Rooms of Wonder: Step Inside This Magical Coloring Book

Many people are leaving bad reviews because the US version of JB's Room of Wonders isn't on the paper used for previous books. A simple research session reveals that JB's had to change the paper her newest book was printed on in the US. She chose to print her book on the same paper Kerby Rosanes uses, so to get her product printed and sent out to her American fans without increasing price or further delaying release.

Others are also leaving bad reviews because of lines left from the printer on the paper distracting from the drawing. These lines weren't placed by JB. The error is from the printer used and completely out of her control.

Knowing these were the common things being discussed about JB's book, I choose to still purchase the American print of her book. I don't mind smooth white paper and actually have a lot of Kerby Rosanes books. When I received my copy, I closest inspected each page during my flipthrough. As usual, JB stuns me with her skill and I am excited to get started adding color to these pages. Yes, there are some very very faint lines across a couple pages. But it's so faint I wouldn't have noticed if I weren't looking for them. The only page that it's really noticeable is on the pallet page, which doesn't need to be perfect. The printing lines don't disrupt from the main picture. I have taken scanned pics of tons of pages. Can you see any printing errors? It's so very faint you have to really look for it.

As a fan of JB, I was willing to overlook these issues she faced during publication and support her work. Boy, am I glad that I did. I'd buy a second copy just to color the pages again.

I anxiously awaited publication of this uniquely themed book, but my heart sank on my first flip through the pages. First, the paper is unlike any other Johanna Basford book. It is smooth-surfaced and white, rather than the creamy, textured stock that was perfect for laying down pencil (even watercolor) that her brand was built on. Also missing is the customary luxurious book jacket.

Second, I find it tedious to color repetitive images, and this book has far more than usual. Many individual pages and two-page spreads have one small image duplicated over and over, similar to a wallpaper pattern. Some are arranged more like a mandala. It just seems like content filler. The multitude of ubiquitous, low-quality, computer-generated coloring books on the market do this. It is not what I expected from Johanna Basford.

On the bright side, there are lots of great pictures in this book that make you want to grab your pencils and get lost in imagination for awhile. They are charming and detailed as usual, and a fun thematic break from the more botanical books. Usually, I color every leaf and pebble in Basford’s books, but I will probably skip over at least one third of the pages this time.

Johanna Basford’s books have always been the original gold standard in coloring books for me. I really hope this is a one-off and not a sign of what’s to come.

Update: Now that I have done some coloring in Rooms of Wonder, I find the paper weight similar to the previous books. The white is not a deal breaker, but the colored pages are not as rich on it. What I can’t get past, though, is that colored pencils just don’t lay down properly. They have nowhere to go on this slick paper. It’s difficult to build and layer and blend because the color has nothing to grip. I feel like I have less pencil control on this surface as well, which makes coloring actually a bit fatiguing. It involves more arm and shoulder instead of just hand and wrist. If I was looking for an athletic pursuit, I would drag myself outside, but I’d rather stay sedentarily hunched over my coloring book right now…and maybe later, too…?

While I like the new illustrations and variety in this book, the poor paper quality and printing errors make this book a big disappointment.

You can see a thin black horizontal line running through the top 1/3 of the book. It's on several pages in the same place as the 1st picture. Sometimes it's darker and very noticeable in blank areas.

The paper quality is much thinner and smoother (no tooth) than previous books. For comparison I took a picture of Rooms of Wonder and Worlds of Wonder. The Rooms of Wonder is much thinner than previous books and whiter in color vs the creme cardstock of Worlds of Wonder. It's even missing the inner flaps on the cover.

I ordered a replacement copy to see if the printing errors were only in this book and will update if it's in the replacement copy too.

Update: I received my replacement copy today and the painting errors are worse in that copy. I'm returning this copy too and will definitely wait a long time before I'd buy this book (in person). It's not worth full price at all.

I'm not going to lie, I have very mixed feelings about this release. What I like, I really do like, but quite a bit of it is just... Meh... I'll start with the good. I like quite a few of the actual "rooms." I really, really like that there a lot of "little victories" type things to color. I really love the Harry Potter-esque things, the keys, and steampunk style stuff. I like the fish tank display idea (sort of steampunk-esque). I even like a few of the mandala-ish and collections (office supply and electronics page, the clothing pages, the mushrooms). I even really like the underwater page that looks like a gate or an old fashioned privacy screen. So, there is a lot to like.

What I don't like is a few of the cliches and tropes I thought the theme "Rooms of Wonder" might get us away from... The wallpaper pages. They're just boring and over used in "adult coloring books." Whether we're talking about the floral patterned ones, or the sort of damask sort of motif... No, just, no. Even some of the more popular YouTube influencers, like Colour with Claire, are open about not liking them. I'm not sure why I thought the theme "Rooms of Wonder" would preclude the wallpaper idea... Lol
The billions of tiny flowers, with petals that are too tiny to actually shade or do much of anything with, and leaves. I have limited dexterity, compared to most adults, so they're just frustrating. And, yes, I'll say it: boring! I love the antique typewriter page, but all those tiny petals kill it, for me. The food obsessions, especially sweets is something I increasingly H-A-T-E. I have food allergies and live below the poverty line, so the adult coloring book illustrators' obsession with edibles is just uncomfortable. It just plain S-U-C-K-S to constantly be reminded of things you can't have, and couldn't afford anyway. Not to mention it just encourages unhealthy thinking. Even for the rich and indulgent, it probably leads to some "let me stuff my face" moments

As to the change of paper to what Kerby Rosanes uses here in the US... It's not ideal, because Johanna's previously selected paper at least had some tooth. I liked a lot of pencils on the previous paper (with the exception of Enchanted Forest): Polychromos, Prismacolor Premier, Brutfurner square, Deli, MarkArt, Prismacolor Junior, and so on. The paper Rosanes uses has virtually no tooth, by comparison. I've found that I only like how Polychromos, Prismacolor Premier, and Brutfurner square (I've only done a quick test with the square pencil set) pencils work on it (for me). Using Deli and MarkArt pencils on it felt like a lot of work. Prismacolor Premier pencils smear very, very easily on "Kerby paper." So much so that I abandoned the Chinese dragon in _Mythomorphia_ that I had been working on for at least a week. Even a battery powered eraser can only do so much to lift Prismacolor Premier reds, when smeared. And, very few things can cover up smeared Prismacolor reds permanently. I understand that Johanna's hands were tied, but the knowledge that the paper in _Rooms of Wonder_ is the same paper Kerby uses... To be perfectly honest, is the real reason I haven't colored anything in the book yet. I really liked how MarkArt pencils, in particular, worked on the paper in the American version of _Worlds of Wonder_. At this point, I just keep thumbing through the book.

Overall, I like some of the pictures in the book that I'll color in it, eventually. Some pictures I might even like to color twice. I may eventually buy a second copy, once I've finished coloring what I do like. Maybe I could dismantle the second book and give what I don't like to somebody else... Time will tell.

[[VIDEOID:364c2f22bae2d4963704737815912490]] I was excited to receive it. Johanna’s illustrations were great, but i feel like her art wasnt given justice by the quality of paper used this time. The other books by her has creamy color, thicker paper, and with teeth, this time it is so white, so smooth, the color is so far from the cover stock. What happened? It lost it’s elegant look.

Update:
Johanna explained in her facebook page the change of paper color from ivory to white. Apparently, they changed printer and the new one doesn't have the paper she used to have so she opted to the best paper fit for coloring book, this white. That explains it, wish i had known earlier so i didnt have to have so much expectations. I still would have bought it if i had known, but at least it would be anticipated.

If you read Johanna's Instagram post, you would know she faced a dilemma and had to choose new paper for this USA edition from Penguin. She made the best decision possible while avoiding a price increase. She said it's the same paper Kerby uses. It is bright white, so what? Okay, it's smoother and some worry about wax pencil layering. I posted a partially completed nameplate page. I used 2 greens and 2 purples, creating very minor blending in very small areas. Remember that there are a lot of greatly detailed pages in this book, which means it will be hard to do any blending. As for printing errors, Johanna says to return your book and get a replacement. You needn't leave a bad review for a printing error. The paper may not be perfect, but I have plenty of pencils that will work, so I am satisfied. I do love the images!

I LOVE the coloring books Johanna Basford puts out! They never fail to impress me. And the drawings in this book are on point! Literally CANNOT wait to get started on it. HOWEVER I am EXTREMELY nervous about the paper quality. The paper itself is really thin, in comparison to the rest of her coloring books, so I am nervous that my markers are going to bleed through :-/ I will update my review if the colors do not bleed through.

I love Johanna Basford's artwork in this book, but the paper in this new one is different from her other books. It's a slick white paper. I was so excited about the new book and stalking my Amazon delivery all day. When it arrived, I was so disappointed. I am going to return this version of the book and will order a UK version from Book Depository. I am still giving the book 4 stars because I love the illustrations.

Received my copy today and as others have stated, the paper is slick - no tooth whatsoever! Shame on Penquin Books! I wonder if copies printed in other countries are this inferior. I hope that Johanna will listen and make sure this doesn’t happen with her future coloring books.

I have purchased all of Johanna Basford’s books over the years. But, this book looks like more of the same. If you didn’t know which book you were looking at, you might not know the difference. I am tired of the same old thing. This will be my last purchase of her books.