F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 6 • M a r i e m o n t, O h i o • Vo l u m e X L , N o .
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The Art of Adult Coloring Books By Ellie Kapcar Mothers everywhere encourage their children to color, and babysitters are always cleaning up piles of crayons. Though a coloring book is typically viewed as an activity for children, recent trends show growing popularity among adults. People everywhere have taken up their colored pencils, crayons, markers, and gel pens for a creative way to de-stress. This fad is not new; in the 1960s, coloring books were marketed to adults as a social and political satire. Laura Marsh, associate editor of the New Republic, writes, “The point of the sixties coloring books wasn’t to sit down and do some coloring, but…they were more like a specialized form of political cartoon.”
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Recently, though, coloring books like Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden promote mental health and relaxation. Basford’s coloring book has
Here is a heart for you to color!
sold more than 2 million copies and was Amazon’s #1 bestselling book in April 2015.
Psychological studies suggest coloring helps the brain focus, reduces stress, and tunes fine motor skills. For over 100 years, psychiatrists have prescribed coloring books as a therapeutic exercise. The action promotes calmness which can lessen the effects of many mental health disorders. In our technological age, coloring books take adults back to childhood— no screens, no distractions, no pressure. Senior associate editor at the The Th e
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Atlantic, Julie Beck says, “There’s something satisfying about seeing your thought and effort create a tangible, pretty thing at a reasonable, predictable pace. This rarely happens in life.” There’s even such a thing as National Coloring Book Day on August 2. Additionally, there are coloring books relating to the 2016 Presidential Campaign; you can color between black lines silhouetting Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.