I know, I know. It’s been AGES since I put together one of these lists — I’m sorry! I’m excited to finally bring back Cleverpedia’s monthly new releases roundup, though! First, we’ll catch up on all the amazing new releases from this summer, then in the next post in this series we’ll cover the fall, then we’ll resume the series for December.
In this frequent series, I round 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!
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1. Seasons Coloring Book (Published in Sweden as Tidevarv)
Release Date: August 1, 2017
What would this list be without one of the biggest releases in the coloring book world, Hanna Karlzon’s newest title, Seasons? This book is the fourth coloring book by this world-renowned illustrator from Sweden. I’ve actually reviewed her first two books in detail in this post.
Like Karlzon’s earlier books, Seasons is hardcover, with fabric over the spine and delicate gold accents down the spine and on the cover. The pages are printed on both sides, but are quite thick; if you use a dry medium like colored pencils or water-based markers, you will probably experience no problems with bleed-through. If you plan to use watercolor or alcohol-based markers, you may experience some color bleeding through to the next design.
There are 96 pages of designs to color. Some are confined to one page, but there are a variety of designs that fill the full page-spread. Many of Karlzon’s designs feature women’s faces, flowers, and animals; this book has the added theme of covering four seasons of the year.
This book just will not disappoint. It’s a great book for expanding your own collection or introducing a friend to adult coloring.
2. New York Street Style: A Coloring Book
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Zoe de las Cases is a fashion illustrator who has now released a number of coloring books themed around street style in different places around the world.
The books feature a variety of designs across their 80 pages, printed front and back. Some pages are devoted to street scenes with and without figures; some focus on clothing; others are set up like collections of objects.
These books have one other nice feature: an elastic loop and satin ribbon bookmark that let you save your place and keep the book firmly shut when you are done coloring. I wish more books did this!
3. Tokyo Street Style: A Coloring Book
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Released the same day as her New York themed book, above, Tokyo Street Style is devoted to, well, street style from Japan. It is formatted the same way as the book above, also featuring 80 pages of designs front and back.
4. Downton Abbey Coloring Book
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Who else felt a little bit devastated when Downton Abbey wrapped up everything in a neat little package? Anyone?
If you want to experience the world of the Crawleys for just a little bit longer, you can immerse yourself in this official Downton Abbey themed coloring book!
This book features 47 designs, printed on the right side of the page only. The drawings are very realistic and look like captures from the actual show. You’ll recognize all your favorite characters! On the left side of the page, which is the back of the designs, you’ll find quotes from the characters in the show.
According to reviewers, the paper is heavy weight, white, and has a little bit of tooth, perfect for coloring with both colored pencils and markers.
Whether you are just getting into Downton Abbey, or can’t believe it’s gone, this coloring book provides a great way to allow the characters to live on!
5. Fantastic Machines: A Coloring Book of Amazing Devices Real and Imagined
Release Date: August 22, 2017
I’ve been a fan of Steve McDonald’s intricate, mechanical drawing style with varying line widths and extreme levels of detail ever since his first book, Fantastic Cities. In fact, I had the opportunity to interview Steve McDonald back when he was promoting his second book. That style lives on in his fifth coloring book, Fantastic Machines.
Among the book’s 58 designs, printed front and back of thick pages, you’ll find cars, buses, spaceships, airplanes, trains, ships, a wine press, a coal mining digger, an aquarium plumbing room, a church pipe organ, and more. Several designs are repeated in mandala format, making for incredibly unique and intriguing designs.
If you are also a fan of Steve McDonald’s work, or like the more masculine style of his artwork, you’ll love his latest book. Grab your own copy today on Amazon!
6. Lost Lumina Coloring Book
Release Date: May 3, 2017
I’ve been a fan of Cristina McAllister’s work for a long time, ever since I discovered her book Monstrous Mandalas and was able to try it out in this review.
She’s got a unique illustration style, where she prints some of her designs with slight grey shading or blocks of grey to give the artwork an added dimension, before you ever even put any color down to the page. If you are like me and don’t necessarily do a ton of shading, you might enjoy how this makes the art pop without much extra effort. Or you may regret the lack of control you have over the shading of the design. To each their own!
If you like the look of the sample pages above though, why not give this indie artist a try?
This book is actually a sequel to her earlier coloring book The Lumina Chronicles, but can be appreciated standalone. There are 26 original illustrations to color printed on just one side of the page. The reverse gives some insight into the lore and the story behind the Lumina. The book is printed with CreateSpace, so be aware that the paper is not the highest quality. However, the great designs are worth your while!
7. Creative Haven Elegant Angels Coloring Book
Release Date: August 15, 2017
Marty Noble has done it again — this new Creative Haven title features 31 beautiful angels to color, in a variety of poses ranging from “flying through an enchanted landscape to sitting among a group of forest animals.” The designs are all original illustrations.
Like all Creative Haven books, the pages are a medium weight that stands up well to most media. The pages are white and perforated for easy removal and display. They are printed on just one side of the page, with the opposite side left blank.
If you love coloring people, and are looking for something a little different, check out this book!
8. Creative Haven Unicorns Coloring Book
Release Date: June 21, 2017
Here’s another relatively new Creative Haven book illustrated by Marty Noble. This time, the subject is unicorns. These majestic creatures are depicted frolicking among enchanted wildlife scenes; as a part of decorative wallpaper style designs; inside intricate frames, and more.
The pages are a medium weight, white, slightly toothy paper that works great with colored pencils and markers alike. There are 30 illustrations to color, printed on just one side of the page, with perforations that make them easy to remove.
9. Looking at the Universe: A Premium Coloring Book Collection
Release Date: June 13, 2017
I will preface this mention with the fact that I know next to nothing about this book. The cover looks appealing to me, but my research has turned up nothing besides the cover. So I will say that if you are considering this book, you’re taking a chance.
Why do publishers do this — sell coloring books with absolutely no preview of what is inside?! I can only assume that the cover is reflective of what is inside, and if it is, I’m sure this book would be brilliant to color!
According to what I can find, the book includes 30 original designs featuring nebulae, galaxies, planets, stars, supernovas, and more. The paper is heavy weight and has perforations to make each page easy to remove.
If you know more about this book, please share and I will update this page!
10. Desert Dreams: Coloring a Land of Enchantment
Release Date: May 1, 2017
Don’t you just adore artist Geninne D Zlatkis’ folksy, whimsical art style? I love these southwest-inspired designs, with all their textured lines, doodly patterns, and organic illustration style.
The book features 40 original drawings to color, printed on one side of heavy paper. The pages are micro-perforated to be easy to remove.
The paper is “designed specifically for coloring” and was printed in the US on “paper sourced from a combination of sustainably managed forests and recycled materials.” Plus, the publishing company is carbon-negative and has planted over half a million trees since 2008. So you know that you are making a responsible environmental decision with this coloring book.
11. Animal Odyssey: Coloring from the Familiar to the Fantastic
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Maybe it’s just the cover and the whale imagery, but this book reminds me very slightly of the biblical coloring book Soul Coats. However, tattoo artist Chris Garver’s inspired animal designs have a distinctive style all their own. It’s a little bit Millie Marotta and all fun to color.
The book has a distinctive square shape, and there are dozens of illustrations to color, printed on both sides of thick paper.
12. Creative Haven Deluxe Edition Sea Life Mandalas Coloring Book
Release Date: May 17, 2017
Here’s something a little different! This book combines the relaxing patterning of mandala designs with illustrations of realistic seashells, lobsters, turtles, fish, and other sea creatures.
Since this is a “deluxe edition,” the book includes over twice the number of illustrations of a typical Creative Haven book! There are 63 images to color in all, all original designs and printed on just one side of the page. The reverse is left blank.
Like all Creative Haven books, the artwork is printed on medium weight paper and is perforated to make removal easier.
If you love the beach or aspired to be a marine biologist as a kid, you’ll love this relaxing adult coloring book!
13. William Morris (Art Colouring Book): Make Your Own Art Masterpiece
Release Date: August 21, 2017
William Morris was a highly influential textile artist during the Victorian era. This book features 45 of his most well-known designs to color. These tracings of the original artwork are perfect for colorists who enjoy building an attractive color scheme.
Each design is printed on just one side of heavy paper. The opposite side of the page offers a preview of how you could choose to color the page, the title of the design, the year it was created, and what media was used to create it.
With a lot of intricate details, these designs are for advanced colorists using fine tipped coloring supplies. Check the book out on Amazon for more previews!
14. Mid-Century Modern Dollhouse Wallpaper: Color & Cut
Release Date: July 18, 2017
Here’s something pretty unique! This book, illustrated by Jessica Mazurkiewicz, features 23 mid-century modern inspired patterns. They are printed on one side of the page and the pages are perforated for ease of removal. Once you color and remove your colored patterns, you can cut them to size as wallpaper for a dollhouse!
This is a great crafty gift for a dollhouse enthusiast or anyone who loves mid-century modern designs!
15. Lost in Paris: Color Your Way Around the City
Release Date: May 2, 2017
If you’ve been reading Cleverpedia for a while, you know how much I love architectural coloring books, and you might also know I studied abroad in France and absolutely love the country. Combine them both, and you get this lovely, stylized coloring book by The City Works!
This artwork is front-on perspective and highly stylized; you aren’t going to find perspective here. However, the designs make for a really nice art deco look and feature many well-known attractions in the City of Light.
16. Creative Haven Audubon Birds Coloring Book
Release Date: August 15, 2017
Tired of “doodle” style or cartoony birds in coloring books? This book of hyper realistic bird drawings might just be right up your alley!
Based on the well-known American painter John James Audubon, this book features 31 scientifically-accurate illustrations of birds, including: Carolina parakeet, titmouse, great horned owl, condor, great auk, passenger pigeon, white pelican, and more. As you may know, some of these birds are now extinct, adding to the interest of this book.
A word of caution: although the description of the book specifies that the drawings are labeled with the name of the bird depicted, according to one reviewer this is not the case, which may lead to some guesswork if you want to keep your color choices strictly scientific. Just something to keep in mind.
Like all Creative Haven books, the illustrations are printed on medium weight, white, mildly toothy paper that has perforations for easy removal.
17. Creative Haven Playful Puppies Coloring Book
Release Date: August 15, 2017
Fans of Marjorie Sarnat’s animal coloring books might already be aware of Creative Cats, Dazzling Dogs, and Creative Kittens. Here’s another book to join them, Playful Puppies!
Each page features one or more patterned puppies, in the middle of a themed scene: an orchestra, a collection of sweets, the beach, a paisley field, and more!
Like all Creative Haven books, this book’s 31 illustrations are printed on just one side of the page. The pages are perforated so it is easy to remove and display your works of art!
18. Vera Bradley Enjoy the Journey Coloring Book Pattern Portfolio
Release Date: May 29, 2017
Fans of Vera Bradley patterned accessories will be pleased to learn that there is now a line of coloring books themed around these iconic patterns!
This book features 40 designs to color printed on “extra-heavy, 200-year acid-free artist paper.” While the book includes color references for many of the original patterns, including some full-color two-page spreads, it encourages you to go off the beaten path and create your own color combinations!
The book begins with an introduction chock full of coloring techniques, craft ideas, and advice for pairing colors. The book also includes 16 gift tags and 8 ready-to-color notecards.
So there you have it — eighteen brilliant new releases that came out between May and August 2017! Stay tuned — the next list will be coming out for fall 2017 very soon!
What’s your favorite new release? Did I miss something incredible? Share in the comments below!
Save this list for later by pinning the image below to your coloring board on Pinterest!
Can you suggest a coloring book with fairies? Thank you. Happy Holidays
Absolutely! Here are a few popular ones that I think the artwork is particularly strong in — you can check out the preview images on Amazon and see which you like best! :)
Barbara Lanza’s Fairy Lane: http://amzn.to/2z4GfQs — probably the most “realistic” illustrations, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Selina Fenech’s Fairy Magic: http://amzn.to/2APnyjc — very popular fantasy illustrator, she has many books (not all are fairy-themed).
Molly Harrison’s Fairyland: http://amzn.to/2APFydc — probably the simplest/most stylized illustrations, but I like them.
Let me know if that helps! :)