Martini Madness by Lynnda Rakos

Get your glad rags on and join the party with this fab colouring book from LA artist Lynnda Rakos! This most definitely is colouring for adults, designed for pulling out when the kids are in bed and fixing yourself a cocktail (shaken or stirred?), and if you don't stay inside the lines after a few mixers, well, who cares?

The book is filled with retro cartoons which are reminiscent of The Jetsons in style. I've never seen the TV show Mad Men but apparently this colouring book encompases that same era; all 60s furniture and wallpaper, everything dripping with busy patterns and quirky shapes. The illustrations include vintage neon signs, wiggle-dressed ladies and groovy quiffed males, funky lamps and decor, young couples making out under the stars and classy party scenes. Here's a look through the pages to give you a sense of that iconic period :)

There are 45 drawings in total, which are printed on one page each so no worries about bleed through. The paper isn't too thick but has a nice tooth to soak up those markers, and the linework varies in thickness but always stays crisp and clean. The images are all quite linear and don't have too much detail, so this isn't a book that would take forever to complete. It is priced at a little over £13 which is a bit of an eye-opener when you think that Secret Garden can be bought for under a fiver now. If you really like this mid-century style and cocktail party culture, I'd recommend buying and framing your finished pieces as kitsch artwork.

Here's my finished page, which I completed with assorted alcohol markers and PanPastels. I wanted the van to have a 'Mystery Machine' look about it :)

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

Martini Madness: Mid- Century Modern Adult Coloring Book