The short answer
Creative Haven Steampunk Designs is the better first choice for broad steampunk variety. Creative Haven Steampunk Fashions is the better choice when clothing, costume, and character styling are the reason you are buying.
Sources were checked on September 9, 2026. This comparison is source-checked but not hands-on. Coloring Book Hub has not physically tested either book for paper opacity, line clarity, binding comfort, colored-pencil layering, marker bleed, perforation quality, or gel-pen drying.
| Decision point | Creative Haven Steampunk Designs | Creative Haven Steampunk Fashions |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Broad steampunk scenes and machine details | Costume-first steampunk pages |
| Publisher/source | Dover Publications | Dover Publications |
| Contributor | Marty Noble | Marty Noble |
| Format facts | Trade paperback; perforated one-sided pages in publisher data | Trade paperback; perforated one-sided pages in publisher data |
| Source-described subjects | Victorian regalia, goggles, gears, clocks, locomotives, hot-air balloons, machinery, decorative backgrounds | Victorian-era clothing, goggles, clocks, technological accessories, intricate character fashion |
| Source-listed publication date | March 21, 2013 | September 16, 2015 |
| Stronger reader fit | General steampunk gift, mixed-subject colorist | Fashion-coloring fan, costume detail fan |
Choose Steampunk Designs for range
Dover's product data for Creative Haven Steampunk Designs identifies a broad collection of steampunk imagery: people in Victorian-inspired clothing, goggles, gears, antique clocks, locomotive and balloon motifs, and other machinery.
Editorial interpretation: Designs is the more flexible pick because the page promise is wider. It should suit a buyer who says "steampunk" but does not specify fashion, machines, animals, or vehicles. The variety gives the reader more ways to use warm metal palettes, old paper tones, smoke-gray shadows, and jewel accents.
Choose it for:
- A general steampunk fan.
- A gift recipient whose exact coloring taste is unknown.
- A colorist who wants people plus machines.
- A reader who likes mixed backgrounds with decorative and industrial elements.
Skip it if the recipient wants mostly outfits, figure styling, and fashion pages.
Choose Steampunk Fashions for costume focus
Dover's product data for Creative Haven Steampunk Fashions identifies 31 original designs centered on Victorian-era clothing, goggles, clocks, and technological accessories. The tags place the book in fashion and accessories as well as adult coloring activity categories.
Editorial interpretation: Fashions is narrower in a useful way. It is the better book if the reader likes designing palettes for coats, skirts, boots, gloves, hats, belts, buckles, lace, hair, goggles, and small wearable hardware. It also gives stronger continuity from page to page because the pages revolve around costume decisions.
Choose it for:
- A fashion coloring fan.
- A reader who likes character pages.
- Someone who enjoys Victorian or neo-Victorian costume details.
- A colorist who wants repeated practice with fabric, leather, brass, and accessories.
Skip it if the reader wants locomotives, balloons, machines, or broader background variety to carry the page.
Which is more adult?
Both are adult-friendly in format and detail, and Dover's Creative Haven positioning is adult-coloring oriented. The stronger adult fit depends on the reader. Designs is more adult by variety and density. Fashions is more adult by costume planning, accessory detail, and figure-led color decisions.
Do not treat either title as automatically easy or beginner-tested. A beginner can still use either book by choosing a small area, limiting the palette, and leaving some background details unfilled.
Which is better for colored pencils or markers?
Colored pencils are the safer first tool for both books. Steampunk pages reward sharp points because gears, watch hands, buckles, goggles, rivets, lace, and small shadows can get muddy with broad wet fills.
Markers require testing. Publisher-stated one-sided pages and perforation make removal and display more convenient, but they do not prove that a specific marker will avoid feathering or bleed. Use a blotter sheet behind the page and test a nonessential area first.
Bottom line
Pick Creative Haven Steampunk Designs for a broad steampunk sampler. Pick Creative Haven Steampunk Fashions for costume-led coloring. If the buyer cannot choose, Designs is the more flexible gift; Fashions is the sharper match for someone who already likes fashion coloring books.
Sources
- Dover Publications, "Creative Haven Steampunk Designs Coloring Book," checked September 9, 2026: store.doverpublications.com
- Dover Publications, "Creative Haven Steampunk Fashions Coloring Book," checked September 9, 2026: store.doverpublications.com
- Coloring Book Hub prior article archive, checked September 9, 2026: content/articles/