Hottest New Coloring Books: March 2017 Roundup

 

Hi guys, happy April! It’s finally starting to feel like spring around here!

This is going to be a really exciting roundup, because there were a TON of beautiful new adult coloring books released last month! It was hard to choose just ten for this roundup, in fact.

This month’s books run the gamut of Swedish imports, quote coloring pages, wine, cats, and planets. There really is something for everyone this month!

In this monthly series, I will be rounding up the list of the hottest new releases in the coloring book world for the past month, so you don’t need to dig to find new books you’ll love. Feel free to sound off about other new releases you’ve got your eyes on in the comments! Got a coloring book to share? You can click here to send it to Cleverpedia!

1. Magical Dawn Coloring Book (Published in Sweden as “Magisk Gryning”)

Release Date: March 14, 2017

I’ve been looking forward to this book for months, and it’s finally here! Hanna Karlzon is one of my favorite coloring book artists, and Magical Dawn did not disappoint.

Like her earlier books Daydreams and Summer Nights, Magical Dawn is hardcover with a distinctive pastel cover and gold foiling. The designs inside are printed on both sides of relatively thick, creamy white paper. There are a total of 96 pages of designs to color, some printed on a single page and some printed across the binding. The pages are not perforated, but that’s okay — this book is so beautiful that I have no desire to remove the pages from my copy.

This book features similar subjects to Hanna Karlzon’s previous books — girls with long, flowing hair, flowers, birds, jewels, insects, and fanciful houses. I think the designs in this book are slightly more intricate than those in her earlier books.

Since the pages are printed on both sides, you do need to watch what type of art supplies you use. Pencils and water-based markers are great! Alcohol-based markers, like Copics, are going to bleed through into the design on the page behind, and you may or may not get some bleed-through with watercolors or watercolor pencils. Just something to keep in mind.

This book was released simultaneously with an Artists’ Edition, which features 20 single-sided 8×11″ designs printed on cardstock, and a postcard book, with 20 single-sided 4.8×6.8″ postcards. These two are more suited for media like alcohol-based markers.

Recently, Hanna Karlzon also announced her next book, Seasons, which is already available for preorder on Amazon. It will be available on August 1, 2017.

I am in love with all of Hanna Karlzon’s work, and if you haven’t experienced it yet, please, go pick yourself up a copy to try it out. I am sure you are going to love it just as much as I do!

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2. Twilight Garden Coloring Book (Published in Sweden as “Blomstermandala”)

Release Date: March 21, 2017

Maria Trolle is another coloring book artist out of Sweden, and this book looks and feels very similar to Magical Dawn. (In fact, both Hanna Karlzon and Maria Trolle have the same American publisher, Gibbs-Smith.) The book is also hardcover, and the pages are the same thick, creamy-white color as the previous book. The designs are also printed back to back in this book, though that should not matter as long as you stick to either pencils or water-based markers.

One of the defining differences between Hanna Karlzon’s style and Maria Trolle’s are the black-background pages that I suspect gave the book its name! There are a number of page spreads with a dramatic black background that will really make your finished drawing pop!

Beyond that, I found the drawings very similar in style to Hanna Karlzon’s. The spaces might be slightly larger on average, and the animals all have a suggestion of shading made with some stippling dots.

Like with the previous book, the publisher simultaneously released an Artists’ Edition and a postcard book in the same style as Hanna Karlzon’s, so check those out if you prefer alcohol-based inks!

All in all, Twilight Garden makes a great coloring book for someone who already has all of Hanna Karlzon’s books, and wants something similar to expand their coloring book collection.

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3. Fantastic Planet: A Coloring Book of Amazing Places Real and Imagined

Release Date: March 7, 2017

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know how much I admire Steve McDonald’s incredibly intricate and realistic style of coloring books! I even had the opportunity to interview him back around the release of his second book, Fantastic Structures. Well, Steve is still making great books, and his fourth, Fantastic Planet, is no exception!

Like his earlier books, this one is oversize, 11.5″ square, and the intricate designs are printed right up to the edge of the book. There are nearly 60 pages of designs to color, printed on both sides of the page. While most of the designs are detailed renderings of nature (both flora and fauna), there are still a few pages of his unique mandala designs. The inside covers show 40 of the images from the book in full color, for your inspiration.

If you like the preview images above, head over to Amazon to see them larger!

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4. Fairy Tales Coloring Book (Published in Sweden as “Sagolikt”)

Release Date: March 21, 2017

Emelie Lidehäll Öberg is another new coloring book artist out of Sweden! (I feel like Sweden really hit the jackpot with their coloring book artists!) Fairy Tales is her first coloring book and, predictably, centers on some of the most memorable fairy tales passed down from generation to generation.

The book is also published by Hanna Karlzon’s American publisher, Gibbs Smith, but it is in a square format and softcover. The paper is thick, and the designs are printed on both sides of the page. There are 96 designs in all, and none are spreads that go across the binding, which is great if that is something that bothers you about some coloring books. Each of the front covers also folds out into a large page spread, which is a neat feature!

Compared to Hanna Karlzon’s art style, I find Öberg’s to be a little simpler and more stylized rather than realistic. All the fuzzy animals have a fuzzy outline, which is cute! I find the art style a little more “Scandinavian” than Hanna Karlzon’s or Maria Trolle’s, probably because the flush on people’s cheeks is more emphasized. Maybe that’s a silly observation, I don’t know!

Overall the book is really cute! It’s pretty different from Hanna Karlzon’s style, but I think it’s still a great match if you are looking for another book to grow your collection of Swedish artists’ books (there are so many!).

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5. The Happiness Project Mini Posters: A Coloring Book

Release Date: March 28, 2017

Spotting this book when it was released was a nice surprise! I really enjoyed The Happiness Project when I read it five or six years ago. This coloring book takes some of the mantras from the book, quotes by Gretchen Rubin and others, and translates them into classy, 9×7″ coloring pages. I love what the illustrator, Clairice Gifford, did with the designs! They’d be great for coloring while pondering the message behind the quote.

The designs are printed one per page, with the reverse left blank, on a thick cardstock. When you are done with them, the pages are extremely easy to remove, held in by a rubbery binding similar to a notepad. The book suggests framing them to decorate your home or apartment!

All in all, I’m loving the high-quality look of the designs in this book. I’d highly recommend it if you enjoy coloring quotes!

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6. Creative Haven Creative Kittens Coloring Book

Release Date: March 17, 2017

Marjorie Sarnat’s earlier book Creative Cats was a bestselling coloring book for an extremely long time. The brand new followup, Creative Kittens, won’t disappoint! Each page features at least one kitten, and often more than one, in a different scene or theme.

There are 30 designs to color, each printed on one side of white, medium-weight, perforated paper. Each page features an intricate border in addition to the main coloring image.

If you loved Marjorie Sarnat’s last cat-themed coloring book, or just love cats in general, this is a great book for you!

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7. Oh Look It’s Wine O’Clock Adult Coloring Book

Release Date: March 17, 2017

Okay, I might have included this book mostly because I thought the title was amusing. Oh Look It’s Wine O’Clock is a truly portable coloring book that comes with its own supplies! The book includes a dozen double-ended colored pencils and a pencil sharpener built right into the cover of the book. The cardboard cover also includes a “protective inlay card” that you can insert behind the page you are working on in case you want to use markers. It will protect the pages that follow from any bleed-through!

This book includes 48 single-sided designs in an 8×8″ square format. They are super easy to remove, because they are attached on one edge similar to a notepad.

The designs remind me of old wine bottle clip art — they are mostly a black-heavy, engraved-looking style of artwork. The pages include bunches of grapes, wine bottles and glasses, and the rolling hills of wine country, along with many other images. Some of the pages are quote coloring pages, with the artwork incorporated into a quote related to wine.

This book is really nice, and would make a great gift for a wine-lover!

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8. Creative Haven Knitting Notions Coloring Book

Release Date: March 17, 2017

This book by Creative Haven has knitters in mind! There are 31 pages to color, printed on one side of medium-weight, perforated pages. The cover image is included in the book, as well as pages of yarn balls, knitters knitting, and knitted goods mandalas. This is a great gift for the well-rounded crafter in your life!

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9. Earth and Space Coloring Book: Featuring Photographs from the Archives of NASA

Release Date: March 21, 2017

Have you ever wanted to color your own planets? Now you can! This book features 35 full-color prints of space photography by NASA, including planets, stars, moons, nebulas, and other space objects. Then, on the page opposite, the image is repeated as linework for you to color, against a deep black, starry background! Excuse me while I geek out for a second, because this book is just SO. COOL.

Whether you follow the photographs provided to make your own artistic replica, or you go totally rogue and make it your own, this book is a gorgeous science-themed coloring book that you should totally consider adding to your collection.

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10. Beautiful Birds, Bugs, and Butterflies: A Premium Coloring Book Collection

Release Date: March 14, 2017

I spotted this folksy coloring book themed around birds, bugs, and butterflies, and even though I can’t find a whole lot of information about the book, I thought I’d give it the chance. I love this style of coloring book!

This book was illustrated by Lisa Larsen and features 30 original illustrations printed on one side of the page. The book claims to use heavy weight “artist paper,” so it should take markers pretty well! The pages are also perforated, so they are easy to remove from the book.

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So there you have it — ten brilliant new releases from March 2017! Stay tuned — before you know it, we’ll be putting out a list for April!

What’s your favorite new release? Did I miss something incredible? Share in the comments below!

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