Coloring is often dismissed as boring busywork or a creativity-killer (and when it’s forced on a child, I agree it can be so). That said, my children will often want to color of their own volition. I find coloring to be soothing, allowing my hands to work, pencils and markers gliding across the page, while my mind is elsewhere. Coloring is companionable, everybody sitting in comfy silence, broken only by requests for a particular shade of green. And, when there are so many beautiful and fantastically detailed drawings to choose from, coloring is just plain fun!
This week, the kids and I put up a rainforest (complete with trees named Tom, Bob and Ben) mural in our back hall. While looking for rainforest animals to inhabit the mural, I came across these fantastic offerings by children’s picture books writer and illustrator Jan Brett. Her whole site is full of eye-pleasing coloring pages.
An art blog (I forget which, otherwise I’d give credit), linked to this lovely clipart site a long time ago. Many of these illustrations would make great coloring pages.
Where would we be without lists of the best? Here are (someone’s take on) the Top 10 Coloring Pages Websites (note: not all of these are free).
Dover publishes some real little gems of coloring books.
How do you view coloring? What memories are associated with it? Do you have any favorite coloring sites?
I always cherished coloring as a quiet haven. Even lying on the floor in my grandma’s house, surrounded by gossiping adults, I could lose myself in a coloring book as I would later learn to lose myself in books.
ps I just saw that my email addy wasn’t entered correctly. Weird, but fixed now. đŸ˜›
Most people have fond memories of coloring. I didn’t color much as a child, but I enjoy doing it now with my kiddos.