The Colors of Asia Coloring Book Review

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The Colors of Asia Coloring Book

The Colors of Asia seduced me when it was in pre order stage with its cover featuring printed reddish, orange flowers surrounded by lovely green leaves. The card cover has a lovely vibrant red inner and back cover which matches the spine of the book.

The book measures 25.5 cm x 25.5 cm (approximately 10in x 10in). The square format is very popular with coloring books but not practical if you wish to copy and color on cardstock (provided copyright allows). This size generally does not fit easily into a home printer/copier.

The book has a nice title page with a few butterflies adorning it that you can color and test your markers on.

The paper is white, smooth and good quality. The illustrations have been printed on both sides of the paper. There are no double page scenes within the book, and I think it is unfortunate that they have chosen to publish in this format rather than single sided.

I have to admit that I expected more of “Asia” in the book due to the title. I purchased when the book was in pre order so I didn’t have the benefit of a “look inside” or any reviews when placing my order. To me, “Asia” conjures up, amongst other things, street markets, busy cities, pagdodas, beautiful gardens, tea ceremonies and the like. I was somewhat surprised that the Colors of Asia consisted primarily of patterns taken from ceramics, textiles and rugs.

At the start of the book, we are presented with a visual table of contents. At the back of the book you will find more information about the original inspiration from the images. A number of illustrations are credited as being inspired from a well known stock image company as well as numerous Museums. It is unusual to find a table of contents in a coloring book, let alone a visual one, so this was quite a novelty for me.

The Colors of Asia – various patterns design (most with delicate/thin line weight)

The illustrations vary throughout the book providing different levels of complexity for colorists of all skill types. You will find dragonfly patterns, mandalas, koi fish, lanterns, fans and a multitude of florals. Most of the illustrations are presented in a pattern format using the entire page for the design. The stitched binding of the book assists it to lay down flat very easily with just a gentle prod. This is useful as most of the illustrations do go to the tricky spine area of the book.

The line work on the whole is quite delicate and although it is black, it can be difficult to see for the fine lines. Fortunately, there are a number of illustrations where the line weight is medium and a darker black making it easier to see for those with a visual impairment.

Some of the illustrations have a lot of fine details and complexity that may be difficult for those, like me, who dislike fiddly bits. Fortunately, there are many illustrations with larger areas of white space and less complex design.

On the whole, even though it wasn’t what I expected, I have grown fond of The Colors of Asia and the variety of patterns within it.