by Lesley Smitheringale
Published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on February 23rd 2018
Style: Contains Extras, Digital PDF, Paper: medium quality, Paper: white tradestock, single page illustrations
Pages: 60
Goodreads
"Deep in the English countryside is a hidden stretch of untouched, lush woodland surrounded by a tranquil brook which the native wildlife in the area are proud to call home. Winter is coming to an end at Bramble Brook Woods with the last of the snow still clinging to tree branches, the ice slowly melting on the brook and the hills and meadows still trying to shake off the frozen white blanket. Many of the creatures have been hibernating during the long winter months in their cosy warm nests, hollows and burrows, still sleepy and just waking up to the first soft rays of sunshine with the promise of spring just around the corner. Enjoy meeting the characters as you bring them to life with colour - snowy owls, dormouse, squirrels, foxes, rats, raven, deer, sparrows, blue tits, chaffinches, robins, woodpeckers, hedgehogs, otters, rabbits, tortoises, ducks & frogs".
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the product. If you buy a book using that link, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the price that you pay. Your support is very much appreciated x
A Winter’s Tale in Bramble Brook Woods Coloring Book Video Review
I hope you enjoyed the video review of A Winter’s Tale in Bramble Brook Woods illustrated by Australian artist, Lesley Smitheringale.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel and never miss a coloring book review.
A Winter’s Tale in Bramble Brook Woods Coloring Book  Review
Regular readers will know that I was immediately drawn to the cute squirrel in this coloring book.  Once I discovered that there were bunnies inside, of course, it had to be added to my cart post haste.  I go weak at the knees for cute little critters in coloring books and this one had me intrigued by the “story included” subheading.
Cover & Layout
A Winter’s Tale is available in a multitude of formats with something to suit every colorist. Below I’ll tell you the options and which one I selected.
Standard – this is approximately A4 sized and printed on white trade stock paper.  The illustrations are printed single sided. You should pop a few pieces of paper in between the pages when coloring to avoid indentations from pencils or ghosting from markers.
Digital/PDF – you can download a digital edition of the coloring book in your choice of sizes: A4 or  letter.
The digital version does not come with the pretty colored cover.  Often artists omit the colored cover to ensure that when printing out you do not inadvertently use up all your colored ink.  This is the format that I chose in A4 size which suits the paper standards in Australia.
There were a few reasons for my selection:Â Â I wanted the book immediately so I could have instant bunny gratification, save on shipping costs, print on the paper of my choice and most importantly be able to print a page again if I was not happy with my efforts.
I had my copy printed and spiral bound by Officeworks in Australia using 200gsm paper.  Of course, I could have printed it at home but I wanted it bound up prettily 🙂
Artist Edition – There are two size choices for the artist edition of this book – A4 or A3.  Both are printed on white 200 gsm paper and have spiral binding at the top.   Top binding is particularly useful for left-handed colorists.
Ancillary Pages
In the digital edition that I purchased there is a decorated title page, copyright and acknowledgment page, a message from the artist and nameplate page.  Any of these pages would be suitable to test out your mediums.
Three pages follow that set the scene for the coloring book.   The pages are all decorated to theme with the book.  Each of the individual coloring pages has a paragraph or two setting out the “back story” for the image.  We learn the names of the characters or the name that the page has been titled.  I adored reading through this section and learning about Daisy and Mr and Mrs Rat.  It really created an imaginary world for me where I could envisage these colored creations.
My only niggle with this section was the font sizing and style made me reach for my reading glasses.
Layout
Whichever format of the coloring book you choose, the illustrations will be printed on single-sided paper.  Colorists have a huge range of choices in paper quality, sizing and binding that there is sure to be something to suit every need.
Each illustration has been framed with a border.  This ensures that no matter which style of book you choose you will not need to color near the dreaded gutter of the book.  As well as providing ease of coloring, it also frames the book and you could well imagine some of these colored pieces hanging in a child’s room (or maybe a big kid’s coloring cave).
Art Work
Inside A Winter’s Tale you will find cute and whimsical art work detailing the characters in Bramble Woods.  Of course, many of the cute critters are anthropomorphized so we will see them drinking hot cocoa and marshmallows, sledding and returning home after ice skating.  These scenes are completely charming particularly when read with the backstory that belongs with the page.
The line weight varies with some elements outlined in a thick black. However, the bulk of the line art looks hand drawn and as such has varying light weights and shades of grey and black.
Some of the lines in drawings are quite sketchy so that when colored they will merge with the page producing a painterly look.  Colorists that have a minor visual impairment may not be able to see these fainter lines that well.  Fortunately, most of these lines are for elements like water,where a color wash is just as effective without straining your eyes.
Please click on an image to view more detail
[foogallery id=”12263″]Detail Level
Giveaway
There are two giveaways for this coloring book that Lesley has kindly donated the prizes for.
A digital/pdf edition of the coloring book will be given to one lucky YouTube winner.  To enter click the video above to go to it on YouTube. The rules are all set out in the description below the video.  Leave your answer below the video to enter.
You can also enter the coloring contest to win a copy of Lesley’s coloring book in my Facebook Group, Coloring Time.  The details are all in the pinned post at the Group.
Good luck all!
Other coloring books by Lesley Smitheringale
  |
  |
  |
Where to buy A Winter’s Tale in Bramble Brook Woods
| [easyazon_link identifier=”1985833727″ locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”mygamingweb-20″ cart=”n”]Amazon[/easyazon_link]/td> | Book Depository | Digital/PDF | Artist Edition |
Happy coloring x
Lea
Leave a Comment