A Bit Of Whimsy Awaits You: Try An Adult Coloring Book Created For You By Jamie Fingal!

Who doesn't love to color?  You know what?  We are never too old to do it!  And the time is right to indulge your childhood joy once again as adult coloring books are making a big comeback.  I have had a really good time in the past several days with Jamie FIngal's new self-published "Whimsical Inspirations" book.  And, what fun for me:  I was enroute to Jamie's house to spend some time with her and did some coloring on the airplane and some while sitting across her at the dining room table.   

Jamie chose 110 weight Vellum Bristol Cover Stock and tried all sorts of media on it:  watercolors, copic markers, etc., and had no "bleed thru" (although she does suggest you might want to put a paper behind any dense oil-based marker to be safe).  Her amount of pressure didn't cause any bleed-thru but she knows everyone's drawing pressure on the page varies.
I love the fact that, despite using Caran D'Ache crayons with water brush and watercolors loaded onto a Pentel Waterbrush.

Jamie's coloring book is completely hand drawn with a Sharpie Ultra Fine Point black pen, and some drawings took over 5 hours to create. 12 coloring pages printed on heavier paper, so you can use paints and markers.  Just put a separate piece of paper behind the page you are coloring, so if there is anything that goes through the paper, the next page will be protected.  Chip board back and coil binding. A variety of drawings await you with sewing and quilt inspired blocks, imaginary flowers, trailers, houses, dresses, and cups and saucers.  You can even color in the opening page for an added bonus.

Here I am, sitting at the gate in the San Antonio airport about to get on the first of two flights

heading to Orange County CA.  I have my little Koi watercolor pocket field sketch box and my first-ever Pentel Waterbrush.  I didn't use the one that came in the box, for some reason.  I loaded it

but I never had to switch to this brush because the Pentel brush worked SO WELL and the water seemed to last forever.  I am sold on these brushes:  perfect for mess-free painting on the plane and everywhere else.  

I chose this page because Jamie and I have a long-standing email strand we refer to as 

"The Coffee Break".  This page was perfect for me to work on.

The first drops of water go onto the pans to moisten the watercolors.

This work is so relaxing and meditative.

As I progressed to the background I sort of wish I had been paying attention to the pink on the cup and used another contrasting color in this area.  Oh well....

I had so much fun making this page.  One thing I particularly love is that the page

did not buckle from the water media.  

I hope you will join in on all the fun and pick up one for yourself and why not get a few extras?  You might as well because all your friends are going to want one when they see yours!  Stop by Jamie's blog and look for the link in the right column to purchase.  It is easy!

I hope you will stop by all the other blogs on this hop and see what they did with "their" page.  Leave a comment here (and on the other posts) to become eligible for a coloring book giveaway!

Sunday, August 2 - It's National Coloring Book Day and I will kick it off.  I am having a book signing and sale in my studio from 12-3 

Page 1 - http://JamieFingalDesigns.blogspot.com/

Monday, August 3 - Lyric / Markers - Quilt Circles
http://lyrickinard.com/lyric-kinard-blog/

Tuesday, August 4 - Leslie / Watercolors or Markers - Coffee Cups

http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, August 5 - Desiree / Ink Tense Pencils - Trailers
http://myclothesline.blogspot.com

Thursday, August 6 - Deborah / watercolors - Houses

http://DeborahsJournal.blogspot.com/

Friday, August 7 - Susan / watercolors - Flowers on Page 3
http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/

Saturday, August 8 - Sue / colored pencils - Dresses
http://www.suebleiweiss.com/blog/