by Hanna Karlzon
Published by Gibbs Smith on March 14th 2017
Style: double page printing
Pages: 96
Format: Glue & Stitched, Hard back
Goodreads
The third coloring book from Sweden’s Hanna Karlzon beautifully presented with a magical theme. This 96 page hard back coloring book is a must for fans of Hanna Karlzon.
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Magical Dawn Video Review
I hope you enjoyed the Magical Dawn Coloring Book Review illustrated by Hanna Karlzon.
Magical Dawn Review
Magical Dawn is the third coloring book for adults by Swedish, artist Hanna Karlzon. She originally released coloring books in Sweden under the names Dagdrommar which was followed by Sommarnatt and then Magisk Gryning. Gibbs Smith, US publishers obtained the rights to publish these coloring books for adults in English and did so under the names of Daydreams, Summer Nights and now Magical Dawn.
As the name implies, Magical Dawn, has a magical theme throughout the book.   Generally Hanna’s books focus on seasons or periods of time.   This coloring book is a mesh of the mystery of magic and the wonder of the dawn of the day.  The stand out feature for me in this coloring book is the numerous ways Hanna has presented glass, crystals and gems – all the sparkly things for people to color.    There are bottles of all shapes and sizes containing magical potions and more. As well as the magical theme the familiar is also present including bold women, elaborate insects and animals with adorable crowns.
Cover & Layout
The cover of Magical Dawn matches the series of books that Hanna and her publishers produce being virtually the same size and design.  The cover of Magical Dawn (not the pages) is a few mm larger than the cover of Magisk Gryning on my copy.
A lovely shade of mauve with a pinkish tone forms the background of the cover of Magical Dawn.  In contrast, the cover is more lilac in colour on the cover of Magisk Gryning.  There are gold foil highlights on Magical Dawn highlighted in the same places as Magisk Gryning. The cover art consists of an insect that Hanna has, of course, made beautiful.     The cover art tends to have more contrast on the English edition of the coloring book.     The areas of white appear brighter and the black outlines are bolder.  This contrast also applies to the back cover art of an hourglass.   In Magical Dawn this art stands out far more than on Magisk Gryning.
Magical Dawn has a pinkish tone to the mauve cover. The black outlines are bolder on the cover art of Magical Dawn which makes the white really stand out.
The spine is bound in black with gold foil text. Â The shade of gold used on Magical Dawn is slightly different.
The cover illustrations are included within the book for you to color in as well.
Inside the same black matte paper has been used to protect the colouring book.
The English edition cover (not pages) is slightly bigger than the Swedish edition by a few mm.
Magical Dawn which is behind Magisk Gryning in the image below has a cover that is about 2mm bigger than Magisk Gryning
Magical Dawn coloring book measures 25.5cm x 21.5cm.
Ancillary Pages
An adorable crowned frog greets you on the title page of this lovely coloring book.   The title text is in English.   The cute frog has also been incorporated into a larger illustration within the book. Over page the copyright information has a few little crystals there for you to embellish and text in English.   The only difference between the Swedish edition, other than the text, is the placement of the crystal image.
The nameplate page, written in English, immediately reminds you that this book has a “magical” theme.  Illustrations of Star Dust and Rainbow Light are mixed with other magical potions. The art work features swirls and stars that remind me of a retro theme as well with a hippie vibe to it.
The illustrations of potions have also been included in other illustrations within the book.
The ancillary pages are a great place to test out your mediums and see how they react with the paper and your coloring style.
Layout
The illustrations have been printed on both sides of the off white paper. The paper is the same color and quality as Hanna’s previous books being an off white, medium quality at 150 gsm. All of the images have been orientated portrait style. The majority of the illustrations are a single page design. There are 16 pages that comprise double page scenes within the book.  All of the illustrations have been positioned and arranged in the same order as the original, Magisk Gryning Coloring Book.
Magical Dawn Illustrations & Images
Magical Dawn contains illustrations that give the colorist a lot of opportunity to work with light and add sparkle and jewelled effects.   There are bubbles, gems, crystals, crowns, lamps, bottles and even the glitter on insect wings and cases that provide opportunity for the colorist to add a glow or sparkle to their work.
As the coloring book relates to the dawn as well as the magical aspect I wonder if this imagery has been included to specifically allude to the brightness of a new day with a dash of magic.
The illustrations also provide a comforting familiarity for those acquainted with Hannah’s work. We see a return of adorable toadstools, majestic cats, cute buildings and a number of little animals adorned with crowns. Bold women that are adorned with their own art stand out in the book.  Women with braids, elaborate earrings and stars on their face remind me of the 70’s and the hippie fashion culture.
The line art in this book is a black medium weight line and finer detail and dots have also been added to the work, as is Hanna’s usual style.
The use of predominant dots is something that Hannah is known for. These dots can assist the colorist when shading and adding texture and dimension to the area.
Hanna seems to draw women that appear strong and bold and often decorated with tattoos on her ladies. The addition of the tattoo gives an extra element to the colored piece and adds a lot of interest.
Colorists that enjoy the challenge of coloring gems, crystals, bubbles and glass will love all the beautiful objects within this book.
Some of the art work does run to the spine of the book. Some gentle pushing will loosen the spine area and make it easier to color in.   At the moment, my book has only been opened a few times and has already started to relax.
There are many illustrations that have enough white space surrounding them that some background effects could also be added for a dash more magic.
Many of the illustrations in Magical Dawn use the whole of the page and are tightly packed with detail.   Colorists with visual impairment may find that some of the imagery is it difficult to see detail without their magnifying glass. There are many images that have large areas however, that may not prove so challenging to color.
Please click on the image to see more detail from the Magical Dawn coloring book by Hanna Karlzon.
[foogallery id=”6211″]Where to buy Magical Dawn Coloring Book
Buy US Magical Dawn   |
Buy UK Magical Dawn   |
Buy Canada Magical Dawn   |
You can also purchase Magical Dawn Coloring Book from Book Depository here.
Getting Inspired
See my Pinterest board for completed pages from Magical Dawn Coloring Book if you need inspiration.
Happy coloring x
Lea
This is a great book. I wanna buy in store near me… Unfortonately, i can;t find..
It is easier to buy it online as not all bookstores would carry this book. Happy coloring x