Leaderboard

This is one of the fastest growing hobbies around the world right now and I'm wondering who else enjoys coloring as a grown-up? I always colored with my children and then my grandchildren, but now we closet colorers no longer have to stick to the kiddie books. There are hundreds of incredibly detailed coloring books available for adults these days. Johanna Basford's "Secret Garden" and "Enchanted Forest" books are the leaders in the field. I believe she was the first to publish a coloring book aimed at the adult market. Her images are lovely!

I recently started a practice called zentangle. It is basically a way of drawing by using structured patterns and shapes. It can be extremely relaxing, but also a little frustrating if you get stuck trying to think of a new pattern to introduce to your piece. I think I like adult coloring more because it is a truly mindless activity. The adult coloring books available are quite beautiful when finished, especially if you use good, art quality color pencils or pens.

I love to color! It was, hands down, probably my favorite past-time as a kid. I felt pressured to "grow out of it" though, because there weren't coloring books marketed to older kids at the time. I transitioned into paint-by-numbers in my teen years because it felt more age-appropriate than coloring images like Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny. In my adult years, I fell away from artistic past-times altogether and bought a Kindle instead. Now, I'm so excited that there's a such thing as adult coloring books!