The weather recently turned icy here in New England, with a few areas reporting snow flurries. The heat is on and our sweaters are out; naturally our thoughts turn to the holidays and Christmas as the last leaves fall. Penguin Random House, the world’s most global trade book publisher, wants to share with readers a couple of the books they have chosen to spice up the season. My next couple of posts will discuss a few of these titles, so stay tuned.
Johanna Basford, the biggest name in adult coloring books, has a spectacular new coloring book for adults called
Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure & Coloring Book that brings to mind all manner of meditation mandelas, craft projects, color theories, visual recognition games, to say nothing of the wonders of the underwater world. The pictures are dense and detailed, far too complex for a child to manage, but perhaps just perfect for a teen or adult, perhaps even a much older adult, who wishes to try out a color palette, or concentrate on something unrelated to daily life.
Apparently the adult coloring book market is large and growing world-wide phenomenon (who knew?), and Penguin provides a kit for groups of adults to work together on projects—a “community coloring club” is what they call these gatherings. They have also announced the release of a
Coloring Club Kit which includes:
• Recipes for refreshments.
• Playlist. Johanna Basford tells us she likes to draw to music by bands like The xx, and Florence and the Machine, “anything with too strong a beat interrupts the flow of the coloring.” We’ve compiled a special playlist to help unleash your creativity.
• Ice Breakers to get your coloring club members chatting.
• A special Q&A with the undisputed Queen of coloring books, Johanna Basford.
Below find a couple more sample pages, which will give you some idea of the intricacy of the designs. The prints are on heavy paper, so one could use watercolors, though pens or pencils might prove easier and more effective.
Truthfully, I was thinking these might be a good solution for adult community centers, but I can imagine a craftsperson finding the designs intriguing for color design. If any readers out there know of a way to use this kind of book effectively, please leave a comment below. I'd love to know how others would use this book.
My sister is a docent at a seaside State Park that carries items like this in their museum store. Looks like a good seashore gift item generally, or a purchase a seaside Bed & Breakfast might find attractive. Keep your eyes peeled for this title in a bookstore or shop near you this season. On sale October 27, 2015, it can also be ordered directly from the
Penguin Random House website.
Johanna Basford is the creator of the multi-million copy bestsellers
Secret Garden and
Enchanted Forest. In the Coloring Kit link provided above, Johanna answers questions about how she got her start in coloring books, how unsure she was how they would be received, and how surprised she was at the reaction of the public. Check it out. You may be surprised at your own reaction to her art.
Below I am posting a giveaway of this title until October 27, 2015, when the book is for sale in bookstores. I will use random.org to choose a winner and will contact the winner for an address. The book will be sent to the winner directly from Penguin Random House. U.S. residents only, please.
A Winner has been chosen! Thanks everyone.
You can buy this book here:
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