In addition to sport and one or the other diet, stress reduction is also at the top of the list on the personal agenda for 2017. Those suffering from stress can now sit down in a reading chair with a good book, book a wellness trip for short-term relaxation or simply "draw away" feelings of stress. Coloring books for adults have developed into a real trend topic - also because even artistically completely untalented painters can create great pictures quickly and easily. As befits a trend topic, outdated concepts such as coloring classic bird pictures from the 90s are long history.
Modern coloring books for adults address current topics and allow ambitious painters the freedom to act creatively despite the borders. We introduce some of the best coloring books for adults and show you what to buy.
Coloring books for adults: details matter
Before the first painting lesson, artists are faced with the well-known agony of choice. Finding a good coloring book for adults is not just a question of motif, but also of quality. Qualitative differences can be found in every price range, so that the purchase price can give an indication, but no certainty. Also, whether a coloring book for adults has perforated pages is more a question of taste than quality. On the other hand, double-sided motifs in coloring books in such an inflexible fold that some of the preliminary drawings can hardly be reached with a colored pencil are rather unfavorable. Even solidly made coloring books should therefore be easy to unfold. Overly coarse contours are also often noticed negatively by users - at least if they do not match the respective motif and are generally used as a boundary in an adult coloring book.
If you want to use different techniques in coloring books, you should take a particularly close look at the nature of the pages. Inferior coloring book pages make waves when they come into contact with water or pens containing alcohol; In the worst case, paper that is too thin allows strong colors to shine through into subsequent motifs.
A rough surface of the paper, on the other hand, is not always a qualitative deficiency, but it can make painting with colored pencils less easy. Only the self-test helps here.
Bright white paper lets colors come out better than coloring book pages made of recycled paper, even if the latter serve a good purpose.
Finding the right pens, on the other hand, is almost a science in itself. Glad that detailed Guide colored pencils rewrite in such a way that it is easier for the future hobby painter to choose.
Coloring pages for adult film fans
It's no coincidence that adult coloring books are so successful these days. Above all, numerous popular motifs are responsible for the good sales figures. There is an almost inexhaustible selection of adult coloring books, especially for film fans. The four coats of arms of Hogwarts can be found in the Harry Potter coloring book can be colored in as well as the house elf Dobby. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the main characters are also models for hobby painters. If even Lord Voldemort is not grown up enough for an art lesson, he is playing the game of thrones and instead scribbles in one of the adult coloring books linked to the successful series game of Thrones are created. A magnificent garment by Cersei Lannister to accentuate the color relaxes and makes real fans of George RR Martin's fantasy epic almost a little proud. Those who see winter approaching, on the other hand, prefer to color the wolf from the cold north or take a trip to the warmer climes, where the mother of the dragons is waiting for matching colors with a detailed contrasting border. Role-players can find classic motifs in the Tolkiens coloring book Lord of the Rings. Letting the one ring shine in modern purple instead of forged gold is not a sin, but a courageous expression of artistic freedom. Just like children, adults do not necessarily have to adhere to the template in their coloring books.
If you don't like pure fantasy settings for coloring, you can use the well-known mixture of fantasy and sci-fi from George Lucas' grandiose film universe: star Wars Coloring books for adults delight fans with great film scenes to design yourself. Rejuvenating Master Yoda by 300 years is then just as possible as bringing the eternally young Princess Leia back to the mind's eye.
Typically British and at least as iconic as Star Wars are coloring books based on science fiction television series Dr. Who. True fans of the BBC series will appreciate that even the iconic telephone booth, i.e. the TARDIS, can be colour-matched. Also "very British" are motifs from one of the numerous Sherlock Coloring books which, with the broadcast of the current series, are likely to be among the best coloring books for adults at the moment. There is a lot to choose from, so you just have to start somewhere.
Animal coloring books for adults: animal creative art
If, despite great motifs, you can't do much with coloring books for adults from film and television, you may find alternatives in the colorful worlds of flora and fauna. Enchanted forests beckon with gigantic trees or relaxed seas of flowers to color in. Without an original template, you can follow your personal color feelings in order to find the promised peace and relaxation. This complete creative freedom is supported by coloring pages that rely on fantasy patterns that cannot be found in reality anyway. The best coloring books for adults give an idea of motifs without tying the thoughts of the person who is coloring too much to a template. Animal lovers try out cats, dogs, predators or even mythical creatures.
Those animals that are basically made up of a large number of animals appear particularly complex. The adult coloring book series by Kerby Rosanes is a good example. animorphia focuses on fantastic transitions between animal and fantasy worlds. When the finely sketched leopard head turns neck down into a fabulous world, even the stressed businessman finds meditative calm while coloring.
For those who prefer it realistic and also have a penchant for real art, coloring books for adults are available, which make popular works by great painters available for their own design. So every hobby painter can decide for himself whether he prefers to descend into the surreal world of Salvador Dalí or follow the childishly colorful pictures of Wassily Kandinski. Even Van Gogh has works with his partly distorted perspectives ready for one or the other painting lesson.
Whatever you like is fun: the motifs of the best coloring books for adults invite you to relax actively.
Painting for adults: crayons instead of psychotherapy?
Even if coloring books for adults are trendy, reaching for a colored pencil is unfamiliar to many people. Admittedly, it does take the average adult a little courage and overcoming to take a coloring book in their free time and, at best, to sink into it. Also because you may need material for the upcoming art session that you often do not have in stock at home: watercolors, different colored crayons or even wax painters. If you don't like to paint by nature, you will find it difficult to deal with the trend that is said to have a relaxing and stress-relieving effect. In addition to meditation or yoga, painting for adults is like an artificial leisure trend without tradition. The main strength lies in the simplicity: open the coloring book, choose a motif and let your creativity run free. It doesn't take more to find peace and quiet at the living room table at home.
Today, a child-friendly coloring book does not have much in common with the modern one Coloring book for adults in common, except that they also serve as a prefabricated canvas. Since mass-compatible motif coloring books from film and television have been among the bestsellers in bookshops, the argument of shame no longer applies anyway. Painting for adults is everyday life and it is worth simply trying out the creative hobby. Marketing departments sell adult coloring books as effective alternatives to traditional relaxation techniques. And the sales figures show that the PR machine is working successfully. There is no scientific evidence for the effectiveness against stress, perhaps also because it is not the coloring itself that counts, but the ritualization of the artistic hobby. There are many of these rituals: Painting over a cup of tea relaxes the body and mind as well as the painting lesson in the botanical garden or a scribble before bed. In the end it all comes down to facing the trend with courage: dare to try it yourself!