Hi Everyone!

I thought I would take a break from writing blog posts about money, finance, and avoiding scams. This post is about a new fad or hobby that is sweeping the nation—coloring books for adults. Coloring pictures in coloring books has always been a joy to me as a child– I liked using crayons and colored pencils to design pretty pictures. I always   remember coloring as being fun because I felt like I was creating a “masterpiece” with each picture. I did some research on the subject and the general consensus is that using coloring books for adults can be a great stress reliever as well. So if you are currently having challenges in your business and/or life and need some stress relief, I would suggest  coloring pictures in adult coloring books. I would like to share my experiences with coloring pictures in adult coloring books–3 months going strong.  Hope you will be inspired to at least try it for yourself!

I guess I always liked coloring instead of drawing because I was much better at mixing colors together as opposed to drawing images onto paper. The following images will show some of my work and I will share with you my thought processes behind each image. Hope you will be inspired to at least try it for yourself as there are really no rules on how to color an image. You can start by using your favorite color and go on from there.

Image #1

This image was my very first work of art.  I decided to use all crayons to color this image simply because I had 64 colors to choose from (Crayola® crayons, 64 color pack).    It took me roughly two and a half hours to complete this picture. My main focus was to keep everything symmetrical–whatever color sequence  I used on the left side, I repeated the same color sequence on the right side. After I finished coloring the picture, I did feel relaxed and I also felt pleased with the results.

Image #2

When I first looked at this drawing, I thought to myself, “what an ugly looking lizard”. However, I decided to use only colored pencils to color this picture and I am happy to say that this “ugly-looking” lizard is actually one of my favorite pictures which took me just about a half an hour to complete. I experimented in coloring the leaves with different shades of green, and it turned out very nicely.

Image #3

This picture took me approximately 2 hours to complete. I probably could have completed it sooner, but I really wanted to focus on the intricate details. I used only magic markers (6 colors total). My main concern was making sure that all the colors blended well together. In other words, I wanted to make sure that all the colors were evenly distributed throughout the picture. After all my hard work, this picture turned out to be another one of my favorites!

Image #4

I colored this picture using both crayons and colored pencils. In addition to just coloring the flamingo, I decided to experiment by shading in the white background using a combination of light and dark green color pencils. Needless to say, shading the background gave my picture a whole new look.

Image #5                             

Image #6

In images #5 and #6, I used a combination of crayons, magic markers and colored pencils because I wanted to see what effect it would have. I have to say that both pictures turned out quite well.   I discovered that by tracing the outline of the pictures, it gives each picture a more dramatic effect, meaning that each picture tends to stand out more.

Final Thoughts

After having been at this for three months, I have found that I am coming up with new ideas of how to color each picture. Some pictures are more difficult to color than others due to the amount of detail in the picture itself. To me, the more intricate the drawing, the more challenging it is to think of a way to color it so that it turns out beautiful in the end. If this is something you would like to try out, here are some suggestions on how to get started:

1. Buy yourself a coloring book. You can purchase one [easyazon_link keywords=”adult coloring books” locale=”US” tag=”earweaforyouf-20″]here[/easyazon_link]
2. Buy yourself some colored pencils, crayons, and markers. You can purchase them [easyazon_link keywords=”crayons, markers, colored pencils” locale=”US” tag=”earweaforyouf-20″]here[/easyazon_link]
3. Find a picture in the book that you would like to color
4. Start coloring.

When you finish coloring your picture, you could either keep it to yourself, or show it off to your family and friends either by framing it and hanging it on a wall or through social media. I am currently showing my artwork in Pinterest. You can also look for Facebook groups on the subject of coloring to join–click here to go to a very nice group that I currently belong to.

Sometimes doing the simplest things like coloring is what we need to do to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I would love to get some feedback about this topic–please feel free to comment below and I will respond in kind.

So go find some stress relief by coloring pictures today!

 

 

Sources:

“Adult Coloring Book:Stress Relieving Animal Designs”, Blue Star Coloring Books,  PCG Publishing Group, LLC.  San Antonio, TX and Portland, OR

“Adult Coloring Books: A Coloring Book for Adults Featuring Mandalas, Henna Inspired Flowers, Animals, and Paisley Patterns” by Zing Books, 2015