There’s an App for That???

Adult coloring? Of course, there is an app for that now!

In a world where people constantly struggle to find time to “unplug” from their electronic devices, it was practically inevitable that the adult coloring trend would get digitized to accommodate everyone. There are a multitude of different adult coloring apps out there, many of them free apps, for all your digital coloring wants and desires. I have tried a few of these and can’t seem to put them down, but there are a lot that I haven’t tried which compelled me to do some research and share with you.

Coloring, Creativity, and Connecting

New creative ways of coloring are popping up everywhere.

The other day, I read this post on how to make DIY coloring sheets which was actually a completely innovative and awesome idea that I had never even thought of. The post gave a step by step process, with pictures, on how to complete this process. It was interesting, helpful, and very easy to understand. The post told you exactly what kind of programs to use and suggests that you choose any image from Project Gutenburg, which has over 50,000 free ebooks, to make a coloring page. I decided to share this cool project here for my readers because it was something new for people interested in coloring to try. While I haven’t personally tried this yet, I encourage you to check it out and try it for yourself! I’d love to hear the results!

While on the topic of interesting posts that I read recently, I was reading through a post from another person who just picked up the hobby of adult coloring. The post really stuck with me for some reason even though it brought up stuff I already realized about coloring.

It was a really sweet post highlighting the magic of coloring, and how the best magic came out the the time that they got to spend with their child. The magic of being able to bond with your family over something. I think this stuck with me so much because my sister and I (she is 14 years old compared to my 20) also enjoy connecting and bonding over coloring together. No matter how old you are or who you are coloring with be it family or friends, coloring can be fun and relaxing for all. And most of all, it can help you to bond. I suggest checking out the post, here.

A Taste of the Rainbow

48 different colors of the rainbow….that’s what greeted me as I opened my new pack of Marco Reffiné fine art colored pencils that I ordered on Amazon a couple weeks ago. I was beyond ecstatic to get them in the mail because I was getting tired of the same old, same old of using my Crayola colored pencils that I bought over the summer.

I fell in love the second I put my new colored pencils to the test because of the smoothness of the color going on the page and because of how vibrant and beautiful the colors are themselves. I can’t wait to finish my first picture using them and post it on here. I can so happily say that it was a successful $25 splurge spent on myself. I reccomend them to everyone although they are kind of expensive so if you want to color but not spend a ton of money then they probably aren’t your best option. To anyone who doesn’t mind spending the money though, they are fantastic.

I have been seeing a lot of people use gel pens to color, and I absolutely love the way that they make pictures look. I personally don’t like using markers to color, but I think gel pens would be my happy medium between markers and colored pencils which are my coloring utensil of choice.

Gel pens just might end up being my next guilty pleasure buy.

…maybe a Christmas present to myself once December rolls around.

A Colorist’s Snapshot

I recently finished a piece from my Mehndi Designs coloring book from Dover’s Creative Haven collection. It is one of my favorite coloring books that I own. It didn’t take me very long to decide that I wanted to use a very limited color selection by just using shades of green. I would love to hear what others think about the colors and the picture itself. I personally got a really great sense of accomplishment from this piece because it’s the first that I’ve completely finished since I moved back into my college dorm.

If you have any questions about what coloring utensils I used or where I bought my coloring book, feel free to leave a comment!

My Happy Place

Cozily nestled into the corner of my room, behind my closet and in front of my bed, is where I sit at my desk. Take a glance into the perpetually open doorway of my room and no matter how hard you look, you won’t be able to see me unless you physically walk inside. My desk’s location supplies me with my own personal bubble where I escape to…

A printer, an unplugged lamp, a clock, tissues, makeup, clothes, books, papers, pencils, pens, and more create an organized yet chaotic array of my college student essentials. All of which are readily available right on the top of my desk when I need them. I wouldn’t have this any other way. My organized chaos is comforting.

My desk has become my symbolic home base. It is my creative workspace. I do everything at my desk. I read there, I do my homework there, I watch Netflix there, and most of all, I color there.

The comforting aura of my desk makes it the perfect space for me to concentrate solely on one task, especially when that task is coloring. I clear adequate space, pull out my coloring books, find my colored pencils, and am on my way.

A blank, black and white canvas in front of me and a rainbow selection of colored pencils is all I need. I love the scratch of the pencils on paper as I work on my latest masterpiece. The sound of my pencil sharpener brings me confidence that I’ll be able to fill in the small intricate areas of my coloring page with precision. The slow progression of something blank turning into a colorful piece of art gives me an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

Once I finish a coloring page, I can place it on the cork-board backdrop of my desk.

And there you have it, my happy place complete.

What is Adult Coloring Anyways?

When people first hear the words adult coloring, some instinctively think of something dirty….which is completely understandable…but is, in fact, not the case at all. Adult coloring is exactly what it says, adults coloring in coloring books! Not in crude coloring books, but ones with intricate designs and patterns meant to help adults relieve stress. Children can also use these books (I have let my 9 year old brother try a few of mine), but they are prominently aimed at adults seeking stress relief.

Adult coloring is an up-and-coming form of art therapy that’s helping adults to not only relive their childhood, but also find a fun way of taking their mind off everyday stress. A shocking amount of people don’t know that this even exists, but others are taking quite a notice. In today’s plugged-in world, learning more about this trend is a simple google search away. Multiple news outlets, such as CNN and the New York Times have written articles about adult coloring and the word is spreading.

Adult coloring books are being sold in droves and some publications have sold literally millions of copies to date! One publication, “Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt & Coloring Book” by Johanna Basford has been amidst Amazon’s top 20 bestsellers since it came out back in 2013. Her other coloring books have seen equal success. Many other illustrators (and there are literally SO many of them!) have also seen their coloring books make Amazon’s list.

A topic I find extremely interesting is the one surrounding why coloring in particular has become the latest art therapy trend. A lot of the reasoning behind this is that people want to “unplug” themselves from our technologically inclined world. They want to turn off their smartphones, tablets, computers, and gaming devices. They want to open a coloring book, pick up their pencils, and distract themselves from all the technology around them. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, the Internet has actually been a great resource for building up this trend. Not only are coloring books more easily bought online rather than going to the physical bookstore, but social media as well, Pinterest being a good example, has allowed people to share their creations and even print out free coloring pages.

Whatever the reasoning may be, this trend is here to stay for the foreseeable future!