It was so warm yesterday that I was able to run errands in jeans and a t-shirt. Oh, joy! It’s sunny today. You know there’s nothing I love more than seeing the sun pour through the many windows of the cottage. It’s good for my soul.
I’ve been coloring.
Frankly, I can’t remember whether I loved coloring or not when I was a child. I remember doing it, and like everyone else, I loved a new box of crayons, preferably the Crayola box of 64 crayons with the built-in sharpener. I suppose I liked coloring as much as the next kid. Unlike most kids, I didn’t particularly care for cartoons. I still don’t!
When we were down in Florida, Mere gave an adult coloring book and colored pencils to Don. She had originally purchased it for her husband – I was with her, so it must have been in August – but he had no interest in it. Don took a stab at it, coloring while sitting out on the lanai near the pool.
I thought I had absolutely no interest in coloring, but I succumbed the other day at Barnes & Noble. After looking at many adult coloring books (I wish they’d find a different term; it sounds vaguely smutty!) I chose Johanna Basford’s Enchanted Forest. The drawings are incredibly detailed and perfect for a nature lover like me.
This is what I’ve done so far. Yesterday morning found both Don and me coloring – he, in his chair in the living room, me, in my chair in the den. I did a bit more around dinner time.
I didn’t feel that I had enough variety in the colors available, especially in the shades of green, so I went to our local art supply store and purchased a few more colored pencils. They’re made by Prismacolor.
Don has his own set of pencils, though we’re not averse to raiding each other’s stash.
It’s a meditative thing to do. I put it in my own personal category of things that help me relax: reading, doing a crossword puzzle, crocheting, working on miniatures, and now this – coloring.
I know that many of you have been doing this for a while. Do you have a favorite coloring book? (I stayed away from the ones that have thick black outlines, but that’s just my personal preference.) The best sharpener? If you have one, please share!
I hope you’re having a lovely weekend.
Happy Saturday.
I never liked cartoons as a kid either. I liked to color, but I preferred having all my own books and crayons, which wasn’t likely in a family with four kids. I think I would like to try it again. I work for a children’s therapist who will sometimes spend a session coloring with her little clients. A lot of talking occurs when one is relaxed and hands are busy, but minds can wander thoughtfully.
I think that it’s good therapy for many, Karen.
When my 2 boys were little we colored at night at the kitchen table. Even my husband would join us. Great family memory for me. I have looked at the books but haven’t join the rage yet! Enjoy your day.
I was hesitant to join in because I tend to avoid the current fads, but I’m glad I finally did, Doris.
Happy sunny day!
I do have a sharpener which I find works very well with my watercolor pencils as well as colored pencils. It is made by Faber-Castell but unfortunately has no style name. It is small, light and flips open to sharpen. There are three sharpener sizes, two for universal and one for colour grip pencils.
Have a terrific Saturday and happy coloring!
Thanks, Sue. I’ll look for one.
I bought my Mom some coloring books and pencils for her birthday and she has used them on occasion. I received one at Christmas from a friend but haven’t tried it yet. I do love crayons, the big box of course. Funny, I was never a fan of cartoons as a kid either. Give me Shirley Temple or Sky King with Penny any day!! Going to visit the Grands and take them their Easter baskets this morning.
hugs,
Linda
Oh my gosh, yes! Shirley Temple and Sky King! Did you know one of the first conversations Don and I had was about Sky King? That, and Sea Hunt. I had a fear of getting the ‘bends’ from that show!
Sea Hunt! Yes! Gosh we could reminisce about the good ole days!
Me, too!
I like Prismacolor pencil crayons because of their soft “lead”. I have an old sweet tin full of “stubs” as I’m pretty hard on pencil crayons. At home I use a very sharp pen knife to sharpen my drawing pencils, but I have a plain 2-hole Staedtler sharpener in my portable drawing kit. (I have a separate one in my bathroom for eyeliner pencils – works like a charm!)
Happy colouring!
Well. I don’t trust myself with a pen knife, but I’ll look for the Staedtler, Barbara! Thank you!
I am enjoying coloring! I take care of my mom who has moderate dementia and it’s a time of relaxing for me. I use brush tip markers instead of pencils (though I do have those). Problem with the markers, there is not the variety in shades of colors! I have bought various coloring books with flowers or geometric designs, but now, have found some with quilt patterns that I like.
Ah, quilt patterns are a good idea for a coloring book, Caroline!
I like your coloring Claudia. I admit I have lingered over the books when I’ve been at different craft stores. I still color with my grandchildren on occasion when they visit. Maybe some day I’ll try the new adult books. I can’t imagine my husband coloring with me though. I’ve been trying to get him to knit or crochet for years, and he has no interest whatsoever.
Blessings, Betsy
Would you believe it – Don expressed an interest, just in passing, about learning crochet. I’ll see if he ever mentions it again…
Hey, my dad could sew up a storm…on a treadle machine! He would alter/tailor his own pants on my mom’s Kenmore, too. His mom taught him how to sew when they lived out on the prairie, back in the ‘old’ days, when he was a little kid. He knew how to iron, too. And clean a house.
I know of guys who knit.
In my favorite upholstery shop, it’s four guys, and they don’t just do sofas…they do all kinds of things, including pillows. And our best alterations shop is run by a guy; he can hem a dress or change out a puffed sleeve as good as a Paris couturier. None of this stuff has to be gender specific. I know of a woman who’s in her 50s who is a welder by trade but she is also using the things of that trade to do metals art. We make no delineations between chefs; the culinary arts are for everyone.
I have read that men take up quilting in retirement and I’ve also seen a lot of men at the doll house/miniatures store. And I’ve listened in. It doesn’t always have to do with a grandfather making a doll house for his granddaughter. He’s doing it because he loves it, for himself. No different than a guy who is into model trains and setting up train tracks in every spare space of the house!
I love that men and women can create and that there are less and less boundaries as to certain ‘traditional’ crafts.
I find coloring very relaxing and like you said, somewhat meditative. I like the Dover Coloring Book series ~ lots of variety. I’ve tried a couple different pencil brands and found that I like the CraZArt brand the best. Lots of color choices and a nice soft lead that gives good coverage and still stays sharp.
I hope nice spring weather comes to you soon so you can get out and grow some new babies. I understand that need to nurture as well. Sending you hugs.
Thank you, Tracy. I see green shoots coming out of the ground and that makes me happy. I think I probably won’t uncover the garden beds until after April 1st…I have a lot of coaching to do in April, so I’ll have to work in the garden around my work commitments. I’ll look for that brand of pencil. I’m trying out a couple of brands. Do you ever use the watercolor pencils?
I have been coloring for a while now. My husband and I take care of my mother (she has mild dementia) and coloring, crocheting, gardening, playing the piano…..whatever……helps keep the stress level down. Besides, it’s fun! I like the Johanna Basford books. I am coloring in her Secret Garden book now and I have the Enchanted Forest. The Lost Ocean is next on my list. I also use the Prismacolor pencils and the Staedtler triplus fineliner pens. I really enjoy them and with the thickness of the paper in the Johanna B. books, they don’t bleed through. I have tried several sharpeners but the one I like the best is the Sanford giant that hangs on the wall (just like the schools used way back when).
My husband doesn’t care to color but I did get him to do latch hooking. He loves it!
Take care and happy coloring!!
I have one of those old fashioned pencil sharpeners, Lorinda. I’ll have to try mine out! I want to get The Secret Garden and I’ve just heard about The Lost Ocean. I’m going to look into the Staedtler triplus fineliner pens. Thanks for the tips!
I got two adult coloring books for Christmas but haven’t enjoyed coloring as much as I thought I would. Not sure why. I thoroughly enjoy reading and doing crossword puzzles though. And it’s easy for me to spend an entire evening on the Internet. I can’t imagine how much people who lived in pioneer days would have enjoyed having 24/7 access to happenings all over the world. We’ve had rain two days in a row and everything outside smells so fresh and clean. Love it!
Yay for rain, Janie! I’m trying to limit my time on the internet because it’s all too easy for me to be sucked in! I have books to read and review, crocheting to finish and coloring to do! (Who knows how long this will last, but I’m really enjoying it and I find it helps my stress level.)
I mentioned previously that I love to color and I always have. I am so enjoying my Secret Garden book, which is one of the Johanna Basford books. I use the CraZart pencils and also the fineliner pens I found at Michael’s. They are wonderful for the tiny areas. I found it hard to use the pencils in those small areas. And, as someone else mentioned, with the thickness of the paper, the “pens” do not bleed through.
We have some sun today, and the miserable snow is gone. yay.
Hope you have a great Saturday!!
Where do you find the CraZart pencils, Chris?
I just realized that I have a whole pack of Staedtler fineliner pens – Yay!
Mine aren’t CraZart ~ I thought they were because I see that brand everywhere, I guess, but they are from Michael’s also, and they say fine touch on them (no caps). BUT, if you look on Amazon, under colored pencils or markers for adult coloring books ~ there are many many to choose from. I got mine ~ pencils & markers ~ when they were on sale at Michael’s or I had a 40% off coupon or something. Hope the pens you found that you have work for you!! I think you will like them for those tiny areas especially!! Happy Coloring!
I found some watercolor pencils by Derwent (a British company) yesterday in a local art store. I love the way they flow….I may have to buy more!
My knee is currently making the idea of trucking to a physical store an unappealing option at this time, so I’ve been shopping online for adult coloring books since Christmas and can’t make up my mind! I’d love to find a whole book full of quilt designs. Or even abstract designs. But unfortunately they never show much of the books online, and I’m afraid of getting a book with only a few pages that I really like. But I was a huge colorer – ??? – as a child and am looking forward to doing it again. It provides some real quality thinking time, for sure. I colored often with my niece but she’s 23 now, so it’s been a while. PS – Staedtler products are getting lots of recommendations because they’re terrific. I’ve done calligraphy professionally and I can vouch for them. I also LOVE the sharpener I ordered when I sent for my Blackwing pencils.
My Blackwing Sharpener tends to break off the end of the ‘lead’ – it’s really wax. I love it for regular pencils but it just doesn’t work well with colored pencils. Someone left a comment that she found a coloring book with quilt designs, Janet. I wonder if she could tell you more about the book?
I just remembered that I have a whole pack of Staedtler liners!
Nice! I have found the Cra-Z-Art pencils a bit too hard. Just my opinion. The “tooth” of the coloring pages gives way and won’t accept any more color while I’m still trying to shade or blend. Another alternative or addition to a sharpener is sandpaper. They sell it for artwork in handy little pads. It’s the way to get your point the way you want it. I used to run my crayon back and forth on the inside of the cover of my coloring book for the “perfect” point. For now, I just use emery boards from the dollar store. One day I may invest in some sandpaper… :)
Good idea, Aunt Lou. Thank you!
I’ve found some gorgeous designs online that I can just print out on cardstock. I did find a nice book of artsy cat designs at Dollar General. Love prismacolors, I’ve been using them for years for drawing in my bible….oops, it’s now called bible journaling. I have an Exacto battery operated sharpener that done a nice job, especially with the prismacolors that can easily break off. If they do and you can save the lead, use a dot of Elmers and let dry.
I think I found a pretty good sharpener today. I’ll share it in a post next week. Thanks so much for the tip on Elmers – sure hate wasting that lead!
I was going to suggest the on-line options, too. Before I had a book, I did that a few times, and you can find a specific design and print it out. If you just enter “free adult coloring pages” etc. you can find hundreds! (I agree the words “adult coloring” sounds a bit smarmy!!)
It does! Having just got back from a car trip where we would see signs for Adult Stores near exits, that’s what I see when I read Adult Coloring Book! Thanks, Chris!
Oh, I forgot:
I also prefer fine lines in my coloring books.
Congrats on the pens.
I have enjoyed using a 50 pack of Crayola Super Tip markers. Lots of colors (used the greens up first) very inexpensive, though not the smoothest or finest.
And the lower pigmented Bic Mark-it permanent markers are fun to blend and give a different look – almost a glow, in some cases. :)
Oh, everyone is giving me such good ideas! Thank you!
You’re right. Adult coloring books has never sounded appropriate. A term I heard and am using is “coloring books for grownups.” I too have Enchanted Forest. Out of all of the coloring books I’ve looked at, I think Johanna Basford’s are the best. (I have started following her on Instagram.). Good quality colored pencils seem to work best because there is no bleed through. Something I’m learning to do with the coloring book and pencils is how to blend colors.
Enjoy!
Okay. I’m immediately going to Instagram to follow her! Blending colors is next on my agenda. Hope I can pull it off, Denise! Thank you.
P.S. According to her Instagram feed Johanna Basford has a new coloring book coming out in August, “Magical Jungle.”
I saw that! I immediately followed her after you mentioned she was on Instagram. And I see she has a YouTube channel, so I’m headed there today. She’s amazingly talented!
I started coloring in my book this week also! It’s very calming. I too, am going to have to get more shades of several colors.
Happy Easter to you and Don!
Judy
And we can use some calming, right? Love to you on Easter and always, my friend!
I love doing mandalas. Then looking at them. I never plan the colors but somehow they emerge
beautifully. The sub conscious at work? Probably.
I love no wood Progresso pencils by Noor. It is a company long noted for excellence in art supplies. They are all color without a wooden outer covering. If you drop them the “lead” does not break inside the wooden skin as Prisma Color and others often do. The English and Germans have good products, too. Amazing how the color selections vary by brand.
I use a professional architect electric sharpener. I have a tool to pick out any wax “lead ” that might break off inside. It is a kabob skewer. Always unplug before performing the removal.
I am going to search Staedtler sharpeners though. I am loving all the tips.
I always put a piece of white paper over the page I am working on and when finished when I close the book. Keeps the pages/image clean.
There are paper blending sticks used for pastels that work for pencils. Layering thin coats of color is one way to blend pencil colors. I finally bought good erasers, white, to touch up out of
line goofs and sometimes to remove a color mishap.
I think you’re right about the subconscious – because part of the meditative aspect to coloring is just letting it flow. Those pencils sound perfect and I’m going to see if I can order some. Thank you so much for the tip about the white paper and the blending sticks, the sharpener, Frances! I appreciate this valuable info!
Hi Claudia and Happy Easter. Hope you and Don are enjoying a relaxing weekend…sounds like it! I took an hour walk with my son yesterday along a canal and we must have seen 20 or more turtles along logs, sandy banks, etc. I believe Spring is here. Yay!
I’ve been thinking about coloring books. I bet it is relaxing and meditative. Once a year I get together with my best friend (for 50 years now!!) and her two sisters for a “Sisters Weekend” where we cook, drink wine, shop, talk, drink more wine, etc. We always bring each other gifts (“for coming” gifts) and I think this year I may get everyone coloring books and pencils. What fun!
That sounds like a perfect idea, Vera. What fun for you and your friends! Happy Easter!
Hi Claudia,
I am glad you have finally succumbed to colouring,am sure you will find it relaxing but beware,I now have 20 books ! of different styles,some bought in Scandinavia and Holland last year,wherever you go they are there waiting for you! I live now in Llandudno in Wales although I am Scottish and somehow or other I have been persuaded to start a Colouring Group in local library. Eighteen of us meet every Wednesday to chat,laugh and admire each others’ efforts,very social and friendly,but colouring can be meditative on your own. We were even asked to appear on the BBC last year when it was a new thing to do. My favourite books are by Millie Marotta,you can have a look online at those.Weather here is wet and stormy of course,but glad you have sunshine. Take care,Megan.
This is such valuable information, Megan. Thank you! I’m going to check into Millie Marotta. I just bought a Maxfield Parrish coloring book! And I ordered The Secret Garden. That makes three!
I loved sitting at the table and coloring with the kids when I taught kindergarten. First I would outline with a marker and then color inside the line with the same crayola color. Makes a very pretty effect. Now I prefer to use watercolors and just doodle on plain white paper, using a marker for details. Have a blessed day!
You, too, Tammy!
I never took art classes in school but Mother encouraged me with art at home because she was, by hobby, a painter; did a lot of stuff with the hands, like crocheting, knitting, hooking rugs, embroidery, stained glass, mosaics (she loved art; was good at it)…and, yes, colored pencil art. I have an ancient boxed set of her colored pencils; have no idea how old they are!
Because of health issues as a child and needing to be quiet and indoors, and not wanting to just plunk me in front of a TV all day long, Mom included me in her artistic endeavors so that by the teen years, I was a decent-enough amateur painter with acrylics and watercolors, all of this starting with, yes, crayons, which I’ve always loved. I had always preferred crayons to colored pencils. I love the smell of crayolas to this day. Do you know the story of the Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch who died in his 40s about 7 or 8 years ago? He blew everybody away with “The Last Lecture” – it got on youtube at the time and was very inspiring; he spoke to students of things that mattered to him and of achieving dreams. He ultimately wrote a bestselling book on the subject. He’d carry a crayon in his pocket, I think as a reminder about those childhood dreams.
Sometime over this past year or so, I became aware more and more of the adult-coloring phenomenon, starting with a piece on TV I saw about Johanna Basford. I think it was on CBS; I just looked it up. The article says, “Some experts say they’ve found evidence that coloring does have specific health benefits. Coloring engages both sides of the brain and it’s been shown to reduce blood pressure and relieve stress.” I’d been slow to catch on to the trend! Didn’t know people were ‘into’ it! Johanna seems to have the best coloring books but there are a ton of them available on Amazon from other sources and I saw a stack at a common box store just yesterday. I know illustrator Susan Branch has considered creating some coloring books in the future, and I believe Mary Engelbreit has done a few. I keep thinking I’m going to join in–I bought a couple of Johanna’s books; they’re so beautiful, her sketches (and I also bought a coloring book on retro fashion)–but I never seem to make a time, take the time, to do it, start it. And I think it’s part of the point, to dial it down, wind down, unplug, relax, calm the mind, center on the one task and indeed make the time.
I will tell you something of what I know, from someone I know. He had fallen into a clinical depression due to a staggering amount of small and large crises which grew into ‘way too much anxiety (these things can build and take the strongest of the strongest to their knees). Part of his therapy was to talk it out, along with necessary medication (in the beginning); however, continuing therapy included smart things to do all the time, such as writing (he keeps a journal in a Word file on the computer); also, exercise, the focus being outside and part of nature (so, walking and hiking…he likes to hike and climb, and swim laps); he immersed himself in a book series he enjoyed, so that as soon as he finished one book, he just picked up the next one in the series; and also art, specifically in his case, getting out the colored pencils although he has now switched to chalk. He didn’t color-pencil so much in a coloring book, but just had large preprinted single sheets. It’s a case of precisely coloring WITHIN the lines, not to make a pun or play on words about how we might talk of somebody straying OUTSIDE the lines!
You’re absolutely right; the coloring is something meditative… focusing on the one task (the article I just read again mentioned it’s almost hypnotic). I’m guessing; this is no scientific explanation, just what I’ve observed/tried to understand and learn about, so that I could understand and possibly help my friend…it seems like everything I mentioned with him is meant to get oneself out of one’s own head; take a break, even just for a little while, from all those exhausting thoughts that can weigh down the weary brain.
The show I saw on TV showed large groups of people coloring together, just the same way a group might congregate to do Bingo or play cards (like club members getting together for a weekly luncheon, but they were coloring instead of munching!), and everybody coloring was also enjoying the company of others. It was companionable. Creative. A feeling of completion/achievement. Even if it’s not your own original sketch, nobody is going to color it exactly the way you do, so I think it’s even better than the old paint-by-numbers that people do.
I actually know people who very much enjoy doing old-fashioned jigsaw puzzles for relaxation. This is nothing done on the computer…I’m talking of the cardboard-y pieces of puzzle that you pick up with your fingers and put together on a table…and it’s something people can do together, so it’s another thing that seems, again, social and companionable, and absorbing (and you never even have to leave your own kitchen table, plus there are all sorts of beautiful and fascinating jigsaw puzzles out there).
There’s a reason that coloring or jigsaw puzzles or crocheting or a host of other activities are recommended by therapists. They help us. I’ve heard from a few of my readers who belong to coloring groups. It sounds like a wonderful way to get together and pursue a peaceful activity.
We’ve had a few jigsaw puzzles in progress on our kitchen table over the years. If we had more space, I’d have one going all the time.
I used to love coloring as a kid. My sons never liked coloring . They preferred drawing. Now I see their point. Seems useless to sit there coloring. My niece does Zentangle. Seems more productive.
Well, it’s hard not to take that personally, Linda, as I find it far from useless! Relaxation, meditation – they help the soul. It’s not about being productive. It’s about the meditative aspects of the activity.