Review: Birds by Georgie Woolridge

Birds is "A Mindful Colouring Book" by Georgie Woolridge. I have been enjoying the rise of adult colouring books - I've never stopped colouring, but it is lovely to have so many more options available than there ever have been. I have quite a few reviews of colouring books and colouring equipment planned for the coming weeks/months...

I received this particular book from my husband for Christmas, after he found it in a RSPB shop. I was immediately drawn to this robin image - well, it was the middle of winter! I decided to stick to a realistic colour scheme and fairly realistic shading, and assumed the background as mistletoe. The best thing about this book is that it's only printed on one side, so there's no worries about pens bleeding through, and each image can be removed and used as you wish. I can imagine a wall full of these images! Opposite each image is a small piece of information about the bird pictured, including it's name, which I really appreciated. It will be nice to learn about more birds as I wander through the book.

There are lots of small fiddly areas of colour in this book. Whilst I like some detail like this, these images are quite overwhelming. There is no need to colour each section individually though, and large areas can be shaded and still look great. I really appreciate the effort the artist has gone to to fit the patterns and details in with how the bird looks - the feet look scaly, the back looks feathery, and there is a clear definition where the robin's red breast begins. It's one thing to fill a shape with pattern, but it takes skill to do it this beautifully.

I have coloured this image using some (very old) WHSmith blendable colour pencils. These particular ones are unavailable, but I hope to review their latest offerings soon. I do have a confession to make though, I do not find colouring relaxing like many people seem to. My fatigue and pain issues mean that colouring is very taxing on my body, and can trigger migraines. I enjoy it as one of many creative activities, but it is a tiring activity for me, not a restful one. It takes me a long time to complete a piece as I can only do a few minutes at a time, but I love bringing magic to images with colour.

You can find Georgie Woolridge on Facebook here. This review is not sponsored and is my own personal opinion.

Crochet Penguin

So, when I shared my Crochet Robin back in November, I mentioned that I had already used All About Ami's pattern as it was originally intended, for a penguin! This little penguin has waddled off to his new home now, so I thought I would share him :) He is rather cute!

His scarf is detachable, his eyes are made with felt, and he has a little tag for delivery!

Here, you can see my robin and penguin together. I followed the pattern the same for both of them (although I think I adjusted the tummy slightly on both too). I used the same size hook. And I thought I used double knitting wool for both - the purple definitely is. The brown however, came out of my Mum's stash without a label - I'm suspecting it might be 4 ply given the size difference, or can double knitting wool (and my tension?!) really vary this much?!

Christmas 1 || Crochet Robin

I originally used this pattern by All About Ami for it's intended purpose (which I will share soon!), but on completion thought it was the perfect shape for a robin, and the perfect season too! I don't think my brown wool was double knitting, as he came out smaller than expected, but I think he will sit nicely in the branches of the Christmas tree!