Miniature Secret Garden

This is a miniature version of the big book, I mean it couldn't be more obvious, so when I bought it, that's what I was expecting.However, I was really pleased to see two completely new images as well which are a brilliant addition.It's a small book, fits into handbags or bigger coat pockets and needs a very sharp pencil or, probably better, a fineliner.Good for a quick fix.

Secret garden was the second colouring book I ever bought, the first one being Millie Marotta Animal Kingdom which I still love to this day. I just feel that JB has become more interested in money than the art itself. Millie brought out her pocket sized versions before JB so I just see this as a money grab for JB. I won't be buying any other of her pocket sized editions but I will be buying all of Millie. JB clearly copied this idea and that's fine, I just feel like JB has lost her way a little the more famous she's become. Her last book World of Flowers was hardly new, it's the same stuff we've seen in her past books. These pocket sized books would be good for fineliner as well as pencils and are good if you don't want to tackle a big picture. Just always remember where JB got her idea for these pocket sized editions.

My oh my what an absolutely darling little colouring book. I seem to be racing through it and enjoying every minute. Only trouble is I will probably need a new set of eyeballs when I have finished it. I do recommend perhaps using a magnifying glass to help with the very tiny flowers. I really love the set piece pictures with the double page spread. That really seems to me to be indeed the Secret Garden pictures. Very special and intricate often with very tiny little creatures hidden away for you to find. A really joyful book to own and colour. So much so that I think I am going to have to buy the big version of it. Happy colouring

Pros:☆ Great price that makes it worth getting☆ Paper quality is quite decent for the price☆ Ideal size for travelling with☆ Gives you some pages where you can add your own decorative drawingsCons (Theres a few):☆ Drawing style feels stiff and flat, if I wanted to add tone, impossible with this style☆ Feels more like a doodle book for teenagers rather than an adults colouring book, along with her regular sized 'colouring' book☆ The drawings are minuscule, cant do much with the space given to draw☆ it's a bit more stylised, fantastical and doodle like rather than something you can practice on. Not ideal for beginner learning to colour, with tones, shading etc.☆ Need to use the finest pen or sharpest pencils because it's easy to colour over the lines☆ The smallest drawings even have detail on them that feels a bit useless because I'd colour over them come what may☆ I have to use a magnifying glass even on the regular sized book, it's easy to colour outside the picture on the background than it is in the picture if that makes sense.Overall conclusion: it's a decorative stylised book that I'm not really sure what the purpose of these colouring books are for, it's not for beginners. its heavily detailed as are her other books, that I cant do much with as a beginner. The drawings make me want to be too neat and careful with my colouring. Theres almost too many repetitive ness, that I kind of run out of ideas on how I can colourHow these could be improved:Less details, even with the smaller pages if they are a colouring book, they should have ample amounts of colouring space, its still not enough. While some of the pages cover the page, they could have minimal amounts of drawings but bigger sized would be so much more helpful. I do feel like these drawings dont give me much in terms of what I can do with them colouring wise. I'm limited to fineliners or coloured pencils. I'd love a more somewhat realistic style so that I'm not just colouring a decorative doodle page. You might as well not bother with having lines upon lines on a leaf because its gonna get coloured over regardless. Wouldnt buy again or recommend. I ended up preferring a watercolour colouring book that I've tried recently

Pictures are so tiny it’s very difficult to use anything except fine liners. Some if the smallest details are too tiny to even comprehend colouring. Possibly ok if you enjoy using a magnifying glass but sadly not for me. Will stick to the far more enjoyable full size books which are a joy to colour.