through. The background also means you don't have to be too careful about going over the lines, which is always a bonus! The cover has a soft feel to it, which adds to the quality of the book. I only wish it was longer! Here are my completed pages. I'll definitely be finishing this book- as you can tell by now I really love it! I mainly used my Sakura Gelly Roll pens, glitter gel pens and metallic markers :)
You can find The Midnight Colouring Book here:
1 Comment
I recently asked my Facebook followers what their pen & book storage looked like, as mine is crammed in a pretty sorry looking box at the moment, take a look: Pretty sad looking, right? I needed some ideas for better storage and organising, and you didn't disappoint! Check out all these wonderful colouring stations and storage solutions! How do you keep your colouring arsenal organised? I'd love to see your pictures over on the Facebook page :) UPDATE: Check out my new storage desk! All your pictures inspired me and this is now where your reviews are coming from- rather than out of a plastic box!
Yesterday I held a flash giveaway for the colouring book Doodle Realm by Zifflin, over on the Facebook page. Here's the video draw!
Well done to Angela Hercliffe and a big thank you to everyone who entered xx
The only slight criticism I have of the pencils is that they are supposedly smudge-proof, but I've found the opposite to be true (you can see it slightly on the girl with the black hair in the slideshow below). If you brush them with the side of your hand shortly after applying, they will smudge across the paper which is a shame, but if you're careful it shouldn't be a problem. Here are some pictures I have coloured using these pencils. I would highly recommend them, and I would love to have the full set as the blending possibilities would be endless!
I received these in exchange for an honest review. You can find them on Amazon here:
This is a fab book filled with 45 females for you to colour, all designed by award-winning artist Jacqueline Myers-Cho. Each illustration is so plainly drawn that it barely seems that any effort went into creating them, though I'm sure it did! It's just the way they are so sparsely sketched. The lines are not perfect, they're simple outlines without detail, but with a big impact on the page. It really reminded me of a book I can't recall the name of that I read at school, the drawings are so childlike and fun. The drawings have an otherworldly quality to them that I can't quite put my finger on, although some of them are more surrealistic than others (one depicts a girl with an egg & bacon sandwich atop her head!). It's as if they're not human- there's something slightly alien about them. It's really interesting to colour; as you will see in the ones I've completed I decided to make them all 'off' somehow, whether they're gothy or have strange coloured skin. They sort of remind me of Monster High or Living Dead Dolls. I love how quirky & different this book is! The paper is good quality- I tested a black Triplus on them and it didn't go through to the other side, but you could use Sharpies or anything really as each page is one-sided. Here are my finished pictures, I hope you like them! I really want to frame these as it's exactly my type of thing- slightly strange and gothic. I used my Faber-Castell art pencils with a bit of Triplus on the details. Watch this space for a review of the sequel to this book: Monsters! This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. You can find it on Amazon, here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacquelines-Coloring-Book-Jacqueline-Myers-Cho/dp/1482725843
Today's review comes from a book that is very unusual in the sense that it isn't illustrated by just one person, but a variety of artists from different walks of life, young and old... sound interesting? Read on! This book, edited by Suzanne Makol, is a collaboration of work by artists, educators, kids, designers, engineers... basically lots of people from different walks of life, all with different styles. There's children's drawings; abstract art; surrealism; minimalism and more. This is a colouring book for everyone, a great one to share with the kids or do a quick page when you don't want to get into anything intricate. There's no airs and graces here, it is what it is and it's totally unique. Each page has its artist's name at the footer, and although there are several works by the same person in the book there are 31 different designers and 52 illustrations altogether. The paper quality lets it down slightly as it is on the thin side, and if you use more than medium pressure it will show through to the other side. As the designs are double sided, it's not great to be brutally honest. You can actually see the next page's design through the previous page in some cases. The thing is, with the type of book this is I don't think it matters too much. It's not supposed to be another Secret Garden with thick, card-like pages and ornate, complex designs. It's a whole different animal is this, a fusion of all different kinds of fun art that you don't need to strain your eyes to colour or be rigidly careful with your pens. It's designed to be fun, not hard work. I'd recommend this book to someone who's into the unusual and the unconventional- someone who doesn't take their colouring or art in general too seriously. I certainly enjoyed colouring something that's such a mixed bag; it makes a change from books that are full of variations of the same design. Take a look at my pages below! I loved doing the first one especially; I saw it as the cold, hard industrial world vs. colourful nature :) For the one with 4 pictures on each, I decided to colour 3 of them in normal, boring colours and the last in wacky shades. I hope you like them! This copy of Any Colour You Like was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. You can find it on Lulu, here: http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/suzanne-makol/any-colour-you-like/paperback/product-21949390.html
So my son got a new school bag and immediately enlisted me to colour it in. I think it's gonna take a while... Look at my colouring face- super concentration! My husband sure knows how to take an unflattering photo!
What odd or unusual items have you coloured? I'd love to see them on the Facebook page. Check out the guys from KAMISHITOO doodling on the wall! Imagine having to colour THAT in with fineliners!
I was so excited when Dutch illustrator Masja van den Berg got in contact about reviewing her adult colouring book, Mijn wonderlijke wereld (translated: My Wonderful World :) She very kindly offered to send an extra copy for me to giveaway to my blog followers, and I know you'll be just as excited as I was as it is STUNNING!
The book itself doesn't disappoint as the ilustrations are simply divine, all delicate fine lines and swirls. A lot of them are paisley oriented, which I love as there's always lots of different spaces for you to colour. There is something for everyone in the 46 pages, designs including florals, animals, mandalas, and zentangles.
As you can see, the artwork in this book is just exquisite. Hard to believe they're all hand drawn! The paper is also very good, I didn't experience bleeding unless I pressed down very hard or went over the same space a few times, which is normal for good colouring books. Take a look at the designs I've coloured so far, I love them!
And now for the great giveaway! To win your very own copy of Mijn wonderlijke wereld, just enter via the rafflecopter below! Good luck! This competition is open worldwide :)
A copy of this book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. You can buy your copy today on Masja's Etsy page, she ships worldwide :) https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/232320425/colouring-book-for-adults-mijn?ref=shop_home_active_1
Today I'm reviewing a super cool book that might make your eyes cross a bit! It's full of overlapping illustrations and teeny micro-designs, all from the wacky & wild brain of British artist Samuel Lindup- The Colouring Mind!
I've a different kind of colouring review for you today- not books or sheets, but huge A2 sized colouring posters by Fancy Features! Fancy Features is the brainchild of Maria (illustrator) and Chris (web & graphic design) who live & work in the West Midlands, UK. They create custom artwork for clients to colour in, dealing with several big brands and charities along the way. The pack I received includes 6 x A2 sized posters, priced at just £12 (inc. postage). The designs vary from the cosmos to incredibly detailed British terraced streets, each one printed on smooth 150gsm paper. My Edding colour markers did bleed, but obviously it doesn't matter as they're individual not double-sided. Each one takes lots of time to do as you'd expect, but the results are astounding. You really feel like you've created a work of art when finished! Little Max didn't manage to finish his poster (no attention span!) but take a look at me & Shane's masterpiece! I've already ordered a frame online, and as soon as it comes the picture will be going up in the kids' bedroom :) Shane loved how ours seemed like a normal camping scene at first, but on closer inspection composed of strangely shaped trees and swirly plants. He says it's a fantasy camp, which is why he coloured the moon pink! I can't wait to get started on the other posters, it would be awesome to have them all framed and displayed on the wall :) I hope you enjoyed our review of the Fancy Features poster pack! It was given to us in exchange for an honest review. You can find them online, here: www.fancyfeatures.com/
|