A to Z Challenge: Z is for Zentangle Zoo Animals

For my last post of this challenge, I could have just went with either zentangle or zoo animals, but why not double them up because I probably won't be blogging again for a while (aren't you all breathing a sigh of relief over that?) :-)

If you don't know what zentangle is, here is the brief explanation: It's a series of repetitive patterns that are supposed to be zen-inducing (they are supposed to be fun, relaxing, increase focus and enhance creative ability) when you draw or color them. In my case, they kind of create the opposite because endless repetition drives me nuts, and some artists take the zentangle patterns to an extreme and just fill space because they can and not because it enhances the image, imo.

Also, they are challenging to color because you need to use enough colors so you can make out the details, but it's easy for the color scheme to get out of hand and end up looking chaotic.

Anyway, while I am not a fan of zentangle, I love zoo animals. Yes, yes, I prefer animals in their natural habitat, but that would not work with letter z. As it is, I have completed my share of zentangle colorings because they're in a book I like and I want to complete the book (The Magic Path by Colorama). In zoo animals they aren't too bad because zentangles give you an excuse to color an animal in a non-realistic way.

Here is one of my zentangle colorings that I really like. It did take quite a while to complete and it was done about a year ago. It's from the book that I mentioned. The picture does not do it justice because some parts were done in glitter gel pen and the sparkle does not show up.

A to Z Challenge: Y is for Yule Coloring Books

Okay so I am reaching here, but I already did a post on yellow yesterday (xanthic), so Yule it is. Yule is an archaic term for Christmas, so I am using this opportunity to draw attention to a couple of my favorite Yule (Christmas)-themed coloring books.

My first book to fit this category was Santa's Furry Helpers by Kayomi Harai, and it remains my favorite. It's a must-have coloring book for cat lovers. If you love cats and kittens personified, this is for you.

My second was Color Me Christmas by Mary Engelbreit, a renowned illustrator of children's books. Her designs in this book are whimsical, but I found them just "grown-up" enough to enjoy.

The third is Santa's Cats by Jason Hamilton. Unlike the other two this is a self-published coloring book, but it's of good quality and the drawings are superb. Jason is an amazing artist and any cat lover will find herself smiling and nodding about the naughty (and cute) things the cats do to trees, presentc etc. in this book.

From Santa's Furry Helpers

From Color Me Christmas

From Santa's Cats

A to Z Challenge: X is for Xanthic

When it comes to the alphabet, x is always a fun letter with which to work because I usually find a word I never heard of. Such is the case with xanthic. I found it when I was searching for colors for a challenge that started with the letters of our name (Alex or Alexandra, both have x in them). In short, xanthic is a type of yellow, shade of yellow, a word used to describe something with a yellowish tint. If you want the long explanation, you can read it here (it's a word game site).

As a visual illustration, here is a very xanthic unicorn that I colored :-) (from Messages from the Unicorns by Doreen Virtue).

A to Z Challenge: W is for Watercolors

I have been asked if watercolors work in adult coloring books. The answer is yes and no. It depends on the quality of the pages. I have heard of people who copy pages from books onto special paper so they can work with watercolors, or they use images that artists provide for download and print those on the appropriate paper.

Personally, I don't print or copy pages, I just use the pages from an actual book because I find that printer ink smears, plus it's expensive. While I've never used watercolors on a design, I have used watercolor pencils. They are just like colored pencils, but you can activate them with water. There are different way of doing this. Mainly, you either dip a brush in water and go over the colored surface or you can dip the pencil tip in water as go color.

I colored the picture below using the latter method. The artist is Crystal Brashear.

A to Z Challenge: V is for Violet

Apparently, violet is my favorite shade of purple. The reason I say apparently is because I never knew what the proper name was for the bluish purple that I like. Alas, when you Google the term violet, it comes up as "Of a purplish-blue color." I always thought of violet as a palish color, but apparently it can come in different shades too. I love the deeper kind. So, in a nutshell, violet stands for any purplish blue. The picture below if from Flower Mandalas by Thaneeya McArdle.

A to Z Challenge: U is for Unicorns

It's not often one gets to talk about unicorns, but since my theme for this blogging challenge is adult coloring, it fits right in. I love coloring unicorns because anything goes. I mean, it's not like someone can criticize it by saying "your coloring is not realistic enough." Well, they could I guess because some people don't seem to be happy unless they can criticize or complain. Okay, pray tell me what a unicorn is supposed to look like then? That would be my answer to that.

I found an awesome coloring book called Messages from the Unicorns by Doreen Virtue. Here are some of my colorings from that book: (on the last picture, I drew in the pot of gold myself)

A to Z Challenge: T is for Team Colors (in Adult Coloring)

What do team colors have to do with adult coloring? Well, I used to participate in coloring challenges and sometimes the theme was to color a picture in the colors of your favorite football team. For me, that turned out to be navy/orange/white (for the Chicago Bears). Yes, yes, we know they suck. Anyway, it made for some interesting pictures. Here is an example (it's from a Lisa Frank coloring book).

A to Z Challenge: S is for Sunsets

Why sunsets and not sunrises? I guess sunsets seem more popular. Although, how would one tell the difference between a sunset and sunrise coloring? I rarely attempt sunsets, although I love them in real life, but here are a couple:

From the Magic Path by Colorama

This was from a grocery store coloring magazine. One of my very early pieces, actually.

A to Z Challenge: R is for Rainbow Colors

There are many things in life I don't understand and lack of color is one of them. Having worked in real estate at one time and having to write about that subject still, I've been exposed many a time to the concept of builder-beige and why it's used. Okay, maybe living in a rainbow-colored house is not that feasible, but what's wrong with a touch of blue, or yellow, or purple, or ...

Anyway, that's one of the reasons I enjoy coloring so much because you can use unlimited colors. One of my favorite combos are rainbow colors. Oh, there are still snobs out there who say you should stick with a limited color palette, but that's not me. Below are some examples of pictures that I colored in rainbow patterns.

From Summer Nights by Hanna Karlzon

From Equinox by Stephen Barnwell

From Colorama Cats and Kittens

A to Z Challenge: Q is for Quintessential Cat Adult Coloring Books

Say that three times fast! (You just tried, didn't you?)

Anyway, for some reason there are a lot of cat-themed coloring books, more so than any animal. it seems. Here are some of the best I have found, in no particular order:

• Creative Cats by Marjorie Sarnat
• Teacup Kittens by Kayomi Harai
• Santa's Furry Helpers by Kayomi Harai
• Santa's Cats by Jason Hamilton
• Cats with Hats designed by Georgia Morrissey

Remember that "best" is a relative term. For example, much of what's popular I don't like (not just in the coloring book world). Alas, I have found these books to be quintessential for cat lovers because of their varied qualities and relative affordability. Most importantly, they're fun and I've personally tested each :-)

I'm sure there are a ton of other awesome cat adult coloring books out there, but I am confining this list to the books I have actually "tested" myself.

A to Z Challenge: O is For One of a Kind

One of the best things about adult coloring is that when even thousands of people color the same picture, the results are one of a kind. The results can be very interesting as they show how differenty people interpret drawings.

Some people even color the same picture numerous times for different results. I have not done so because there are so many pictures to color that I want to try as many as I can. Although, now I wish that I had done the same picture at least twice to show you the different effect. And no, you can't just use a picture that someone else colored. That's actually a big debate in coloring circles, but that is another story.

A to Z Challenge: N is for Night Sky

Few things are as challenging as trying to color a night sky. That's why I generally stay away from it. The few times I have attempted it, it took a really long time but looks like it didn't. Black and navy blue are the obvious choices, but there are really many shades to a night sky that differ from those colors. Alas, I took the "easy" way out as you can see below and did what I said not to do. Why? Because I love glitter and sparkle, and these gave me an excuse to use it.

From Summer Nights by Hanna Karlzon

From Enchanted Fairies by Barbara Lanza

From Santa's Furry Helpers by Kayomi Harai

A to Z Challenge: M is for Markers

When people think of adult coloring, I'm pretty sure that the number 1 thing that comes to mind in regards to media is coloring pencils. However, markers make a pretty good option for those who have health problems and get assorted pains when holding coloring pencils or for those who simply don't want to bother with a lot of technique. Of course you can get some pretty neat effect with markers too, depending on the kind you use.

Essentially, markers come in 2 categories: water-based and alcohol-based. The former are your everyday-markers that you can pick up in just about any store now such as Crayola and the like. You can also get these as brush markers (it means that the tip is flexible like a paint brush). Tombow and Uchida Le Plume are some examples.

Water-based markers won't bleed through good quality paper, but can leave streaks behind. For better results, artists recommend putting down a layer of colored pencil first, or going over the marker with colored pencils (note: don't use oil-based pencils for this purpose).

Alcohol-based markers bleed through any kind of paper, even some cardstock, but blend well with other colors and don't leave streaks. Spectrum Noir and Copics are some popular brands. They can bleed over outlines though as they soak all the layers of the paper.

Spectrum Noir markers aren't cheap and Copics are downright expensive. Actually, the latter were made for professional artists and in my opinion are not necessary at all if you're just coloring in books. Of course some people put out amazing results when coloring pages by using more expensive tools, but I wonder why not create your own stuff then?Alas, to each their own.

A to Z Challenge: L is for Landscapes

I have always had a fascination for landscapes and for those who can paint them such as the likes of Bob Ross. Adult coloring books give those without talent for drawing (like myself) a chance to create wonderful landscapes, even if they're more whimsical than realistic (even though in the time it takes me to color one tree branch, Bob Ross has completed an entire breathtaking painting). Here are a couple of my favorites that I have colored (from a book called the Magic Path by Colorama).

A to Z Challenge: K is for Kittens

Kittens seem to make the best subjects for just about anything and coloring books are no exception. There are a lot of adult coloring books with kittens and cats, but my favorite is Teacup Kittens by Kayomi Harai. Just before the release of her book, I got to communicate with the artist via email. She is an awesome person and her art makes you smile. (She has a bunch of kittens on her website).

Here are some pictures I've colored from the book Teacup Kittens.

A to Z Challenge: J is for Jumbo Pencils

Jumbo pencils! Why on earth would you want to color with a bulky implement when adult coloring calls for finesse? Well, I'm not talking about just regular coloring pencils, I'm talking about the ones that have different colors, usually three, in one pencil. They're also called rainbow pencils or magic pencils (the latter are made by Koh-I-Noor). Of course those two terms don't fit the letter J :-)

I love using them when I am trying to "cheat," when I want to make a picture look like I spent more time on it than I really have. These pencils are especially good for doing backgrounds and for filling in large spaces. The only issue is trying to find a sharpener big enough. I have included a picture below (from the book Enchanted Fairies by Barbara Lanza). The wings, dress and petals were all colored with jumbo pencils. Three different ones, obviously.

A to Z Challenge: I is For Insecurity (in the Adult Coloring World)

Since coloring is supposed to be stress relieving, you would think that it does not come with a whole bunch of things that cause the opposite. Alas, people just seem to have a knack for making things complicated when they need not be.

I see a lot of insecurity that adult coloring invokes. Then again, it's probably not the activity itself that invokes insecurity, it's probably just another catalyst for bringing these feelings out in people who already feel insecure about a bunch of other things. Perhaps it started in childhood with parents who were never satisfied with results.

One of the things that drives me nuts is when people say "My coloring is not as good as everybody else's." Why do we have this need to compare ourselves to others? Rhetorical question, I already know the answer. It's because we are taught early on to compete, and teachers grade our work when in school. If it's not good enough, we don't get a good grade.

Healthy competition is a good thing, but I do wish that people would realize that sometimes you should just let it be and enjoy the creative process without evaluating the result.

A to Z Blogging Challenge: H is for Hanna Karlzon

Hanna Karlzon is a Swedish illustrator who has published a bunch of adult coloring books. Ah, but not just any books. The art is amazing and the quality of the books is outstanding as they are hardcover books.

Now, the caveat is that they are double sided books and a lot of the picture designs go to the end of the spine, and numerous of the designs are two-page spreads. These factors made the books undesirable to me at first because I have problems with my arms that make it difficult to color in a book. I have to remove the pages first, so I usually only buy books that have perforated pages. I've also spiral-bound a few, but I am picky because a book has to be totally worth the extra expense of doing so.

For those reasons, I did not get one of the Hanna Karlzon books until recently when I won a copy of Summer Nights. I was ecstatic and could not stop flipping through the book. Alas, it still presented the challenges. So, don't tell anyone, but I actually had the binding cut at a Kinko's store. I know, it seemed a sin to do that, but I plan on getting the book bound again once I've colored all the pages.

At last count, she had 12 of them that are available on Amazon US. They come out in Sweden first, then they trickle onto different markets worldwide. The strange thing is that she draws a lot of bugs. I thought I could not color bugs for fear of nightmares (I tend to color really really late at night), but I actually enjoy them. They are usually bejeweled and bedazzled, maybe that is why.

Below are some of the pics I've colored. It's a shame really that I did not discover her books and overlooked the other challenges sooner.