Were you one of those kids whose idea of utter nirvana was a brand new box of the 64 Crayola Crayons with that way cool sharpener in the back? The one that had silver and gold...I can still smell that waxy perfection!
Have you noticed the boom in coloring books for adults? There is a correlation between these two, of course.Not only does coloring instantly transport us back to a time in our lives that was simpler and easier, but it also offers several other benefits.
Coloring satisfies so many inner yearnings: we get to be creative, we get to sloooowww down and enjoy the moment, plus coloring occupies enough of our minds to slow the chatter, yet not add more stress to an overloaded mind.
In the 1880s the McLoughlin Brothers produced The Little Folks' Painting Book with Kate Greenway. This book is widely accepted as the FIRST coloring book. The McLoughlin Brothers published coloring books until the 1920s when they were purchased by Milton Bradley.
Even though crayons had been invented these early coloring books were meant to be painted in, rather than colored. Beginning in the 1930s they were offered for both painting and coloring.
Adult coloring books were first marketed in the early 1970s, from Dover Publications. Since 2010 there has been a huge demand for adult coloring books in all formats; good old paper and crayons, digital and hybrids of both.
Yes, it is absolutely true - in just a few days we will celebrate National Coloring Day. In anticipation of this sure to be enormous event, we are sharing The Blissful Dog Coloring book with you, as our gift. I had a blast creating the different images and hope you enjoy coloring them! Feel free to share this link amongst your dog loving friends.
There are over 60 dog breeds represented, we hope you find yours or one you love in there. Enjoy and lift your crayons high on August 2nd in celebration of National Coloring Day! This link opens in a new window to a Google Drive folder.
By the way, I dare you to out color my mom. At 83 her coloring game is strong and she is ready to school us all in the art of coloring on August 2nd.
I present Jane Dannel, Coloring Master.