I love to color. Yes, I know this is considered a childish past time, but I love it all the same; and apparently I'm not alone since there seem to be hundreds of coloring books geared toward adults. There is something meditative about the repetitive motion of coloring coupled with the detailed patterns in "grown up" pictures. (Not to mention they make excellent decoration in a classroom, office cubicle, or home.) In addition, when I'm done with a beautiful coloring page, I feel like I've produced a piece of art (even though I didn't do anything but stay inside the lines). There's also a sense of accomplishment that hearkens back to the grade school look-what-I-did days. Whenever I'm down, or bored, or I just need some quiet time to think - a coloring book soothes my soul.
Some of my favorites are those marked as "stained glass" books, which means the artwork (ranging from Tiffany designs and fabulous church windows to fantasy fairies and kaleidoscopic geometrics) is printed on a vellum that becomes transparent when placed against a light source. Thus, once colored these pages can be taped to a window to produce the effect of poor man's stained glass. This works particularly well in classrooms where the windows - if present - are generally too high to see the scenery or in the door to the hallway where passing students can stop and wave at their friends. I imagine office doors or any place with an unpleasant view but lots of light would also be good display areas.
In addition, coloring book designs can easily double as clip art for decoupage projects. (It's best to reduce them on a copier first, though.) Several years back a vehicle coloring book I purchased at Walmart for about three dollars became the decorative theme for my (then) young son's room. I reduced the drawings of cars and trucks, filled them in with colored pencils, and applied them to an old (repainted) chest of drawers with clear glue and sealer. Then, I used the regular sized drawings to cut stencils for painting a border on the wall. Finally, I colored the actual pictures and put them in inexpensive dollar store frames before a hanging them around the room. More sophisticated designs - especially realistic botanicals - could be used in the same way for "grown up" rooms.
Lately, I used a floral alphabet coloring book to create a poster for my office as well as a fancy name decoration for my door at school. (I used a long strip of black butcher paper as background for the letters in MEDLOCK, which I colored and cut out. After gluing the letters on the paper, I had it laminated for durability.) Everyone who walks by my room wants to know where I bought (or for those who know me better - how I made) the name sign. Several other teachers have requested one for their doors, too. (Though, all that coloring can be a bit labor intensive and time consuming.)
In addition to the great artwork available in today's color books, the variety of pens and pencils is almost endless. While colored pencils give projects more of a water color look (especially if used with the "stained glass" designs), Sharpie markers provide deep, saturated colors that create a stunning contrast against a penciled background. (Sharpies are especially conducive to coloring projects because they are relatively inexpensive when compared to art markers, they come in fine tip versions that make it easy to color the details, they come in a wide variety of colors, and they last a long time.) Another excellent coloring choice is the gel pen. These, too, provide an interesting contrast with pencils and Sharpies - especially the glitter variety. Unfortunately, they come in limited colors and don't last very long so it is best to use them on small parts of the project you want to draw attention to. (Remember, too, that you'll be able tell which direction you colored when the project is finished, so it's best to pick one and stick with it.)
There are many places to find these artsy coloring books. Book stores, craft stores, and toy stores generally carry a small selection. While on vacation, I frequently find interesting books at museums and tourist attractions. Of course, Amazon also has a large selection - just type in "art coloring books" as your key words and see what pops up.
Some of my favorites are those marked as "stained glass" books, which means the artwork (ranging from Tiffany designs and fabulous church windows to fantasy fairies and kaleidoscopic geometrics) is printed on a vellum that becomes transparent when placed against a light source. Thus, once colored these pages can be taped to a window to produce the effect of poor man's stained glass. This works particularly well in classrooms where the windows - if present - are generally too high to see the scenery or in the door to the hallway where passing students can stop and wave at their friends. I imagine office doors or any place with an unpleasant view but lots of light would also be good display areas.
In addition, coloring book designs can easily double as clip art for decoupage projects. (It's best to reduce them on a copier first, though.) Several years back a vehicle coloring book I purchased at Walmart for about three dollars became the decorative theme for my (then) young son's room. I reduced the drawings of cars and trucks, filled them in with colored pencils, and applied them to an old (repainted) chest of drawers with clear glue and sealer. Then, I used the regular sized drawings to cut stencils for painting a border on the wall. Finally, I colored the actual pictures and put them in inexpensive dollar store frames before a hanging them around the room. More sophisticated designs - especially realistic botanicals - could be used in the same way for "grown up" rooms.
Lately, I used a floral alphabet coloring book to create a poster for my office as well as a fancy name decoration for my door at school. (I used a long strip of black butcher paper as background for the letters in MEDLOCK, which I colored and cut out. After gluing the letters on the paper, I had it laminated for durability.) Everyone who walks by my room wants to know where I bought (or for those who know me better - how I made) the name sign. Several other teachers have requested one for their doors, too. (Though, all that coloring can be a bit labor intensive and time consuming.)
In addition to the great artwork available in today's color books, the variety of pens and pencils is almost endless. While colored pencils give projects more of a water color look (especially if used with the "stained glass" designs), Sharpie markers provide deep, saturated colors that create a stunning contrast against a penciled background. (Sharpies are especially conducive to coloring projects because they are relatively inexpensive when compared to art markers, they come in fine tip versions that make it easy to color the details, they come in a wide variety of colors, and they last a long time.) Another excellent coloring choice is the gel pen. These, too, provide an interesting contrast with pencils and Sharpies - especially the glitter variety. Unfortunately, they come in limited colors and don't last very long so it is best to use them on small parts of the project you want to draw attention to. (Remember, too, that you'll be able tell which direction you colored when the project is finished, so it's best to pick one and stick with it.)
There are many places to find these artsy coloring books. Book stores, craft stores, and toy stores generally carry a small selection. While on vacation, I frequently find interesting books at museums and tourist attractions. Of course, Amazon also has a large selection - just type in "art coloring books" as your key words and see what pops up.
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