Tropical World: A Coloring Book Adventure (A Millie Marotta Adult Coloring Book) Paperback – September 8, 2015

I scrolled through a seemingly endless selection of adult coloring books, but, when I saw the pages of “Tropical World” by Millie Marotta, there wasn’t much contest. The gold-embossed, partly colored cover is eye-catching. The illustrations are stunning, with just the right amount of detail –intricate, but not so fine that I would have trouble using pencils on them. Plenty of exotic flora and fauna to color in all its splendor. Marotta’s signature style of constructing animals out of flora-inspired shapes is particularly interesting. And there are parrots! I love parrots. This is really beautiful artwork. I was surprised to be able to get it for such a low price. Artwork is quite a bargain, it seems, if you’re willing to supply your own color.The book is 10 inches square. It contains 86 pages of drawings to color. The paper is thick and white, but it’s not cardstock. Pencils are great on this paper. It’s thick enough that you can press hard on the pencil without any evidence showing through to the opposite side. I have not tested gel pens or fineliners. Fineliners have been reported to bleed through by some bloggers, though that it is the UK edition of the book with different publisher. The pages are not perforated for removal. The motifs include tropical plants, insects, birds, and other animals. For those who like abstracts, there are 7 of those with flora themes. Nineteen of the images are two-page spreads. There are a few illustrations that encourage you to fill in your own detail and 5 blank pages in the back.There are intricate two-page spreads, and smaller isolated images that won’t take long to color. There are various levels of detail. Sixteen pictures of birds. Nineteen of other animals. Nine of insects. Eighteen of plants. There is something for everyone. I especially like that Marotta’s images begin with a realistic form; then she “elaborates and decorates”, transforming the creature into something fantastical. In coloring, you can go with a realistic color palette and detail, or you can do an enhanced or false palette for an otherworldly look with equal success. Marotta’s approach lends itself to both styles, which is amazing. I’m impressed by “Tropical World”, though it may take the rest of my life to color it. I will enjoy it. I don’t get tired of looking at these pictures.

The media could not be loaded. "Tropical World" is the second coloring book adventure by Millie Marotta. It follows her wildly successful and beautiful book "Animal Kingdom" and is every bit as gorgeous.The book focuses on tropical flora and fauna. The drawings are so well done but the artist has gone to a higher level with her exquisitely patterned details on each and every one of the design pages.The designs include flowers and flowers arrangements (some are in mandala-type styles), birds (including flamingos, toucan, owls, parrots, peacock and more), snakes, tiger, butterflies, elephants, frog, iguana, fish, seahorse, collage of leaves, water lilies, and so much more.The cover is once again gorgeous. It is beautifully drawn and has touches of color and metallic gold. The weight of the paper used is excellent; however, once again, the designs are printed on both sides of the page and the pages are not perforated.Sixteen of the designs span across two pages so removing these may not be your choice. There are 86 pages of designs (counting both sides of each page) though less numbers of designs as some span two pages. Also, a few of the designs are set up with details drawn in on the left hand side of the page and then the artist has given us outlines on the right hand side so that we, as colorists and artists, can determine how we wish to finish it in a way that is unique to ourselves.I will certainly be buying a second copy of this book so that I can color both sides using whatever medium I choose. This is what I have done with "Animal Kingdom", too. Some books are simply worth having duplicate copies. If I were only buying one copy, I would stick to a soft colored pencil so that there would be no danger of ink leaking through from one side to the other.

This artist is my favorite for coloring books. She really has the best templates available in a multitude of styles.PROS:- Thick pages (but a Sharpie will bleed through onto the next page).- Double-sided pages full of scenery and subject.- The scenery is beautifully done, detailed to a fine level. An ultra-fine point Sharpie is as big as you'd want to use.- All of the lines are the same thickness.CONS:- Even though the pages are of reasonable thickness, a Sharpie bleeds onto the next page.I've had this for about a month and love each new adventure it provides. Each time I start a new page I'm surprised with how long it's going to take to actually complete! It's a great way to spend some time, and the pace it slows you down to is therapeutic and a pleasant break from an otherwise hectic day. It would be nice if these were spiral-bound, giving you the option the lay the book flat and give you more range of motion. But all in all, it's the best one I've found on Amazon.

I was curious about all the talk on coloring books for adults so figured I'd try this one. I am very impressed with the quality of this book. The pages are a great thickness and the subject matter, thanks to others' reviews, is perfect for me. I used Prismacolored pencils on my first attempts and was not disappointed. The first picture colored was the 2 page peacock. If you 'work' with the binding it does lay flat enough to get a decent finished picture. My only disappointment was the fact that the two pages didn't line up exactly. My second attempt was the moth. I watched a few YouTube videos on blending and shading and was very impressed with the results on my first attempt. Another great point about this book are the blank pages in the back that allow you to experiment with the results of color choices on the same paper. I was very surprised how different colors look on lower quality paper.These drawings are BEAUTIFUL. What a fabulous way to unwind anytime it's needed (even when it's not)!