- Author: Johanna Basford
- Number of Designs:40
- Format:Paperback
Another wonderful and deservedly popular coloring book from Johanna Basford, The Enchanted Forest will draw you in for hours of delight. As with her Secret Garden publication there is a lot hidden fun as you seek out the hidden objects and navigate the mazes through her imaginary world.
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There are fairy-tale castles, treasures and lots of delicately intricate plants to color in on your journey. The artwork is captivating and every illustration is beautifully done.
It's a nice sized book at 9-6/8" x 9-6/8" square, chock full with 82 designs, including 13 two-page spreads and a 4-page gate-fold spread in the back. Every surface of the book can be colored - even the inside dust jacket. The pages are thick (the same used for the Secret Garden book).
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One complaint is that the pages are printed on both sides, so you'll want to stay away from most markers. Pencils and most gel pens will be fine, but you'll want to test the pens before you get too carried away. Staedtler triplus fineliner marker pens will work well and super fine point (0.3mm) will come in handy for all the detail work. Fiskars Gel pens and Staedtler Triplus Fibre tip pens will also work well without leaking through the pages and are wonderful for coloring in this book.You might want to put a sheet of paper between the finished pages if you're using pencils that can transfer color to the adjacent page. And finally, the binding/printing is such that some of the art on the two-page spread is lost in the crack of the spine.
Still these are minor issues given the overall beauty of the book. It's definitely one you will enjoy adding to your collection and will help you fill many days with beauty and creative recreation.
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