Angela Porter's Zen Doodle Designs: New York Times Bestselling Artists' Adult Coloring Books

The media could not be loaded. I have a number of Angela Porter's coloring book designs from other publishers and enjoy her work tremendously. She has a distinctive style that really appeals to me. This is the first of her books to be carried by Racehorse Publishing under their line, New York Times Bestselling Artists' Coloring Books.Please note that, at this time at least, this doesn't mean that this book is a NY Times best-seller, merely that the artist has had books in that category previously. Frankly, I won't be surprised if this one joins the others as it is filled to the brim with the type of designs I look for in a book by Dr. Porter.There are 49 doodle designs – mostly in a rectangular format. While the designs incorporate some real life and recognizable elements, for the most part, the designs are tangled doodles that are simply fun to color. Also note that, unlike Dr. Porter's other books, there are no colored samples (other than the cover) in the book.The designs are detailed and in some cases rather intricate. I don't consider the elements to be small and hard to color. I find that I like to practice my blending skills with these designs. They just seem to inherently lend themselves to color changes and changes in intensity of a color as well. I also like to use a bunch of colors and just see where I end up as well. This sometimes works out well and sometimes it ends up being a project from which I learn what not to do (again) in the future.This is what I discovered about the book while coloring in it and testing my coloring mediums on the paper:49 Tangled Zen Doodle DesignsDesigns printed on one side of the pagePaper is medium weight, white, somewhat smooth, and perforatedGlue bound but you can remove pages at the perforationsThere are either frames, framing lines, or finished elements at the outer edges of the designsAlcohol and water-based markers bleed through this paper though the water-based were more spotty than a full bleed through. I recommend using a blotter page below your working page if you are using markers. It will keep ink from seeping into the lower pages of the book.India ink pens left a shadow on the back of the page.Gel pens did not bleed through or require additional drying time.Colored pencils worked well with this paper. While it is somewhat smooth, it still had enough tooth to allow good pigment coverage. I was able to lay down color, layer, and blend with both oil and wax based pencils.

I love Angela Porter's books very much. But I did not like this one as much. The others were quirky, interesting and fun to color. The pages in this book are not as detailed and seem to be half heartedly drawn. I've actually bought multiples of her other books but will not be buying this one again.

This is my first Zen Doodle book and I really like it. The designs are printed on one side of micro perforated medium weight smooth white paper. I love how easy it was to remove pages from this book for personal use copying! Almost all of the designs have a border of some sort which makes for a nice look when finished. There are 49 designs with a variety of design types from open and easy to fine details requiring more patience and time. I use my books as templates but did try gel pen and sharpie marker on the paper with the marker showing through the back a bit so a piece of paper to protect the next page is necessary if working from the book. I would definitely recommend this book especially if you like a lot of floral elements.

As usual, Angela Porter's designs are a delight! Whimsical and relaxing, it is with joy that I delve into her collection of art and decide what colors to use to bring them to life. I plan on buying another copy to send to my sister. We both enjoy the relaxation that it brings into our lives. Thick paper, perforated so you can remove a page from the book for framing, no bleed through with my gel pens and color pencils work beautifully on this paper. I highly recommend it if you are into being a colorist.

Lots of variety of designs that allow user creativity in selecting colors and brushes.

The quality is not here. The paper sheds easily and the pages are not perforated, still love Angela Porters designs,

I love this artist and usually buy her published by Harper. I do not like the designs feel they have been blown up and the paper quality is awful

I love Angela Porter, and have 5-6 books illustrated by her. There are intricate illustrations as well others with more space. I prefer the ones with more space, but look forward to the others. You can't go wrong with anything from Angela Porter!

Patterns very good quality of paper not good

Disappointed as the pictures are not as detailed or as complex as they looked online. I've added extra lines and shapes to fill the bigger spaces so I can use fineliners but found the ink bleeds through. May get a better effect with colour pencils but book really more suitable for older children

Absolutely wonderful book. Arrived earlier than expected, which was a bonus, and the best price out there for this particular book. Excellent transaction.

Enjoyed various designs. A friend thought some pages were too busy but I thought it added to the appeal of the colouring book, more to colour and made pages interesting