by Tomislav Tomić
Published by FOKUS na hit on 2016
Style: double page printing
Pages: 80
Format: Card cover with fold out, Glue Binding
Goodreads
Stunningly beautiful coloring book filled with intricate images of a beautiful dream land filled with fairies, castles and beautiful imagery.
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Zemlja Snova Coloring Book Video Review
I hope you enjoyed the video review of Zemlja Snova by Tomislav Tomic
Zemlja Snova Coloring Book Review
I fell in love with this beautiful coloring book when I seen it online! The art work is so exquisitely drawn and detailed that you could imagine being lost in it for days. You could be totally absorbed in the art work without even coloring, just looking at it. Living in Australia, there’s always such a delay for books to reach me that I paced the house for days waiting for this book to arrive. I half expected that it would be delivered by magic carpet instead of the postman 🙂
As soon as I opened it up the realization hit. Johanna Basford is the Queen of Coloring, but I think if there was a King of coloring it would have to be Tomislav Tomic 🙂
Fans of Pictura coloring products will be familiar with the name of Tomislav Tomic as he has illustrated a number of their titles. This book is totally different from any art work that I have seen of his in the Pictura product range (but I have not seen them all).
Cover & Layout
The cover of Zemlja Znova features an illustration from the book that has been partially colored. The title is purple, that and the artist’s name appears to be a glossy laminate. The book cover is a matte laminate that has fold out flaps. The back cover has not been colored and you could, if you were keen, color that in.
The inner flaps of the book contain gorgeous art work featuring a garden scene at the front, and a fairy in the garden at the back.
Inner covers have been printed in a rich royal purple with white line art featuring birds, flowers and of course a castle.
The book measures approximately 25.5 cm x 25.2 cm.
Ancillary Pages
The title has been beautifully framed in the book by ornate art work for you to color. On the reverse you will find copyright information. Another page follows ,which I assume is a note from the artist, but as it is in Croatian I cannot read it 🙂 All of these pages would be wonderful spots to test out your mediums and see how they react with the paper and your coloring style.
I am ever so slightly disappointed that there is not a nameplate page. Not only do these pages add class and elegance to a book but generally as the illustration is small, they are a great way to ease your way into the book. Luckily, the ancillary pages have plenty of things to color in that can serve that purpose.
Layout
The artwork is printed on both sides of the white, medium quality paper. All of the illustrations have been orientated portrait style throughout the book. Within the book there are 34 double page scenes with the balance being single sided scenes. There are approximately 34 pages of double page scenes. Although they form the one picture, there are four pages of double page scenes where the art work has been positioned well away from the spine of the book. The balance of the double page scene images do merge into the spine of the book. However, as the illustrations are so amazingly beautiful I am sure you will have no trouble forgiving the book 🙂 You will be able to reach these tricky areas near to the spine with your pencil. Hopefully, with use, the spine will relax more on the book, making it easier to reach the tricky spots.
Illustrations
If you ever wished you were a Princess living in a magical kingdom when you were a child, opening this book may have you wandering down that path again. As expected from a Croatian based artist there is an abundance of castles. Princess castles or Fairy Castles, it’s up to you. This is a book of beautiful fantasy and imagination that is intricately and delicately drawn. You will find fairies, castles, mythical creatures like dragons and underwater scenes. You will fall in love with mermaids swimming in an ocean that contains treasure and more castles for you to explore.
Tomislav has managed to incorporate an abundance of beautiful florals, a variety of animals and a number of people within this book. You will find that the single page scenes are contained within beautiful and elaborate frames on the page. Part of me wishes, that the illustrations were on a single page so I could frame the picture, but I hope that there will be an Artist’s edition in the future.
Like Johanna Basford, this artist has a fine, delicate line weight and his pictures are packed full of intricate detail and design.
The illustrations have all been so well designed and positioned on the page that it make me wonder how long it took to put this book together. It is not often that you see a coloring book with such attention to detail.
Each page has a beautiful scene. Often we see in coloring books pages of patterns that do not match the theme of the book, or there are just far too many. Sometimes I like the variety that patterns offer within the book but more often than not I see them as “filler”. There are no pages of patterns in this book. Even if your pencil is screaming for an easier picture to color, you won’t find it here 🙂
The line printing is black and very crisp. The artist uses a lot of tiny fine dots, pointillism, in his art work that gives it a beautiful texture and dimension as well as a refined elegance.
This book may not be suitable for those colorists that dislike fiddly bits or have health challenges that affect coloring a lot of detail in small spaces. If you have minor visual impairment, then I would suggest plugging the magnifying lamp in for this book as it is very detailed.
The title roughly translates to Dreamland and that is what Tomislav Tomic has delivered.
Zemlja Snova Image Gallery
Please click on the images below to see more detail.
[foogallery id=”4761″]Where to buy Zemlja Snova Coloring Book
May 2017 – now available from the publisher, Fokus website here.
October 2017 – Dutch imprint will be available from Book Depository (with free shipping) here.
As I am in Australia, my only option, that was recommended to me by the publisher, was to order it online from a Croatian bookstore which I did. It took approximately 2 weeks to arrive in Australia and was well packaged. I was very happy with the service from the store and would use them again, if needed (bookshop has now closed down)
Happy coloring x
Lea
Hello
Thank you for your great review! Also I love your flip-throughs on YouTube. I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a question about ordering the Zemlja Snova book? I wondered if you used the Croatian Algoritan bookstore to buy your book? If so, perhaps you can help. I ordered from them a week ago and they gave me an approximate delivery date of today. The book however has still not been dispatched and looks to still be In Process. They did not reply to my email asking about dispatch details. If you used this company, did you find them reliable? And did they take a while to dispatch your product? (I am in the UK by the way.) I am just worried as I am getting no reply from them.
Thank you for any help you can give and sorry if I have been a nuisance.
Regards
Ceri Mason
As stated in my review, I used the same company to purchase and it took about 2 weeks to ship to Australia. As the book is not being stock on AZ anymore, I imagine the publishers are very busy restocking bookstores trying to keep up demand for it. Make sure you also check your spam/junk folders for emails. Happy coloring x
I’m also still waiting for my order to be dispatched. On the website it says it would take 5-7 working days, I placed my order on 10 april. I have also tried to contact (21 april), without receiving any reply. I hope my order of the 2 books will arrive before 11 may, because it sometimes takes about 1 month for an order to arrive. I found the shipping costs very expensive. I so much want to have this book.
The shipping is expensive ..for me orders from Scandinavia and Europe are just so expensive sometimes I just can’t afford to buy them and have to pass 🙁 However, some like this book is just so beautiful that it’s very hard to resist. Hope you receive your books soon! Happy coloring x
Dear Lea,
I’m still waiting for order to be dispatched. It’s been 3 weeks since I placed my order on 10 april. Every week I check the website, but the status of my order still hasn’t changed, status: in process. I want to know, did you receive an email when they finally dispatched your order? Was the email in English or Croatian? I still haven’t received a reply to email I send on 21 april to Algoritan bookstore. According to the website the book is still in stock what would take 5-7 working days. I hope the 2 books will be send soon (even if I have to wait an extra month, I still want the book).
Sincerely,
Fam (from the Netherlands)
Hello Fam
I placed an order for Zemlja Snova on 15th March. My page on the Algoritam website just kept saying In Process for weeks and they did not respond to emails. Eventually they sent an email saying it had been dispatched on 12 April, that was 3 weeks ago, it has not arrived. I live in the UK. Again they do not reply to my messages. I have spent a LOT of money on postage for this book and am getting desperate. On 26th April I found the Algoritam Facebook page and there is a place on there where you can send messages. I did this and someone got back to me very quickly to help with the problem. They said they contacted the Sales Department and that they had been having ‘problems’ with overseas deliveries. The Facebook person assured me that it would be sent out to me on 27th April and would be here within 8 working days. Obviously I am still waiting, I contacted them again this morning and was assured it had be posted. I am still awaiting tracking details which I asked for though. At least someone is replying to my messages at last. I just hope the book will turn up as promised this time, as they had obviously not posted it the first time which is quite despicable, they took the payment from my back account within 2 days of my order back in March. This has been a very bad experience for me, I have been waiting over 7 weeks! Please let me know if you have any luck with your order.
Regards
Ceri Mason
That’s a terrible delay. It really sounds like the book was not in stock and they were waiting for a new print run. It is such a shame that the book is not more readily available, as this is shocking customer service. Hopefully, you will receive your book soon and hopefully it will be worth the time, frustration, delay and cost x
Hi Fam, I did receive an email. I use gmail and it automatically translates for me to English. It’s amazing that in Europe you are waiting so long. It sounds like they didn’t have the book in stock and were waiting for it to be reprinted. All in all, a very frustrating experience. I hope you receive your book soon – it really is beautiful. Happy coloring x
Yesterday I have send an email to Algoritam MK. Today I received a reply in English, that they are going to ship orders this week on thursday or friday. On the website there are 2 email adress, info@algoritam-mk.hr and info@apm.hr. I used both email adress. I only received a reply from the email adress info@algoritam-mk.hr. I also used some Croatian words in my email, trying to think as a foreigner who doesn’t speak good English.
Kupnja br. : order number. Kupnje datum : order date. Kupnje status : u obradi / vi obradi : order status in proces / pending.
I think that the other email adress isn’t used any more. I also was reading on the website about shipping. I read when they don’t have the books in stock, that they order it directly from the supplier what can take 15 working days extra plus the time it takes to ship you order. I think that is may be the reason why we have to wait so long.
I hope they keep their word about shipping my order on thursday or friday.
Use simple English when you contact them. For example, dispatch is a difficult word, don’t use that.
Ceri, did you receive the track details? In my country we call it : track & trace. May be in Croatia they use the same term.
Sincerely,
Fam
Thank you Fam! Yes, I have been using the info@algoritam-mk.hr address and using simple language. I also received the email to say that they will be posting today (Thursday) or tomorrow. My point is that they have been dishonest. I have been waiting over 7 weeks and I was told in an email that they had dispatched my item on 12 April. This was untrue. I have since been told via Facebook that it was posted on 27th April. Now they say it will be sent today or tomorrow. I have very little confidence and to date they have not given me any Track and Trace details. I will be contacting them again after tomorrow to see if it has indeed been sent. I would be grateful if you let me know if you hear any further word from them and if you receive your book. Kind regards. Ceri Mason.
Today I received an email (in Croatian) from Algoritam MK that they have shipped my order. Also in account on the Algoritam MK website the status of my order is changed to completed/ finished. Because of the weekend I don’t expect my order to arrive tomorrow, but I think after teusday 9 may next week. I feel positive about finally receiving the 2 books.
Sincerely,
Fam
Hi again Fam! I hope you get your books soon. Do let me know. I have not heard anything from them at all and they are not replying to emails. My status has said Finished since 12 April! I am very despondent about the whole situation.
Regards
Ceri Mason
Hello Fam! I got my book today! I can hardly believe it, I think I am going to pop with shock! I now wish I had ordered two, it is so beautiful. Judging from this outcome I think you will get your books very soon. Best of luck. Ceri X
Finally! Glad that you received it, I presume they never replied to your emails, which is very disappointing. I felt like you when mine arrived. It was such a hassle getting it, then it was so utterly beautiful that I felt I should have got two! Remember to join Morena’s lovely group if you want to share your colored pieces and get inspiration – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1879390658947363/ Enjoy x
Nice for you, Ceri. I have not yet received my order of the 2 books. But I expect my order will arrive before 8 june. I made a calculation of your waiting period about 7.5 weeks. But of course I hope it wouldn’t take so long. And you and Lea say it’s worth it, to wait so long for such a beautifull book. Every video flip through review I watched said the same and I fell in love with the beautifull art work.
Sincerely,
Fam
Hopefully it will be in your hands soon! It really is lovely and I’m sure once you get it the long and frustrating wait will be worth it. Happy coloring x
Thank you Lea, I am delighted with the book.
Hello Fam. I hope you will not have to wait as long as I did. As I mentioned, if you get concerned you could use the Algoritam Facebook page to send a message. They speak perfect English and replied very quickly. They were able to check the status of my order for me, although of course could only communicate what the Sales Department told them! Good luck and hope to hear you have received the books soon. Regards. Ceri.
I have received my order friday 12 may. I’m only very disappointed that 1 of 2 books I bought is damaged. 1 corner of the book is very damaged, you can see it on every page. I’m still waiting for a response on the email I send. I want to receive a partial refund for the damage. The book is like a fairy tale, so beautiful.
Hi Fam
Well I am pleased you received something at least! But you should definitely have a replacement copy. I don’t know if you will have much luck as this is the news at the moment:
http://www.total-croatia-news.com/business/18864-major-bookstore-chain-closes-down
Looks like the company are in big trouble and who knows when anyone will get their orders. I feel relieved that I got my book just in time. Someone in Croatia says that the publisher Bokus are planning to set up an online store at some point as the book is not available anywhere now.
Hope you enjoy your good copy of the book and do let me know if you have any luck with obtaining a replacement.
Ceri X
Sorry, the publisher should be Fokus.
Fam usually you contact the seller or the publisher when a book is damaged. Fokus is the publisher and you can see their details in the book the bookstore has closed down but are probably dealing with the store close and may be able to issue a replacement. I would email both the bookstore and publisher with pictures of the damage. Fokus has stated that they will be selling the book from their website at some stage as well if others want to order it in the future. Good luck x
I think we just need to be happy that we own a copy of this book, because other customers are still waiting and will not for a long time receive their orders or receive their money back. In this situation customers loose their rights and the companies that didn’t receive payment from Algoritam are on the first row, they have more rights. I don’t want to receive a replacement copy. I wanted to receive a partial refund, what normally happens when you receive a damaged book after you contact the seller, but that will not happen now. I have 2 books, 1 book I bought for the illustrations and the other I bought for coloring (that will be the one with the damaged corner). I’m happy that I was on time ordering this book and receiving the book after waiting longer than a month. I hope that Fokus will be smart and publish this book in English instaed of Croatian edition, because their are so many fans of Tomislav Tomic work who want to buy this book.
Sincerely,
Fam
You must have significantly different laws from us in Australia we are always entitled to a replacement if the product is damaged and not a partial refund, as that would be too difficult to assess. It will be interesting to see how Fokus deal with the sales of the book once they have their marketplace set up. Happy coloring x
I understand you say that I have I rights to ask for a replacement copy. But as a customer you can also choose for a refund. I prefure most of the times a refund, it depands on the damage that I want a full or partial refund. In this case with Algoritam I didn’t want a replacement, because I had to wait to long for my order to arrive after 5 weeks. If I would ask for a replacement, than I have to wait very long. I don’t know how to contact Fokus for a replacement. Algoritam still hasn’t respond to my email, which I send with photos. After Ceri told me about the bad news about the money troubles of Algoritam, I think nothing is going to happen.
I find it is easier to receive a refund, because most of the times the seller doesn’t want you to return the book. So that you can choose if you want to buy the book from an other seller or accept the damaged book. The sellers tells you to give the book to a charity shop or recycle the book when it is too damaged. In the past I have bought a lot of times used books, thoose books aren’t always in the condition as descriped. Most of the time the seller doesn’t have a replacement. I have no problem with receiving a refund.
Sincerely,
Fam