Disney mystery coloring book - Stained Glass : Review

Quick facts

• Title: Disney Mystery Coloring - Stained Glass
• Illustrators: Julien Lévy, Sandrine Fourrier, and Charlotte Mendès
• Publisher: Hachette Héros
• Coloring pages: 100
• Total pages: 128 (solutions included)
• Format: A4
• Printing: Double-sided
• Style: Stained glass (no black outlines)
• Palette: Small, no need for 50 colors
• Difficulty: Large zones, beginner-friendly
• Paper: Average quality (thinner than other volumes)

The characters inside

The book mixes Disney and Pixar, with a wide variety of characters. It's far from a single theme like Princesses or Great Classics - everyone gets a spot. My favorites in this volume: Aurora, Anna, and Elsa.

The variety is a genuine strong point. If you enjoy both classic Disney and Pixar films, you'll find pages you like.

What tools to use?

This is the most important section in this review, because your choice of material completely changes the experience with this book.

Colored pencils: the best choice. I used my Prismacolor and Castle Art Gold pencils, and they work by far the best. Pencils respect the stained glass style, the zones stay well-defined, and the final result has a soft, luminous quality that suits the theme perfectly.

Acrylic markers: use with caution. I tried my Tooli Art markers on this book. The problem: acrylic ink covers and hides the delimiting lines of the coloring. The zones blend into each other and you lose the stained glass effect entirely. If you still want to use them, you'll need to go back and add black outlines by hand where you think they should be - which is time-consuming and not always precise.

Regular markers (non-alcohol): disappointing. I tried Faber-Castell Pitt markers. Despite what you'd expect, they still bleed through in this book. The paper is thinner than other Disney mystery volumes, and it shows. Avoid them, or use a sheet underneath as protection.

Alcohol markers: no. Thinner paper plus double-sided printing is the perfect combination for ruining every page.

The stained glass effect on skin tones

This was the part I struggled with the most. In a classic mystery coloring book, a character's skin is rendered with soft gradients - zones of light and shadow that blend naturally into each other.

In stained glass style, the logic is different. The skin is divided into distinct zones: one light, one dark, alternating. Like a church window - which makes total sense for the style - but if you're used to smooth skin tones, the result on a character's face can look strange, almost geometric.

This isn't a flaw in the book. It's literally the point of the style. But it's important to know before buying.

Tip: working around the stained glass style

Something I discovered while using this book: you don't have to follow the style 100%.

My favorite approach: I keep the stained glass effect for the backgrounds and decorative elements (trees, castles, clothing, environment), but I soften it on the characters' faces and skin by blending the zones more gently. The result: the background has that graphic, luminous stained glass quality, while the character stays readable and natural-looking.

It's a creative approach that takes some experience, but it produces really original results that you won't find in any other coloring book.

What I liked

• A genuinely different style from all other Disney mystery volumes
• Large zones - you make fast progress, no tiny impossible areas
• Small palette needed - no need for a massive collection
• 100 coloring pages with a great mix of Disney and Pixar characters
• Encourages experimentation and technique adaptation

What to keep in mind

• Thinner paper than other volumes - some markers bleed through
• No black outlines: acrylic markers are not well suited to this book
• The stained glass effect on faces can look strange if you're not prepared for it
• Double-sided printing: alcohol markers are a hard no
• The style may disappoint if you're looking for smooth, classic results

My final verdict

It's not my favorite volume, I won't pretend otherwise. The stained glass style doesn't naturally suit my coloring preferences, and the paper quality is below other books in the collection.

But it's a book worth having if you want to step outside your comfort zone, try something genuinely different, or if you mostly work with colored pencils. With the right tools and a bit of creativity, you can get really original results.

Bottom line: best suited to curious colorists, not beginners looking for an easy and predictable experience.