Venice: A Color-Your-Own Travel Journal by Evie Carrick & Emma Taylor

I was very lucky as a child to be able to travel extensively, both with my parents and on my own in college. Venice was one of the places my parents brought me, and it still lives indelibly in my mind as one of the most romantic cities of the world.

So when I got the chance to review the latest in the Color-Your-Own-Travel Journal series, covering the wonders of The Floating City — oh, holy carp, is that why my #Dungeon23 variant was based on a waterborne city, at least in part? Ahem, I digress — I could not resist. Venice is one of my absolute favorite artistic inspirations. I’m currently working my way through a watercolor notebook inspired by the city, and found this to be the perfect colored pencil accompaniment.

That said, this book is by no means meant to teach you how to color. It is, however, a beautifully drawn tour of the sites of the city, covering both the main, historic attractions as well as more modern hidden gems. I remember the very touristy sites of San Marco as they’re described here, tho long, as an adult, to try out some of the splendid restaurants mentioned in this book too. Will I be able to make that dream a reality anytime soon? Lol, no, but a girl can imagine, abetted not only by the descriptions but also by the evocative line art and the tempting lined spaces across from each, inviting reflection and elaboration.

Granted, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Venice — or even enjoyed it vicariously through the pages of Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti series — so I can’t attest to the travel advice given here as I could with London and Thailand. I did like the fact that everything is pretty much in the city limits, with pains taken to highlight several locations of historic and gustatory significance, far removed from the paths long beaten by tourists.

While beautiful, the pictures can seem a little daunting to color, as they are quite elaborately drawn. My recommendation is to just go in with large swathes of color, and let the printed lines serve as highlighting. The paper is smooth and sturdy enough to withstand dryer inks, but is certainly not bleed-proof. The book description does make a point of suggesting colored pencils: there isn’t much tooth to the paper, but it will hold color well enough, and if you don’t mind a bit of bleed (and are prepared to put another sheet between pages) it will probably do okay with marker, especially since the reverse of each illustration is thoughtfully left blank.

I also very much loved the gold, purple and aqua highlights of the cover, which only add to the serenity of the entire package. This is a lovely gift for a loved one (including yourself) who longs to visit Venice, whether that trip is a genuine possibility or merely a sweet fantasy for now, and could use a little extra encouragement with their artistic endeavors.

Venice: A Color-Your-Own Travel Journal by Evie Carrick & Emma Taylor was published November 19 2024 by Adams Media and is available from all good booksellers, including