Book Review: Joyful Inspirations Coloring Book

When I pick up a coloring book containing beautiful, yet intricately detailed drawings, I can feel my stress level immediately begin to rise at the thought of coloring just ONE of the pictures, not to mention the thought of coloring the entire book. Exactly how much free time do they think I have on my hands?! ? 

Let’s just say that those books magically appear back on the shelf where I found them, and I continue my search while practicing deep-breathing exercises to calm back down.

Robin Mead’s Joyful Inspirations Coloring Book: With Illustrated Scripture and Quotes to Cheer Your Soul is exactly the type of coloring book I enjoy! ?️

The pictures are unique and fun, with just enough detail to promote relaxation without killing the mood, and she leaves plenty of space within the designs for you to add your own creative touches to the page.

When I colored the picture below, you can see that I was able to creatively customize the children’s clothing—drawing in sleeves (second from left) and patterns (the first three left to right).

I used colored pencils, glitter gel pens, and chalk for the rays of the sun and to help with skin tones. I find that chalking helps me get exactly the tones I’m looking for without overpowering the image. 

Unique and Diverse

Most of Mead’s drawings do not include people, but those that do lend themselves to ethnic diversity, which reflects the heart and calling of the author:

Robin Mead is an artist who combines her background in social work, studies in fine art, and love of expression to create joyful depictions of life. Using insight and intuition, she translates positive emotions onto paper, canvas, and the digital screen.” (author bio)

The illustrations vary widely from flowers to leaves; skylines to underwater scenes; butterflies to dolphins; peacocks to owls; and landscapes to floral patterns and kaleidoscopic images. The book also features drawings of a number of diverse places of worship ranging from cathedrals to country churches.

? Specs:

• 96 pages with images printed on both sides of the page.
• 10″ x 10″ (approximately)

? Pros:

The pictures are unique and interesting; detailed and diverse. Some pages feature Bible verses and inspirational quotes, but most are wordless.

? Cons:

Because the pictures are printed on both sides of the page, you might experience some bleed-through—especially if you use water-based ink. I used gel pens with no adverse effects.

Sadly, I need to let you know that after I finished coloring my picture, I realized the following six pages had shared ink with each other (see picture at right). ?

Although the transferred ink was easy to erase, I recommend placing a sheet or two of cardstock under the page you are coloring to help minimize the offset. (You also might wish to invest in a good eraser.)

Joyful Recommendation with Caveat

I highly recommend Joyful Inspirations Coloring Book with the important reminder that you need to color with caution: (1) place cardstock under the picture you’re working on, and (2) don’t use water-based markers if you plan to color the illustration on the back of the picture you’re working on. This is unique coloring book will be enjoyable for all ages, and would make a great gift!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission…which would be really nice! Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”