Masja has created a truly beautiful book and it really does contain a wondrous world of creatures, flowers and patterns. Her illustration style is floral, delicate and detailed without being overly intricate. Those of you who like Millie Marotta’s style should really consider this book because I am now a huge fan of the work of both of these talented illustrators.
This book is square and glue-bound making it a little hard to get completely flat to colour but because it’s paperback it’s easily moved around to get the perfect angle for each section you’re working on. The images are printed double-sided and the paper is fairly thin so I’d stick to pencils in this book as my fineliners badly bled through to the back of the page I tested. However, the paper is bright white and fairly smooth and gives a lovely surface to colour on. The line thickness is thin but not extremely so and it does vary somewhat throughout the book but at no point could it be described as thick so this book is definitely for those of you with good vision and at least moderate fine motor control so that you can really get the most from the images. The book contains 46 images including some that are double-page spreads and others that are single pages. The image content includes animals, flowers, floral patterns, and wallpaper-esque prints. It’s quite a girly book so maybe one to miss for the male colourers unless floral is your thing.
I found the images really calming and soothing and found the process of colouring the images ready for this review very relaxing because of their grounding in nature. Looking through the pages of the book is like taking a leisurely walk through a beautiful garden, past stunning flowers, inhabited ponds and swooping birds. It takes you on a journey and allows for excellent escapism which means it’s ideal for mental health problems. Masja’s drawings are delicate and intricate and need just enough concentration to keep you occupied, focused and distracted from anxious or low thoughts but aren’t so complicated that they will ever lead to frustration or cause you to feel overwhelmed. Some of the images have large open spaces where you could add your own drawings or backgrounds to truly make the book your own but there is no writing on the pages so you’re totally free to add (or not) as you choose, rather than as directed.
This book is one not to be missed and for those of you who like to colour natural scenes, especially those including animals or flowers, this is a must-have book that you should be adding to your collection because it’s beautiful and really up there with the bestsellers in that category. Masja’s book is not published in the UK or US yet but is available from her Etsy shop where it is very reasonably priced and you can also check out her other books and colouring pages, all drawn in her unique, delicate style. You can read my review of her second instalment here and you can keep up with her progress via her Facebook page. Thank you so much Masja for inviting us all into your Wondrous World and for allowing me to review your stunning book!
The images below were coloured using Marco Raffine Coloured Pencils and Stabilo Point 88 Fineliners.
In The Midst Of Madness 