The Night Voyage: A Magical Adventure and Coloring Book (Time Adult Coloring Books)

Watch out Johanna Basford because Daria Song outdid herself with this amazing third adventure coloring book that tells a good story as well. Once you start paging through this book you will quickly find yourself captivated by the nighttime voyage of a little girl and her adorable cat.( Cat lovers, the cat is found in almost every picture!) Being an artist myself, I find this book very inspiring and as a colorist, I can't wait to bring the charming illustrations to live. While coloring, you will discover some surprising "hidden" objects that you might not have observed at first glance. This is one of many reasons why this book is so much more fun than your ordinary coloring books. Now let's look at the specs and details of this book. 1) The images are printed on both sides 2) The paper has a decent weight to it. Very important! 3) Use with colored pencil, markers, gel pens or crayons but keep in mind that alcohol-based markers are notorious for bleeding through, and although I haven't personally tried them out on this paper, I would not recommend using them in this book or if you must, perform a small test first on one of the non-illustrated pages. All other media should work well. I enjoy using my prismacolor or Faber Castell pencils. 4) Level of difficulty: easy 5) Lines are drawn uniformly, no super thick lines on one page and really thin ones on other pages. The line thickness is perfect! 6) Each drawing is printed on two opposing pages but there is no white gap in the center so they continue on perfectly. Having illustrations cover two pages has a better impact and tells the story much better than on one single page. 7) The binding is somewhat stiff and the book won't lie flat so before you start on a double page illustration, work the spine of this book by opening the book and pressing down on the areas near the spine to flatten it. Or open the book in the middle somewhere but put the book upside down so the coloring images face down. Then press gently up and down on the spine as much as it will go. 8) The lines are black, not gray. The paper is pure white. 9) Each picture contains a fair amount of detail, just enough to make it interesting and fun. Not too much where it becomes tedious work to color them. (Unlike in some of the famous Johanna B. books) 10) The smaller elements aren't too small that no pen or pencil point can fit inside of it, or so small that you need a magnifying glass to work on them. This means no headaches (literally!), less errors (coloring outside the lines) and less frustration. 11) The highly skilled artwork is so charming and cute but not too "cutesy". Daria has a great style! 12) There are no disappointments in this book. Each illustration is wonderful! Final comments: This is a fantastic coloring book that has a fun and entertaining quality to it. It tells a story. The quality of the paper, the drawings, and the binding is excellent! I own lots of coloring books and The Night Voyage is definitely in my top 5. You will love this book! I hope my comments and observations were helpful! Thank you and happy coloring!

I was so looking forward to this coloring book that I also purchased the version printed in Thailand. While I like things about both versions, for me, the US version is the clear winner. Why? Simply put – it has more designs to color. I'll go into some of the differences at toward the end of this review. “The Night Voyage” is the story of a young girl and her cat, Phoebe, who go on a night adventure giving away presents to others. Or did they? That is the question left unanswered at the end of this story. The coloring book is filled with Daria Song's beautiful artwork and imaginative design concepts. From paper crane airplanes to old-fashioned bicycles to gorgeous air balloons, each page is a wonderful opportunity to color. In addition to the 64 pages of designs, there are thumbnails of each and a bonus coloring page as well as a card that can be cut out and colored. (with both cutting lines and folding line included.) This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the page with my coloring medium. In the comments section below, I will list the coloring medium I use for testing and coloring. 64 pages of Daria Song designs plus bonus page and card Printed on both sides of the page Paper is bright white, very lightly rough, heavyweight and non-perforated Binding is both glued and sewn – not the type that is easy to snip threads to remove pages. I don't recommend this as so many of the designs spread across two pages Designs merge into the binding area Most designs spread across two pages Separate dust cover which has coloring opportunities on the inside and an attached cover which can be colored as well. Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper Water-based markers, gel pens and India ink pens do not bleed through and do not leave shadows on the back of the page. Some gel pens require additional drying time. Colored pencils worked very well with this paper. I tested oil and wax based pencils. I was able to get good pigment lay down with both types. Layering the same color for deeper color, multiple colors and blending with a blending stick worked well and easily. US versus Thailand printing: Both versions have their advantages. The Thailand version was printed on a slightly off white when compared to the US one (thought I originally thought of it was simply white.) It also had colored images and colored cards included with some single page versions of designs which were on two-pages spreads. You can see my review and video of this version from May of this year on Amazon under the name “The Present” by Daria Song. For me, the US version was the better of the two but I am happy that I have both. The US version is printed on bright white paper that was able to take all but alcohol-based markers without showing through. There are many pages of designs not included in the Thailand version at all. The detached dust cover, which is different from the original two books by Ms. Song, was a nice new touch with coloring opportunities as well. While the books are approximately the same size and the US version actually has less pages overall, it weighs more which leads me to believe that the paper is thicker.

THESE ARE GORGEOUS and HIGH QUALITY. Keep in mind that these are not perforated pages and pages are not meant to be torn out. This is a storybook that you can give uncolored or colored as a gift. There is a bonus card on the very last page, and that can be cut out. It is a good sized card but VERY small and difficult to color. I would suggest fineliners. The paper does let you use a variety of pens and pencils without bleeding through but of course you should test it first. If you press very hard on your pages as you color, try to take it easier, as the paper is very thick but the impressions can still show through. There is a dust-cover, which is also just wonderful. Remove that while you work and then put it on to protect it or make it more presentable as a gift. I'm mad for Daria Song's stuff now. Each of her books are incredible and I have now bought 2 more besides. There's a real satisfaction when a page is done--and these are actually worth your time and worth keeping.

What a beautiful, fantastic, fantasy adventure for adult (and teen) colorists! This coloring book includes a gorgeous dust cover, with metallic gold foil accents on the front and spine. The illustrations are both exquisite and adorable, having been drawn with a perfect blend of whimsey and class. The pages are luxuriously thick, and the care and quality put into the book by the printer is worthy of the quality of the artist's work showcased within.

This softcover book has sturdy pages that feel like a light cardstock. Since the pictures are printed on both sides of the pages, I think colored pencils would work better than markers or paints which could bleed through. The story line is introduced on the first few pages with just a few paragraphs. From there, coloring pages reveal the adventure of a little girl and her cat as they set off to share gifts with others. There are 68+ coloring pages and I like the flow of the book. There is a short "ending" to the story, only 3 paragraphs that clues us in on what's going on. I prefer the flow and design of this coloring book better than the Wonderland: A Coloring Book Inspired by Alice's Adventures one I reviewed earlier because the text does not interrupt the coloring area as often. There's something satisfying about looking at a finally completed, detailed coloring page and wanting to show someone.... which just isn't as fun if the page is blotted with a paragraph of a story the person viewing may not be concerned with! That's just my personal preference, though. Like some other coloring books of this type, the dust jacket is removable and the inside of the dust jacket could be colored, along with the outside cover of the actual book itself. I think this adds to the fun, practicality and opportunity to customize the item. If you want to toss the dust jacket aside to remove the bar code and other details, you will still have a beautiful book. While there are a good variety of pictures (nature setting, action, collage/full page design), the style is very consistent and whimsical which helps keep the theme and plot in mind. At the rear of the book, there is a visual index of the pages and a postcard you can remove and use if you wish. It is thoughtfully laid out. I think this book would make a great gift item for older kids, teens, or adults and I absolutely agree that coloring is a stress-reducing activity. Some people find they can listen to lectures/speeches/sermons better when allowed to color at the same time. It's a great non-screen activity to get our children (or ourselves) interested in art and using their creativity and imaginations. ** In the interest of full disclosure: I received a copy of this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. I'm not required to give a positive review.

Beautiful, magical the PERFECT gift to give for Christmas.. or just because. I have never loved a coloring book so much.. what an amazing coloring book, it is filled with page after page of art work that will take your breath away.. how is it that this is a coloring book and not a book that is not read to little children at night.. amazing.. you will be astonished by the artwork, it simply takes your breath away.. by far the best coloring book I have purchased I am afraid to color in it I don't want to ruin it.. you will not be disappointed with this.. one of a kind..

This is my first adult coloring book and I was so blown away! It may be a little bit too detailed for a beginner but I did not mind it. The artwork is just astounding and so beautiful to look at. I am taking my time with every single page. One page is currently taking me about 3 hours to fully color and blend.. not sure if that's because I am new and slow haha. I really appreciate the storyline as well.

I'm now a fan of this illustrator, beautiful artwork for sure...