A Frog’s Tale – A Mr. Fogherty Coloring Book by R.J. Hampson

All Aboard! You’re invited to embark on a charming cruise with the book “A Frog’s Tale” by Russel James Hampson. The Artwork is just excellent: 25 wonderful hand-drawn illustrations.

“Believe me my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” _{Ratty to Mole in The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame}

A Frog’s Tale is a great colouring adventure. There’s a story being told in this book. It’s captivating because the author brings us to imagine this connection between the images. The illustrations are absolutely adorable and I want to colour them right away!

I really like that drawings are a little larger but still complex and full of details. I also appreciate single page illustrations that can be completed faster. 

I love Hampson’s drawing style with flowing lines and great characters, they are so expressive and really cute. There’s an attentive eye to composition, proportions and movement. 

Wonderful illustrations don’t happen with a click, in this book we clearly see the talent and research of a seasoned Artist. Hampson presents the Colourist with correct proportions of animals, plants and objects. There are no weird, undefined shapes here. All drawings are completed, recognizable shapes that make sense – the clear mark they’re created by the mind of an Artist. This makes the images very engaging and pleasant to colour because there’s a human connection between Illustrator and Colourist.

As an example, the Great Blue Heron in “ A Purpose of Liquidy” page – this is a gorgeous drawing. We can use a photo as colour reference and it will work great, because the Artist researched the bird’s anatomy and simplified it for us in a graceful illustration.

Another example of attention to detail on this same page, check out the right upper corner – there’s a little frog climbing on the frame. Here, there are 3 planes represented: the frame in the foreground, our little frog in mid-ground and behind him a branch with leaves. This clever 2D resource creates the illusion of depth, and a good colourist can make that really come out using contrast with lights and shadows (i.e. chiaroscuro).

A Frog’s Tale is printed in the same format as other books by this artist: Softcover, 11 x 8 1/2” (28 x 21.5 cm). All illustrations are printed one side only, with title in the back of the last page. They’re organized in the order of a Tale. When the book ends, you find a second set of images. It’s like having two books in one!

You can use one for practice and the other for a final copy, use with different mediums like markers and pencils, or simply leave one uncoloured to print and colour in different kinds of paper. 

This book is printed on a light-weight paper, I’m guessing around 20 to 30 Lbs. It means that pages are more sensitive to markers, erasing and pressure. In this case, because I loved so much the Artwork, I’ll print on cardstock to colour.

I do prefer books that have stronger paper,  but I understand the choice to keep price down, under USD$ 12. Between paper weight and affordability, I believe it was the right choice. As a suggestion, I would love to see a Special Edition printed on heavier, stronger paper!😊

A Frog’s Tale by R.J. Hampson is enchanting: a great choice for this summer. Happy Colouring!

“Take the adventure, heed the call, now ere the irrevocable moment passes! ‘Tis but a banging of the door behind you, a blithesome step forward, and you are out of your old life and into the new!” _{The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame}

More books from R.J. Hampson’s Colouring Series at Amazon:

Amazon’s Associate Choice : KODAK Mini Shot 2 Retro – Digital Camera + Photo Printer! Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro is a digital camera with a built-in photo printer, so you can print your images or cancel them after you have taken them. I love this product: it has a vintage feeling, but with digital technology. This is so FUN! Set of 2 in 1 camera printer + 68 sheets+ accessories. This bundle makes a such lovely Gift.

I’m an Amazon Associate. The sponsored links provided in this Blog connect to product’s offers. Thank you for visiting 🩵