Review: Aloha

Art by Tere Gott

Available now from Tere Gott

Review copy

Chilean artist Tere Gott frequently posts her art on Instagram, and the coloring-book pictures in Aloha are super Instagram friendly. There are succulents, yoga, and more. The theme of Aloha is the beach, but not all of the images are directly beach related. My favorite page features a UFO.

This coloring book includes 22 images and is $45. Yes, that is pricey. However, this is an oversized coloring book. The book itself is 17.4 x 11.8 inches and each page is perforated. These posters are pretty easy to frame in an 17 x 11" frame, which is an easy size to find since it is a common size for digital printing. 

In addition, the sheets are 0.5 lb duplex paper, meaning that they're thick and backed so that there is no bleedthrough, even if the page isn't removed before coloring. (The cover lies completely flat when opened.) Markers, watercolors, and more can be used on these pages. 

This is an incredibly designed coloring book. The designs are simple, though some of the detail work is difficult with mediums like watercolors. Most of the backgrounds are plain, allowing for personal creativity.

Aloha is an incredibly designed coloring book. I'd love to see more coloring books in this style.

Review: Crush + Color: Twentieth Century Foxes

Illustrated by Maurizio Campidelli

Available now from Castle Point Books

Review copy

I think all of Maurizio Campidelli's Crush + Color coloring books are good fun, but the Twentieth Century Foxes pun in particular cracked me up. I think this is the first book in the series not to cover a single actor. Actors not pictured on the cover include Antonio Banderas, Patrick Swayze, Pierce Brosnan, and more. All have more than one coloring page. An index might have been a nice addition to this one.

Thankfully, the actors are identified on each page just in case I didn't recognize them. Their names are always used in the short fantasy bubble that appears opposite the coloring page. Only one page in a spread is designed to be colored and the pages are perforated, allowing for the pages to be removed and either shared or used for decoration.

The art on these pages goes almost to the edges, but there is a small border. I find most of the images appealing from a coloring standpoint, with a mix of detailed areas for when I want to focus and bigger areas for when I want to zone out. I feel like Campidelli is great at laying out a coloring page. The paper is nice too, much better than a children's coloring book. I used markers on one page without bleed-through to the next coloring page.

I do think that Campidelli's likenesses vary in quality. I don't particularly like his Denzel Washington or George Clooney. But I think his Antonio Banderas and Kurt Russell are great. There is more detail to the faces than the rest of the page, which doesn't always work for me.

Overall though, I very much enjoy this coloring series and think Crush + Color: Twentieth Century Foxes is a fun addition. These coloring books have a fun sense of humor and appealing subject matter.

Review: Dinosaurs: A Smithsonian Coloring Book

Illustrated by Rachel Curtis

Available now from IDW Publishing

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Dinosaurs: A Smithsonian Coloring Book combines facts with full-page coloring. Like many adult coloring books, there is only one coloring page per spread. However, the facing page isn't wasted. Instead, it is filled with facts collected by employees of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Much has been learned about dinosaurs since my childhood, and I felt like I learned something. There are also colorable borders around the facts.

The art itself is lovely and no space is wasted - the art goes all the way off the page. There are lots of fine details giving the dinosaurs and their environments texture. This works well for me, but I think this book would be frustrating for young children who like dinosaurs. It also might not be good for those with motor control issues.

The paper is nice and holds up well to both crayons and colored pencils. It even holds up okay to markers, although there is a little bleeding. Overall, it is a well-constructed coloring book. These are not perforated pages, which I don't mind as I don't decorate with my coloring.

I think Dinosaurs is a terrific coloring book for adult coloring fans. The ink illustrations are so lush.

Review: Zendoodle Coloring: Baby Unicorns

Illustrated by Jeanette Wummel

Available now from Castle Point Books

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I enjoyed Zendoodle Colorscapes: Outrageous Owls: Wacky Birds to Color and Display by Deborah Muller enough to try out a different line of Zendoodle Coloring books with Zendoodle Coloring: Baby Unicorns: Magical Cuteness to Color and Display by Jeanette Wummel. Magical cuteness is right.

These unicorns, big and small, are adorable. Many of the scenes depicted are family scenes, and I think this would be a fun coloring book to work on with family. I find it fun to color with others - especially if it keeps the kids quiet for a bit! (Talk about stress relief.)

In Baby Unicorns, the art is only printed on one side of the pages to make them nicer for display. The paper is also thicker than an inexpensive children's coloring book and the pages are perforated along the spine. It is well done for those who would like to turn the pages into posters.

These unicorns come in a variety of poses (especially profile and straight-on view). The scenes vary, although few include more than two unicorns. These images don't have as much detail work as some. There are detailed areas, but the majority of each image is large areas. It's easier than some adult coloring books, which has its own appeal.

Baby Unicorns is an absolutely delightful coloring book!

Review: Crush and Color: Keanu Reeves

Illustrated by Maurizio Campidelli

Available now from Castle Point Books

Review copy

I was unfamiliar with the Crush and Color coloring book series, but I have bought similar books before. I really enjoy Keanu Reeves films and he seems like an all-around decent person, so I assumed Crush and Color: Keanu Reeves: Colorful Fantasies with a Mysterious Hero would have several scenes that appealed to me.

The framing of the book is fairly silly, with short, two-sentence fantasies about each coloring picture appearing on the facing page. But it's all in good fun. From surfing to ironing to walking puppies to being a rock star, this Keanu does it all.

Maurizio Campidelli's art fills each page almost to the edge. The backgrounds are filled with details that help flesh out the scenes. Some have lots small areas, others bigger spaces to color. I do find the way Keanu's face is way more detailed than the rest of the image somewhat off-putting.

If I have one real gripe about Crush and Color: Keanu Reeves, it is that every page offers the same Keau Reeves - long hair, stubble, a few wrinkles. As the intro states, he's been acting since the 80's. That's four decades of Keanu to color! I think that some variety would've been nice.

Overall, this is a nice coloring book suitable for crayons or colored pencils. It would make a cute gag gift for the Keanu Reeves fan in your life.