During the time of penning this article (August 2015), 1 / 4 of Amazon’s top twenty best-selling books are coloring in books. So what is a adult coloring book, and how do these are currently outselling top fiction authors with new releases such as E.L. James and Paula Hawkins?
Adult coloring books are, plain and simple, coloring in books for older people. Like children’s coloring books, these are packed with outline illustrations made to be filled in with colored pencils, markers, crayons, or whatever other media you intend to use.
What’s in an adult coloring in book?
The gap between adults’ and kids’ color books is that the grown up versions generally feature less juvenile images and designs. As opposed to superheroes, barnyard animals, and tv characters, adult coloring in books tend to be often full of:
components of all-natural world, such as trees, flowers, leaves, gardens, animals and insects;
geometric designs;
psychedelic patterns;
repetitive ‘wallpaper’ type patterns;
cities and buildings;
anatomical drawings;
goddesses, angels, and mermaids;
mandalas; and
celtic designs.
In addition there are many ‘theme’ specific books available, featuring diverse subjects such as cars, steampunk designs, and Art Nouveau patterns.
Why are they very popular?
A Scottish illustrator named Johanna Basford published a japanese adult coloring books called Secret Garden in 2013, featuring pages of beautifully hand-illustrated ink drawings. The newest York Times reported in March a Korean pop star named Kim Ki-bum posted a photo on Instagram of an ‘delicately colored-in floral pattern’ from Secret Garden. At that time, Ki-bum stood a massive 1.8 million Instagram followers. The post went viral and helped to ignite the fad.
The increase in interest in the books reportedly has much regarding adult relaxation and stress release. Many adults using the books state that they discover the repetitive, low-stress nature of coloring into be soothing, relaxing, as well as a means of de-stressing outside the pressures of life and work.
One of many other advantages of adult coloring in books, additionally they claim to enjoy recapturing the nostalgia of childhood by engaging in an activity usually available children. It takes people to a less strenuous time, and may be also an easy method for fogeys to get in touch and bond with their children by sitting down to color within them. Needless to say, many parents happen to be happily coloring in kids’ books for decades, the good news is they have choices that are not tied to Dora the Explorer or SpongeBob SquarePants.
To sum up, coloring for adults appears to be an expanding past-time that enables adults to chill and unplug from your stress within their lives, by engaging in a hands-on activity that involves minimal commitment and maximum nostalgia.
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