Romantic Country by Eriy

​Summary 
Current Price: £11.32
Number of Pages: 96
Size: 25 x 24cm 
Paper colour: Ivory
Paper surface: Smooth  
Paper thickness: Very Good  
Linework: Fine  
Perforated: No  
One sided: No 
Binding: Glue  
Drawings go into the spine: Yes 
Waterbased pen bleed: None

I've been waiting for this book for so long, I can't believe I've finally got a copy in my hands! I knew from the previews this book was going to be just beautiful, and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I'd go as far as saying this is my favourite colouring book of all time.

Eriy is a Japanese illustrator who is currently studying English in Oxford. There's something very special about her artwork that I have never come across before- she draws entirely with ink and a TOOTHPICK of all things! And her illustrations are absolutely stunning, it's just incredible how she manages to create such delicate pictures with such a rudimentary object. Eriy used 700 toothpicks to create this book!

Romantic Country is the first of three books in the series, and the only one currently commercially available outside of Asia. The book portrays an idyllic land called Cocot (meaning: the cry of a bird/duck) which doesn't exist on maps, only in Eriy's imagination. Eriy fantasized about this magical land as a child, full of cute little animals, plentiful greenery and people living a "truly pleasant life". Everything is calm and blissful in this utopia, living off the land its inhabitants cultivate, the perfect place to live. I want to move to Cocot! 

There are magical castles, babbling brooks, islands where it snows all year round, and even witches who live deep in the forest. Have a look through this bumper slideshow of images from the book and lose yourself in the picturesque land of Cocot.

Eriy's style is very whimsical, and although it looks like a child's storybook there is still lots of detail to keep the adult colourist interested. I just love the charming beauty of the illustrations, each page you colour bringing life to this amazing land.

The paper is very thick and good quality, with no bleed from waterbased pens. Its an ivory colour that really adds to the vintage feel of the book. In the back there is a detailed list of information about each illustration, telling you more about the different places in Cocot, as well as a huge pull-out poster for you to colour.

This book is one I will treasure and try my very best to complete as the illustrations deserve to be seen in colour. I can't wait for books 2 & 3 to become widely available!

Here is my finished picture, coloured with Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. I decided to make it twilight to add to the spookiness of wandering up to a witch's house in a forbidden forest...

Buy Romantic Country on Amazon here:

Romantic Country: A Fantasy Coloring Book