Shojo Manga Colouring by Supittha Annie Bunyapen

8/10

We all remember colouring books as children, but this is in a different league, as Supittha's work is extremely detailed and accurate. Known as Ecthelian on DeviantART, she is a young manga and cover artist who is well-known in manga circles on line. Her art uses thick, strong lines and detailed characters that have been well thought out before they ever got on paper.

Her characters are standard ones that are popular with children and manga fans.

The characters aren't only for girls; there are guys too in different guises as well as various animals. This book is classed as juvenile/art, but I was definitely tempted to colour these in myself, or create my own from what I saw in the book. I am sure there will be others who would like to create their own too after seeing these.

There are no flashy introductions that tell you how to draw here, as soon as you turn the page, there is nothing but characters to colour in. Elves and fairies, cat girls, a young scientist, a deer boy, girls on a desert island, a young adventurer, mermaids, young lovers and schoolgirls. One thing I liked about the characters was that there was visible effort that had gone into creating them. Some are taken from popular fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, and Alice in Wonderland, while others use a fantasy element in them that is instantly recognisable. They are all drawn in a shojo style that is expressive, and fits in well with today’s current trends and gives an idea to budding artists what shojo art should look like when it is professionally done.

Supittha really knows her subject matter, makes the girls cute and the guys even cuter. This is perfect for any age, from young teens as it is different from the standard colouring in books available. There are 45 different characters that are just dying to be coloured in by bright young things, and for those who want to take it a bit further, they can take up free bonus activities that are available online.