I take a break from my music and book challenges to bring you something else entirely unrelated to music or literature... colouring books for adults.
I bought Enchanted Forest (art by Johanna Basford) yesterday from Indigo Chapters because they gave me a $5 in Plum Points and I still had a gift card. I had originally wanted Colour me Happy or Colour Me Calm but they were sold out online. It's full of wonderful and whimsical illustrations that are a step up from the average kid's colouring book.
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I spent a good chunk of yesterday colouring (sitting for so long really hurt my back up, but my messed-up back isn't what I wanted to talk about) while half watching Iron Man 3. It was a lot of fun. I haven't had much opportunity to do art since high school (and the craft/art things that I do with my elementary students don't really count), so I was super excited for this.
I have had a stressful couple of months, and while I try not to worry about everything I have to worry about, it doesn't always work. This colouring book helped me not think about other things for the hour or so that I worked on it. It's wonderful stress relief, if you're into that kind of thing. Art and colour therapy, and all that jazz.
I'm not the only one who says that these adult colouring books have been helping.
I have had a stressful couple of months, and while I try not to worry about everything I have to worry about, it doesn't always work. This colouring book helped me not think about other things for the hour or so that I worked on it. It's wonderful stress relief, if you're into that kind of thing. Art and colour therapy, and all that jazz.
I'm not the only one who says that these adult colouring books have been helping.
Why are coloring books striking a chord with grown-ups? “I think there’s definitely a nostalgic charm to coloring in and various other childlike pursuits that are becoming popular with adults,” Basford said. “In some ways I think this is because it allows us to regress to a mindset when times were carefree and we didn’t have grown-up worries such as making rent payments or an annoying boss at work! It’s good to play. You rarely see a stressed out 7-year-old!” -Kristin Hohenadel from slate.com
Of course, being the perfectionist that I am, when I flipped through the book after I got it home, it was a bit overwhelming of where to start. What if I mess up? What if I don't like the colour scheme? It took me a bit, but I eventually started on a small corner of a page before working out from there.
I even went on Basford's site to check out some of the submissions in her gallery. I have to say that I am blown away by some of them and they've helped me visualize colour schemes for my own colouring.
Overall, super excited to keep on this. This will probably be my summer project. It will be both a test of my patience and my colouring skills, I am sure. I will probably be posting more pics later.
Overall, super excited to keep on this. This will probably be my summer project. It will be both a test of my patience and my colouring skills, I am sure. I will probably be posting more pics later.