Coloring Book Review: Wonderland by Amily Shen

Hi Lovelies!

I've been coloring in coloring books my entire life, literally! As an adult in my late 20's when I'd get invited to a friends house for movie night, it usually involved some snickering because I came with my tote bag full of crayons, coloring books and snacks! I have loved coloring since I was a child, and never stopped!

Several years ago when I first heard about adult coloring books I was super excited. It was like a big IN YOUR FACE to all the people who laughed or made fun of me. I bought my first adult book and I've never looked back. If your like me, this is not a craze, but a passion, a whimsical escape from a hectic day and a wonderful world of solitude.

I've mentioned before that this blog will be evolving, as I too have evolved. One way is with the addition on adult coloring book reviews. Squeee!!! So let's jump right on in to Wonderland by Amily Shen




Wonderland: a Coloring Book Inspired by Alice's Adventures

Author: Amily Shen
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Watson-Guptill
Format: Finished Copy
Source: Publisher- for review
Pages: 80





Just like with any book, when it comes to the world of adult coloring, you'll quickly find who your favorite author's or artist's are. I've been a huge fan of Amily Shen for ages. I was always so jealous of everyone who could afford to pay the high prices to have her books exported from Asia. For me, that was just way outside of my price range, so I am absolutely thrilled that her books are starting to be published here in the states! When the chance came to review one of my favorite works of hers, I jumped at it!

 The cover is just so perfect, in my opinion. One of the things that makes Amily Shen my favorite artist is her use of childhood whimsy and fun. That definitely shines through in the cover of her book.

The book itself, like most adult coloring books is paperback with the cover being made of a thicker, more durable material.

You'll see some of the classic character's on the cover like the mad hatter and the cheshire cat!

The dust jacket is completely removable, which I really like. Underneath you'll find more of her whimsical art. On the underside of the dust jacket the background is white , with more art work. I really liked this because it is perfect for those who like to use sharpies to color with. This is the perfect place for those, and I loved that the artist left no wasted space!

The cover itself, once the dust jacket is removed is much the same. The background is this really beautiful peach color with art work done atop in black. Again, for those who love to color in sharpie's I feel like this would be the perfect place to make good use of them!

This is one of the first images I came to in the book, and I just couldn't leave the page black and white. The book is a clever mix of stories from the original Alice in Wonderland with classic art that Amily Shen is known for throughout the pages.

The pages themselves are a really nice thick quality, which is important in the adult coloring world. The pages are printed double sided, which can sometimes be an issue, but with the thicker heavier pages used, it wasn't!

I used an array of colored pencils in this book. From the kind you'd have used in school from brands such as Crayola, and Rose Art ( remember those! Are they even still around?!?) To the higher end like Prisma Color. I also used my stabilo fineliner's to add richness and depth, and draw the eye to certain parts of the artwork that I wanted to stand out. Typically on a thin or cheap quality paper the fineliner's will bleed through the page and become visible on the backside. In really sad instance's they have bled through several pages, but that was not an issue here with this book! It never bled through to the backside, making the double side printed pages no issue at all!

This book was a huge homerun for me and I had a blast getting lost in the pages. I highly recommend picking this one up! Before I go I will leave you with one last imagine.