Tangle Wood (large format edition)

These 80 pages of hand-drawn pictures with a magical woodland theme are for us to colour in and each has a 'hidden jewel' worked into the design. Some designs fit on a single page and others extend across a double-page spread. Look out for Tangle Magic, also in the same large format.

* Machine Knitting Monthly *

The original Tangle Wood was published back in 2015 in a slightly smaller format. Then another larger, single sided version came out in 2017 printed on thicker paper for framing. Now here is a third edition, slightly bigger than the first and square. What does this have to offer for adult colourists

The brief introduction recommends watercolour pencils or brush pens, showing that perhaps this brand-new edition is aimed at two mediums that are currently cheaper and more widely available than they used to be. It also suggests using a fine-nibbed black pen for adding extra details which gives an added new dimension to the colouring experience.

There are frames inside which you can add your own drawings, and images with large blank areas around them for filling in with backgrounds. This allows you to give your own spin on what is there and create something unique, a feature I like a lot. The line widths vary from very fine to medium, but all look hand drawn with no pixilation. There are no mandalas or abstract “carpet” pages generated on a computer which is another change from many colouring books; each page is unique.

Pictures range from depictions of real creatures to those with a fantasy element. Owls peek out of holes in trees, butterflies and dragonflies flutter over flowers, vegetation writhes to create a border. Elsewhere you can find unicorns, animals with patterned bodies, wee fairy homes and birds with jewels in their beaks. Some pictures have more detail than others and most can be personalized in some way. Another feature is a list of items to find hidden in the pictures and a “this book belongs to” page. Even the covers can be coloured. For under £10 this is good value for money and a lot of fun.

-- Rachel A Hyde * myshelf.c