Day of the Dead: Sugar Skulls 2 by Monika Mira

Monika Mira has a pretty sweet life. Not only can she draw amazingly patterened skulls and has multiple children's books published, she's a an aquatic biologist AND she lives in Hawaii! #livingthedream! As a conservationist, she works on numerous projects to protect Hawaii's natural resources, and between times she has produced two funky colouring books!

This book is the sequel to her first foray into the colouring world, Sugar Skulls, and features 24 groovy skull outlines just waiting for a splash of colour. Each page is either a large front-facing skull adorned with animals and patterns, or an object with a skull incorporated. There's also 3 blank templates at the back for you to design your own extravagant bonehead! 

Sugar skulls, or Calavera as they're known in native Spanish, are widely used for representing passed loved ones in the Mexican festival of Dia de Los Muertos (Hallowe'en/All Soul's Day as it's known here). The edible ones are usually made from cane sugar, hence the name! 

The book is paperback with decent quality white paper, each page printed with one design so no worry about bleed through. This is particularly helpful because sugar skulls are intended for intense, vivid colour, so you'll be able to use all your alcohol markers, brush pens- even paint! 

The illustrations themselves are detailed but the spaces aren't too small, in fact some of the skulls have quite a bit of blank space so if you're looking for varying levels of difficulty in one book, this is a good choice. There's also lots of opportunity for practicing flower shading, as roses are aplenty. If you're a fan of bright colours, outlandish designs and a bit of the macabre like me, you'll love this book. Here are my completed pictures!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. You can find it on Amazon, here:

Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Coloring Book 2 (Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Coloring Books)