Wow, it's been a long time since we had a post around here! I do apologize for the long gap. Onto today's book review.
Artists like Johanna Basford and Hanna Karlzon have special editions of their popular books. These books have better paper, are printed on one side and can be removed from the book for putting up on your walls. My only issue with these books is that they have only a handful of pages from the original book.
Millie Marotta's deluxe editions are very different. They are printed on thick 180 GSM paper, on only one side of the page. Double-page spreads are included as a foldout so you won't find it hard to color.
Best of all, each deluxe edition has every single picture from the original book! There are even a few pictures on card stock included at the back of the book. So you don't have to detach any page from the book if you want to frame one and put it up on the walls.
Millie Marotta's artwork is well known in the adult coloring world. Each book follows a theme such as animals, the savanna, the tropics, birds etc. So this book has everything tropical - from birds and animals to insects and colorful plants.
Millie's art is quite different from my other favorite artists. I resisted buying any of her books for a long time because I didn't quite like the line art. But the deluxe additions are simply wonderful and I had to have at least one.
As I have colored a few pages, the artwork has grown on me. I find it quite refreshing from the whimsical and fantastic that is typical of adult coloring books. I've found that the artwork becomes much more beautiful once you add color to it!
As I've said before, the book features extremely thick 180 GSM paper that is bright white. It's not exactly my favorite paper but it is quite good. It handles water extremely well. There is very little warping and the paper flattens out after a while. The paper is quite smooth to the touch and doesn't have much of a tooth.
The book is hardbound and covered with a linen type fabric. It feels very nice to the touch. The double-page spreads are included as foldouts, so you don't lose any of the images to the binding. There are quite a few of the double-page spreads although most of the images are contained within a single page.
But for now, I'm happy with Tropical Wonderland. If you're looking for a high-quality coloring book that will take water-based mediums and alcohol markers, look no further.
Tropical Wonderland by Millie Marotta
Description
Millie Marotta's deluxe editions are very different. They are printed on thick 180 GSM paper, on only one side of the page. Double-page spreads are included as a foldout so you won't find it hard to color.
Best of all, each deluxe edition has every single picture from the original book! There are even a few pictures on card stock included at the back of the book. So you don't have to detach any page from the book if you want to frame one and put it up on the walls.
Artwork
Millie's art is quite different from my other favorite artists. I resisted buying any of her books for a long time because I didn't quite like the line art. But the deluxe additions are simply wonderful and I had to have at least one.
As I have colored a few pages, the artwork has grown on me. I find it quite refreshing from the whimsical and fantastic that is typical of adult coloring books. I've found that the artwork becomes much more beautiful once you add color to it!
Paper Quality
As I've said before, the book features extremely thick 180 GSM paper that is bright white. It's not exactly my favorite paper but it is quite good. It handles water extremely well. There is very little warping and the paper flattens out after a while. The paper is quite smooth to the touch and doesn't have much of a tooth.The book is hardbound and covered with a linen type fabric. It feels very nice to the touch. The double-page spreads are included as foldouts, so you don't lose any of the images to the binding. There are quite a few of the double-page spreads although most of the images are contained within a single page.
Suitable Mediums
- Colored pencils are ok
- Watercolor pencils are the best!
- Alcohol markers suck
- Pitt pens are awesome
Value
The book is available on Amazon for about $25. It might seem steep compared to $10 or $5 books but believe me when I say the quality is worth it. If I had enough space on my table and in my budget, I would buy every single one of the deluxe editions!But for now, I'm happy with Tropical Wonderland. If you're looking for a high-quality coloring book that will take water-based mediums and alcohol markers, look no further.
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