Fantastic Structures: A Coloring Book of Amazing Buildings Real and Imagined Paperback – Coloring Book, March 15, 2016

The media could not be loaded. I purchased Steve McDonald's first coloring book, “Fantastic Cities” last year and that hooked me on coloring architectural designs. I've look for coloring books of the same quality but have not found one until Mr. McDonald's “Fantastic Structures” appeared. The coloring book is filled with 54 intricate and detailed architectural illustrations that will be great fun to color.The designs range from real to imagined. In some cases, Mr. McDonald has an illustration of a real building and then he does a riff on it with a mandala style illustration pinpointing some of the architectural details that make the building instantly recognizable. He has even included a run-way at LAX.As with “Fantastic Cities”, Mr. McDonald takes us on a trip around the world to see some outstanding examples of unusual and/or iconic buildings. I will include a photo that has the long list of the buildings, etc. which are including in the book.For my first projects in this book, I decided to use Tombow water-based markers (as they did not bleed through the paper – see coloring mediums below.) I loved making the terminal at LAX into a color wheel. I've spent too much of life waiting for planes at LAX and I could only wish to be able to look out of the drab surroundings and see a beautiful rainbow of airplanes waiting to take me on an adventure.I will provide details of the physical attributes of the book below but here is a quick overview of what I found:54 Detailed and Intricate Architectural DesignsPrinted on both sides of heavyweight, non-perforated pagesSewn BindingDesigns do not merge into binding areaBook can be opened to a flat positionAlcohol-based markers bleed through pageWater-based markers, gel pens, and India ink artist pens do not bleed through or leave color shadows on back on pageColoring pencils work fantastic with this paperThe coloring book is very well made. The designs are printed on both sides of the heavyweight, non-perforated white paper. The designs do not merge into the binding area and, in fact, there is a small print listing identifying the building on the bound edge of the page. The binding is sewn with a bright color thread. You can snip those threads and remove a few page at a time in whole if you wish to remove pages from the book. That the thread is bright colored makes it easier than ever to snip them. I could press hard on the spine area and get the book to lay flat for coloring.I test all of my coloring books with a wide range of coloring medium. I will list, at the end of this review, those that I used for testing this book. Here is what my tests showed:Alcohol-based markers easily bleed through the page. Water-based markers of all types and tips and India ink pens did not bleed through or leave shadows at the back of the page. Gels pens did not bleed through but too more drying time that usual. Coloring pencils worked fantastic with the paper. The soft lead went on thick and full and blended well. The hard lead pencils make precise lines and good color and did not dent through the back of the page.If you decide to use alcohol-based markers or another medium that might bleed through, you will lose the design on the back of the page. I plan to use my water-based markers, India ink pens, gel pens, and especially, my colored pencils with this book. That will provide a wide range of medium for me and I will be able to color on both sides of the page.These are the coloring medium that I use for testing. If there is something else you feel I should be testing, please let me know and I will see if I can add it to my growing pile:Alcohol-based markers – Copic Sketch, Prismacolor double ended markers (brush and fine point), Sharpies (fine and ultra-fine) Bic Mark-its (fine and ultra-fine)Waater-based markers – Tombows dual end markers (brush and fine point), Stabilo 88, and Staedler triplus finelinersIndia Ink: Faber-Castell PITT artist pens (brush tip)Gel Pens: Sakura, Fiskars, Uni-ball Signo in the following sizes - 0.28/0.38/0.5/1.0 and TekwriterColoring Pencils: Prismacolor Premier Soft Core, Derwent Colorsoft, Prismacolor Verithins, Caran D'Ache Pablo Colored Pencils and Faber-Castell Polychromos

Steve McDonald had a hit with his original coloring book Fantastic Cities: A Coloring Book of Amazing Places Real and Imagined: his drawings of architectural scenes from around the world were full of detail yet adaptable to a wide range of coloring styles, from the abstract or fanciful to more realistic cityscapes. His FANTASTIC STRUCTURES continues the same format – 60 slightly over-sized pages (not quite 12 inches square) on heavier weight paper for less chance of bleed-through from markers. The drawings can be colored with colored pencils or broad pointed felt pens, and they lend themselves to adding any level of detail and texture one wants to drill down to. Feel like adding in the individual stones in a castle’s wall, reflections in the glass-clad skyscraper walls, or a sunset light and shadows on a cityscape? – go for it; the drawings invite your personal touch. Or enjoy them as color-field designs and block in your color schemes.As its name suggests, FANTASTIC STRUCTURES is more than just the buildings that were the subject of the previous book but there are still lots of buildings and cityscapes to work with here also, along with an interesting detail drawing of the Eiffel Tower, an elaborate clock face in Prague, and a massive greenhouse in Vienna. There are also some mandala-type designs and a few ‘fantasy’ subjects to keep one occupied for hours. It's an excellent companion piece to FANTASTIC CITIES.You can check the Fantastic Cities Coloring Book Facebook page for more inspiration.==============================================================Can't get enough Steve McDonald?Now Available:Fantastic Cities 2017 Wall CalendarFantastic Collections: A Coloring Book of Amazing Things Real and Imagined (Fantastic Cities)

Big, beautifully drawn buildings from around the world. You will discover architecture that you probably didn't know existed. The paper is thick and smooth. perfect for colored pencils. I've used ink and no bleed-through. haven't tried markers. The drawings are very detailed, but you don't feel like you're coloring in blueprints. Definitely worth the price.

Just as with the first book, this one has so much to look at and so many small spaces to color, and the book is of a formidable size...so there are plenty of hours of relaxation---or frustration, depending on how you view it...I love colouring books with ultra-small spaces and complex designs, and this book is great for that. The pages are dual-sided, so you must be careful what colouring tools you use to avoid bleed-through. The paper is decent quality, but markers can still bleed and ruin the next page in the book. I would recommend this for someone who really likes taking the time to colour in complex scenes with a lot of variety and detail. As before, the artist proves he is a rare talent and someone who takes his work very seriously. The ornate details in this book are truly astounding.