The Time Garden: A Magical Journey and Coloring Book (Time Adult Coloring Books)

"The Time Garden" is the color book representation of a young girl's journey through a magical clock. She follows a fairy into the clock and enters into a wonderful world. The story reminds me of an updated version of "Alice In Wonderland". The story is told in a few short words on a smattering of pages. The words do not distract from the illustrations as they are kept to their separate pages.Daria Song, the artist/writer of this book, has received advanced degrees in fine arts in her native South Korea. Early in her life, she also spent time in San Francisco and that translates into the art in this book. The designs are charming and will be a pleasure to color. I really enjoy the story book form of coloring book as a change from straight coloring. I find both to be extremely relaxing for me and sometimes the most challenging are the ones that take me out of my daily stress the most.The book is printed on both sides of the good quality paper which seems to be the normal for the "story book" style of coloring book. I generally use my soft color pencils with these to be sure that I don't have any ink bleed through the book onto the backside of the page. As I go along, if I want to use a gel pen or other medium, I find a title page to test the specific pen. If it is good, then I go ahead and use it.The designs in this book include a number of intricate details and I am sure I will need to keep my magnifying lamp nearby for those bits and pieces.This coloring book is so lovely and so much fun, I will certainly be purchasing the follow-up to it, "The Time Chamber" as soon as it becomes available. I am hoping that Ms. Song will return again in the future with more delightful and beautiful adult coloring books.

Artist - Daria SongPublisher - Ebury PressPages - 80BookThe Time Garden is one of two books by Daria Song. Both are square, around the same size as Secret Garden/Enchanted Forest. The book is 80 pages which makes it a lovely thickness.The cover is a card, with a simple design of stars under the dust jacket. The dust jacket has a nice embossed design with touches of gold.The paper is a medium thickness and I had no issues with bleeding with pencils, fineliners or water based markers, even though the images are double sided.The spine is glue and string bound, although I found after spending some time on one double page design the spine had started to split. This may have been because it was the first page, but I am yet to encounter this on other pages.ImagesThe Time Garden tells a story of a young girl fascinated with a cuckoo clock. She looks inside and finds a fairy, who takes her on an adventure - through the gear filled clock, down alleyways, through garden parties, to a tree filled with magical creatures.The images are very unique, and remarkably varied. Song has a unique quality in that although the images are so varied, the story and her consistent style tie all the images together with very little repetition. There is a mix of single and double pages spreads throughout the story.Even though the book is made up of scenes, there are patterns made up of wallpaper, trees and various scenes for pattern enthusiasts.There is a nice variety of intricate parts and bigger spaces for any level of colouring expertise, and I think it is definitely a book that would grow with the colourist.Something I say about a lot of books is that it takes you on a journey. This book doesn't take you on a journey, but its like reading an interactive picture book. One that you have collaborated with.HealthThis is a great book for anyone. It has patterns, scenery, nature and people. I think there is something for everyone. It is a great book to get lost in if you are in need of distraction or wile away a night. The subject matter is whimsical and sparks the imagination. If you can concentrate a little more, it's a great book to start cover to cover, as you would a picture story.The only person I think this book isn't suited for is a diehard mandala/pattern fan - but if you're looking for a different book to try, this does a good job of combining patterns and scenery!

The Time Garden by Daria Song is the most remarkable, enchanting, unique & absolutely beautiful coloring book I have ever seen. I have an adult coloring book collection of 49 color books, including The Secret Garden & The Tatoo Coloring Book which is handcrafted by Megamunden. The three of these are done in very similar ways, astounding works of art showcased on excellent paper or card stock & encased in a book jacket or slipcover. However, the Time Garden has the honor of being the most unique. When I purchase color books of this caliber I know I'm going to have to rely on colored pencils for the most part with the occasional gel pen. This book, however, has presented me with something of a dilemma. The pages feel and look like card stock or something very similar, unlike the parchment type pages of the others. When testing Prismacolor soft core colored pencils it doesn't seem to have much or any tooth to aid in grabbing the color, thereby leaving it with a flat look. I haven't tested my Faber Castell or Lyra Rembrandt oil based colored pencils yet, maybe they will lay down color better. I use mainly Letraset Promarkers, but also incorporate Prismacolor markers, Sharpies, & Bic markers, all permanent in nature. I tested the ultra fine Sharpies & Bic, and as expected they bleed through. I knew the others would so I didn't bother testing them. I tested numerous gel pens, including metallic, glitter, & neon, and they don't bleed through. With all my coloring books but these work of arts I copy the images onto card stock with a semi-fine tooth and get excellent results. I do not give the copies to anyone else due to copyright infringement. So I'm not certain as of yet which mediums I will use. One reviewer mentioned the Stabilo & Staedtler fibre tip pens, but they are water based and I've found the permanent markers to be superior. I do have the Stabilo fibre tip marker pens and never use them. If anyone has any suggestions about mediums to use comments are appreciated. I'm not taking a star off due to my preferences, the book is simply beautiful.As of September 9, 2015, I've found the Faber Castell Polychromos & Caran D' Ache Pablo colored pencils to be the best for this color book. Why Lyra Rembrandt didn't work as well as these I'm not sure, they are oil based as well. But I'm pleased with the results FCP and Caran D' Ache give me.

Beautiful looking book that made a well-appreciated gift for my artistic mother. The pages are VERY detailed, even more intricate than the wonderful Basford series of adult coloring books. What separates this book from the wonderful Basford books is the story included in this book. There are not many words, and the story couldn't be any more simply, but it works as a nice theme for the book. My only regret was not getting the spiral bound copy. The traditional binding does not allow the book to be opened fully without possibly damaging the book, so I wonder how difficult it will be to color the middle of the book. I highly recommend the spiral version of the book if you're looking for a lovely, challenging coloring book.

Let me just say that I have several adult coloring books but this is entirely different. Daria Song's coloring books are really story books that are suitable to be given as gifts, whether you colored them or not. A child would pore through these elaborate pictures. The pages are not perforated and the softcover also has a high quality removable dust jacket you can remove while doing your work. The binding is sewn, and though the book is harder to color than some things out there, the book will open with some pressure so that you can get into the crevices between pages. I'm just awestruck at the delicate but clear prints that I now get to color and keep or give away. There is a little dignity to this level of "coloring" and with some thought for color schemes and blending, etc, you can have something gorgeous you helped create.The size is very generous as are the numbers of pages. If you press hard while coloring, like I do, use an extra sheet of paper to prevent impressions on the next separate page. The paper is very high quality and thick but I would still try to ease off if you can (this tends to happen when I use my prismacolor soft pencils. Fineliner pens also don't bleed through, and I tested that out on a spare scrap with a black fineliner held down for quite a bit of time.This book combines well with her other current two books and so I have bought all three. This and the other that has arrived feature the same girl so you can continue the story. Just gorgeous. I'm going to be spoiled when it comes to other projects now. Luckily, it takes a lot of time to do a good job. Finishing one single page can take a long, long time for those who are mildly fastidious.

Beautiful illustrations, really nice product. I bought 3: one for my mom, one for a friend who is in recovery a few states away right now (a stressful process that can be anxiety-inducing, boring, scary, uncomfortable, and miserable all at once), and myself, along with some Prismacolors (these: Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencil, Set of 23 Assorted Manga Colors (1774800) and these: Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencil, Set of 24 Assorted Colors (3597T). I think I sent the "Manga" set of Prismacolors to my friend, and the regular set to my mom. I got myself both sets, because...well, because I couldn't decide.Anyway the FUNNY part of this story is that my friend and I bought this same book independently and put them in the mail to each other as Christmas presents. I will say that it's a beautiful gift, both from the point of view of the sender and the receiver :) The book is beautiful and well-made. It is heavy and the cover is silky and feels nice in your hands. It does not feel like a children's product, and if you include a higher-quality colored pencil like Prismacolors (as opposed to Crayola colored pencils, which are fine and dandy for most people, but Prismacolor steps it up quite a bit), you have nothing to worry about when sending this to an adult, especially an open-minded one.Not sure if my mom liked it or what, but honestly, it would probably do her good to spend a few hours in the meditative act of coloring. She's tightly wound and hard to shop for. I also sent her this book, kind of as a message: The Calm Coloring Book (Chartwell Coloring Books) and this one, because I love the Art Nouveau style, and I know she does, too: Dover Creative Haven Art Nouveau Animal Designs Coloring Book (Adult Coloring).

The book uses both sides of each page for its designs. The paper is sturdy like card stock , however some coloring tools will bleed through and ruin the picture on the back side. There are pictures that spread across two pages and the designs on each page go right into the spine of the book making it a miserable experience to color those spaces, if you even can. There are several pages with what is known as "wallpaper " designs where the entire page is repeating floral patterns or some other repetitive design. So be sure you like that sort of coloring before you choose this book. There are a couple of pages of repetitive design that are teeny-tiny in their detail and become boring & frustrating very quickly. These seem to have little to do with the flavor of the story. All-in-all, if you like long hours of trying to navigate impossible coloring into the spine of the book, continually sharpening your pencils to needle point sharpness for tiny details, and lots of wallpaper design to color, you will love the challenge of this book

WONDERFUL coloring book…even if you don’t color! Very compelling journey and adorable illustrations. Nice quality paper and crisp drawings. Highly recommend!

I liked the finish of the book. The graphics range from easy to color pages to slightly more complex pieces of art. I also loved the paper - it lends itself to not just pencils, but also to watercolors (just a light wash, though). I was a little apprehensive at first since there were some negative reviews as well, but I found this worth the money I spent. I'd certainly buy more of Daria's art books.

Muy buen libro, ilustraciones únicas. Aparece una niña en cada ilustración, es lo que le da la magia junto los paisajes. La portada es un amor, es tapa blanda. Me esperaba el lateral en dorado, es versión gris. Libro en inglés. Gramaje de papel medio, blanco. No me atrevo a pintar en acuarelables ni rotuladores, ya que las páginas son a doble cara. Utilizaré lápices de color. Muy recomendable.

Questo è un libro meraviglioso ma complesso. Per chi ha già dimestichezza con le tecniche di colorazione. Perlomeno se si vogliono ottenere buoni risultati. È divertente e rilassante ma a mio parere non per tutti. Comunque vivamente consigliato come gli altri libri della Song

Las ilustraciones son hermosas y la calidad del libro es muy buena, perfecto para colores o plumones que no traspasen el papel, puesto que hay que considerar que las ilustraciones están por ambas caras del papel. Lo único negativo es que el empastado del libro no te permite colorear por completo el borde interior de la ilustración.

The Time Garden is another knockout for Daria Song! Her art is absolutely beautiful and intricate leading to many hours of enjoyable colouring. The book even without colour is beautiful. I love that their is a story aspect that you can read, which lends more to the book overall. The spine is a bit difficult in places to colour as it does sometimes lead into the middle so the picture is obscured and you have to really bend the book out to get at it. It does little to detract from the book though as it's easily overlooked in favour of the quality.