1/03/2017

Mein Wundervolles Weihnachtsfest by Johanna Basford

I was a participant in a yearlong challenge at a German reading forum and for December 2016 they had offered some novels including this coloring book. And since I already owned and had read the other books, I decided to try for Johanna´s Christmas coloring book – and got lucky! The last time I was sitting over a coloring book and forgetting everything around me, was way back in my childhood. I can´t even remember which one I was coloring, but one thing remained: I relax and literally don´t see and hear anything around me anymore.

Mein Wundervolles Weihnachtsfest

by Johanna Basford
Original Title Johanna´s Christmas
Publisher Fischer on October 27, 2016
Genre Coloring
Pages 80
Format Paperback
Source Publisher

Goodreads

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Delicate tangles of holly and ivy, bauble-laden Christmas trees and mountains of exquisitely wrapped gifts are all waiting to be brought to life in this new collection of pull-out prints. From flurries of delicate snowflakes to deliciously decorated gingerbread houses and reindeer-led sleighs, Johanna´s Christmas is a celebration of this wonderful holiday season that invites you to pick up your pens and pencils to color, complete or embellish each of the festive artworks. Hidden in this book are a flock of elusive little robins – can you spot them all?

Style

The first thing I noticed was the fantastic paper quality. Thick, pure white paper without any foreign matter or stain as you can sometimes find it in a normal reading book. You can even use watercolors and it won´t have any impact on the paper – except for the wonderful look. On every page is only one motive so you don´t have to decide which one you want to frame. Larger motives go over a double-page and the back of all of them shows holiday motives in a light gray. 

What I found so intriguing is the way how Johanna Basford created every single motive. The ornaments she is using, the plants and flowers, the figures – everything is very delicate, beautiful, and easy to color. There are details you see during the coloring process, like nuts, ribbons, or the robins; she has put in that gives you an extra great feeling.

At the end of the book, you´ll find a test page where you can try your pens to see how the color is and create your very own color palette. Something I really love since I sometimes like to try a new technique in holding a pen or using it. No doubt, this coloring book is for everyone who loves to color. Young and old will for sure have their pleasure in giving those fantastic motives their very own style and bring them to life. I for some reason fell in love with the snow globe. Don´t know why, but I got hooked by it right from the beginning.

Conclusion

Okay, the holidays are definitely over, but I have many pages left to color and therefore I am sure I will have my fun with this beautiful coloring book way into 2017. If you are a fan of coloring books and don´t know the artist Johanna Basford yet, you should definitely go and get one of her books – they are really worth it!

Happy coloring

This is the cover of the original edition published by Virgin Books on October 27, 2016

Johanna Basford

Johanna Basford is an illustrator and ink evangelist who prefers pens and pencils to pixels. Her intricate hand-drawn illustrations are loved all over the world. Thanks to the banking crises, who took all her customers she had as a textile designer away from her, she had to find something new. With no money to invest, she began to draw with black ink pens on paper and created plants and animal landscapes – the start of an international career. She lives in the same village on the Scottish East Coast where she grew up. 

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