Coloring for Grownups -Finished, Dec 26

[seedreemer]

Have any of you seen those coloring books for adults? I'd have loved them as a kid too, but they're marketed for adults. I finally got one. Why have I not done this before?? It's so much fun! Here's a page I'm working on using my pastel pencils. I sat down last night, put on my DVR'd crime shows, and colored for two hours.

I'll post updates. Rather than a stitch-along this will be a color-along.

[lavenderbee]

Beautifully coloured. My pen pal in Australia enjoys doing these books & finds them relaxing. On Wales news a few weeks ago it showed a lady who has started a group for people who enjoy this past time so they can sit & colour with like minded people. Wonder if there will be a forum on this? Expect there will be one day - maybe there is one already in existence

[fccs]

I have a coloring book, too - plus some "real" children's coloring books. I've always loved to color!

[Squirrel]

My sister started colouring last year rather than sitting doing oil paintings as a stress reliever. Since then I have been trying to avoid the temptation to start it myself.
A recent trip to get myself a diary and calendars (gifts for o/seas) I spotted a diary that had a page to colouring in for every week of the year. Of course I had to buy it - however I told myself "you are not going to colour in 1 page until the end of next year - get some of your stitching out of the way first) so I am going to try and not do any until then. In the meantime I will no doubt start buying colouring pencils etc so I will be ready to start.

I think it is a great idea to start a forum SAL for colouring.

Love your start on this lovely picture and it is going to be so pretty when it is done. Looking forward to the next update.

[Lulu22]

I have one too The Enchanted Forest its by Johanna Basford, I kept picking them up and putting them back on the shelf because I thought colouring books was a thing you did when you were a kid, but curiosity got the better of me.
I have coloured in a dragonfly so far and I do find it very relaxing, but my colouring in skills are no better than when I was a kid, I'm still going over the lines

Your blending in of the colours and from light to dark contrasts are superb, do you draw? Because if you don't you really should
.

[Serinde]

And why not, indeed! We have a whole section for different non-needle related pursuits. I'll enjoy seeing how this develops.

Those of you interested in the crossover between colouring and stitching might enjoy Mary Corbett's Secret Garden Hummingbirds project.

[wendywombat]

They’re getting popular in France too. I saw some last week in a craft shop and my friend told me that they're available in the supermarkets too.

I do like how you've started this Seedreemer

[tiffstitch]

Gorgeous colours! One of my friends has a box of pencils that must be about bread box sized and it's pretty much full. She goes through hobbies frequently, and this one might stick around for a while since it's fairly easy vs. some of her other hobbies.

[rcperryls]

At one time, before I discovered stitching, I had a number of coloring books for adults which were all designs and I think I went through several of them. I think that your picture is beautiful and agree about how perfectly you have shaded and blended colors. The wood and the leaves are fantastic. And I think a coloring SAL is a grand idea!!!

Carole

[Allyn]

Fun stuff

Dover Publications has quite a collection of adult coloring books.

http://store.doverpublications.com/by-s ... oring.html" target="_blank

[19Roland19]

I think posting your colouring SAL is a wonderful idea. You do such a wonderful job with shading.

You would think a person who enjoys spending hours making pretty pictures with little X's would enjoy colouring....but even as a child it was not something I particularly liked doing. I could colour neatly, but I could never do all the shading like you do.

[LadyS]

Beautiful! I bought one to relax myself but realized I already have very little free time and I'd rather stitch or play my PC games for my relaxing moments.

I barely colored the front cover so I hope to sell the book, lol.

[seedreemer]

Does anyone have any idea what the birds are in my pic?? I can't figure it out.


Thanks everyone! Yes, I paint/draw, but I tend to stress myself out over it. Much to my surprise this coloring stuff is a way for me to practice without all the self-imposed pressure to CREATE ART.

I love that Enchanted Forest! I'd been seeing it while Googling and didn't realize it was a book. Note to self: Seedreemer, you will not buy up a giant stash of coloring books like you've done with stitching patterns. Repeat to self daily.

19Roland19, I know what you mean. I don't like to sew, do crewel work, don't really care to do needlepoint, etc. While I love the looks of all of them, cross stitch is the only needlework I enjoy. I think it's the regimented and repetitive nature of it that appeals to me. Needlepoint is the next closest, but the edges aren't well defined enough and I get bogged down in those decisions. With cross stitch there are no decisions. You Ex your way through the precise pattern.

UPDATE:

[Allyn]

Does anyone have any idea what the birds are in my pic?? I can't figure it out.

My guess would be an Eastern Bluebird.

[Squirrel]

Beautiful art work and colourings. AS for the bird I would opt for the lovely little House Sparrow.

[salome]

I love these!! My 11 year old and I "share" several - she loves the mandala books and is currently working on creating her own, with hopes that she'll eventually transfer them into cross stitch patterns. Like others have said, I've always loved coloring and still have a collection of coloring books dating back to my early childhood.

[Allyn]

... AS for the bird I would opt for the lovely little House Sparrow.

I could be wrong, but I don't think it's a House Sparrow. House Sparrows have thick beaks like finches.

[Serinde]

Thought it was a blackbird, myself...

Anyway, Ink Circles does one too: http://www.inkcircles.com/html/New.html" target="_blank and she uses something called a blending pencil to soften the edges, etc. I didn't know such a wonderful thing existed.

[lavenderbee]

Such lovely colouring. No idea about the bird species.

[seedreemer]

Thanks! As for the bird, that marking around his eye is what's throwing me off. I can't find it on any bird. This IS a coloring book so for all I know it's not even a real bird. My first guess was a goldfinch, but I haven't seen any with that eye marking.