Adult coloring is a re-emerging pastime meant to aid adults with creativity, centeredness, and tension relief. It allows an opportunity for expression while also doubling as a therapeutic tool.
Should I Use Pencils or Pens?
Deciding between colored pencils and colored pens is a matter of color saturation. If you’re looking for bold color that stands off the page, pens, and markers are the way to go. If you’re looking to get into shading or into creating multiple colors from one writing implement, then pencils are the way to go.
Coloring with colored pencils requires a lot of layering to get the exact color you want, while markers are pretty cut and dry and will leave the same marking every time you use them. Markers and pens saturate paper on the first or second pass, while colored pencils sometimes need up to 50 layers to hide the paper underneath.
If you enjoy writing with a pencil outside of creative time, pencils are probably the best choice for you. This is because they provide a certain resistance when dragged across the page that markers and pens can’t emulate. If you’re more into the gliding action of a good pen when you write for your job, for school, or when you compose your grocery list, then coloring with pens will be the most relaxing to you because it provides what you already enjoy.
You should consider not only what is left behind on the page when you’re done coloring but also how it feels to perform the act of coloring. Remember that you can always mix implements as well; just because you started with crayons does not mean you can’t also use pens and pencils.
Why is Coloring Considered Meditative?
Coloring is capable of relaxing the mind. When an adult focuses their mind on something simplistic and repetitive like coloring, their thoughts and judgments are allowed to spiral away from the conscious mind. That isn’t to say that coloring doesn’t involve active attention, as it’s the contrary. Since an image requires repeated motions and the constant acknowledgment of details, you’re drawn into just the coloring, which in turn, is all that’s going on in the present moment. This is called mindfulness.
Meditation, in a scientific sense, occurs when the brain is in a state of relaxation caused by mindfulness of the present moment and the halting of racing or intrusive thoughts. There are a lot of ways to meditate, and it is touted online that adult coloring can help you reach the elusive meditative state.
Since the art being created in a coloring book is very predictable since it’s already drawn out, the mind can gently focus on that activity without giving it much thought. This allows the mind to disconnect and create calm. Knowing how something will turn out is a relaxing prospect, and coloring provides an avenue for achieving a meditative state by providing these things.
The amygdala, a portion of each hemisphere of the brain that regulates emotion, is also responsible for a person’s flight or fight response. Studies have shown that brain activity in this region of the brain slows to a crawl when a person is doing something simple like coloring. Whether this is the main source of the meditative process is uncertain. However, it is believed that this brain activity is why adult coloring is so relaxing for so many.
Is Coloring a Form of Therapy?
There is a debate about whether adult coloring can be a form of art used in therapy. Some professionals hesitate to call adult coloring at home a form of therapy because it lacks the oversight of a trained clinician. While it’s commonly understood that coloring can be somewhat therapeutic, it in and of itself is not art therapy because the session isn’t guided or designed around a professional’s intentions.
Studies do show that coloring, in combination with face-to-face therapy, can provide an emotional release or a set time for growth. Some people use coloring while speaking with their therapist so they can access the relaxing benefits of coloring while considering emotionally difficult topics.
It’s important to note that doodling or scribbling is not the same as coloring. Studies have shown that the randomness of these activities is not the same as the framework provided by coloring book art, so it doesn’t give the relaxation release that coloring has become famous over.
Learn about the benefits of coloring HERE.
Why Are So Many Coloring Books About Geometry or Mandalas?
It is scientifically understood that repeating color patterns and geometric states can aid in the achievement of a meditative state. Since most coloring artists are looking to relieve stress and constructively zone out, adult coloring book markets lean hard on geometry and geometric mandalas.
When a person is assessing a potential coloring piece, and while you’re coloring on your chosen page, your brain is occupied simplistically, but enough to provide the altered brain activity needed to achieve a more relaxed state. Since you’re still making small decisions, and you still have to mind things like remaining in the lines while coloring, your brain is too occupied to have other possibly more harmful thoughts.
The geometric symmetry of mandalas and other designs provides the exact kind of occupation of other faculties needed to fully realize a calm state. The repetitive nature of mandalas has been well understood for thousands of years and plays a role in the religious art of various cultures.
Why Does Coloring Keep Me Off of Technology?
Coloring gets you to forget about your phone for an entire hour because you’re focusing on what’s in front of you. Many people spend most of their day on a computer because it is engaging, and coloring occupies the same sensory sources needed to use technology.
The brain can be distracted by coloring in the same way that it can be distracted by notifications, text messages, and reminders. As a consequence, coloring provides your electricity and electronic free way to disconnect from reality and experience some feel-good escapism.
What Are Common Mistakes While Coloring?
Don’t compare your creations to anyone else’s creations. This is for you, and it doesn’t need to be held up in comparison with a famous internet coloring artist for it to bring you joy. Spare yourself life’s competition and color just for you. Make sure your coloring book pages are thick enough paper that you can abuse them a little bit. Anyone who first takes up coloring will put the paper through the wringer, and having something besides basic computer paper can make the difference between a torn-up activity and a work of art you want to show others.
Keep the lightest grip possible to achieve the effect you’re going for. Finger fatigue and hand cramping is a real thing that comes with too much strenuous writing and finding yourself in the throes of it is not relaxing. If the color choice seems to be the mistake, you’re making, plan a palette before you begin the way to go. Create a swath of color on the page and determine 4-6 colors that look good together. Then, stick to just those colors.
If color choice is getting to you, you can download an app that turns photographs into coloring book pages. This will give you a full-color photograph to reference as you color in your next masterpiece. Coloring is a great activity for people of any age, but its relaxing quality is better felt by adults who pick up the activity. Some of the most basic questions and answers about adult coloring were covered in this article, but that by no means defines the only questions that there are about coloring.
Since coloring is an art form, and art is an abstract concept, there are many unknowns and questions still to be perceived and asked about adult coloring. As adult coloring continues to remain popular, more coloring themes and questions will come to light.
Maximize the benefits of coloring with my free adult coloring eBook and sign up for my email newsletter HERE!
Disclaimer: The information provided by ColoringMasterpiece.com (“The Site”) is for general informational purposes only. All information on the Site is provided in good faith, however, we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on the Site. Under no circumstance shall we have any liability to you for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of the Site or Reliance on any information provided on the Site. Your use of the Site and your reliance on any information on the Site is solely at your own risk. This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.
Terms and Conditions: https://coloringmasterpiece.com/terms-and-conditions/
