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Book Review: Coloring to Calm Volume 1 Mandalas by Shelly Fagundes

August 18, 2015 by Admin Leave a Comment

Title: Coloring to Calm, Volume 1 – Mandalas
Author: Shelly Fagundes
Publisher: Flying Donkey Press
Format: eBook (includes link to print pdf copy)
Release date: 13 August 2015
Available to buy from: Amazon Kindle Store
Cost: US$2.97

Number of drawings to color in: 25
Type of drawings: Mandala line drawings
Level of difficulty: some basic, mostly intermediate

DISCLAIMER: As a reviewer, I received a free ARC (advance reading copy) of this book. This has not affected my review in any way.

Released this week, Coloring to Calm, Volume 1 – Mandalas is the first offering in a new series from author Shelly Fagundes.

Interestingly, the book is currently only available as an eBook at the Kindle store.

‘But how can you color in an eBook?’ I hear you ask. ‘You can’t even PRINT a Kindle eBook.’

Ah. In this case you can. Fagundes has been smart enough to include a hyperlink at the back of the eBook that will allow you to download a pdf version of the book. This allows you to print out as many copies to color in as you wish (though I suspect that if the book does well, it will also be available in print form fairly soon).

The book contains 25 mandala designs, including the one below, which shows about the average level of detail for images in the book. A few of the drawings are more basic, and some are very intricate, but generally the book will suit intermediate colorers with a bit of experience.

If you tend to use markers instead of pencils, then you will need to ensure that you have a selection with finer tips (I like Staedtler Triplus), because there are very small, detailed areas to color in many of the drawings. Those using colored pencils should be fine, as long as you have a good sharpener.

Coloring in a mandala from Coloring to Calm Vol. 1

Coloring in a mandala from Coloring to Calm Vol. 1

All mandalas in the book are bound by a square box outline, so there’s the option of coloring to the edges of the box, or treating it as a frame of white space surrounding the mandala. Each mandala is placed in the middle of the printed page, making it easy to fit to a real frame in the future if desired.

The line designs have clear, clean edges and are of good quality. There is plenty of variety in the designs to keep you engaged, and for those who love coloring repetitive stripes and small chains of squares, there are enough to keep you occupied for hours. The most basic designs in the book can probably be colored within an hour, but the most complex are likely to take you several hours each (the fully colored image at the bottom of this post took me around 90 minutes to complete).

At US$2.97 the book provides excellent value at around 12 cents per design, with the bonus that you may print the drawings from the pdf copy of the eBook as many times as you like for personal coloring. This kind of freedom is especially likely to appeal to those of us who prefer to color on specialty papers instead of the cheaper paper stock usually utilised in printed coloring books. Great designs and value for money.

My completed colored mandala from Coloring to Calm Vol. 1

My completed colored mandala from Coloring to Calm Vol. 1

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: adult coloring in books, adult coloring in books review, adult colouring in book reviews, adult colouring in books, book review, Coloring to Calm, mandalas, pdf coloring books, Shelly Fagundes

What do Ryan Gosling and Benedict Cumberbatch have in common? Adult coloring in books

August 8, 2015 by Admin Leave a Comment

Cover of the Color Me Good Benedict Cumberbatch coloring book, alongside the man himself (photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9850/9138436150/" target="_blank">touchedmuch on Flickr</a> under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode" target="_blank">CC BY 2.0</a>)

Cover of the Color Me Good Benedict Cumberbatch coloring book, alongside the man himself (photo credit: touchedmuch on Flickr under CC BY 2.0)

What do Ryan Gosling and Benedict Cumberbatch have in common – aside from being genetically blessed in both the looks and acting departments?

The unlikely answer: they are each the subject of an entire adult coloring in book.

The very cool Color Me Good series of coloring books by funky independent label ‘I Love Mel’ feature a range of famous male faces to color in, including:

  • Jamie Dornan;
  • Eddie Redmayne;
  • James Franco;
  • Benedict Cumberbatch; and
  • Ryan Gosling.

There are also coloring in books of stylish females, for those who prefer to deal in fashionistas, including Taylor Swift, Kate Moss, and Cara Delevingne.

If you cannot commit yourself to just one man, or woman, then one of the Color Me Good collections may be for you.

Color Me Swoon is a single coloring book featuring a huge array of famous men, including Ryan Gosling, Aaron Paul, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, James Franco, Prince Harry, Zac Efron, Bradley Cooper, Javier Bardem, Channing Tatum, David Beckham, Gerard Butler, Jake Gyllenhaal, Pharrell Williams, Tom Hardy, Ryan Reynolds, Christian Bale, Alexander Skarsgard, Patrick Dempsey, Hugh Jackman, Damian Lewis, Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake, Benedict Cumberbatch, Wentworth Miller, Jared Leto, One Direction, Hugh Grant, Joaquin Poenix, Gary Barlow, Daniel Craig, Henry Cavill, Colin Firth, Usher, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Idris Elba, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Ralph Macchio, John Cusack, Michael J Fox, Tom Selleck, Matt Damon, Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Michael Cera, Afam Driver, Andrew Garfield, Jason Segel, Chris O’Dowd, Jon Hamm, Jim Morrison, Russell Brand, Richard Gere, Jude Law, Will Smith, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Paul Newman, and Steve McQueen (phew!).

With a list like that, I’m reasonably sure that most women will find someone they’d be quite happy to spend a few hours coloring in.

There’s also a Color Me Girl Crush book, featuring female film stars (Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley), pop stars (Beyonce, Adele, Lana del Rey), fashion icons (Cara Delevingne, Alexa Chung), a special 90s section (Sherilyn Fenn, Winona Ryder, Naomi Campbell), as well as stars old (Audrey Hepburn) and new (Emma Stone).

On her website, Mel Simone Elliott, the Royal College of Art graduate behind the Color Me Good series of coloring in books, says:

My work has always been influenced by pop culture, celebrity, fame, glossy magazines and the aesthetic perfection that goes hand in hand with all that stuff. The colouring books … were developed when I realised that the things we enjoyed doing as young children, such as cutting out and colouring in, would still be enjoyed by adults, if only the activity books had ‘grown up’ with us.

These books are good fun and likely to make great gifts for colorists everywhere. The quality of the illustrations makes the famous faces instantly recognisable, yet they are not too intricate for beginner ‘color-inners’ (a great term used in these books) to tackle.

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Aaron Paul, actors, Adele, adult coloring books, adult coloring in books, Afam Driver, Alexa Chung, Alexander Skarsgard, Andrew Garfield, Audrey Hepburn, Ben Affleck, Benedict Cumberbatch, Beyonce, Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, Cara Delevingne, celebrities, celebrity, Channing Tatum, Chris O'Dowd, Christian Bale, Colin Firth, Color Me Good, Damian Lewis, Daniel Craig, David Beckham, Eddie Redmayne, Emma Stone, famous, Gary Barlow, George Clooney, Gerard Butler, Henry Cavill, Hugh Grant, Hugh Jackman, I Love Mel, Idris Elba, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Franco, Jamie Dornan, Jared Leto, Jason Segel, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lawrence, Jim Morrison, Joaquin Poenix, John Cusack, Johnny Depp, Jon Hamm, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jude Law, Justin Timberlake, Kate Moss, Keanu Reeves, Keira Knightley, Kevin Bacon, Lana del Rey, Matt Damon, Matt Dillon, Mel Elliott, Michael Cera, Michael Fassbender, Michael J Fox, Naomi Campbell, Natalie Portman, Nicholas Hoult, One Direction, Patrick Dempsey, Paul Newman, Pharrell Williams, Prince Harry, Ralph Macchio, Richard Gere, Rob Lowe, Robert Downey Jr, Robert Pattinson, Russell Brand, Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, Sherilyn Fenn, Steve McQueen, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Tom Hardy, Tom Selleck, Usher, Wentworth Miller, Will Smith, Winona Ryder, Zac Efron

What is an Adult Coloring Book?

August 7, 2015 by Admin Leave a Comment

The hand-illustrated cover of Johanna Basford's Secret Garden, currently the most popular adult coloring book on Amazon

The hand-illustrated cover of Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden, currently the most popular adult coloring book on Amazon

A quick glance at the current Amazon best-seller list reveals that at this moment, a quarter of the top twenty best-selling books are coloring in books for adults. That’s five out of twenty, a huge proportion considering that just a few years ago, coloring in books in best-seller lists were unheard of.

So, what is an adult coloring book, and why do you need to know about them? Adult coloring in books are exactly what they say they are – coloring in books designed specifically for grown ups. They often feature images and designs that are more intricate than kids’ versions, as well as subject matter that is less juvenile (think less superheroes and cartoon characters).

Why are Adult Coloring Books so Popular?

You may have had the pleasure of filling in coloring books with pencils, crayons, or textas as a child, or perhaps you’ve bought them for your own or other people’s kids. They’re generally cheap to buy and a good source of entertainment, a way to settle kids down for some quiet time to focus on a play-based task that requires some concentration and helps develop motor skills.

The cover of Balance by Angie Grace, an adult coloring book featuring mandala designs

The cover of Balance by Angie Grace, an adult coloring book featuring mandala designs

Adults, too, are now rediscovering the enjoyment of coloring in. Coloring is seen as a great way to relieve stress and tension by slowing down to enjoy a no-pressure, repetitive, enjoyable past-time that often evokes more than a hint of childhood nostalgia (read more about the benefits of adult coloring in books).

Many grown ups are also finding that unplugging from technology to enjoy a practical, hands-on activity that doesn’t tax their brain, helps them to unwind and leave other life pressures at the door for a while. Unlike many other adult hobbies, all it will cost you is a few dollars for a book and a packet of pencils, textas, or crayons.

Variety of Adult Coloring Designs

The five adult coloring in books that currently (as of 7 August, 2015) feature in Amazon’s top twenty best-sellers are good examples of the diverse types of coloring designs that are available. They are, in order of popularity:

In 6th place: Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book by Johanna Basford

In 8th place: Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book by Johanna Basford

In 10th place: Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Patterns by Adult Coloring Book Artists

In 15th place: Creative Haven Creative Cats Coloring Book (Creative Haven Coloring Books) by Marjorie Samat

In 16th place: Balance (Angie’s Extreme Stress Menders Volume 1) by Angie Grace

Many of the books use digitally created designs, but Scottish artist’s Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest feature hand-drawn illustrations, which probably has something to do with their immense popularity. The beautifully rendered trees, leaves, flowers, and motifs of nature are intricate and detailed. Some have argued that the designs are too lovely to sully by coloring in, but many have dived in with their textas and produced astounding results. Basford’s website even has a coloring gallery to showcase such work.

Pattern books, such as those by Angie Grace, are also very popular, and feature repetitive designs such as mandalas and geometric shapes. Other books follow particular themes, such as animal pictures, mermaids, stained glass, or kaleidoscopes.

The variety of adult coloring in books is growing along with the demand for them, so no matter what your preference in terms of design or complexity, it’s possible to find something to help you de-stress, unwind, and recapture the simple joy of playing around with pencil on paper.

Filed Under: What is an Adult Coloring Book Tagged With: adult coloring book, adult coloring in books, what is an adult coloring book

The Benefits of Adult Coloring In Books

August 6, 2015 by Admin 1 Comment

It used to be that coloring in books were something you bought to keep kids occupied at the kitchen table or on road trips. Toddlers through to teenagers have long enjoyed the pleasures of scribbling over, painting on, coloring in, or painstakingly creating masterpieces of pink, green, and orange glory.

Now grown ups are getting in on the pencil and texta action, and discovering the benefits of coloring in that they’d long since forgotten. Here are some great reasons you might like to try adult coloring in books, too.

1. Stress Release

We all lead busy lives. The pace of contemporary society means that people are working longer hours, and our attachment to mobile devices stops us from unplugging even when we leave work. Coloring in books give us an opportunity to stop, sit down, and focus on a single, simple task that requires repetitive actions that do not tax our minds. The repetitious action of coloring in can be extremely soothing and provide us with a gentle way to release stress by taking pleasure in a no-pressure activity. No deadline, no demands. Just gentle play.

2. Nostalgia

Speaking of play, you may be surprised to find that coloring in makes you feel like a kid again. The first time I tried coloring in as an adult, I couldn’t believe how quickly I was transported back to my childhood bedroom desk, where I used to use pretty much every color crayon in my yellow Crayola Caddy to fill in my coloring in books (the silver and gold crayons were always my favourites). Give it a try and prepared to regress. Coloring in is a form of play, and play isn’t just for children. It has enormous mental health benefits for all ages, and helps us to relax in a creative, unstructured way.

3. The Pleasure of Making

As knitters, woodworkers, beaders, writers, and other creative types know, there’s an immense pleasure gained from making something new and unique in the world. Even if someone else is coloring in exactly the same picture as you, nobody else in the world is going to do it the way you do. Your unique choices of color, media (pencil? crayon? texta? pasta sauce?), coloring techniques, and approach mean that you’re making something new. Emotionally, it makes you feel good. Practically, it gives you something cool to stick on the fridge and smile about every time you get out the milk.

4. Sense of Accomplishment

This is another emotional one – when you finish coloring in a picture, you get that lovely buzz of ‘woohoo!’ that accompanies finishing a job done well. Coloring in does not have to take a lot of time (though some people love it so much they spend hours at it) and it doesn’t require a hard slog to achieve a warm, fuzzy, sense of accomplishment.

5. Bonding for Parents and Kids

If you have children, then sitting down with them and a couple of coloring in books can be a great way to spend time together. While they color in superheroes and television characters, you can lose yourself in the quiet intricacies of a secret garden or mandala patterns. Spending focused time with your kids when you’re not distracted by your phone, other people, household chores, or work, helps to build stronger relationships and open up communication between you. Research has shown that boys in particular are more likely to open up and chat with you if they are engaged in another activity at the time.

So enjoy your adult coloring in time and its many benefits, ranging from stress release, nostalgia trips, and the pleasurable act of making something, to a sense of achievement and even parent-child bonding time. Coloring in helps us to remember some of life’s simpler pleasures, and encourages us to slow down to enjoy them.

Filed Under: Benefits of Coloring In Tagged With: adult coloring in books, benefits, bonding for parents and kids, coloring in books for adults, coloring in books for grown ups, mandala patterns, nostalgia, parent-child bonding, recapture childhood, secret garden, sense of accomplishment, stress release

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