David Bowie: Starman: A Colouring Book by Coco Balderrama and Laura Coulman
| David Bowie: Starman: A Colouring Book by Coco Balderrama and Laura Coulman | |
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| Category: Crafts | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A satisfying mix of information about David Bowie and thirty illustrations to colour yourself. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? No |
| Pages: 64 | Date: March 2016 |
| Publisher: Plexus | |
| ISBN: 978-0859655507 | |
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David Bowie's death in January 2016 came as a shock to me: we were much of an age and he'd always seemed so vital. But his final album, Blackstar, seemed to foretell his death and was a commercial success, coming in at number one in the UK Top 100 Albums Chart, and the David Bowie Is exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum is the most successful exhibition ever staged by the V&A. But what of a more relaxing memory of the man who was part genius and part chameleon?
David Bowie: Starman: A Colouring Book landed on my desk at just the right moment. It's a gentle and creative way to remember the man who changed popular music completely. The layout is simple: after a brief introduction there is, on each double page spread, a piece about Bowie on the left hand side which follows through in chronological order to the late nineties and on the right-hand side there's an illustration for you to colour. The wonderful thing about David Bowie is that you know that you can let your imagination run wild: he'd be offended if you didn't.
No great technical ability is required to produce a finished illustration of which you can be proud. Some skill is required with regard to the faces (I struggled with the faces in Sherlock: The Mind Palace: The Official Colouring Book by Mike Collins, but didn't have the same problem with David Bowie where the faces are rather smaller) but then the man does oblige with some facial decorations which don't require the same degree of subtlety. There are examples from each of the major incarnations of the Bowie persona: if you want to be accurate in the colouring you can find plenty of pictures online, but the result is still pleasing if you go with your own feelings. I was surprised by how good the end result was - certainly recognisable - and I'm not known for my artistic abilities.
I had one or two quibbles with the book. It's impossible to make it lie flat without some serious breaking of the spine and difficult to remove a page if you're of a mind to display your artwork (besides - this would ruin the flow of the well-written mini biography by Laura Coulman) - but then that's just me being very picky. It's an engaging and satisfying way to remember a man who was a creative genius. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
If this book appeals then you might also enjoy Doctor Who: The Colouring Book by Various Artists. If you'd like to know more about David Bowie then The Man Who Sold The World: David Bowie And The 1970s by Peter Doggett comes highly recommended.
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You can read more book reviews or buy David Bowie: Starman: A Colouring Book by Coco Balderrama and Laura Coulman at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy David Bowie: Starman: A Colouring Book by Coco Balderrama and Laura Coulman at Amazon.com.
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