Coloring Books for Design Fanatics

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Ok, its confession time.  How many of you have coloring books?

I jumped on the coloring book craze when it first starting gaining popularity.  As a creative, I’ve loved coloring my entire life and the idea of a coloring book for adults was so up my alley that I couldn’t resist.  My first coloring book was this one filled with Beautiful Patterns just like the title says.  I was drawn to the abstract and intricate designs which are perfect for someone like me that is a ‘coloring inside the lines’ kind of gal.

Since my first coloring book I’ve been gifted several others by family and friends and now switch back and forth between books so none of them gets neglected.

Recently I read that several of my favorite bloggers (and authors) are jumping on the coloring book wagon and developing home decor themed books.  I can’t wait!

  John and Sherry from Young House Love have their coloring book, Color At Home coming out in October and from the looks of the cover image, it is going to be a good one.  The cover image resembles many of the beautiful rooms you see on Pinterest.

And Melissa, the blogger and author behind The Inspired Room blog has a coloring book coming out in July, aptly named The Inspired Room Coloring Book.

Melissa shared a few pages from her book on her blog and it is also looks like it’s going to be a fun book.  I love that there will be room environments along with individual home decor items to color. I see a whole lot of #chinosierie inspiration in my future.

I don’t know who or why the adult coloring book trend started but I think it’s only going to get bigger and home decor coloring books take it to a new level.   Being able to color design a room in any color combination you want can provide great visual inspiration for someone decorating a room in their home.

For those of you that can’t wait until the Color At Home and The Inspired Room Coloring Book come out, here are a couple other home decor related coloring books I found.

Color Me Cluttered–The title and cover image of this coloring book might scare off a lot of people but I’m really intrigued by the artwork and potential transformation that can happen after a few hours of coloring. And the minute I saw the image of the gift wrap, I was hooked.

Off the Bookshelf–This coloring book contains a range of images, many of bookshelves and home decor scenes and others more random.  This book was also designed using a slightly heavier paper weight so you don’t have any color bleeding if you use markers to color your images. And I like that each page is perforated making it easy to tear out the pages and frame as artwork.

Now that I’ve got you itching to purchase a few coloring books, you’ll also need to buy some great pens or markers.  I switch between using pencils and markers when I color.  If I want more intense color on the image I go with markers and if I’m looking for a softer effect, I tend to choose colored pencils.  Here are several brands that love and in most cases own myself so I can highly recommend these from personal experience.

No. 1  Prismacolor is definitely my favorite brand for markers and I also love their colored pencils.  They sell a variety of styles at price points from affordable to expensive.   The Premier 24 pk. Colored Pencil Set is a great value, includes enough colors so that you have lots of options to work with and the pencils are ideal for blending colors.  There are larger sets available too.

No. 2  Tomboy Dual Brush Pen Art Markers are great because of the dual brush heads and because the pens are odorless, bendable and non-bleeding. 

No. 3 I’ve owned a set of Uchida Le Plume II Double Ended Markers for many years and they still work like a charm.  They’ve traveled with us when we moved for Seattle to Atlanta and I’ve only had a few dry up. The extra-fine tip is great for intricate designs and the pens are easy to handle and won’t cramp your hand.

No. 4  For those of you that might want to take your coloring on the road or in the air, here’s a great set of 48 Marco Affine Artist Quality Pencils that include the roll-up case.  While I don’t own this exact set, I am considering purchasing a case to hold my pencils.  I like this case but if you’re looking for a great deal, you’ll want to scoop this case up. 

No. 5  The 72-piece Prismacolor Premier Double Ended Art Marker set is for the serious color artist and crafter because these markers are an investment.  This is another set that I’ve owned for years and just love.  These markers provide a very saturated color and work great for blending.  I also love them because once applied, the color is consistent with no blending or start/stop lines.

Coloring books for adults is a pretty cool thing in my book.  I’m a big fan and encourage you to give it a try is you haven’t already.