Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book for Adults Paperback – Coloring Book, March 26, 2013

I figured I should review this book since I've now bought it twice. I think by now everyone knows that the Johanna Basford books started the adult coloring craze, but I bet a lot of folks are wondering if these books are a good starting place. After all, many of the illustrations seem kind of teeny tiny (true!) and the patterns complicated (also true!).Here are my thoughts: I've tried many adult coloring books, and I think these are still the best, overall, even for beginning adults returning to coloring for the first time. The goal of coloring this way is to relax and find pleasure in an everyday activity. When's the last time you just indulged in your favorite colors or bought a sparkle glitter pen? The idea with these books isn't to make artistic masterpieces (although a lot of non-artists do!), but to have fun. If you keep the idea of fun in mind, I think you'll enjoy this book.What makes a good coloring book for adults?1. Clearly defined shapes. It sounds basic, but I've used coloring books where the shapes aren't finished. That makes for a frustrating color. The shapes in this book are all really well drawn. Also, if she draws a pattern, that pattern is consistently drawn, so you don't end up in a sea of 'wait what'.2. The pictures are beautiful. This should go without saying, and yet, many coloring books are kinda fugly. This book is just chock full of beauty, from tiny leaves to great big trees. If you liked those 'find the objects' game in Highlights magazine as a kid, you'll love this book--as you color, you will come across hidden animals and bees and little weird flowers. It's fun!3. The drawings are specifically made for coloring. I think Basford does this better than any other artist out there right now. There are some pages in this book are specifically designed to help those new to coloring develop fun ways of embellishing their art. She's got some details of leaves filled in and others where you're supposed to fill it in with your own ideas.4. The paper is good quality and resists bleedthrough. YES. This is the only really reliable coloring books series I've found. I've used everything from Tombows to copics to my gel pens with ZERO problems with bleedthrough. If you use Sharpies, you might get bleedthrough, but, y'know, those bleed through plaster. I have colored both sides of many pages with no problems. The paper also has a little 'tooth', so if you use colored pencils, they are easy to do shading with!5. Most of the pages are worth coloring. I think we've all got our favorite pages, but it's a bummer to buy a coloring book based on the cover only to discover that the cover picture is the only one worth coloring. This book isn't like that. There's a few pictures I don't like, but only a few. I would say I color about 90% of this book each time. It's also got a handy guide in the back with a thumbnail of each coloring page. If you like those thumbnails, you will like the book!6. Decent price for what you get. At the time of this review, a new copy is only $9. That's cheaper than a pizza!OK, I think that's it. I'd like to recommend a few pens and supplies for those new to coloring books like this. Crayons are way WAY too big. My current favorite coloring supplies are:1. The Zebra Sarasa gel pens. They come in wonderful colors, have lots of ink, and the .07 tips are the perfect size for these shapes. I've included a link to the full set: Zebra Sarasa Clip Rapid Dry Ink Gel Retractable Pen, 0.7mm, 20 Colors Set with Original Vinyl Pen Case2. Tombow Dual Tip Brush Markers. These are gorgeous. If you're new to these markers, what's cool about them is you can blend the colors and create lots of shading. If you buy a set, it should come with a clear 'blender'. I like to make leaves using the green and the blue and the blender, starting from nearly clear light green to super dark green. You can also easily layer colors! Start with a gentle, light brush stroke at the 'light' end of your object, then color two strokes for the medium color, then three or five for the dark color. If you want to try them, I recommend Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers, Bright, 10-Pack as a starting set, but if you are buying as a gift and have more to spend, Tombow Dual Brush Pen Set, 20-Pack, Jelly Bean and Groovy Colors (56156 & 56159) would be even better.3. My current favorite markers are Crayola 50ct Washable Super Tips - "Styles May Vary". Yes, I really mean that. Look, I own two giant sets of Copics, so I know me some markers. The Crayolas are still awesome. The 'washable' ink means they're really wet and lay down plenty of color, but instead of that being a downside, it makes them super blendable! You can create lots of wonderful shading and color mixes with these inexpensive little dudes. If you've never tried them, what have you got to lose? Crayola 50ct Washable Super Tips - "Styles May Vary"Lastly, no set of adult coloring supplies would be complete without some sparkle. There are a ton of sparkly and metallic pens on the market these days. The sparkle ink is usually opaque, so you use it to create highlights. Lots of people like the Sakura 37904 6-Piece Gelly Roll Assorted Colors Stardust Meteor Pen Setl pens, but I find them kind of gloppy and unpredictable. My personal favorites are the Uni-ball Signo Sparkling UM120, 7 Color Set (Japan import) [Komainu-Dou Original Package]. If you'd like to have a pastel highlighter that's pretty but doesn't sparkle, I love these the Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm, 8 colors set (Japan Import) [Komainu-Dou Original Package].I have included a couple of photos of my own coloring pages. The first is a page from this book, colored with a mix of markers and gel pens. The second is fromSecret Garden Artist's Edition: 20 Drawings to Color and Frame The third is the two pages side by side, so you can compare the size and format to see which you'd prefer.I hope this has given y'all some ideas for beginning (or continuing!) your journey with color and coloring! Have fun everyone!

I had to wait two longs weeks to receive my copy of Secret Garden because it was out of stock when I purchased it, but it was well worth the wait - it's a book full of amazing and beautifully detailed pictures that are very fun to color.Every picture is so detailed and unique - some are full scenes, while others are more pattern-like; all are very pretty and follow the same style of drawing and, of course, theme (I am absolutely in love, and possible obsessed, with Johanna's style of drawing). What I also love is that when I add color to the drawings, I really am making it my own; everyone has their own style of coloring - compare the same drawing that was colored in by two different people, and you would see that the drawings are almost like two different pictures.Some of the details can be harder to color because of how small some of them are, but I've been using assorted gel pens, and it's been working out very well. I've only used gel pens, and so far, I love it - the colors come out just as vibrant as markers, but dry more evenly and don't bleed through.The paper takes the gel pen ink very well - it is heavier weighted paper (not quite as heavy as card stock) and a tiny bit waxy, which allows the ink to flow more easily before drying. The paper is heavy enough that I don't mind the pictures being double sided at all.There are so many things to color that I also don't mind one bit that Johanna has added unfinished, detailed inky drawings for us to add in our own inky doodles in order to continue/finish her drawings - I really like this aspect of the book; her art inspires and shows me how I can add my own doodles; it also makes doodling much less intimating because it's not just a blank page, she's started it for you, but leaves plenty of space for you to make it your own. But again, if you aren't one to doodle, and are just looking to color her art, there are tons of full drawings to keep you occupied for quite some time.I have been consumed with spending almost all of my spare time coloring this book, while Netflix plays in the background. It's a peaceful and entertaining activity that gets your creative juices flowing that was much needed for me, since I wasn't using my creative skills enough til now. I can't say how much I love this product and that I am very happy Johanna Basford decided to make a coloring book. I can't wait for my copy of Enchanted Forest to come in and to see what her third book will look like - I know I will definitely be ordering a copy for sure!