As an adult, would you consider buying a colouring in book?

Already have! did 6 months ago.

Some of the books are just amazing!

I was having a really ''off'' day last week, so took to the colouring in for 2 hours....I felt very calm and relaxed after.

It's all about using good pencils, to get good results...and the work can be framed after.

Shading and not pressing with the pencil too hard.
It is a lot of fun, and Adults don't seem to have much of that, these days. :)

I would say to most people
give it a try.
Well worth the effort...It's also a beautiful gift to leave your children.

The key is not to rush any of the work, you do.

by jonaja

How's this . . . ? Just got an email from a friend . . . . She says, "the kids gave me an adult colouring book for Christmas. I find it relaxing and once I start I get carried away and the time flies by." Looks like I'm outnumbered. Heehee.

Rice, you just have to give it a try! :) how funny is it that she would tell you that. ha ha ha ha ha

I passed a book shop the other day and one window was full of adult colouring in books.

I stopped and looked and thought, "how ridiculous" -what will they come up with nextg!

However it appears to be proven that it is relaxing.

Nevertheless, I walked past and did not go in or buy anything.

The thought of sitting colouring in, just did not gel with me!

Though I have to say some of the books looked fascinating.

by Finy

I say give this a go Finy!! It's amazing what simple pleasures are all around us!
My only issue is not being able to hold my pencil for any length of time any more!!

That's a lovely photo you used, for this question, Finy.

No. I was cr@p at it as a child so I would probably find it more frustrating than relaxing :(

by Rice

Noooooo give it a try now your all grown up! :)
You may just surprize yourself.

Awww. *scuffs toe in dirt* . . . I suppose I will then

yaaaaaaaa! :) lol

So,because you feel that you were no good at such things when you were a kid,does this mean that you have not improved over the years?!!! Silly-Billy You! I bet you are much better at a HUGE number of things,Rice,than you were back then!!! Otherwise what is life all about?!!!! I say,give this a go and surprise yourself at how much enjoyment you may be able to find!!

I forgot to say,Rice.... look at how your attitude changed with the entire Lychee question posed by Finy!!!! Hopefully THIS question of hers will have similar results?!!!!

Santa got my friend adult coloring books about meditation, faith, etc. for Christmas. She absolutely loves them!

by Leiann Lynn Rose Spontaneo

I have two, but very little time to sit down and colour, so I have not yet completed a single page, though I started one a few weeks ago. It's relaxing, but not really my thing.

by Jennifer Muirhead

I was thinking how if you do your colouring in with the children, they can have their own books...they may find it calming...Only wish they had them when my little ones were young.Some of the books are just lovely.

Maybe when they're a bit older. The eldest will colour sometimes but the youngest isn't up for it at all.

;)

Definitely! Colouring in is not only relaxing but also a great way for people who aren't 'good drawers' to get artistic, and to become confident experimenting with colour and various creative media. My grown-up daughter bought me one of Joanna Basford's beautiful books and we often spend time together in the evenings, colouring in the pictures while we talk.

There are so many cool books available now...Sean Tan has even released one which is meant to be really good! I recently also found other colouring things such as postcards, stationary and notepads.

Personally, I think the world needs more creativity, and with so any great books on the market now we all have the opportunity to become artists, in some small way.

by Carolyn Hopping

I think you are sooooo right, we need bosses to get people to spending 20 mins a day at work colouring in.The world would change....lol :) some of the books are very beautiful.

sure. I did buy one a few years ago in a failed attempt in becoming ambidextrous

by simon

No. I do know of someone who does this as a hobby. I bought a colouring book, or mandala, for her this Christmas . However, it really does not interest me. Some people are very clever and talented , but I lack the artistic flair needed to choose the appropriate colours.

by Lluxi

Your last sentence says it for me. That's it. When I saw them in the shops I thought, "No, I'd never put the colours in the right places" (I have been making collage Christmas cards for my parents friends, for the last 65 years.) I have a hard enough time getting those out in in the post in time!

I love them I now have 5 of them, and use pens, crayons, and pencils. I can't get enough of them.

by lmars

WOW! 'go you good thing' lol that is brilliant, and isn't it relaxing :)

Oooh. I didn't know crayons were allowed. I have crayons. Really nice ones. Wonder if I can print something off the net to start colouring . . . . *waves as she leaves*

When a child, I loved colouring-in!

My Parents, & Aunts' always bought me books, & pencils for pressies at various times. Great!

Have seen some of the 'adult' ones' now published, & they're beautiful!
But I don't have the patience, or time for their intricate subject matter.
So, when the whim formulates, I'll buy some less challenging ones' (read: childrens'!)

I have, but never to be used, one of those 'Lakeland' tins of 72 pencils I 'shouted' myself when I first started working! Had always 'lusted' after that, since I saw it as a young child.

When I was travelled to the 'Lake District', UK, I bought a large pack of the pencils from where they're made!
'Holy Grail' of colouring-in Pencils! Yay!

by donjo

I have the gorgeous old tin of Lakeland pencils which belonged to my dear mother! We were NEVER allowed to use these unless she was there with us!! Most of these pencils are almost worn down to half or much less,but I am so attached to anything which my mum left to me,that I will keep them and the tin forever!Yes! back in the days when I was at school,Lakeland ,and Derwent, were THE pencils to have and to look after so well!!

Oh, you two. Now I am wondering if my brother still has any Lakeland pencils that I could borrow . . . . ^_^

Looks like we are converting you to yet another enjoyable thing to do!

Hi 5, Jules! Lol!

Well,isn't this just a hoot for a Happy New Year's Day?!!!! Hi 5 back to you too!!! What a Trio of little Treasures we are being today!! I must say that this and the Lychee Question are two of Finy's Finest!!! They have started such super cheerful conversations,don't you agree?!!

Oh! Jules.....'Finy's Finest', I like that!
Maybe Finy could have that as a 'header' for a new 'thread'! Hahahehe!

Yes, I agree, it's amazing what one little slurpy, squishy, superb little piece of SE Asian fruit can do! Who'd have thought!

As for colouring, & extremely nostalgic sets of Pencils, how simple's that, but it sure has touched us all back to our equalled childhoods! And, IMHO, I think that's the 'bees'-knees'! Lol!

Are ''Lakeland'' pencils the best one can buy?...I really would love to know.

Oh! Hi jonaj......I don't think you'd be disappointed if you bought, IMHO, in this order:
Derwent
Fabre-Castell
Lakeland

I was also thinking, those 'Ink Joy' different coloured biro's might be ok, too. The ink doesn't 'smudge'.
Cheers!

I've bought 3 so far but haven't found time to even open one of them. I will probably give the cat one to one of my granddaughters. There are some lovely patterns available

by helga

Oh! helga, when I read your top line,'give the cat one', I thought I'd found a fellow-cat lover, with a very talented feline! Lol!

Lol donjo. Yes, I'm a fellow cat lover along with my youngest daughter and her daughter (the one I'm thinking of giving the cat book to) and that was the reason I bought it originally but feel she would have more time during school holidays to make use of it. My cat is clever though. Knocks on my bedroom shutters to let me know to get up and let her in again and comes up to tap me on the shoulder if I'm turned the opposite direction to let her out.

I have quite a few actually - art deco, art nouveau, fashion, animals. They are simply amazing in their intricacy.
My son bought me a beautiful hardbacked art deco colouring book at Christmas along with some gorgeous pencils. I have yet to start colouring any of them in as they are so beautiful just to look at, but I think it would be so relaxing when you have the odd half hour to just reach for your inner artist. I also gave a couple of artistic friend adult colouring books for Christmas along with some metallic colouring pencils and they loved them.
They would be perfect for someone who was recovering from illness and was bedbound.

by norma

Back in the late 70's I bought my very first Adult Colouring Book,at the same time as buying one for my Step mum!! I still have this amazingly intricate book which I actually prefer to the ones available today! I did get myself a contemporary one a few months back,but hat to say that I was rather disappointed by it as I find the outlines and images rather thick and clumpy compared to the one I bought so long ago!! It is still a nice way to while away some time though! I am actually more into printing off some amazing old Black and White illustrations by my favourite Golden Age of Illustration(1900 to 1925)artists whose copyrights have now run out,and which are available online for free! Artists such as Anne Anderson,Lilian A Govey,and so many of my other favourites from that era are now available which saves me copying pages in my truly treasured antique children's book collection!!
A super site for adult colouring is www.colouring-pages-adults,com which has so many sections each with many gorgeous images which are too numerous to count!
Did you know that colouring is a therapy now often used for the elderly and people with dementia? I find this a really beautiful idea,as I have seen first hand the joy which this past-time gives to people aged from 4 to 100!!
There have been fabulous books of Mandala designs available for as long as I can recall: I even had one when I was in my teens back in the 70's! These are incredible,from super simple to highly intricate! The sad thing is that I 'lent' my superb derwent watercolour pencils to a friend of my son,and she still has them with her!! Oh well....as long as she is getting joy from them......I can always get some more,though not the timber case with 72 in it!

by Jules

Okay, okay. I can see I will have to get some "good" pencils and a book and get down to it :-)) I suppose it is a bit defeatist to say I will be no good, so I am out to prove myself wrong now.

Oh,Well Done!!! The secret IS to use decent colouring pencils,crayons,pens, etc!!There are so many around these days! I bought some Texta pencils for my niece and for the 6 year old boy next door,for part of their Christm,as gift,and the quality is fabulous!! I ended up buying a pack for myself as well,when I saw how nicely I can colour in with them! I never knew that Texta made anything other than markers before this!

( . . . whispers that a second batch of lychees has been eaten . . )

I really do love your wonderful attitude of trying things you had felt negative about!! It really is the ONLY way to find out about things!! I have been stuffing myself silly with Lychees since they came off the trees and made available to us!! I'm like this every summer,and I almost want to cry when they go out of season. I did plant some of the seeds from the nicer ones!

Now,off you go,there's a good girl,and get those pencils from your brother!! or just use your crayons! I use a mixture of any colouring implements to get some super effects.You are not bound by any rules of this past time!

Oh! Jules, 'TIMBER case'? What timber case? Are u telling me I could've bought that i/o the big tin?
I've never seen them like that! Bet they look just BEAUTIFUL!

Oooooohhh!.......heart now saddened!

It was my Derwents in the Timber case,not the Lakelands!! My mum's precious old Lakelands are in a tin!! So do not feel so sad! It is New Year'd Day,so I wish it to be HAPPY!!!

Hmmmmm.........with all the good discussion here, I've an added thought.......I love Art....especially the 'Theory of Art'. I used to also paint outlines drawings in 'painting books' as a child. I can't 'free-hand' paint to save my life, but I was precise at staying 'within the lines'!

Have never used crayons, as I thought them 'messy', & the 'modern' implements I've certainly never tried!

Off to add to shopping list!

by donjo

I love colouring books. So yes I would buy one. I find colouring and painting very relaxing

by AJ

I have tried a couple of sheets of colouring in for adults. I'm afraid it just isn't my thing. I enjoy some other creative pursuits but colouring in isn't my thing. I have a friend who finds it very relaxing so I gave her my tin of partly used coloured pencils (the 72 Derwent set) which I bought decades ago. She is putting them to good use and loves them. Now I don't have to feel guilty about not using them.

by Marie Vonow

No. I believe they are very relaxing but I prefer Crosswords and they relax me.

by fran.

Oh! fran, are you another 'Inspector Morse', in our midst?
IMO, a xword 'brain' is similar to a 'Chess' brain, would that be a fair assumption? I don't play Chess, but my son was his Private School Champion, & 3rd in the State, at it!

I don't have the 'brain' to do Xwords, especially Cryptic ones! Just could never get it around the clues!
But I enjoy doing the 'xlines' ones in 'TV Week' mag. where you've got to find the columned clues up, down, sideways, diagonal!

Oh, I love a crossword, especially cryptic. Can't do that sudoku stuff though.

Oh! Rice, I haven't a snowflakes chance in hell of doing sudoku! I only can do movie or TV xwords! They come with the 'square eyes'! Lol!

I have never done it so I cant knock it till I try it.

by dwatk

YES WHY NOT

by roach

OK WELL GOOD lol...lol...lol...

absolutely :)

by Aliso

I own eight of them, and I love them. I use different pens and pencils, watercolors and mixed mediums. I have also used crayons.I have colours books that are all cats, or animals, flowers, and just random things as well as books where you do your own designs. I love them.

by lmars

I've certainly seem them in the shops, but for some reason, just looking at the books, make me very nervous! I know it's supposed to be a very relaxing hobby.

by Miro