Lost Oceans...of Colouring

Lost Ocean: an Inky Adventure & Colouring Book / Johanna Basford
Toronto: PenguinRandomHouse, c2015
80 p.

I love the new trend of adult colouring. I'm not exactly a convert to the idea; as noted by my earlier use of adult colouring, I've been a long-term fan.

But Johanna Basford's Enchanted Forest & Secret Garden were really the beginning of the huge surge of popularity which colouring books are currently enjoying. I am seeing adult colouring everywhere! So I was really delighted to see a new book from Basford, called Lost Ocean.

Basford's books are different from other colouring books in a couple of ways. She adds in a treasure hunt, with items to find in all of the images listed in the front of the book (and a key to their location at the back in case you are totally frustrated...but don't look at it first or you'll ruin your fun!) There's also a foldout banner at the back so that you can colour in a long image -- I think that taking out this banner and making it into a table runner would make for a great party activity :)

The paper is good quality, though the images are double-sided, unlike some other colouring books that are set up to remove each image, and/or colour with markers which may bleed through. The images are so delicate and detailed in this book though, that I think nice pencil crayons or gel pens would be best to use anyhow. And some metallic pens, like the image on the cover suggests, would be fun with all the buried treasure here!

So if you're looking to jump on the adult colouring trend, this is a great choice -- for yourself or for Christmas gifts (throw in some pencil crayons too). This would be a great activity for those holiday hours.

(and, for my fellow Canadians, it is currently on sale for $10 at ChaptersIndigo - that's 54% off!)

ps - that is not an affiliate link. I don't have affiliates on this blog. I just think it's a great deal!

Piersall's Animal Mandalas

Coloring Animal Mandalas / Wendy Piersall 
Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, c2014.

I was offered a lovely book for review recently, from the new-to-me Ulysses Press in Berkeley. Since I have both used and taught mandalas as an expressive art practice previously, I was instantly interested.

And this is a lovely book! It includes 31 intricate mandala images featuring cats, birds, sea creatures, horses, bugs and more. Some are very detailed, and would take much attention to colour in. Some are a little more free-form, with larger spaces to fill. All are very lovely.

I think my favourite ones are those featuring shells and fish. They seem to have an organic flow that really appeals to me. But there is one with swans that I'll have to work on first, considering my city's emblematic swans! I can see that these images are going to be quite enjoyable for a long while.

Have you ever used pre-made mandalas yourself? The act of concentrating and colouring them in is quite peaceful and relaxing. I usually like to focus in on the experience of colouring while letting my mind rest -- it's something we were quite skilled at as children but forget to do as grownups. Piersall's designs are unique and pretty, many of them resembling the intricate detail of a mosaic.

If you haven't tried this 'adult colouring book' experience before, I'd say that this collection offers a fun starting point. It's a nice size and printed single-sided for colouring, on paper that will play with crayons, pencils or markers equally well. Adults and older children would both enjoy these images, I think.

If you want to see some sample images, check out Piersall's animal mandala page on her larger website (which is full of activities and worksheets for kids, also great). Also, pop over to her blog to print off a free hedgehog design that didn't make it into the final book -- too cute.