All in a day’s work // Egg Tempera and Oil on Panel // 11”x14” // (c) Anne Belov 2015
I was as surprised as anyone when I first heard that coloring books were being sold to adults, and in ever increasing numbers, to boot. While I wouldn’t go quite so far to say that making art as a full time professional painter is relaxing, there is a certain peace of mind that I get when I am firmly in the groove.
I began to realize this when I was working on the final drawings for Pandamorphosis. The process was long and winding, and had its share of frustrations. But once I figured out what the story was about, and went through many, many, MANY, studies and all the variations, doing the final colored pencil drawings was…there is really no other word for it, meditative.
For those of you not familiar with Pandamorphosis, it is the story of a cat who wishes her “pet” girl loved her (the cat,) as much as she (the girl) loved pandas. I like to think of Pandamorphosis as The Cat in the Hat meets Metamorphosis, except with pandas. Not to give too much of the story away for those who haven’t read it yet, the cat turns into a panda after making a wish on the full moon, and then chaos follows. Chaos always follows where groups of pandas congregate. Trust me on this one.
In addition to Pandamorphosis, I also spend a lot of time drawing the pandas which appear weekly on my blog, The Panda Chronicles. The cartoons are done with real ink, on real paper, and then scanned into my computer for a little clean up and formatting in order to share them on my blog each week. Over the years that I have been making these panda satire stories, I have gained a small (in internet terms at least) but loyal following of fans of pandas, humor, and my rather quirky outlook on life.
So, when I found out about the phenomena of coloring books for grown-ups (well, alleged grown-ups) naturally I went to my peeps and asked, Do you think you would want a Panda Chronicles coloring book, the answer came back as a resounding YES!!!!!!
What else could I do? Wanting to have it ready in time for Christmas giving, I knew I had to put the pedal to the metal in order to get it done. Since I had published Book 6 of my collected cartoons, (We R Endangered) in October, the process was fresh in my mind. I had to go through all my archives of drawings to find ones that had enough other stuff going on in the drawings to have something to color.
It has been delightful to see how people have been coloring up a storm. If you find yourself with a Panda Chronicles Coloring Book this holiday season, feel free to share your creations on The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire’s page over on Facebook.
Many thanks to Cordelia’s Mom for inviting me here today, not to mention Cordelia herself, whose love of pandas and all animals shines through from the vast reaches of the inter-webs, and helped form this connection.
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Anne Belov is a painter, printmaker, illustrator, and now purveyor of panda satire, living near Seattle Washington. You can find her books on Amazon, her new cartoons on her blog The Panda Chronicles, And follow her on Facebook at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire. Her paintings can be found at The Rob Schouten Gallery in Greenbank WA, and The Fountainhead Gallery in Seattle WA. Her main regret in life is that there is no MacArthur Genius Grant awarded in Panda Satire.
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Anne Belov and I love to hear from our readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com or notcordeliasmom@aol.com
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Images by Anne Belov
Cordelia's Mom, Still 
Those adult coloring books…my daughter started using them as stress relief a few years ago. They are prominent on her coffee table. Many have joined in…must be something to it. ☺☺
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It is a strange phenomenon. Even before Anne published her coloring book, I was getting the urge to do some coloring. Almost made me wish I had grandkids so I could color with them. I guess there’s a little kid in all of us right up until the day we die.
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I was in Barnes & Noble, they are everywhere. You should do it, for yourself, CM. Could be an adventure !! ☺
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I could create a Not CM coloring book, but I suspect no one would buy it. A Puppy Cody coloring book, however? Hmmm.
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🐶 🐶 🐶
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I’ve been wanting to get an adult colouring book but couldn’t find one I really liked – until The Panda Chronicles Coloring Book came along. Now I have to go out and buy some pencils – black, white and pink!
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I bought 5 of those coloring books – 1 for me, and the others for gifts. I was quite impressed when the books came in – definitely not your child’s coloring book. You’ll love yours.
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Wow….love the drawings. You’re so gifted! (*＾▽＾)／
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Anne is exceptional, isn’t she? She can do those wonderful panda cartoons, as well as the awesome oil paintings. Me? I can’t even draw a decent stick figure!
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(>‿◠)✌
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Who knows what will show up.
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🙂
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I never knew about adult coloring books, CM! I used to LOVE to color as a child so you better know I will now be getting a coloring book or two for the little kid still around. Thank YOU for this post for without it, I would not have known I can again go to my coloring world!!! ❤
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Anne’s coloring book is awesome.
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I will have to get it, CM!!! Simple as that!!! ❤
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When I go to visit my grandies, I always like sitting down and crayoning in their books coloring books. I have seen the elaborate pages of the coloring books aimed at teens and adults, so ornate and detailed. 🙂
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That’s for sure. When I mentioned adult coloring books to a couple of my relatives, they commented that they prefer the kids’ books because they’re simpler.
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