As Big as It Gets

Do you really like to color? I mean really really? And you love getting lost on the page? Then you need the REALLY BIG COLORING BOOK. There's an awesome company, Really Big Coloring Books, that sells, well, big coloring books. They're about 18"x 24" in size. Very cool. Very big. Mostly for kids, but I can't imagine adults wouldn't have a fun time with these as well.

I have a copy of the Really Big Butterfly Coloring Book, and it is awesome. (Nope, no scanned pics today because it's just too big to scan.) Great for colored pens and crayons, but the markers tend to bleed through a bit. What a great way to share an afternoon with a child, sprawled over one of these. Check out their website!

Fantastical Fun!

Here's a neat coloring book I discovered from a fellow writer. Laramie Sasseville designed and illustrated this entire book, and it's really quite cool. A Discordian Coloring Book. Click the link and check it out!

Sorry, it's been a while since I posted, so I scanned a bunch of pictures today. I know I said the Paisley book was my favorite a few weeks back, but if I had to pick an all-time favorite it would be DECORATIVE TILE DESIGNS by Marty Noble. I'm planning to buy this one again. Why? Well, I only use markers, because I like the bright colors, but they bleed through a little. Not a lot, but enough to make coloring on the other side of the page useless. So now that I've colored every page I possibly can, it's time to buy a new one so I can color all the ones I missed. I love this book that much. There's so much detail. Each picture should take you a couple hours, perhaps spread over a few coloring sessions. I've been listening to Oprah and Eckhart's A NEW EARTH on podcast, and coloring these pics as I do. Check out the cool designs...

Imaginative Patterns

There are five or six books in the ROGER BURROWS IMAGES coloring book series. All feature geometric patterns that can occupy a colorist for hours. That is if your sanity survives that long. :-) I suspect a secret underlaying attempt to drive a person bonkers with these pictures. The spaces are so small, and there are so many, and if you color the wrong space with the red when it should have been yellow, well! Whew! Probably these pictures should be worked on in small doses. The sample is not one of the busier pictures from this book.


M

Go Tudors!

If only Henry VIII had really looked like Jonathan Rhys Meyers. :-) Seriously, though, I'm wondering if they'll have JRM start wearing a fat suit if the Showtime series continues on into Henry's plump years.
Anyway, today's book is HENRY VIII & HIS WIVES: PAPER DOLLS TO COLOR. Don't let the title fool you. I don't get into paper dolls. But some do, and that's cool. I'm just a coloring freak, though. But, despite the missing heads on some of the pictures, there's nothing wrong with these coloring pages at all. And if you DO like paper dolls the back of each page is blank, and there are tabs on the clothes, so after you've colored them in, you can cut them out.

This book is by Bellerophon Books. I love their coloring books. So much detail, and very precise line on most of the drawings. Some of their drawings tend to get a little artsy, and I think whoever drew the design forgets that someone will be coloring the design. The worst thing that can happen when you're coloring is you start filling in a section and realize it has no black line to close up the section. Or it mistakenly is drawn into another section. Aggh! That happens sometimes with Bellerophon, but don't worry, this book is great.I put up an uncolored page so you can get a look at the detail. Each page in the book is like this, with a bit of history about the garment, and a poem even, or quote.

If you like the time period, or like coloring costumes, or just like a challenging coloring page with lots of detail, I highly recommend this one. You can find a link to it in the PEOPLE section to the right.
M

Perfectly Paisley

How much do I love this new coloring book, Paisley Designs by Marty Noble? A LOT!
This book was just published this year, and I couldn't wait to order it from Amazon. All the Dover books by Marty Noble are awesome, including incredible detail. I love a busy picture to color, and the pictures in this book are busy. Lots of paisley twists and turns and splotches and curves. Some with birds, and other animals, and all with intricate details that'll keep you busy on one page for hours.

As I've said, I love a boldly colored image, so used dark blues in this one and highlighted with salmon and browns. I used a gold gel pen, as well. Did this one as I was listening to the podcast of Oprah and Eckhart Tolle discussing A New Earth.

I think the designs in this book have a Suess-ian flare to them. Almost wonder if I'll spot a Who lurking amidst the designs. :-) Love the bold fuschia and yellow in this one. Started to highlight it with silver gel pen, but my pen ran out.

So what can you do with your growing collection of coloring books? Well, take them to parties! Seriously. I used to tote a stack of coloring books and markers along to girlfriend parties. You know the kind where a group of women sit around chatting, eating and just laughing the night through? Set some coloring books out on the table and you'll draw interest. Some will pick them up and start coloring as they chat, others might not. Doesn't matter. It's always fun. I like to have others color in my books. But I have one rule. If you color a page, then you have to sign your name and date it when you're finished. It's great to page through the books and spy a picture and see who did it. Fun!

M

Inside the thin black line

It was inevitable that I start a blog about coloring. I'm a coloring addict. Have been for years. Sure, I loved coloring as a kid. But I'm an adult now; those kiddie coloring books just won't cut it. When I bought my first Dover coloring book, things changed. I initially bought that first book because I was researching clothing for a historical romance I was writing. The Dover fashion coloring books are awesome and are historically accurate with great details.

But then I found myself coloring the pictures instead of just studying them. And soon, I was buying more, and even more coloring books. Some about animals, and graphic designs and mandalas and plants and places and, well, I had become an addict.

Do I consider myself a coloring book expert? Uh, a little bit. I have over 150 of them. And I'm always getting more. I know what I like and what I don't. Which publishers don't put out well-drawn images and which ones use flimsy paper that lets markers bleed through onto the next drawing. I'll try to impart some wisdom on all that in the coming posts.

My coloring element of choice? RoseArt markers. I like a nice bold, bright picture. I'll use colored pencils on occasion, but I'm not good at blending and shading. Besides, with markers, then you can use gold and silver gel pens for accents like jewelry and swords and clothing. That so rocks.

I'm a list maker, and I've had a list of coloring books for adults for years—The Coloring Addicts List. It lists every single Dover title I can find, and those wonderful coloring books from Bellerophon, and others that you may never have heard of before. If you like to color, my list is a great place to start. I've linked all the titles to Amazon, so you can get price info or even order if you like.

My quest? To spread the obsession. To create more coloring addicts like myself. Because it's makes me happy. It's a meditative thing, to color. My mind releases tension and stress and I can relax and get into the color and lines and creativity. Sometimes. Other times, I can obsess over which color is right, or that I accidentally colored in the wrong part. But it's all fun, no matter. What a way to pay homage to your creativity by unleashing it within the black lines and spreading about the color.

I'm going to post here once a week, hopefully. I'll feature a different coloring book each week, and probably a colored page from it. I love to order the books from Amazon, but sometimes I really want to see the pictures before I order, you know? So maybe my posting here will help some who are vacillating over a specific book. Or maybe, it'll inspire you to return to a childhood past-time—coloring.

The picture above is from the RENAISSANCE FASHIONS book by Tom Tierney, available from Dover. Tierney does a lot of the fashion books, and his drawings are excellent. Lots of details, and fine, crisp lines. Also great descriptions of the clothing, and sometimes colors and fabric. You can't tell from the scan above, but the gray areas are actually silver gel pen. There's gold trim on the man's red doublet. I usually never color my people's skin. Do you? What color do you use?

As the blog evolves I'll try to have more links to my Coloring Addict's list, and maybe there's a way to feature more of the books right here. I like the idea of going to one site and being able to shop for the coloring books. So do check out the list, and let me know what you think.

Anyway, spread the word, and pass around the URL for this blog. I want everyone to become an addict!
M