The Creative Coloring Craze

While coloring books for children have been around for many years, in part due to the democratization of art by early free-thinkers such as English portrait painter, Joshua Reynolds who founded the Royal Academy of Art in the 18^th century and author Richard F. Outcault, who penned “Buster’s Paint Book” published by the Stokes Company in 1907 based on his 1902 characterBuster Brown. This was the beginning of the trend to use coloring pages to advertise products.  These books, meant to be painted at first, grew in popularity at first as educational and therapeutic tools for children. Their popularity also was helped in part by the invention of crayons in the 1930s. Most of us know how much children love coloring books, since we were all young once, we can all pretty much attest to the fact that we loved them as kids. But while coloring books have been an accepted form of entertainment for children for all these years, it wasn’t until 2015 that coloring books for adults became accepted and popular, and popular they are. It seems that this genre has exploded onto the creative scene. 

Paisleys from "Color Me" book

Perhaps it is because it was thought that as grown-ups we needed to leave childish things behind, and coloring was one of those things we enjoyed as children but as we grew up, we could no longer enjoy such trivial things as entertainment; it had to be something more sophisticated. Or so it was thought.  If sophistication is what was needed for adults to color, then we got it. There are so many choices now in what are called “adult” coloring books and pages. Some of these books are immensely intricate, beautiful, challenging, and more than enough to hold the attention and creative urge. Now you only need to look as close as your nearest supermarket or department store isle, and there are a multitude of relatively inexpensive coloring books for us grown-ups coloring aficionados.  Online, I found hundreds (I’m sure there are thousands) of sources with free coloring pages to download, for adults and children, as I previously listed some when I talked about mandalas to color. 

Owl from "Color Me" book

As for myself, I’ve never hid the fact that I still colored in coloring books and even though I like to create my own works of art as entertainment and a pastime, I still enjoy coloring. I have included two of my own designs. Feel free to print them off to color, although my scanner is not the best and added some shadowing, they may still work.

Renaissance Romance-Marie Cisneros

I used colored pencils for the pages on this post but you can use markers and crayons of course. If using markers, make sure you put a paper beneath so that it doesn't mark up the next page.

Sunshine, lollipops and Rainbows

I picked up a small coloring book a few weeks ago. I have really enjoyed this simple pleasure. It is relaxing and soothing to the psyche. If you have not colored in a book since you were a child, I do recommend picking up one of the latest adult coloring books that interests you, or download and print some from the internet.

The Sun-By Raven Lockhart

 Oh yeah, don't forget to buy yourself a new box of crayons (144 count, so many colors!) Namaste-Mariehelena.

Zentangle hands-Marie Cisneros

Here are a few sites with free coloring pages and sources. 

 Coloring.com

 The Color.com

Crayola.com

Free Coloring Pages

Sources:  Wikipedia. The colored pages are from "Color Me" published by Publications International, Ltd.  Copyright belongs to listed source. 

This blog is for educational purposes only.

Setting the Mood with colorful Mandalas. (Review)

Wikipedia describes a Mandala as an Eastern Indian religious symbol representing the Universe. Its basic form is a square with four “gates”with the general shape of the letter T, and within this square is a circle and a central point. Depending on the various traditions and practices, a Mandala can be used for focusing a practitioner’s attention or for meditation, although the word in current usage, may also represent a chart, a diagram, or any geometric repeating pattern.

In general, the traditional Hindu  Mandala is a symbol through the orientation of the central area and is said to represent alter and temple with the central point representing the Godhead at the center of all things. Tantric Mandalas comes from this same source and is drawn or painted to help aid in meditation or marked out on the ground for ceremonies.  Eastern Shingon Buddhism shows the Mandala as a lotus with the center and individual petals as the image of the Buddha. Japanese Bddhis regard the concentric design of the Mandala to be representative of the two complementary and identical aspects of the supreme reality. Tibetan Mandalas is used as a guide for the imagination during meditation. In contemporary psychological symbology, Carl Jung said a  Mandala was the symbolic representation or “nuclear atom” of the human psyche and the pictures were used for meditation and to bring a sense of inner peace. The roundness of a Mandala represents wholeness.

How to Successfully Harness Your Ideas

Untitled artwork, using freeform idea

Whether you’re a writer, poet, artist or other creative type, sooner or later there will be times you just can’t think of anything creative. The mind goes blank and the block sets in. We’ve all been there, staring at the blank sheet of paper or the white canvas.

"Awakening Spring" (Art Print Study)

Close up of a section of work

Two weeks ago, I posted my struggles with my decision to color in my black and white drawing, my version of an early Harry Clark print; then deciding I didn’t like it. I originally thought I was committed to coloring in the entire thing. I decided to leave that corner alone for the time being and concentrate on getting the rest of it finished in the black marker. This took another three or four days, finishing that up that portion around 1:00 a.m. But there was still the little problem with that glittery corner. The whole thing was nagging at me. I tend to be one of those pesky “problem-solvers” and sometimes I’m like the proverbial dog with the bone.

Ever come up with a solution at the most inopportune time? I wanted to get started on “fixing” the piece, now that I thought I had figured out how to have this turn out like I wanted. I remembered that acetone nail polish remover will take off marker. One am is not the time to start working with acetones, so thought it best to wait until morning. I don’t know about other creative people, but there is always a sense that if you don’t get the idea down and solidify it into material being, it will dissipate into thin air. I know I have written poems or short stories in my head while out walking, and of course by the time I get home, the idea is gone! Forcing the mind to try and recall something as ethereal as a poem just doesn’t seem to work.

Luckily the acetone remover worked to take off the glitter and metallic marker and with just a dab of titanium white acrylic paint, that area of canvas was almost as good as new, ready for the re-do. I was pretty happy with the result, although I think my next Art Nouveau projects will be smaller.While not technical, it is labor-intensive. I wonder at the intricacy and minute detailing of earlier Art Nouveau pieces. Amazing!

While this piece isn’t a total original, it is my take on it.  I liked it better with some of the back detail taken out, as it left it more open. Obviously a masterpiece can never really be recreated by another but one of the best ways for an artist to improve their craft is to study other artist’s works. This is one of those studies.

I would call this "Awakening Spring."

The original was from an unnamed print by Harry Clarke who was born in Dublin on March 17, 1889 and died on January 6, 1931. He created hundreds of commissioned  stained glass windows and book illustrations for works such as Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson and Charles Perrault’s Fairy Tales of Perrault. 

Source: Grafton, C.B. (1994). Treasury of Art Nouveau  Design and Ornament. A Pictorial Archive of 577 Illustrations. Dover Publications. NY. (copyright free image)

I hope you like my version of this print-Namaste-Mariehelena.

Decisions, decisions. How not to over-do your art

Untitled work in progress

Sometimes when you start a project, whether it’s art or some other creative expression, you began to question whether it is going in the direction you want. You have the image in your head of what you want it to be, but somehow it just didn’t translate once it was down on paper. Then its time to stop and think it over (as the old song says). It’s better to have a few days delay than to rush it and really mess it up. Experience has taught me that I have a tendency to “over-do” my paintings by thinking that it needs just a few more dabs of paint. Within minutes, I have gone from the satisfaction of creating something expressive and creative to something gauche or over-pretentious.  As creative people, we have to learn to trust ourselves enough to make the right decisions about how we are going to create and shape our work, oftentimes a difficult task.

Painting the Roses Red....or Maybe Venetian Pink

Venetian Roses & Lilies in Carnival Glass

Tiger Lily

Ah, flowers. Roses-red and otherwise, lilies, white, yellow, pink and spotted, gold and yellow marigolds. They sooth us with their scent. They inspire us to write poetry. We grow them. We decorate our home with them. They adorn our celebrations; we  give them to our sweethearts and we give them to our mothers....at least once a year.

Artistically, we also photograph them, sketch them, sculpt them, and paint them in many different genres and methods. Many times on my walks along Muskegon Lake, I take my camera to photograph flowers I come across.

Flags flying Purple

Some are from my garden.

I, like many other artists, enjoy recreating the beauty of a flower.

Lilies from my yard, color pencil

Of course the results may depend on the skill of the artist, and flowers are not easy to paint, but it can also be fun and relaxing.

Tulip in a vase, colored pencil

Besides drawing in grade school, my first attempt at flower drawing was in 1982 in color pencils, one of my favorite mediums.

My first attempts at flower painting in acrylic were of single flowers, not really having the skills I felt I needed,


 I felt it best to start small. Some of these turned out rather well for first attempts.

Very Pink Flowers in a Curved Vase

Later on, I felt brave enough to attempt painting bouquets! I hope you like them! 

Roses, Marigolds and Pinks in a Blue Vase

In an internet search I found quite a few websites dedicated to flower painting, some of which state they offer free lessons.

Daffodil

While I did not personally check out their sites thoroughly, I offer you their links and because I am always interested in learning new techniques and gaining experience as a painter, I will be checking them out myself (especially the last one).

Here are three that looked interesting: 

How to do things.com

How to learn flower painting techniques

 Craftsy Online Classes

If you are interested in purchasing any paintings/drawings you see here, you may contact me at my email address. Namaste!

Creating Decorative Eggshell Keepsakes (Holiday How-To)

Colorful Easter Eggshell Keepsakes

These colorful eggshell keepsakes are great for gifts, decorating, or as heirloom mementos. They keep well if kept in egg cartons and stored in cool, dry area. 

How to make Delicous Light Nachos (No really, they're light!) (Recipe)

Delicious & Light Nachos

Creative Light Eating (Recipe)

I try to eat healthy, at least 95% of the time, and when I can remake a traditional recipe that may have a high fat or calorie content into one a little bit more health conscious, I feel better knowing that I have made the decision to make better choices while still eating the things I love.

Five great ways to create an art space for kids:

A colorful Art Corner

Whatever type of creative pursuits your kids are into these days, one important thing they need is

How to Make a Mixed Media Collage in One Day

Platitudes

Mixed media refers to works of art that combine

How to keep the winter doldrums from getting you down

I call this "imbedded Platitudes

With the excitement and glitter of Christmas over, and the throes of yet another winter storm surrounds us, it is easy to get bored, listless, and just plain down in the dumps. I found myself going over the same news stories and familiar web sites, looking for…

How your kids can give a hand for Thanksgiving (craft)

Raven's Turkey

If you have school-aged children at home, these hand turkeys may be a familiar sight. They are

Creating A Perfect Pot of Peas Porridge Hot

OK. Maybe I got a little carried away with the nursery rhythm metaphor but

How I put New Life into an Old (really bad) Painting

What the Bleep is Steampunk anyway?

                                            The white rabbit in a watch-my first steampunk necklace

My first encounter with the term “Steampunk” was