Celebrating National Colouring Day and the Benefits of Colouring!
It’s National Colouring Day!
What better way to celebrate than to take some time to colour?
[image of black and white colouring page with flowers framing the word relax]
The simple definition of colouring is the process or art of applying colour, but there are lots of ways to do just that! Even when it comes to just colouring on paper, we can use crayons, coloured pencils, markers, pastels, and so many other mediums!
The rise of the “adult colouring book” where we were given more detailed pictures to colour with smaller areas than those geared toward children helped bring back colouring for many adults! But why is colouring so popular? What are the possible benefits of colouring?
[image of an array of uncapped markers ]
First, colouring is a great way to relax your mind and improve brain functioning. It helps you focus on the simple task in front of you and keep other thoughts from intruding. Regular colouring and even improve your ability to focus. Further when colouring we use different parts of our brain, activating our problem solving, organising, creativity and logic.
Colouring can also help induce a meditative state, by focusing on the singular action of colouring and letting go of worries about the past or future and being present while you colour.
Not surprisingly colouring can reduce anxiety and relieve stress. In fact colouring for 20 minutes or more, is effective at lowering heart rate and decreasing feelings of anxiety, though more intricate designs, such as a mandala, were more effective than a simple pattern or colouring a blank page. I’ve already talked about how colouring helps you refocus and relax, but it can also stir up feelings of nostalgia and remind us of when we were young. For many, childhood was a less stressful time, and this connection to it can also help relieve stress.
[image of a black and white mandala colouring page ]
Did you know colouring can potentially help you sleep better? That’s right, if you colour before bed, it can give you the benefits above, but also it means you aren’t on an electronic device being exposed to blue light which can hinder sleep quality. Not to mention that it often helps you relax, reduces anxiety, and relieves stress all of which can improve sleep quality.
Finally colouring can improve our fine motor skills, especially the complex designs in many adult colouring books with smaller spaces. These small areas require you to use your hand-eye coordination and other fine motor skills. Electronics are useful and have become a big part of our day but they don’t give us this kind of practice.
With so many potential benefits, why not take some time to colour?!
[image of various coloured pencils lined up in a wavy row]
Join us in celebrating National Colouring Day! I’d love to hear, and see, more about your love for colouring so perhaps you can share by considering the following questions:
Tell us about your colouring preferences. Do you have a favourite colouring medium? What types of pictures do you like to colour? Maybe you have a favourite colouring book?
I described a lot of possible benefits of colouring, have you experienced any of them? Maybe you can think of another benefit you’ve found?
Why not pick something to colour? Maybe take a picture of something you plan to colour, then you can share it with us before and after colouring? (If you need something to colour you can check out https://www.supercoloring.com/sections/coloring-pages for free printable colouring pages!)
Sources: https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/benefits-coloring-adults
https://forms.gle/tSRzfxpQJvvYpZXh6 Feedback & Ideas Form, Share your ideas!
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I love various types of media, but my set of Prismacolor premier coloured pencil are my favourite these days. I also like a lot of the books by Johanna Basford like the world of flowers and secret garden. I've been learning I like getting the calendar or planner versions because then they are sort of one sided images and often spiral bound so easier to colour.
One thing I enjoy about colouring is that I often end up happy with the result more so than when I draw, sketch or paint. But I definitely find it helps me relax and refocus as well.
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Alright so here it is, my 'before' and 'after'. (I guess you could say I was inspired by our wonderful CML @MistyMagic ) I hope others will share their efforts! 🥰
@EmotionsListener Oh that is so wonderful!!! Thank-you!! Beautiful! And all inside the lines too.
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@EmotionsListener
Wow, it's so pretty 😍 I love the details, the different shades of blue you colored, and thanks for the recommendations.
@EmotionsListener
They are beautiful
Aww so pretty 🩵☺️
@EmotionsListener
This is a great post, with very good (some surprising) information and resources, and a pleasure to read.
I have never done coloring. But I have witnessed how calming and therapeutic it is.
I did make drawings with colored pencils. My experience is that it's very laborious, but you can get good results. I used water-soluble pencils, which I can also use in watercolors.
I think coloring would be a good thing to do for me when I wish to feel the pleasure of using pencils, but my mind is not up to the task of thinking of a composition, drawing the contours, etc.
Small and not too complex drawings would be ok, like the fruits and vegetables on the page linked in the post would be perfect.
By the way, I have found there are online drawing software for drawing your own coloring mandalas:
https://www.staedtler.com/intl/en/mandala-creator
@HealingTalk
Never done colouring? 😯 Maybe you can try with a mandala soon? 😉
I find colouring involves less pressure than drawing, my perfectionism isn't as loud in my head while I colour, sort of the overall image is done I just have to pick colours and apply them appropriately. So it may be a good option for when you are in the mood to create but don't have the mental energy for composition as you say.
Watercolour pencils can also be fun, I find I like the control they offer when I want to do something in watercolours.
First, thank you for sharing the mandala generators, those look like fun. I actually like the overly detailed/complicated pictures to colour, I find it more satisfying for me. Second, maybe you can create your own mandala to colour?
Thank you for joining in our fun, hopefully you'll try colouring soon!
@EmotionsListener
I will follow your advice. Maybe starting with a small easy one (I am not as daring as you are).
I find your article very relevant for relieving Anxiety, so I made a post in the Anxiety Support Subcomunity pointing to this thread. I made it "Featured Thread" too. You can find it HERE
Thank you again for this wonderful article!
Marcelo.
@EmotionsListener love this ❤️❤️❤️
I love love LOOOOVE coloring books! I have since I was really young. So I was thrilled when I found out there are coloring books for adults.
❤️💙💜🖤💛💚🧡🤍🤎
@EmotionsListener I forgot to tag you!
@LovingPeacefulHeart
I find the colouring books for adults are very satisfying in a way those for kids simply aren't. The smaller areas are somehow more enjoyable to colour than just large open spaces that are typical of children's colouring books. Not to mention a lot of the pictures in the ones for adults are beautiful.
Thanks for joining in and sharing your love of colouring! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
I love coloring. I also love jigsaw puzzles. Though, since I have no real room for puzzles, soon will have less room... I've been coloring a lot more lately. My go to is fantasy based themes. Fairies, dragons, gnomes and such. I've gotten into the adult coloring books, so far my favorite is Mythomorphia by Kerby Rosanes. I plan to collect more from that author and perhaps get another Mytho book.
As for my medium, I like my color pencils the most. I've never had a really good set though, but I make due with what I have. Recently I've been learning more about how to improve my coloring, blending colors and such. Recently I'm trying out a new technique with chalk /mica powders and so far I'm loving it. I don't have any pictures. Perhaps I will try and get some.
It relaxes my thoughts and makes all the problems of life disappear for awhile. Sometimes it even helps me to put things into perspective, like it clears the clutter thoughts and opens up a new way of looking at my problems. Never really get any new answers... But it does help to look at things in a different way sometimes.
@tkazzy79
Sounds like we have very similar taste, in fact I have Fantomorphia and Imagimorphia by Rosanes! I also have a bunch of the very popular Johanna Basford books, though I think my favourite would be my "world of flowers" by Johanna Basford or one of my Pictura panoramic ones like fairies or dragons.
Coloured pencil is my favorite medium for colouring as well, although the chalk/mica powders sound interesting I hope you will get a picture to share with us!
I'm glad that colouring is able to help you clear your mind and organize your thoughts while encouraging new perspectives! I hope you are able to colour again soon.
Thank you for taking the time to share with us!
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
@EmotionsListener Yayyyyyy *runs away to color!*
But first this post had to be replied to, it is a trail from last year into this year, from Hobby Zone to the actual creation of the Arts & Crafts Community!
How wonderful is that?
Pick a butterfly to color!
Listening - One Step At A Time!