Customer Reviews

Kaleidoscopic Design Coloring Book (Dover Design Coloring Books)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I am a 48 year old kid who loves to color! This is one of the best books that I have purchased. The designs are all different and wonderful therapy after a busy, hectic day! I take a copy with me in the car for those times of waiting - I even took it to the ballfield while my son waited for 2 hours for autographs! I recommend this book very, very highly.

I really enjoyed this coloring book--as in my very early yrs., I had kaleidoscopes to play with. I was always intriqued with the color spectrum in them.I was hoping to find more on line with the illustrator of this book. Sadly disappointed. Will keep looking at other book sites. By the way, I am 56 yrs. old--and I love to color. It's wonderful therapy for relaxing and bringing back some childhood fun.

I have found this book useful in putting to rest some of the exhausting days of being 'housebound' over the past few months. I have used every medium you can think of, from colored pencils, markers, and the myriad gel pens. the outcome has been exquisite. I have even copied some of the results on clear plastic and used them for suncatchers. They make me smile, and remind me of the snowflakes and kaleidoscopes of my childhood. I hope there are more coming.

I have just purchased several coloring books for use in my classroom. Some are optical illusion books and others have hidden pictures. This book is the only one I am disappointed with. The biggest problem it has is that the lines are fuzzy and not "closed in." I understand that the drawings of the artist show some real talent, but to make these into something to color is not practical. I think that it will be very frustrating for anyone to try to color these objects. I will keep the book, and may give it away as a gift. I will not be able to use it in the classroom because I know the kids would find it frustrating. If the lines were "clean", this would be a worthwhile book. Another problem is that unlik other optical illusion coloring books, this one leaves a lot of empty space on the page; in other words, the pictures are relatively small compared to all of the space on each page. This book has a lot of wasted empty space on each page.

These abstract designs provide spaces for a lot of freedom & creativity. Older kids & adults with a good set of colored pencils will enjoy this coloring book, even if just to keep a hand occupied while on the phone. Dover has about 15 titles of this type, ranging from optical illusions to Celtic animals.

Bob Rixon

Those who are unhappy with the designs in this book,(sketchy,fuzzy,lines;like pencil drawing; too frustrating for children or anyone to color;-these were among some of the complaints)are simply not up to the challenge of coloring them. There are plenty of simply drawn,easy-to-color, coloring books out there for those who do not enjoy coloring intricate designs. Dover is one of the very few publishers who cater to the rest of us,who love coloring beautiful detailed works,and nowhere is it stated or implied that these books are designed for or targeted to young children. In fact, Dover has an extensive line of simply drawn,but high quality coloring books specifically targeted for little hands to color. Anyone can clearly see from the cover picture of 'Kaleidoscopic Design Coloring Book' that the pictures in this particular book are not suited or intended for young children. The designs in this book are exquisite and after coloring one, it is enough to take my breath away. I plan to frame my favorites, and hang a group in a room of my house. There is nothing wrong with the line quality of these drawings. The lines are clear,not in anyway "fuzzy" or "not closed in", but they are not the bold exaggeratedly thick black lines in preschool children's coloring books. Bold, extremely thick black outlines do not lend themselves gracefully to detailed, intricate designs. Overall, this is a gorgeous book filled with dazzling kaleidoscope images, each one a joy to spend time coloring, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys intricate designs.

This coloring book is a delight, especially for those who remember the old kaleidoscopic cylinders that fascinated kids years ago. Probably not suitable for very young children, but older ones and adults will love these beautiful designs. The sky's the limit as to color choices and as to display when they are completed.

I teach middle school art. I use this book in my classroom to practice applying color schemes. My students enjoy this activity because the designs are unique and challenging. Unlike with some other coloring books, they have to think about where they are putting color.When they are finished with a group of three designs of the same pattern they have something "cool" to take home and display. I will use this book for years!

I should have paid more attention to the description. The design's do not have hard lines, more like pencil drawing, not what I expected for coloring. I will keep it, but it will not be the first book I pick up when I want to color, sorry to say.

We sit around the kitchen table and color designs. It's relaxing, and makes for some really good conversation. Most of the books are not detailed enough, and kinda juvenile. This book is our favorite because it has nice detail, and the way they are drawn makes them very forgiving and changeable. We would like the author to do another book.