by Alan Robert
Published by IDW Publishing on 16/10/2018
Style: double page printing, Paper: Medium to Heavy, Perforated pages, single page illustrations
Format: Dust Jacket, Glue & Stitched
I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the product or the content of my review.
Goodreads
Ghouliana sinks her fangs into The North Pole, causing all kinds of chaos and havoc on Christmas Eve with this spooktacular holiday-themed coloring book! The Ghosts of Christmas is intricately illustrated by best-selling artist Alan Robert and is overflowing with limb-filled stockings, zombified elves, burning gingerbread houses, and decaying reindeer. p>
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the product. If you buy a book using that link, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the price that you pay. Your support is very much appreciated x
The Beauty of Horror: Ghosts of Christmas Coloring Book Video Review
I hope you enjoyed the video review of  The Beauty of Horror: Ghosts of Christmas Coloring Book illustrated by Alan Robert.  This is the fourth book that Alan Robert has created in the Beauty of Horror coloring book series.
  |
  |
  |
Subscribe to my YouTube channel and never miss a coloring book review.
Ghosts of Christmas Coloring Book  Review
I can’t tell you how excited I have been this year at the prospect of a whole book dedicated to the ghoulish Ghouliana.  We were first introduced to the character of Ghouliana in the original Beauty of Horror Coloring Book. This creepy little ghoul has really grown on me and I was delighted when the second book in the series made her a lead role with Ghouliana’s Creepatorium.  In the third book in the Beauty of Horror Series, Haunted Playgrounds, Ghouliana has really come into her own.  She has the monopoly on creepiness with scenes that suit her character. She has certainly wheedled her way into my heart.
As soon as I found out that Ghouliana was having her own Christmas themed coloring book I was excited.  What would this little imp get up to? How would horror + Christmas combine?  The one thing that I never expected from Ghosts of Christmas was how funny it would be. I have a dark sense of humour but the warped sense of humour depicted in the illustrations in this book takes it to a new level.
Ghosts of Christmas Coloring Book is an ideal size for my handbag or as a stocking stuffer this Christmas
Cover & Layout
The card cover of Beauty of Horror Ghosts of Christmas Coloring Book features Ghouliana decorating the tree.  Of course, her tree decorations are not the usual ornaments – but cute little skulls, spooks and skeletons interspersed among the baubles and candy canes.  Red and gold foiling features predominantly on the front and back cover art.
The inside cover features the same patterned design on a red background that has been a theme in the series of coloring books. The cover art has been included in the book for you to color as well.
One of the first things that you will notice about the coloring book is the size.   It differs from the usual size of the books in the series being a more compact 17.9 x 18.6.  This makes it a great size for your handbag, stocking stuffer and for travelling.
The other change in layout is the illustrations to color are printed on one side only of the ivory medium to heavy paper.  The paper has been perforated for ease of removal.  This makes it easy to color the pictures on whatever surface you wish, with your medium of choice. You can also easily frame the pictures individually, or even create a gallery dedicated to Ghouliana.  You could even buy a multi-picture frame to make your own collage of creepiness.
My darling always wants to tear out Alan’s pictures and frame them, uncolored, because he just adores the artwork.  He has finally been given permission to do just that with Ghosts of Christmas. The perforation is located well away from the spine and artwork.  Clearly, thought has been given to the design for both ease of coloring and for framing.
Ancillary Pages
At the start of the book, you will find 5 ancillary pages with artwork on both sides of the paper before you reach the coloring book proper.  Any of these pages or the back section of the book would be ideal to test your mediums.
A cute wreath designed title page starts the book. It features bats, spooks and gingerbread men amongst the skulls and baubles. A scaled down version of this image is printed on the reverse of each illustration. I think it would have been nice if this artwork was adapted so the colorist could write their name and date of coloring the picture on this.
This is followed by copyright information with decorative ornaments and gifts for you to color.  Ghouliana’s mischievous streak shines through with the adapted nameplate page. Instead of something mainstream, this has been themed with the book to show your name on the Naughty List.  It’s cute touches like this that makes these coloring books really special.
All of the Beauty of Horror books by Alan Robert feature interactivity.  There are things to find as you color your way through the book.  The list of Lost Presents to search for is located at the front of the book and at the back you will find the legend.
The coloring book starts with a cute poem beautifully decorated and framed with a Christmas theme and Ghouliana in starring role.
At the end of the book . you will find a page where you can decorate your own Christmas ornaments.  This is consistent with all of the Beauty of Horror coloring books that feature an opportunity for you to create your own artwork.  This create your own page has been adapted though to suit the Christmas theme which is a really special touch.
As featured in all of the Beauty of Horror books you will find two pages where you can swatch out your colors or test your color palette ideas.  I always think this is a great page to note down the colors that you usually use for commonly featured items, like Ghouliana’s skin, skeletons and bones and of course a dash of blood.
Ghosts of Christmas closes with Ghouliana taking the sleigh and holding a list …presumably the Nice List as she has a cheeky grin and a very cute poem.   The contents of the poem, have convinced me that we haven’t seen the last of Ghouliana. I’m sure she will be back next year on another coloring adventure.
It’s time for those gingerbread cookies to get their revenge on Santa!
Layout
Although there is printing on both sides of the ivory, medium quality paper the artwork to color is just on a single page.
Art Work
With each book that has been produced in the Beauty of Horror series Alan Robert’s artwork just seems to continuously improve in composition and imagination.  In Ghouliana’s Christmas we see quirky horror scenes with a real dash of humour thrown in.  We see Christmas from the point of view of the reindeer, elves and even the gingerbread men. The scenes are imaginative, appealing and even thought provoking.
Colorists will enjoy coloring all the trappings of Christmas like gingerbread men, snowmen, and stockings but with a horror twist of chain saws dripping blood and skeletal reindeer.
I think it’s safe to assume that this reindeer has quit his job pulling Santa’s sleigh!
There are so many different techniques that you could showcase in this coloring book – bones, blood, zombie skin all go without saying but as well there is stone, metal, snow globes and fur that can all be learned and put to use in other coloring books as well.
The artwork has been drawn in a dull black medium line.  Extra texture and shading have been added by the artist to guide the colorist.
Colorists that have a minor visual impairment may find that some pages have a lot of small detail on them, particularly skeletal bones.  The detail and the smaller size may mean that you will need your magnifying lamp for some pages.
Giveaway
Watch the video review of Beauty of Horror: Ghosts of Christmas Coloring Book to see how you can enter the giveaway on YouTube to win this book for yourself.
Detail Level
Where to buy Beauty of Horror: Ghosts of Christmas Coloring Book
| Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Ca | Amazon Jp | Book Depository |
Happy coloring x
Lea
Leave a Comment