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Color Me Happy and Color Me Calm by Lacy Mucklow and Angela Porter

19/8/2015

5 Comments

 
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After the massive impact Johanna Basford and Millie Marotta's books made in the book charts, not to mention basically kicking off the adult colouring phenomenon, it's not often I come across another book that I would consider to be a staple for colourists everywhere. Both Color Me Happy and Color Me Calm sit comfortably in that category. They seem to have a bit of everything, all sorted into 6 colour-coded sections so you can easily flick to whatever it is you want to colour at the time. They're like an index for colourists! If you want to colour people, there's a section for that. If you want to colour water scenes, there's a section for that. If you want to colour mandalas or geometric patterns, there's a... you get the picture. Basically, if you enjoy colouring I reckon these should be on your bookshelf, simple as that! 

Here's a pic of the edge of the pages, each section a different colour.
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And here's a bumper slideshow of pictures from both books!
Each chunky book has a 100 single-sided colouring pages, they're like tomes! The back of each page is colourfully patterned instead of being left white, which is a nice touch. It is thick and white, with each drawing encased in a border. The books ooze quality, and have the quantity to match The illustrations are whimsical and lovely to look at, not too intricate either (too much detail makes me anxious never mind calm!). 
The sections in each book are as follows:

Color Me Happy
1. Nature
2. Animals and Babies
3. Music
4. Food & Drink
5. Whimsical Imagery
6 .Art & Architecture

Color Me Calm
1. Mandalas
2. Water Scenes
3. Wooded Scenes
4. Geometric Patterns
5. Floral and Fauna
6. Natural Patterns

The books also have an introduction, advice on colours and pre-coloured images to give you inspiration. The cover has lovely glossy lettering and accents, bright colours and a durable finish. As you can tell I'm pretty impressed with everything about these books! I only wish I had Color Me Stress-Free to complete the 'Zen' series (next purchase me thinks!). My only quibble is that I wish it was spiral bound. It can be a bit of a tackle to get the books to lie flat, especially if you're colouring near the front or the back.

Here are my finished pictures, completed with Spectrum Noir, PanPastel and a hint of glitter gel.
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I was given these books in exchange for an honest review. You can find them on Amazon here:
Color Me Happy: 100 Coloring Templates that Will Make You Smile (Coloring for Thinkers)

Color Me Calm: 100 Coloring Templates for Meditation and Relaxation (Coloring for Thinkers)
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5 Comments
Angela Porter link
19/8/2015 01:12:51 pm

Claire, thank you so much for taking the time to review the books and for an honest review. I'm so glad that you like them and that you are having happy and calming times with them! If you don't like too intricate I'd better keep Entangled in the Creative Haven series from Dover Publications away from you ;-)

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Angela porter
23/8/2015 09:11:44 pm

I love love love to color! I came across your page by accident and very happy i did÷ thank you!!!

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Audrey Carmony
12/1/2016 06:12:50 pm

My Mother is legally blind and she loves coloring. Do you produce large print coloring books. Thank you, Audrey Carmony.

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Claire
13/1/2016 07:12:20 pm

Hi Audrey,

I'd recommend The One and Only Enormous Colouring Book by Phoenix Yard :)

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Lisa Bednarz
12/2/2016 08:30:18 pm

I LOVE Color Me Calm - I love it so much, that I purchased the smaller version to carry around with me. I have been coloring for the past 12 or 13 years, so this adult coloring explosion has my head spinning! I never thought I would be able to come out of the closet, much less have CHOICES of quality coloring materials - as well as all of the other products that I've been painfully collecting over the years! As interesting as all of the intricate drawings are - I was getting totally stressed out by the projects. What kept me coloring for all of these years, was the easy flow of coloring large, medium and small spaces in a handful of mandala books. THAT was relaxing. And if I wanted to only choose 3 or 4 colors - it was a success. When I found Color Me Calm, I was thrilled to have so many choices - more than my lazy mandala s, but less than the zentangled images that are EVERYWHERE. I don't think it will take long for the publishers to see these more relaxing images selling as well as the intricate ones. There is room for both.

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©Claire Eadie 2015
  • ~Home~
  • ~My Story~
  • ~Mental Health~
  • ~Beginner's Guide to Colouring~
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  • ~Colouring Book Reviews~
  • ~Product Reviews~
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  • ~Gallery~
  • ~Colouring Challenges~
  • ~Gemstones~
  • ~Charts~
  • ~Digital Painting~
  • ~Illustrator Interviews~
  • ~Media Appearances~
  • ~FAQ~
  • ~Contact~
  • ~Policy~
  • Palette generator