by Tomoko Tashiro
on 11 May 2017
Style: double page printing
Pages: 96
Format: Dust Jacket
Japanese artist, Tomoko Tashiro's fourth coloring book takes us through a fashion journey through the ages.
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Fashion Coloring Book Video Review
I hope you enjoyed the video review of Fashion Colouring Book by Japanese artist, Tomoko Tashiro.
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Fashion Coloring Book Review
It must be a year ago now since I fell in love with Tomoko Tashiro’s coloring books. Oddly enough, as I buy most of my books online, I found my first of Tomoko’s books in a bookstore in Sydney. Initially, I put it back, because the finely drawn art work and delicate style looked like it would be too much for my eyesight and patience level. Then I thought that maybe one day …with a magnifying lamp and a large dash of focus I could manage it. Tomoko’s first book was the beautiful Fairy Tale and then Fairies and Princesses both of which have been released as English imprints (from the reviews, I would prefer the Japanese editions). Her third colouring book was Fantasy Girls and Fashion Coloring Book is her fourth book.
As well as releasing books for us to color in, Tomoko has also released some “how to” color or paint books. As she colors so delicately, and I would love to learn that, I hope that one day these will be released in English as well.
Cover & Layout
Consistent with her previous coloring books, the dust jacket cover features a partially colored image of one of the illustrations from the book. You can immediately see the finely detailed line art that is consistent with what is inside the book. The title is inside a lovely gold frame. The gold printing and highlights on the dust jacket are gold print not foiling.
The spine features a pale pink background for the title printed in Japanese on it.
On the back of the dust jacket you will find line art that you could color in if you wished to, although the bar code in the corner does cover some of the art.
The front fold out flap features a bronze background with line art from the Art Deco era while the back flap features an Art Nouveau.
A blue/grey card cover with white line art is featured on both front and back of the colouring book proper.
The Fashion Colouring Book measures 9.8 in x 9.8 in.
Ancillary Pages
An elaborate title page commences the book. The title is captured within an ornate frame with a wallpaper style background. Over page there is an Introduction with the bulk of the text in Japanese.
At the end of the book there is a 7 page visual index, followed by an Afterword and copyright information.
Any of the pages above would be a good spot to test out your mediums.
Layout
Using the same format as she has done in her previous books, the book is divided into sections as follows:
Italy Renaissance
Simonetta Vespucci
England: Elizabethan Era
Queen of England, Elizabeth I
France Rococo
Madame de Pomadour
Queen of France – Marie Antoinette
Russia: Romanov Dynasty
Empress of Russia, Catherine II
France Empire Style
Empress of France, Josephine
Empress of France, Eugenie
Empress of Austria – Hungary, Elizabeth
Fashion Plate: Romantic Style
French Actress: Sarah Bernhardt
Fashion Plate: Art Nouveau
Art of Costume: Ballets Russes
Fashion Plate: Art Deco
The illustrations have been printed on both sides of the off white, medium quality paper. There are images where the line art does run to the spine of the book. At the moment, the spine is very stiff and will take some muscles to push it down flat.
Fashion Coloring Book Images and Illustrations
Tomoko Tashiro has a distinctive illustrative style. Her art work is finely lined and detailed and has an overall elegance about it.
Although the line art is black and crisp, the small details make it a challenging book for those with a minor visual impairment.
In the Fashion Coloring Book, Tomoko, has illustrated famous historical figures from a fashion point of view as well as different eras of fashion history.
Among the fashion pictures you will find a variety of gowns and accessories that will make coloring these clothes fun and, in some cases, challenging. Hairstyles have also been considered with many different styles incorporated in the book some more complex than others.
As always, in Tomoko’s books there are some pages that depict smaller elements to color in like shoes and hair brushes which flow with the theme. There are also a number of pages that I consider “wallpaper” or patterns within the book. These type of pages are usually incorporated so the colorist has some variety within the book. Personally, I think the real benefit of these pages is, that you can color with whatever medium you like on the reverse of the page and not be heartbroken that you have damaged the pattern page.
Colorists that love doing backgrounds will be pleased that there are many pages in the book that would benefit from some background pizzazz.
Please click on an image to view more detail
[foogallery id=”9141″]Detail Level
Where to buy Fashion Colouring Book
| Etailer | Amazon JP | Yes Asia – Free Shipping |
Happy coloring x
Lea
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