Year: 2015

Adult Coloring Books – Hope or Hype?

Artist BZTAT's Color Me Cats Adult Coloring Book page sample
Sample Page from “Artist BZTAT’s Color Me Cats Coloring Book”

Google the words “Adult Coloring Books” and you will find a plethora of results. First you will see zillions of coloring books for sale on Amazon, Etsy, Barnes and Noble, Michaels, etc. Then you will find a number of trending news stories on the topic. There is a lot of interest in adult coloring books these days for a number of reasons.

Psychologists and wellness gurus have linked adult coloring to “mindfulness” and myriad other psychological benefits. Coloring is said to help anxious adults relax, and some experts claim that coloring can be as therapeutic as meditation and yoga. Coloring taps into our childhood instincts towards “play”, the experts say, and it gives us permission to release our apprehensions around adult obligations for a moment, allowing us to “de-stress” from our stressful lives.

Is it for real? Can coloring a line drawing in a book really do all that? Do adult coloring books offer great hope for our stressed out population of grown ups, or is it just a bunch of hype?

I haven’t seen any hard evidence or research on the benefits of coloring on the psyche, but I have no reason to dispute it either. As a former clinical counselor, I recognize that there is great value in simple acts of creativity that require focus but not commitment, and coloring provides that value. It allows people to be creative without the pressure of performance towards an outcome, and that can be relaxing and comforting to many people.

Most non-artist adults that I encounter enjoy creative experiences, but they tend to be hyper-critical of their abilities to draw. Coloring an existing image in a coloring book offers them the joy of creating without the apprehension of having to draw something themselves, and it can be a fun way to unwind. Adult coloring books typically have more complexity in the images than children’s books do, and they have less juvenile themes to make them more interesting and challenging. The challenge is not stress inducing, though, so it holds one’s interest without causing frustration.

Coloring can be relaxing and, thus, it can be therapeutic. I suspect that some of the over-the-top claims are more marketing than they are clinically significant tenets, but there is no harm in adding coloring to your wellness regimen. It is no panacea, and it won’t fix society, but it won’t hurt anything either.

Truthfully, there are some people (myself included) who do not succeed with other forms of relaxation and mindfulness. Personally, I am like the Aflac Duck when I attempt yoga and meditation. I am awkward and self conscious with such mind and body practice, and it does not fit my style. We all need to find what works for us, and if coloring does that, then I say go for it.

If nothing else, Coloring can be a fun thing to do, whether it is therapeutic or not, and that is value enough. It was fun for us as children, so why should we stop doing it when we grow older?

I created my Artist BZTAT’s Color Me Cats Coloring Book because my fans and collectors asked me to. Each one had a different reason for wanting a BZTAT coloring book, but whatever the reasons, I have found it to be a fun new way to share my work with others. If it is therapeutic for some, then that just makes it more fun.

In answer to the question, “Hope or hype?” I say, who cares? What difference does it really make? Relax, enjoy and surrender to the process if you so desire. You just might have a bit of fun.

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

Order Artist BZTAT’s Color Me Cats Coloring Book here!

 

Colorful Cats Coloring Book – It’s almost here! In the meantime, I am auctioning one of the originals!

Cats on Bicycle Coloring Book Drawing  by BZTAT
Drawing by BZTAT

This Auction has closed.

If you are on my mailing list, or you follow me in social media, you probably have heard that I am making a coloring book. It is a coloring book geared for adults. Although the imagery is family friendly, the designs are a bit too detailed for children to color.

The book is designed for adults to enjoy coloring as a relaxing and creative activity, and for people who enjoy my art. (You can read more about the genesis of the coloring book here.)

The drawings for the book are almost complete. There will be 25 black and white line drawings in all, including the one you see here, which I have colored myself.

In the next few days, I will begin taking pre-orders for the book. Stay tuned!

To prepare for the upcoming launch of the Colorful Cats Coloring Book, and to get you in the mood for coloring, I went ahead and colored this drawing myself. As a special treat, I am posting the original drawing for auction. You could own the artist’s own colored version, then buy the book and color the drawing for yourself. This is a one time collectible!

The original is smaller than the coloring page. It is 5″ X7″ and colored using Prismacolor Pencils and permanent markers, and it comes with an acid free mat ready for an 8″ x 10″ frame.

Proceeds from the auction will be donated to a fundraiser for a friend whose bicycle was stolen so that she can purchase a new one.

The auction is short lived, so get your bids in fast and watch closely!

Enter your bids in the comments below.

Here are the details for the auction:

5″ X7″ Prismacolor Pencil and Marker Drawing on paper by artist BZTAT

Comes with an acid free mat ready for an 8″ x 10″ frame

Leave bids in increments of $5 below in the comments section.

Minimum Bid $35 USD

Shipping: $8 USA $18 International

BUY NOW OPTION: You can buy this piece now for $50 as long as no bids have been made in the comments below. Simply write BUY NOW in the comments and send a payment of $60 + shipping via the ChipIn widget in the right sidebar.

Highest bid at 10:00 pm EST on Friday 8/14/15 wins the piece.

Winning bidder will receive instructions for payment.

Please allow 4 weeks for USA shipping.

Cats and Patterns and Designs and Colors and…

Pet Portrait Painting of a Dilute Tortoise Shell Cat by Artist BZTAT
Pet Portrait Painting by Artist BZTAT

Capturing the essence of an animal’s character is a primary objective when painting the portrait of someone’s beloved pet. Although my pet portraits are somewhat abstract, and the colors diverge a bit from reality, there still has to be plausibility. The image has to look like a specific animal, and it has to strike a chord with the animal’s human caretaker in a deep and moving way.

Even so, there is room to play.

Cats are fantastic creatures, and the relationships we form with them include a great deal of imagination. Painting their portraits often allows for a great deal of creativity beyond the simple depiction of their features.

In my most recent portrait of Francie, a beautiful dilute tortie cat (tortoise shell/calico with gray and creamy colors), I found a lot of creative energy in the way that her presence interacted with the background of her home. The reference photos I received of her revealed a rug with amazing abstract patterns and designs and colors as part of her domain, and I was drawn to it as I developed the initial sketches. I had to include that rug in the painting.

Moreso than many of my portraits, Francie’s painting took a turn towards the abstract in many ways, yet her personality still dominates the painting. According to her human caretaker, she is an intense creature with a variety of expressions, ranging from worried, annoyed, sleepy, impatient, alert, goofy, and loving. She can be demanding, yet also very loving, and she is a generous “big sister” to a younger feline with whom she shares her home.

“She is very emotionally involved with us and sensitive to our moods; she is always in the room with us, participating in whatever we’re doing… She was  a rescue, found by a workman riding his bike home from work. She was on an overpass and he picked her up and carried her to a restaurant parking lot. We saw them from the window and we took her.  She was not feral; she was vocal and made eye contact, and bonded with us immediately.”

Francie’s story is as amazing as she is. She was so fortunate to be rescued at the exact moment that the most perfect family arrived to take her home! I had great fun painting her portrait, and I am grateful that my artistry could help to express that love in a special way!

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

Order a portrait of your pet today! Four different styles for different tastes and budgets.