Millie Marottas Animal Kingdom

by Millie Marotta

Colouring-in for adults has recently seen a rise in popularity and in France this calming activity is being used to tackle stress and anxiety. Now you can lose yourself in illustrator Millie Marotta’s world of animals, birds and plants, and create your own beautiful pictures.

Millie Marotta grew up in rural Wales surrounded by plants and animals, and her love for wildlife shines through in everything she does. She works from her studio by the sea and draws inspiration from the wonderful wildlife around her.

With this book you can personalise her beautiful illustrations and create an animal kingdom of your own. Millie brings together a collection of enchanting fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and amphibians, as well as plants, trees and flowers.
From the beetle in need of a colourful, iridescent shell, to the whale waiting for a magnificent ocean home, there is a whole world of fauna and flora to explore. All you need are pens, pencils, and a bit of imagination.

Genres: Colouring Books, Art, Nonfiction, Colouring, Animals, Creative, Adult Colouring Books

96 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2014

Reviews

[Jülie ☼♄  · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although there is not much reading in this beautiful colouring book, I have gone through every page of it and will spend the next....however long it takes time...colouring it at leisure.
It really is a beautiful book that I know will give many hours of colouring pleasure, and be even more beautiful when it is finished.

[Imi]

Trying something new. I started therapy this week and my therapist suggested "adult colouring books" as a way to switch off my brain and relax when I don't have the energy for my usual distractions such as reading or piano. I was a bit skeptical, but I'm staying open minded and giving a shot. I don't even remember using colouring books as a child, so this is a completely new. I have to admit this book is beautiful! I only bought this one because it was cheap, and was not was not expecting a work of art.

[Phu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mình không thích sách tô màu lá cây, động vật. Nét vẽ của tác giả ở những con vật cứ lặp đi lặp lại rất chán, so với các họa tiết sách của cô Johanna Basford tác giả này thua xa.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads.

I thought a colouring book for adults would be something similar to what my children have but with grown up pictures, but this book is nothing like that, it is amazing, a true work of art. The pictures are just so beautiful that you just want to keep looking at them, even without colouring them in, I actually think that you could put some of them in a frame and hang them on the wall. This would be the perfect Christmas gift, for the person you never know what to get for!

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent variety of pictures to colour in after a stressful day. Perhaps there could have been some pictures with less intricate patterns and bigger spaces, so those with dexterity problems, such as arthritis or younger children or adults with neurological disorders can more easily colour them in. Suitable for older children or adults.

[Lucy Colouring In The Midst Of Madness · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is taken from my blog where I review adult colouring books from a mental health perspective https://colouringinthemidstofmadness.... You can find images from inside this book there.

This book is just stunning and packed full of wonderful images of animals and flowers which are my favourite things to colour. Millie has a really unique style of illustrating and while I’ve seen many books and magazines cropping up that attempt to somewhat recreate her style, in my view, they all fall short in comparison to Millie’s beautiful original creations. This is so much more than a colouring book, it is a true work of art!

Paper quality is a little difficult to judge because the book has been printed so many times that they have used a number of different types and qualities of paper for printing. I ordered my copy at the beginning of 2015 and mine has yellowy/cream thick paper that has visible texture to it, it’s lovely and thick and has had no issues with bleeding despite using my Stabilo Point 88 fineliners which are often the nemesis of adult colouring books. However, I was very disappointed when in May I ordered a second copy for my mum to use in hospital after an operation and realised that despite it coming with beautiful, bright white paper, this was actually thinner and her fineliners bled badly ruining the images on the back of each page she coloured. From what I’ve seen in Facebook colouring groups and recent Amazon reviews this problem has been rectified and the paper is now white, thick, with no issues with bleeding but I cannot guarantee this as I’ve not got the most recently printed copy.

The images in this book are printed double-sided which is not an issue in copies with the decent paper quality. It is a paperback book with a glued spine and while most of the images are contained to one side of the paper, those that are double-page spreads do sadly lose some of the middle of the image into the spine (some people get around this by taking their book to an office supplier or book binding shop and getting it spiral-bound). The book itself is a large square (same size as Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest) and contains well over 100 images to keep you busy for weeks if not years!

In terms of mental health, this book is very intricate, similar in intricacy levels to Johanna Basford’s books (Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest) but don’t let this put you off. You can use pencils, fine-nibbed felt tips, fineliners and gel pens, all with great effects and the images aren’t so detailed that you’re put off or overwhelmed. If you have vision problems or issues with fine motor control then you may struggle with this book but for any of the rest of you I’d suggest giving this book a go and persevering into a more intricate world. The natural scenes of animals, flowers and trees definitely create a sense of calm and this is my go-to book when I really need to focus on something and be distracted. It’s detailed enough that you have to focus and concentrate and this lends itself wonderfully to drowning out any anxious or disturbing thoughts you may want to shift. Other books that are less detailed can be good for calming but they’re less distracting as they involve less concentration so if you’re feeling particularly plagued then intricacy is usually the way forward though there’s a fine line between being distracted and becoming more frustrated so be careful. The line thickness is consistent throughout and is really quite thin so I’d advise colouring during the day or near a very good desk lamp, both my mum and I have made the mistake of thinking we can get away with colouring this book in bad lighting and realising just what a mistake it was the next morning when we’ve got gaps or gone over the lines. The cohesion of this book being illustrated by one person throughout is just lovely and means it’s not bitty or all over the place like some books made by multiple illustrators can be. It almost feels like a story is being told as you turn the pages and it really is a book to work through and finish rather than just picking out your favourite images – of course this is fine to do too.

I can’t praise this book highly enough, every time I look through it I’m struck by the beauty of the images and there are so many ways of colouring them using rainbows, monochrome, black and white, mixed media and many more. If you’re stuck for ideas then just put the title into Google Images or Pinterest and you’ll be flooded with inspiration (good luck narrowing down your choice of colours after that)! This book is highly detailed and beautifully delicate though some of the images have a detailed and less detailed copy (see the cockerel below) that you’re meant to add your own details to but can be coloured as they are with amazing effects and may be more suited to those who don’t have the patience or visual acuity to colour the most intricate images. Many of the patterns drawn onto the animals can be coloured over in blocks as well making them less intricate and giving your colouring texture and pattern rather than outlined spaces to colour so the possibilities are endless. I urge you to give this book a go, you really won’t be disappointed.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing on with my quest to own as many colouring books as it is possible for a 36 year old to own, I bring to you today the beautifully illustrated Animal Kingdom by Millie Marotta.

As you know (or may not know) I started my colouring book obsession with Johanna Basford and from her wonderful books I discovered this one and it does not disappoint. Millie grew up in Wales and has been inspired by the natural world very much in her art.

Obviously as you can see from the cover above it is just gorgeous looking and inside it gets even better, it has nice thick paper for the cover which on the inside of the front and back cover is perfect for colouring in with possibly a nice inky pen as I like to do (big fan of Sakura pens!) and the rest of the book is just page (printed on both sides) after page of breath-taking flora and fauna.

The main part of the book is also printed on nice thick paper, I have seen some books that are fine for use with pencils but will leak through to the other side if a pen even looks at it. There is also plenty of space on some of the designs to add your own doodles if you like to make your own mark.

Again I also find myself too scared to put pen to paper in case I foul it up but that feeling didn't last long, this book is a pure joy and I'm looking forward to her tropical themed book which is due out later this year.

A must have addition to your colouring collection.

Purchased from Amazon.co.uk

[Carla Palmeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

O meu segundo livro de colorir, e espero que o último, antes que esta moda passe e principalmente também toda a minha animação por colorir.
Vou compará-lo com O Jardim Secreto da Johanna Basford pois é mesmo o meu único termo de comparação. Na minha opinião perde em alguns aspectos mas noutros é consideravelmente melhor.

Uma das minhas principais queixas com O Jardim Secreto foi e continua a ser a qualidade (péssima) do papel. A qualidade do papel deste livro parece-me muito melhor; é mais grosso, não esfarela como o outro e não me parece reciclado. Custou cerca de 8,90 euros, logo mais barato que O Jardim Secreto.

Já as ilustrações, não acho tão bonitas como as do famoso livro de colorir da Johanna Basford. Tem certos detalhes demasiados pequenos e difíceis de colorir e certos padrões que não fazem muito sentido dentro dos animais. Não esquecendo também que os desenhos são maioritariamente de animais que não são propriamente os elementos mais fáceis de colorir se gostarmos de um aspecto mais natural.

[Mili Literatura pe tocuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

O adevarata incantare sa patrunzi in acest taram magic. Terapia prin colorat pentru adulti este benefica si ajuta destul de mult. Pentru alte persoane pare ceva banal si chiar nu le vina sa creada ca exista asa ceva. Ei n-au aflat deocamdata ca este o adevarata placere sa colorezi anumite peisaje.
O recomand tuturor celor care simt nevoia de altceva.

[Chimeg Bud]

It was very helpful to release stress & to spoil hundreds of the mindless thoughts of the mind.

[Vanessa Gregoria (Live Eat Colour) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently reviewed Animal Kingdom on my blog, Live Eat Colour. Below is part of my review. Find the rest of the review and my completed coloured pages here:
https://wordpress.com/post/liveeatcol...

Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom was my first colouring book that began my obsession with adult colouring. I received it as a gift from my uncle and it was exactly what I needed to relax and be creative. At the time my baby was only a few months, so this was the only outlet I had when she was sleeping.

Millie is a Welsh artist and who published her first colouring book Animal Kingdom in 2014. Her book was extremely successful. It was translated in 31 languages and reached the Amazon Top Ten list. She has since bought out three more adult colouring books, including Tropical Wonderland, Wild Savannah and Curious Creatures. Her popularity in the colouring realm has gone on to birth a product family with her distinctive style. Millie Marotta themed calendar, diary, journals, stationary, postcards, wall decals and tableware can be found on her website or from online retailers, book stores and art stores.

Animal Kingdom has a soft white cover, decorated with her line drawings and coloured with random flecks of gold, blue and pink. Inside there are 96 line drawings, which are printed back and front. The paper is high-quality and is bright white in colour. The illustrations include a range of flora and fauna but are primarily centred around animals. A few of the pictures do have suggestions on how to colour the animals. There are a few double page spreads of larger images of animals or repetitious illustrations, which are slightly different and extend onto both pages. The paper takes pencils, pastels, water-based markers and gel pens quite well. I’m not sure this is the best paper for watercolour though. This book does come in the Delux Edition, which has thicker paper and is single sided, which would be more appropriate for watercolour and alcohol markers.

[Amanda Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super Gorge

[Danielle Cozzola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great coloring book. Very calming. ❤️

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me this is a colouring book for adults but I was told off for using that description by the friend I gave this to so she could give it a test run. She said it should be described as 'anti-stress art therapy' or 'felt tip yoga', so I'll be addressing that approach during this review (although to me it's still a colouring in book – however intricate).

I hadn't heard about this growing trend which, I understand, started and is really big in France until I listened to an item on the radio about the spread of this latest 'craze' towards the end of last year. So it was useful to be able to see what the fuss was all about when this book landed through my letter box.

It's a development on from 'painting by numbers', mainly because the drawings are so intricate, offering the chance of using a huge variety of colours. In this book the examples are from nature, but a surreal interpretation of it. For example, there's a drawing of a ram but across its body are flower designs.

So the popularity of these books has been put down to the stressful society in which we live and filling in these tiny spaces with colour needs so much concentration that the problems and stresses of everyday life are forced to the back of the mind. And I can imagine that. Making sure not to allow the colours to bleed into the space of a sector's neighbour would slow the process down and needs a steady hand – so not for those who might use one of the more traditional forms of stress relief, alcohol.

For those without an artistic bent the concentration and care needed creates the impression that there is creativity involved here and the selection of colours, especially their juxtaposition, emphasises that. What is created is a work of art of sorts, even though not one that will be hanging in any art gallery.

In a way these drawings (that used to be produced as stand alone pages but which are now appearing more often in book format) replace a similar activity that's been around for a very long time, that is, the jigsaw puzzle. The wooden piece jigsaws for young children become the thousand plus piece puzzles of a Jackson Pollack painting. The real difference being you need less space and it's easier to come back to the book, or even carry it around.

As with a jigsaw puzzle the completion of the intricate and complicated picture brings with it a sense of satisfaction of a difficult job done well – as well as filling a lot of time.

I can see the idea behind these books and this particular one has some interesting drawings but, as for me, I'll stay with the more traditional forms of stress relief, the one that doesn't mean sorting out the edges of a cardboard picture cut up into a myriad of pieces.

A Goodreads First Read winner.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intricate illustrations, but the patterns are quite repetitive. So, to avoid boredom, I am not colouring pictures from it back to back.

Paper quality is above average--i.e. better than many on the market.

[Becs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This colouring book is, so far, the most intricate one I have tried and also the most fun! Each page is filled with finely detailed critter, foliage and wildlife drawings with various different lines and shapes to give each element texture. This is perfect for an animal based colouring book because it makes creating fur, layered textures and three dimensional elements appear more realistic. But the fur really was the most impressive.

There are hints throughout which give you ideas about what to do with each drawing - like colour suggestions, shapes you could add or backgrounds you can design. Obviously the beauty of it is that you don't have to do any of it - you can be as experimental as you like or you can follow the suggestions precisely.

The pages are thick. This is great because I really like to use fine felt pens or watercolour pencils which have a tendency to either leak through pages, or smudge across the lines - not good! These pages were well suited to my favourites though with no leakage through or smearing of colours. With this colouring book in particular, the smearing is important to pick up on because some of the lines are drawn extremely close together - genuinely some are a fine tip away from each other (this took immense concentration I don't usually have!!).

Because of how close the lines often are, the need for a good pencil sharpener, a steady hand and a pretty decent pair of glasses is essential. More so than with any colouring book I've tried. If you struggle to see well, or are hoping to offer this to a young child as a gift, I think the drawings may be slightly too intricate - some are teeny tiny!

Overall a really fantastic collection. For an animal enthusiast, nature lover or just someone who likes to relax with a good colouring book this is ideal. Just prepare yourself for a bit of neck ache from tensing/concentrating super hard on staying in the lines!

[Fran Ferreira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olha, quando comprei este livro, foi um pouquinho depois do grande Hype, e minha empolgação era grande para colorir. No fim, o primeiro desenho pintei foi em 2017, o segundo em 2020 e hoje tomei uma decisão definitiva sobre esse livro: eu não vou mais colorir por motivos de:
- percebi nas duas vezes que colori e outras vezes em que pensei em colorir, que minha ansiedade ficava mais ativa, sendo que essa não é um das intenções dele, pelo contrário, é pra trazer um relaxamento;
- eu imaginava o desenho colorido de uma forma e no fim ficava de outra hahahahahah;
- a que mais faz sentido pra mim hoje em dia, as minhas artes favoritas que são 4, farão parte da decoração de minha casa, embelezando minhas paredes.
Acredito que cada um tem uma forma de fazer com que a arte torne parte de você, neste caso, olhar o trabalho da Millie, me traz conforto, se paro para analisar, imagino fácil ela sentada em frente a uma janela de vidro bem grande com vista para uma montanha, rio e flores fazendo sua arte e definitivamente, amo pensar nisso, a paz vem.

Quando comprei esse livro, dei outros dois para uma tia minha que usou como forma de relaxamento e coloriu todos, na real, encontrar a melhor forma que te traz tranquilidade, vale muito mais do que cumprir um certa "regra".
Para quem está no processo ou não coloriu nada, aproveitem seus momentos.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main thing to say about this colouring book for adults, is that it is not *just* a colouring book, it is a work of art!

You can tell just from the cover that this book is special - this book feels wonderful to hold and the highlights of gold on the cover make it look fantastic. A high quality book with interesting and intricate designs to discover within after a short introduction to the book explaining about the rationale behind it, which gave the book a lovely personal touch. Like a gift from Millie Marotta to you.

As the title suggests all of the colouring pages have animal pictures to be coloured in or completed if you wish. Snakes, whales, elephants, rabbits and birds are amongst those to be found nestled within the pages - some of which are made up of large sections to colour and some of which are made up of tiny individual elements of flowers and shapes. The pictures really come alive when you colour them and it's such a soothing activity to do and will stop me from using up my children's colouring books!

Thank you to Goodreads for my copy that I won from a recent giveaway. It will keep me occupied for many hours!

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure if it counts to say I read this book but I did go through every single page of it. It's not just a colouring book, it's a piece of art which is why I love it so much. While I could easily draw out all these pictures and colour them, it's so much more fun to look at all these pictures in detail and then choose whatever colours and style I want to add. I think this book it's tons of fun and I'd recommend it to anyone even if you aren't an artist. Everyone can have fun with this book.

My only complaint was that some pictures span two pages and it's really hard to colour in the crack of the book. Most pages are fine but the really cool ones do this and it bothers me that I can't colour all the white space. It's worth the buy either way.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome coloring book. You cannot use sharpies because they bleed through. I have used Staedler pens, Stabilio pens, some glitter pens, and colored pencils. This book would be even better if it were on thicker paper or if it only had items on the front of each page. Definitely recommend it though :)

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

This is essentially a very detailed colouring book, probably best enjoyed by adults. The images are beautiful and the patterns remind me somewhat of Zentangle. Hours of relaxing fun but don't let your kids get their hands on it!

[Ellen Christian]

Animal Kingdom Color Me Draw Me by Millie Marotta is the perfect book for anyone who longs to be creative but lacks confidence in their artistic ability. Any creative person would appreciate this as a holiday gift.

[Hanna Rudakouskaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it seems to be a good way of meditation, but I definitely need something more active. As one of my friends noted such colouring books are the best to deal with when having a long pleasant dialog when you're not in a hurry at all.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

not finished yet but im really enjoying coloring in its so relaxing. The pictures are beautiful so glad i was lucky enough to win this via the goodreads giveaway

Great for teenagers and adults

[Alex Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the pictures in this book. I also really like the idea behind it, of a colouring book for adults.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely beautiful and stunning work of art. I enjoy colouring the images in so much, it helps me relax and calm myself down. Its perfect!

[Unagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's gonna be 4 out of 5 because I have to take a deep breath before deciding to colour it: it seemed to be a sin to ruin it by colouring! But it's the purpose of the book. I love to color it.

[Kimberly Darden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than Basford.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the different designs and interesting perspectives in this book. Such fun to color and a great stress reliever.

[Rhica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not much to read but so much to look at! I recommend just photocopying the pages you want to color so that the book stays pristine.