Combining two red-hot publishing trends of the moment, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series has been adapted into an adult coloring book. Which tickles my funnybone to no end because of its marketing savvy.
Adult users of coloring books are referred to as colorists, according to Dover Publications, which has been publishing wonderful, high-quality coloring books for decades now. There are also tons and tons of individual coloring pages available throughout the net; a simple search will net you hours of coloring frenzy. The published books, however, have the advantage of being printed on thicker, toothier paper than what the average computer user feeds into their laser printer. Thick paper is essential if you want to get into using wet media or pastels. If you then want to display your masterpiece, you can excise the page with a single-edge razor blade.
On the other hand, coloring pages have the advantage of being able to be imported into Photoshop or other illustration programs. Using layers, they can be colored with fills, patterns, brushes, and other effects. Useful if you don’t like the mess of a bunch of crayons or watercolors everywhere.
Adult — as in erotic — coloring books are tougher to come by (sorry for the pun.) Here’s one I found on Amazon: The Adult Coloring Book Paperback, by Dan Ginsberg. The sample pic given is sort of tame, but perhaps the more explicit ones could not be shown.
Is anyone else reminded of The Beatles’Yellow Submarine? That the Blue Meanies might come crashing through that picture window any second?
For Ipad users, there are dozens of coloring apps available, most of them designed to keep children entertained, but I have used them happily during lulls in conversation at the dinner table when the nieces are otherwise occupied. I prefer variation in the sizes of areas to color. I don’t like the Zentangle like illustrations with a million spaces to fill in. Too OCD.
Want to zen out and get your color on? The Coloring Books for Adults website can tell you everything you need to know.
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