Floating World Japanese Prints Coloring Book: Color your Masterpiece & Clear Your Mind (Adult Coloring Book)

The media could not be loaded. This is one of the most beautiful coloring books I have ever seen. It has 22 designs adapted from Japanese master artists, many of which may be familiar to you. The designs are detailed and intricate and include small spaces to color. It may not be the best coloring book for individuals with fine motor skill or vision issues but for those of us who can deal with those tiny spots, it is simply stunning. I have a deep appreciation for Japanese art from learning about it as a child from my best friend's Japanese grandmother - a woman who had a profound effect on my life.I have been fortunate enough to own two beautiful Japanese woodblock prints which were passed down to me. My daughters now have them and appreciate the beauty and skill of the artists. This coloring book explains the craft and then goes on to explain the markings that are seen on these prints: Date Seal, Censor's Seal, Print Title, Series Title, Author Signature, and Publisher's Seal.As a coloring book, “Floating World” is excellent but it is more than a coloring book. For each designs, there is a lead-in page. On the front of the page is information about the artist and about the print. On the back of the page is a frame-worthy full-color print of the woodblock print. Opposite that page is the coloring design. On the back of the coloring design is the artist's name and information about the print yet again. In this book, you receive 22 coloring designs and 22 full-color prints you can frame, keep, or give away. It is such a value. I would have paid the price for the prints alone or for the coloring designs. To get both is a huge bargain. My husband took one look at it and then decided we had to have a second book for his use.The book is very well made. It is a slightly taller book than the regular coloring book. The designs and prints are printed on one side of heavyweight micro-perforated white paper. It could almost be considered a light card stock. All of the designs stop well before the perforations so nothing will be lost when you remove pages from the book. You can break the spine to get the book to lay flat. All of the designs have a framing line around the outer edge so you will have a natural stopping point when coloring.My alcohol-based markers bled through this paper. None of my water-based markers bled through. I don't use water colors as yet, but I did try my Tombow brush end repeatedly in the same spots (five times) and could not get it to bleed through or to warp the page. I mention this because these designs could be extremely beautiful if done in water colors (I hope someone does some and posts their pictures as I would love to see them.) My gel pens and India ink pens did not bleed through but the gel pens required extra drying time. My coloring pencils worked perfectly with this paper. My soft lead pencils were on thick with hardly any effort and blended with a soft touch. My hard lead pencils did not make dents on the back of the page and I was able to get crisp and clear lines with them.These are the coloring medium that I use for testing. If there is something else you feel I should be testing, please let me know and I will see if I can add it to my growing pile:Markers: 1) alcohol-based – Copic Sketch, Prismacolor double ended markers (brush and fine point), Sharpies (fine and ultra-fine) Bic Mark-its (fine and ultra-fine) and 2) water-based – Tombows dual end markers (brush and fine point), Stabilo 88, and Staedler triplus finelinersIndia Ink: Faber-Castell PITT artist pens (brush tip)Gel Pens: Sakura, Fiskars, Uni-ball Signo in the following sizes - 0.28/0.38/0.5/1.0 and TekwriterColoring Pencils: Prismacolor Premier Soft Core, Derwent Colorsoft, Prismacolor Verithins, and Faber-Castell Polychromos

This has nice paper. Good reproductions in both the prints and drawings. Fantastic details. I did have marker bleed through so would not suggest using those. I used a 72 count of soft pencils on most areas, but bought cheap Walmart brand 12 pack of hard pencils to fill in the tiny details. I really enjoyed not having to "make a decision" on what colors things should be. Just pick out a reasonably matching pencil and go. It seemed more soothing that way and I am not a person who colors. I just really liked this format that much. I wish there were more books in the series.You can tear out both your work and the block reproductions. Note: bc these can have very small areas to color, it may not be for young children or someone with extensive eye troubles.

I'm absolutely LOVING this coloring book! My first project was coloring in a greeting card, and that just SOLD me on the concept of coloring for adults like me - at the ripe age of 65. I've always but ALWAYS loved the Japanese woodblock print styles - different as they are by various artists, they appeal to me for their exquisite detail and simplicity at once. That's what inspired me to surf up to Amazon, find this coloring book and order it.I'm currently working on a print of Hiroshige's. I decided to alter the street scene by adding blocky cobblestone. That was a challenge in itself as it demanded the vanishing point perspective done on an angle. But that's what makes these coloring pages SO FUN! You can do an identical copy, using the reprint as a guide, or alter colors or elements in the scene to your own liking.I have new respect for the Japanese artists and their final renderings. Sometimes LESS is MORE, and I can see why some colors are kept dark or muted and lines/patterns left out. It has taken me DAYS working on the Hiroshige print, but that's perfect for killing time while sheltering at home. I can't wait to tackle the next print and see how that turns out.The pages are perforated, so you can remove them for easy coloring and of course framing if you want. There is also the story behind each print which greatly enhances my appreciation for the subject chosen.

First off this coloring book is gorgeous, from its informational value (description of the artwork and its artist are included) to its production. The images are printed one-sided on fairly smooth, thick, perforated paper. I was so excited about the quality of the paper that I was sure my ultra fine Sharpie based markers would hold up perfectly, but the paper is very absorbent so the ink from my Sharpies bled across detail lines. Water based markers hold up very well but the details of the image are so intricate that any real attempt at retaining the original details wouldn't be likely to succeed. I would highly recommend color pencils as a medium for this book. Overall the concept is wonderful, I just wish the paper was of a higher quality and the images more coloring book-friendly (or larger, whichever preserves the integrity of the artwork).

This book is outstanding, prints and graphics are so interesting.

This is a great book. It was a gift for my wife and she absolutely loves it. The colouring pages can be removed from the book which she thought was a nice touch.

Everything about it I loved.The quality of the pages and the printing, the description of each of the the woodblock prints, and the detail in the images.Would definitely recommend.

Lqs imágenes hermosas. Buenas explicaciones sobre los dibujos y buena calidad del papel comp para iluminar con lápiz o acuarela.

Reproductions réalisées avec beaucoup.de precisions et de détails. Très bien faits Bravo. D autres oeuvres d artistes dans de nouveaux livres à venir seraient très appréciés. Merci