Success all over the world, coloring books have become adult talk. Among photos of pets and food, it is now normal to also come across your friends’ art on social media. Amid so many colors, shapes and lines, many people end up being enchanted by the novelty.
Today, coloring books already sell millions of copies worldwide and, with such success, the market has offered more and more options for designs inspired by different themes, so that a growing number of people are impacted by this trend. Given this, saying that you don’t have artistic gifts is no longer an excuse for those who like manual work and are too concerned with perfection or underestimate their own abilities.
In addition to inspiration and beauty, the coloring book proposals have also been bolder and more focused on the reality of adult life, but in a lighter way, which makes the daily rhythm slow down and no one feels like wasting time or money. therefore. The benefits, without a doubt, are many and very well justify the current greed for boxes of colored pencils and crayons.
The benefits of adult activity
The behavioral psychologist Letícia de Oliveira comments that the coloring craze is back, but now in the world of adults. “I really liked this new trend and I see many benefits in this activity, such as: training in concentration and creativity, as we play with our playful side; combating stress; decreased anxiety and increased tolerance to frustration” points out the specialist.
In the midst of so much technology and so much practicality, we are back to working on skills that require patience and attention and dedication to details, points that are usually forgotten in people’s current routine, says Letícia.
In addition to the benefits that the activity provides to the person as an individual, coloring these books for adults also generates more collaboration, information exchange and socialization, as the desire to share what has been done and see what other people are painting and how they are doing it becomes a natural part of that creative process.
This exchange of pictures of the drawings can be done through social networks such as Facebook and Instagram, in addition to sharing between friends and acquaintances via Whatsapp and other instant messaging applications. In view of this, without a doubt, this type of activity can be very positive for those who exercise it and it is worth trying!
Johanna Basford’s coloring books
Since books with open and interactive works, such as “Destroy This Diary”, by Canadian Keri Smith, began to become popular between 2012 and 2013, several adult-oriented coloring copies began to appear. The pioneer in this proposal was the British Johanna Basford, a graphic designer who was not seduced by new technologies and continued drawing with paper and ink.
Basford’s work is quite characteristic, full of detail, with many lines and, generally speaking, in black and white. In an interview with the entertainment website BuzzFeed, the artist said that she got used to hearing adults praising her drawings and exposing their desire to paint them. This is how her big dream began and, after working with brands such as Sony and Absolut Vodka, the British woman started to make some of her drawings available for free on the internet, with the intention that people would use them as wallpaper. from the computer.
It was from the material available on the web that the editors of Laurence King Publishing decided to contact Johanna and establish a partnership with her to publish children’s books. However, as she was interested in producing a work aimed at an adult audience, the artist refused the proposal.
The drawings for the book “Secret Garden” began to be made after Johanna’s first contact with the editors. Inspired by the gardens of the Scottish castle of Brodick, of which her grandfather was a gardener, the artist transmitted to paper many images that populated her childhood imagination.
In her first illustrations, the British woman had her project for the “Secret Garden” approved by the editors. A few months and several translations later, the book was already a worldwide success, giving rise to the launch of a second volume, “Floresta Encantada”, whose drawings were inspired by the forest that was around the author’s grandparents’ house, on the outskirts of Brodick Castle.
Until the closing of this article, Johanna’s works had already been translated into 14 languages, breaking the sales record in France, which had a cookbook at the top of its ranking; sold over a million copies worldwide and the artist was already working on the designs for her third book, which still does not have a release date.
Other lovely coloring books
With the success of Johanna Basford’s books, several other graphic artists from all over the world decided to get in the game and offer some of their work for the relaxation and entertainment of the adult audience. If you’ve also been enchanted by this new fashion, have already reached the last page of the British woman’s books and don’t want to wait for the next one, get to know other options available on the market!
- “Animal Kingdom: a coloring book adventure” by Millie Marotta: the Welsh illustrator has a style close to Johanna Basford and her favorite subjects are flora and fauna. For the book “Animal Kingdom” the drawings were made both by hand and using the computer and its main theme is the animal kingdom, presented with many lines, shapes and details. Millie also suggests that the reader use the blanks to make their own illustrations.
- “Color Me Calm”, by Angela Porter: planned and designed by therapist and illustrator Angela Porter, the book is divided into seven themes, according to the type of relaxation for which each drawing is most functional.
- “Color Me Drunk: a drinking and drawing activity book”, by Potter Style: with a more daring proposal, this book is dedicated to happy hour moments and to bring new games and pastimes to friends’ gatherings over beer.
- “Colour Me Good”, series designed by different artists: for fans of actors known for their charisma and beauty, such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Ryan Gosling, the game is to paint them in different poses.
- “Doodle Invasion”, by Kerby Rosanes: the book by Filipino illustrator Kerby Rosanes features several unusual designs, with little monsters and fun creatures that make up playful and fanciful scenarios.
- “Dream Catcher: a soul bird’s journey”, by Christina Rose: the idea of Christina Rose’s book is that each one has their creativity guided towards paths of inspiration and peace, so the work is full of phrases that induce reflection. The back of each page is kept blank to provide readers with a space to create freely or motivated by previous thoughts.
- “Celtic Fantasy”, by Michel Solliec: for fans of mythologies, the book by Breton Michel Solliec is a good way to travel and be inspired by the Celtic universe, represented by the mystical illustrations full of labyrinths.
- “Patterns To Color: detailed designs advanced”: the book’s abstract textures give even more scope to the imagination. The illustrations are great to be used as a computer and social media background as well, and the personality depends on the colors and painting techniques chosen by the reader.
- “The Pixel Coloring Book”: with figures inspired by the old 8-bit games, this book is a full plate for those who like the original aesthetics of electronic games.
- “The Tattoo Coloring Book”: those who like tattoos will have fun and be inspired by this book, which brings the most common styles and designs to be engraved on the body.
For those who don’t want to spend a lot, a good alternative is to visit the website coloring pages for adults, which offers several black and white drawings of themes ranging from fashion to TV series. Just choose the illustrations that you like the most and let your imagination run wild!
Where to buy adult coloring books
Because they are such a big hit, illustrator Johanna’s coloring books are in short supply in many stores and finding them isn’t always easy. But researching and having a little patience, it is possible to find them. Both Jardim Secreto and Floresta Encantada have an average price of R$23. Check out the gallery where you can find these and other coloring books, as well as material to exercise your talent:
The most beautiful colorful drawings on Instagram
Find out below how people from all over the world are printing their creativity and exercising this talent through coloring books and get inspired by the most
For those looking for even more inspiration, just follow some hashtags and check out what modern painters are posting on their Instagram accounts, such as: #secretgarden, #enchantedforest, #coloring, #colorindo, #livrodecolorir, #johannabasford and #coloringbook . In addition, you can also follow the gallery of drawings available on the official website of illustrator Johanna Basford.
Bloggers talk about their coloring books
Anyone who thinks that in the world of women’s blogs they only talk about makeup and fashion is very wrong. Bloggers also love to share their other hobbies with readers, like their favorite series and also the books they’re reading. And it would be no different with the fever of adult coloring books.
In the following videos, Youtube bloggers share their opinions and impressions about the coloring books and also show some pages that they are painting or that are ready. Check out.
Priscila Paes from the blog Passando Blush
Jessica from Jessica’s Stuff blog
Jessica from Jessica Make blog
Gabriela Cadamuro
Cynthia Rachel
Illustrations for you to print and color
Are you excited about all the benefits of the activity and the delight of being able to have fun coloring in beautiful images, but haven’t had time to buy one of these books yet or do you prefer to paint just a few pages? Then check out a selection of beautiful floral and foliage designs that you can print at home, in the desired quantity, and color as you wish.
Click here to download illustrations
The document is in PDF, so you need to have a PDF reader installed on your computer. After downloading the file, open it and print all pages or just the ones you find most interesting.
And to avoid waste, if you think you won’t have time to color all or many, print just one or two pages at a time, so you avoid printing and wasting paper and ink for nothing.
Enjoy all the benefits that this fun hobby can provide and unleash your creativity and artistic talent by mixing colors and making your life even lighter.
By Andressa Dias and Gabriela Petrucci