Reading, Writing & Pondering

Here's Some Happy: A Coloring Journal to Lift the Soul by Gina Graham is a large formatted beautiful coloring journal. Gina Graham has designed beautiful and whimsical pictures, some with Scripture verses and some without, in this journal that measure 10.1 inches square. There are plenty of lines amidst the pictures of birds, animals, flowers, adorable people, and other whimsical designs. They are indeed happy pictures to color and they are all on thick paper to minimize bleed-through. I have read that coloring reduces stress and these designs feel especially stress-reducing to me. Journaling also is said to reduce stress. Putting the two together in this gorgeous book should make for some "happy" to think about. People of all ages could enjoy this book too. The designs aren't too tiny for those of us who like larger designs like I do. This is a real feel-good coloring journal that would be fun for anyone who enjoys both coloring and journaling. I highly...

I have been using colored pencils more in my art journaling and wanted to learn more about blending and shading so thought I would try this book. Colored Pencil Painting Portraits is a truly gorgeous book. The author's portraits look like photographs, they are so amazingly well done. Colored Pencil Painting Portraits has 7 chapters. In Chapter 1, Nickelsen talks about what tools to get, work surfaces and materials to make your portraits the best. In Chapter 2, she takes the rules of successful oil painting and applies them to the colored pencil medium. In Chapter 3, she shares the techniques and methods for painting with pencils. In Chapter 4, she talks about understanding color and the properties of pigments. In Chapter 5, Nickelsen discusses composing a portrait from start to finish. In Chapter 6, she offers advice on practicing the key components of good portraits such as skin tone and facial features. In Chapter 7, Nickelsen talks about painting the portrait from start to ...