Tag Archives: colored pencils

Accessories, Coloring Book, Coloring Supplies Reviews

Coloring on the Go – Reviewing COLORpockit!

Quote August 23, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

Back in June I was browsing my FaceBook when one of the sponsored posts caught my eye. I usually ignore these, but I’d been searching coloring books and such enough to have tripped the FB algorithms. This ad was for an odd little coloring kit called a COLORpockit.

I was intrigued and did a little research before reaching out to see if Dalaine Bartelme, the creator of COLORpockit would be interested in me doing a review. Thankfully she was! My new green COLORpockit came just before I headed north for inventory and the Convention Season. This is a rather unassuming little thing, isn’t it? The dimensions are only 8 inches long by 5 inches high by 1 inch deep. But you know what they say about small packages….BOOM. Check this out! The top slides to reveal the coloring deck, a dozen 4 by 6 inch postcards and the built-in pencil sharpener. The bottom conceals a drawer full of 12 double-sided colored pencils.

This kit is entirely self-contained, and refillable! which is a good thing, because after traveling to 3 conventions this summer, I put a serious dent on the colored pencils. I was seriously impressed by the pencils, the color they lay down is super smooth and surprisingly bright!

The Welcome coloring deck which comes with each COLORpockit is drawn by Dalaine Bartelme herself! I had a lot of fun choosing where to start my coloring journey!

I ended up giving this kit a real workout. It lived in my convention backpack and I would find myself coloring nearly everywhere. The train was easier than the car (I had a lap tray), I could color in my hotel room after work, or at home resting on my own couch. I could fit it in my purse and pull it out to distract Hime when she claimed she was bored.

Overall, I’m really pleased. I’ve already recommended COLORpockit to my mom, who is a avid colorist.

Disability Notes: I really only have nice things to say about this product. The COLORpockit body is sturdy and is kind to hands that may not have a full range of motion. The art on the various cards is a good mix of large and small coloring areas for people with eyesight issues. The prices are reasonable for folks on a budget and the kit fits well in a medium purse or small tote bag. I think this would be a great addition to a hospital bag or bedside kit for those awful I-can’t-move days. Bonus, because it is made with food-grade plastic, it can easily be cleaned and wiped down with sanitizer.

Where to buy: The COLORpockit is available on the COLORpockit website. The COLORpockit kit is normally $25 USD, but is currently on sale for $19.99 USD. Each COLORpockit kit comes with the welcome coloring deck, and there are additional coloring decks done by different artists and with different themes for $10 USD. You can also buy additional pencils for $10 USD.

COLORpockit : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for a review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©2018 COLORpockit. The coloring is mine. All links are direct; I do not make money from them.

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Coloring Book, Uncategorized

Shark Week Blogiversary – Friday

August 4, 2019 PuzzlePaws 2 Comments

Return to Shark Island–

This episode was both interesting and problematic for me. I understand that reunion Island is having a higher than normal spike of fatal shark encounters; but at the same time, humans are in the water, which is where sharks live. The CRA Shark Protection Program is a great idea, as previously the government had sanctioned shark culling. CRA and Dr. Craig O’Connell implemented a new shark deterrent system, so we will most likely have another Shark island episode in next year’s Shark Week. This episode highlights the fact that it takes TIME to find solutions to problems.

Great White Kill Zone: Guadalupe –

I won’t lie, I’ve been a huge fan of Melissa Marquez’s ever since last year’s Shark Week. Lady got bitten by a crocodile doing shark research and kept going! This episode shows the fact that Great Whites can and do adapt their hunting strategies to their environment. While the title of the show is sensationalist, it is interesting that due to the unique geography of Guadalupe Island the sharks have to change their usual behavior in order to be successful. Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou has a wonderful way of explaining things to the layman shark enthusiast.

Monster Mako: Perfect Predator –

Another slightly problematic episode for me. I dislike the use of the term of “grander” Mako to describe the larger end of the Mako shark size spectrum. No other shark species has this designation. Some of the behavior of the crew is incredibly dangerous and immature when filming the Mako’s behavior. I honestly can’t tell what is natural behavior and what is baited behavior. I did like seeing Spinner Sharks and the cinematography was excellent. Focusing on a species other than Great Whites and Bull Sharks was gratifying.

Want a chance to win your own Shark puzzle? Giveaway Link: Here!

Today’s review is MindWare’s Color by Number Color Counts: Glitter Under the Sea. This is the other side to MindWare’s Mystery Mosaic Series of color by number books. Color Counts are done in a stained glass style, with larger coloring areas and an easy to see design. Like the Mystery Mosaics, Color counts features both 22 8×11 pictures as well as 8 double-fold 15×11 pages.

All of the pages are perforated, which makes removal easy. But, the best part, in my mind, is the fact that unlike Mystery Mosaics, Color Counts has duplicate images without the numbers! It is absolutely possible to color the same image twice, once using the numbers, and once by using your imagination!

Numbered page colored by me, Unnumbered page colored by Hime, age 10. Both images colored by using MindWare’s Colored Pencils Set.

While you will get excellent results using MindWare’s Colored Pencil Set, if you like Markers or crayons, it is totally possible to make great art! Every colorist has their preferences, and all are good, so long as you enjoy what you are doing!

Colored by Little-Big, using colored pencils

Colored by me using Staedtler Triplus Fineliners.

You did see that the title of the book is Glitter Under the Sea? The other nifty thing about this coloring book is that it comes with a tube of sparkle glitter glue. You can choose to use it or not on your images, but all of the numbered pages have sections where the number is followed by an asterisk(*). These let you know where to add sparkle!

I really think adding the glue made my pictures pop!

Disability Notes: Color Counts is a fantastic coloring book series to add to any colorist’s collection. The thick lines of the stained glass styling are forgiving of erroneous lines due to hand or eye issues. The larger coloring areas are just the right size for comfortable coloring, without over-stressing my hands. I find coloring CBN reduces my anxiety and relaxes me.

Where to buy: Color by Number Color Counts: Glitter Under the Sea and the 36 Colored Pencils Tin are available on the MindWare website. The book is $8.95 USD and the pencils are $19.99 USD. MindWare has tons of other Color Counts books are well as other coloring and activity books, so you’re sure to find something for nearly every taste!

MindWare : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received this coloring book for free in exchange for a review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©2019 MindWare Corporation. The coloring is mine. All links are direct; I do not make money from them.

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Coloring Book, Coloring Supplies Reviews

Mystery Mosaics – Brainteaser and Coloring Zen!

July 13, 2019 PuzzlePaws 1 Comment

I saw a lot of awesome stuff at Toy Fair last winter, and the MindWare booth was right up there as one of my favorites. You see, MindWare specializes in “brainy toys for all ages”.

They have a ton of great activity and coloring books in their collection, and today I’m reviewing Color by Number Mystery Mosaics : Book 13. This book has 18 separate images, including 4 double-sized ones.

Bonus, unlike most color by number books, MindWare has created their own matched set of color pencils!! I won’t lie, this really is what excited me about the brand. I like color by number things, but hate digging out coloring supplies to match, much less trying to remember which number is what color! This 36 color pencil set not only comes in a sturdy tin travel box, but each pencil is labeled with both its color and the corresponding number! And! All the MindWare CBN books are standardized!

At first glance the pages looked super hard and I wasn’t sure I was up for this challenge!

But I decided to start small and focused on a single number and took it one row at a time.

Slowly but surely, my pattern grew!

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I really love these pencils! The colors are nice and bright( with the exception of #31 White Peach, which is too pale for my eyes); and they lay down smoothly. Having the prematched numbers took away all the stress, so I was able to fully enjoy coloring.

The above photo showing the camper is one of the 4 extra long coloring pages in the book. These 10 by 15 inch folded double spreads allows you to explore a larger image with great detail.

If you want to color with something other than the MindWare pencils, I colored this sunflower with basic Sharpies and it turned out great!

Disability Notes: I will admit that Mystery Mosaics is an advanced book, and may not be for everyone. You may not like it if you have eyesight issues or problems with fine motor skills. If you are a colorist who has anxiety about choosing colors, this set may be something to try! However, MindWare does have a set of color by number books called Color Counts that feature larger coloring areas. I’ll be reviewing one of those during my Shark Week special.

Where to buy: Mystery Mosaics: Book 13 and the 36 Colored Pencils Tin are available on the Mindware website. The book is $7.95 USD and the pencils are $19.99 USD. MindWare has tons of other Mystery Mosaic books are well as other coloring and activity books, so you’re sure to find something for nearly every taste!

MindWare : Website / FaceBook

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Coloring Book, Uncategorized

Ethereal Visions Coloring Book: Tarot and Art Nouveau

September 17, 2018 PuzzlePaws 1 Comment

I’m home again, after a few days away due to the Hurricane Florence Evacuation. I’m glad to be home. I’m thrilled to say that our home is untouched and the cats are back to their usual shenanigans. Unfortunately, Florence is making my life minorly miserable due to barometric pressure. The fatigue and brain fog are strong, which is why today’s post is running so late.

Aside from that, while I was at DragonCon, I got to meet Matt Hughes. He’s a really talented artist that does illustrations in the Art Nouveau style. He’s funded most of his projects through Kickstarters, which is really awesome. Right now, Ethereal Visions Publishing, the company Matt’s wife Hope founded and runs; has pre-orders up for an illuminated edition of the works of Edgar Allen Poe and Matt is currently working on illuminating pages for a project based on Mozart’s Requiem.

The tarot is a pack of playing cards, used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play games. Many of these tarot card games are still played today. In the late 18th century, it began to be used in parallel for divination in the form of cartomancy and specialist packs were developed for this occult purpose. The Major Arcana that this coloring book focuses on is definitely influenced by one of the original occult decks, the Rider-Waite deck. I find the art to be beautiful and to have a hidden complexity.

This coloring book is amazing! It’s rather large, measuring 12″ by 9″. The paper is heavyweight, but really smooth. I was shocked how good my markers and colored pencils looked when coloring. While I usually use a piece of cardstock under my works-in-progress, I found I really didn’t need it.

The only issue I found was that due to my book lover’s habit of not wanting to break the spine of any book, I needed to use a craft knife to cut my pages free. Once I reread the lovely note that Matt wrote as a preface, it was much easier. Coloring books are meant to be USED. In fact, this one is meant to be used as a meditation exercise.

I’m not sure my coloring stacks up to this amazing art, but I’m having fun doing it. While I know Matt is up to his eyeballs in work, I really hope he’ll do another coloring book! I recommend following the FaceBook page because Matt posts all sort of beautiful works-in-progress.

Where to buy: You can buy Ethereal Visions 22 Major Arcana Coloring Book at Ethereal Visions Publishing’s website for $20 US.

Ethereal Visions Publishing : Website / FaceBook

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Coloring Book

National Coloring Book Day

August 2, 2018 PuzzlePaws 3 Comments

I love coloring, have for years. I used to drive both my college professors and my D&D groups crazy. I’ve always found coloring a way to destress, even before the Adult Coloring craze caught on.

Unfortunately for me, today it rained for the umpteenth time. Seriously, its been raining everyday for the last two weeks! I’m ready to build an ark. That being said, while my hands feel like they’ve swollen into paws, it was National Coloring Book Day. I had to color.

I decided to highlight the awesome art of Hannah Lynn Art and Design. She has a ton of coloring books out and one in production that I’m lusting over. I like Hannah’s art style because each book has pages of varying difficulty and an iconic BESM style. If you don’t know what BESM is, either you don’t watch anime, play tabletop games or need to go here.

I chose the above images to color because they have similar composition. I wanted to contrast different coloring media.

Crayola® crayons. There’s a reason these are where everyone starts out. I’m happy with my final result, the coloring went quickly and my hands didn’t hate me.

Crayola® colored pencils. Most coloring books for adults recommend these, but my hands reminded me why mine had been gathering dust in the drawer. Ouch!

Rikota® Brush Marker and Prismacolor Premier® Brush Marker. I loved this. The colors popped and my hands didn’t hate me. I was reminded that I really need to invest in more brush-style markers. There’s a little curling on the edges due to the wetness of the medium, but it will go away after a few hours under a heavy book.

Overall…I call today a success! If you like the art featured, I suggest either following Hannah Lynn’s FaceBook or visiting her website.

Hannah Lynn Art & Design: Facebook / Website / Amazon

P.S. Who got the two anime references in today’s pictures?

P.P.S Obligatory cat picture

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed on this post are my own.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Little pieces make a bigger picture