Thursday, August 4, 2011

Coloring Books For Adults

Coloring books were a big part of my childhood memories. In my days when we don't have computers, and when Barbie dolls were considered a luxury toy, you have to find some other hobbies, activities to indulge. I still remember coloring books though. They were my favourite! Give me a coloring book and color pencils anytime. I enjoyed going to the bookstore and flipping through coloring books, and I do get to buy one sometimes.

As I got older as a kid, I still like coloring books, but I was looking out for more "challenging" pictures to color. There were 2 main considerations for me. The theme of the coloring book has to be something I like. I don't enjoy coloring something I don't have an interest in, like robots, or cars...things like that, you know. So I do flip the pages and see if there are things I like to color. If the subject is not to my liking, I won't be buying it most likely. If it is a feminine theme, that's a big plus point for me. :) Secondly, I love details, the more the merrier!

The Japanese coloring books were my all time favorite as they were the most detailed one I've ever come across, and the theme were definitely feminine and elegant! They make the best coloring books.

Even the front covers were so attractive!

In the past, they produced coloring books in the form of drawing blocks. So the picture was even larger, and equally detailed. It was NOT possible to finish coloring 1 picture in an hour due to the level of detail of each picture. The amount of roses and flowers in the picture alone...well you can spend a lot of time just carefully coloring away...Plus these were not designed for crayons. Only color pencils would be able to do the job nicely and properly :)

Come to think of it, there is educational value in coloring books. It instills discipline and a child has to be able to sit still for quite a while to complete a picture. Besides creativity skills, the kid would have to learn to control her motor skills, ensuring her coloring doesn't go "out of line".

This particular one showcases fashion wear from the 1700s to 1900s. As you flip through the pages, you get to see how fashion has evolved over the years.

It is not surprising that even adults love coloring books. I suppose coloring books are a woman's thing. ;) correct me if I'm wrong. Finding suitable coloring books for adults can be a challenge. I think these are just perfect!


My mom bought me similar coloring books when I was young but she didn't let me color on them as I was a little too young. It was not until I was 8 yrs old or more (slow developer... :P) that I get to appreciate such fine details and challenging pictures. Not wanting to "spoil" the original pictures, I tried tracing them. Boy, that was so much hard work that I gave up after a while lol.
During my time, there were no photo copying machines yet!


I know these would be perfect for adults who are still into coloring books. They would also make a nice gift for little girls!

They are now available on my store! Look under Coloring Books. I hope you have fun with them as much as I do!

6 comments:

  1. heh heh so girly girl! :D i was a tomboy and when i wasn't running about with my younger brother, i would be in some corner reading a book....i did enjoy playing with paper dolls though! do you remember those rectangle pieces they would sell for 10 cents at neighbourhood shops? perhaps not cos i think i'm a little older than you are XD

    how nostalgic! thanks for the childhood memory jolt :)

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  2. Hey Cindy, I don't remember the rectangle pieces...mine were like maybe $1.20 per book, I think, back in those days. I do still have my box of paper dolls which I will blog about sometime. Have to take them out, display and take some photo shots. :)

    Pei Li

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  3. Oh those are so cute! They really remind me of what my brother do. (Now he is an artist!)

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  4. Those books look great. My fingers are itching to colour :P I never liked colouring books as a child, but I think it was because the pictures were so big and simple; I lost patience when I had to use one colour pencil for so long to colour something huge like an elephant's side or something. I liked smaller more detailed stuff.

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  5. Hi Betty: Ooh so your brother loves coloring books too as a kid! So cool :)


    Hi Pei,

    Thanks for dropping by! I'm itching to color them myself too! Actually I feel like experiment using water colour pencils - which gives nice gradient effect..:P

    Pei Li

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  6. It took me ages to get off the colouring stage. I love doing them even until 7th grade. It does require a certain diligence and a little perfectionist trait but it's not as good for creativity as much as drawing. Still... I'm terrifying at drawing because I never tried. ;P

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