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If you are new to Adult coloring, you are in the right place! This post will go over the benefits of adult coloring, including how to create your own adult coloring book and some of the best supplies to use. What was once an activity for small children is now a valuable tool in an adult's relaxation and stress relief toolbox. A calming activity parents gave children while waiting on a doctor's appointment or winding down before bed is now being applied to adults to help them relax and step away from day-to-day stress in their lives.
The first commercial coloring book for adults was published in 2013. Since then, the craze has taken over, with companies such as Crayola creating markers and pens geared towards their older audience. Coloring is a form of therapy, and to be honest, everyone could benefit from a little therapy!
Whether you want to use a digital coloring book on your tablet or use a traditional coloring book that you can color using crayons or colored pencils, you have plenty of options when you want to have a little adult coloring session.
There are many therapeutic reasons to continue coloring in adulthood, from general stress reduction, relaxation, and more. Let's take a closer look at the benefits of coloring for adults.
Did you know coloring can make you sharper and healthier? Believe it or not, coloring utilizes areas of the brain that enhance focus and concentration.
Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash
It also can help with problem-solving and organizational skills. When you color, it uses both the left and right hemispheres of your brain, which improves fine motor skills, like, hand-eye coordination.
The repetitive motions and colors can activate a part of your brain that helps relax the body. Color choices can also have an effect on your brain; cool colors like blue and green can evoke calming feelings, whereas red or orange can be energizing.
When stress and anxiety affect your mind for long periods of time, It may lead to health problems that can be difficult to heal. Our previous blog discusses how stress affects your mental health if you'd like to know more. When we color, it gives us something to focus on while all other stressors melt away. As we focus on the lines and the motions of coloring, It helps us detach from our problems and reduces anxiety and stress.
When you rid your mind of worries, you may find yourself dreaming about new creative ideas.
Most of the world suffers from some sort of sleep problem. You either take far too long to settle down to fall asleep, or you may wake several times during the night and can't seem to stay asleep because of the thoughts and worries of your day.
By coloring at least 20 minutes a day, you can reduce your anxiety and stress, allowing your body to be able to relax and get the refreshing sleep it needs. It is said that when your body is without stress, you can achieve a deep state of sleep which has positive impacts on your mind and body.
Coloring can actually put someone into a higher state of consciousness. While meditating, one's mind completely relaxes and calms any internal chatter that happens in our day-to-day life. When your mind is relaxed and calm, you have a greater chance to beat stress. Those who have a harder time "tuning out" the world find coloring an easier way to achieve that meditative state.
Here are 4 easy to follow steps on how to create your own adult coloring book.
Before you design your coloring book, you'll need to decide how big your coloring book will be. It's easiest to stick to 8.5" x 11" since this is the standard paper size of your home printer. However, you can make it any size you want.
You will also need to consider what medium you want to use when coloring in your book. For example, if you want to use markers, you'll need to make your book one-sided because the pigment from the markers will seep through the page.
You may decide to use thicker paper to withstand stress and ink saturation. The coloring medium will also affect your line weight. If you used watercolors, you would need bolder simple lines for the color washing versus colored pencils that would be able to color tight, thin spaces in your designs.
You'll want to choose an overall theme for your coloring book. Will it be words of affirmation surrounded by different flower illustrations or maybe geometric mandala patterns? Cartoon characters or real-life photos turned into line art? Your coloring book can be whatever you decide. Have some fun with it.
Once you have all the above decided on, it's time to draw your pages! It is best to map out your designs with a pencil and then trace them over with a black marker if you are drawing by hand.
Hand-drawn Peony being traced with a black marker.
You may also decide to design your coloring book digitally using various apps and programs to help you. Amaziograph is an app in the Apple Store where you can easily create your own full-page mandalas to fill your coloring book with. Another useful app You could use is called Imaengine. This app creates vector outlines of pictures that you can use to make the linework for your Adult Coloring Book.
A digital mandala is drawn on the Amaizogragh app.
If designing isn't your thing, head over to our Printable Coloring Pages to browse and pick out pages for your coloring book. There are over a thousand listings to choose from. All you need to do is purchase, download, and then print!
After you have completed designing your coloring book, scan your hand-drawn designs and then print them on the correct paper and sizing that you chose. For those who created coloring pages digitally, you can either print them for a traditional coloring book or keep them digital and enjoy your coloring book that way.
From markers to crayons, let's discuss some of the top adult coloring supplies to choose from.
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
These colored pencils have a variety of vibrant colors that are fully saturated on paper due to the softcore. They're also easy to pull out and stack up neatly inside the case.
Copic Markers are alcohol-based, refillable, professional markers. They are double-sided, with a fine point at one end and a brush tip at the other. The flexible brush tip moves fluidly between thick and thin lines, allowing you to change the thickness in one stroke.
These pencils are just like the previous pencils mentioned from Prismacolor; however, they're watercolor! You can blend these colored pencils with a bit of water to create beautiful washes. You can use a blender marker or a Waterbrush by Prisma to help push the color around your page without needing a paintbrush.
For those who hand-draw their coloring book pages, these markers are key to clean sharp lines without smudging or leak through. They are available at various tip sizes depending on your line weight choice and don't smudge if you color or paint over them.
Don't be discouraged if your first few attempts at creating a coloring book for adults aren't that wonderful. Coloring books look pretty simple; however, creating them takes a lot of work and creativity. Even if your coloring isn't 'perfect' (whatever that is!), you can still relax and enjoy the many benefits of adult coloring. Especially now that you know some of the best coloring supplies to purchase.
Let us know how you get on by sharing a picture of your coloring projects in ourFacebook Group,The Design Bundles Customer Community; we love to see what you create!
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