Relax by coloring images; the children’s pastime has grown up
By Gabrielle Pantera
In case you missed it, coloring books for adults have boomed in popularity recently. Something about coloring is calming, and a welcome escape from life’s everyday stresses. It makes a great alternative to looking at your phone while waiting at the airport or on a train or car ride and the small books will fit in your back pocket or purse. Adult coloring books don’t feature cartoon characters, but they do have themes.
The color choices are personal. You can use watercolor pencils that are lighter in color or colored pencils that are more vibrant in color. Use the colors that speak to you. Here’s my round-up of some of the best choices avaialable:
What’s Your Color Story?: A Guided Journal Coloring Book to Spark Your Creative Energy and Ignite Your Love of Color. This is a pocket journal and coloring book. Author Moll Anderson guides us on a journey to discover our love of color and includes questions and journal pages to write in and also some inspirational quotes. Why do you like certain colors and dislike other colors?
Paperback: 120 pages Publisher: Moll Anderson Productions; Clr Csm edition (May 3, 2016) Language: English ISBN: 9781937268060 $7.99
The Mindfulness Coloring Book: Anti-Stress Art Therapy for Busy People – Volume One and Two.
Mindful coloring is a simple practice that combines meditation with coloring. Illustrated by Emma Farrarons with flowers, leaves, butterflies, and birds alongside with waves and kaleidoscopic designs. Reinforced binding lays flat to color the intricate detail.
Zen Coloring – The Ultimate Collection Winter Wonderland
This handy book features cool winter scenes which might cool you off in the middle of a hot summer. A hundred winter themes to color. Complex designs and simple ones too.
Collection Paperback: 200 pages, Publisher: GMC Publications; Clr Csm edition (August 9, 2016) Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-1784943424 $14.95
Inkspirations for Women: Color Your World Happy, 30 Inspiring Designs to Nourish Your Heart and Renew Your Spirit. Relax your mind coloring original art from Judy Clement Wall. Use colored pencils, gel pens or even crayons. An eclectic mix of designs. As you color it, it becomes your own design as you decide where to place colors. Animals, mandalas and more designs. Perforated pages pull out to frame and place on the wall. Binding is lay-flat for coloring.
By Marci Shimoff (Author), Judy Clement Wall (Illustrator) Series: Inkspirations, Paperback: 72 pages, Publisher: HCI; Clr Csm edition (March 22, 2016), Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-0757319273 $10.95
Creative Adult Coloring Notebook: Anti-Stress Coloring for Adults with Space to Reflect and Dream. Cityscapes, Celtic, geometric, patterned and mandala designs. A mix of 37 images for coloring. Between the images there are blank lined pages for writing your dreams and thoughts.
Paperback: 80 pages, Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (June 2, 2016), Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-1533529688 $10.99
Drawn from the Heart: A Coloring Book Devotional. Devotionals and original, hand-drawn art. Inspirational images and quotes to read, color and reflect upon. Embrace your creativity.
By Lisa Bogart (Author). Paperback: 96 pages, Publisher: Worthy Inspired; Clr edition (February 23, 2016). Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-1617957338 $14.99
The O’Reilly Animals: An Adult Coloring. Reproductions of 19th century engravings are printed on heavyweight paper. O’Reilly Media is famous for the animal illustrations on their tech books, including anemones, birds bears, camels, big cats, fish, insects and tarsiers (a koala-like primate). Color them any way you want. Twelve images from the O’Reilly Animal image archive, which designer Karen Montgomery converted into drawings for coloring. The backs are bare so you can frame them.
Paperback: 26 pages, Publisher: O’Reilly Media; 1 edition (February 29, 2016) Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-1491955963 $5.99
