Coloring products are everywhere these days--and not just for kids.

The market for adult coloring books exploded 15 years ago or so.  

When I was a kid, a coloring book consisted of simple line drawings on cheap, rough paper.  Our parents would hand them to us, along with a box of crayons, when we were old enough to grasp a chunky stick of colored wax in our chubby little fingers.  Then they'd pray we didn't color on the walls.

At first it was all scribbles, usually monochrome.  Who cared about staying inside the lines?  For very young children, coloring is more about the movement than about the image.  Developmentally, they lack the fine muscle control to be able to move their hand in a way that creates any kind of coloring finesse, and they simply don't have a sophisticated enough idea of the world around them to care much about copying what they see.  

So you get something like this:

Eventually they begin making crude shapes--lopsided circle-ish things.  Deliberately straight lines and attempts to draw squares.  They may even try a human figure, usually with interesting results.  Very large heads, tiny bodies, stick fingers.  

Here's a chart from researchers Viktor Lowenfeld and Betty Edwards showing the development of a child's drawing and coloring skills.

Look at those first 6 or 7 years.  Perspective?  No concept.  Shading?  What's that?  It's just shapes and color and fun!

"So why should the kids have all the fun?" thought some brilliant person.  

Exactly.  

Coloring can be a joy for anyone!  Joyful, relaxing, creative fun.  The possibilities for adult coloring are endless!  So many choices in any theme you can imagine.  Flowers and Mandalas are only the beginning.

Horse-lover?  Gotcha!  

Bigfoot?  You bet!

Sci-fi?  Sure thing!

Human Anatomy?  Yup.

We've come SO far from cheap rag-paper Barbie coloring books and a box full of broken crayons.  

Even children's coloring books have gotten a whole lot more sophisticated.  Take a look at this article on some of the best coloring books for kids:  The Ultimate Guide to the Best Coloring Books for Children

For the most part, though, kids coloring is limited to the kinds of tools that are both safe and easy to wash out.  You know kids!  As a mom, I was constantly washing marker and paint out of my kids clothes.

But, as adults, and with a whole lot more self-control than a toddler, we can trust ourselves with all kinds of coloring mediums.  Crayons still?  Of course.  But also paints of a dozen sorts, oil pastels, lovely colored pencils, chalk, charcoal, NON-washable markers!

Keep in mind, though, that WHAT you color with is going to impact what you color ON.

Coloring posters and coloring books can come in a variety of different paper types.  Even fabrics!  

So here are some insider tips on what to look for;

1. Is my project a KEEPER?

If the art you're creating is something you want to hang on your wall, choose something more sturdy than your standard 92# bright white paper.  Go for a thick art paper or card stock.  

Our art-quality coloring posters are printed on an ultra-thick paper--even thicker than standard card stock--with a coloring surface that can withstand nearly any art medium.  You can color in the lines to your heart's content, or simply use the lines as a template for more creative expression.  

Here's our line of top-quality Art Paper Coloring Posters--all of them a treasurable keepsake for any art lover.

2.  Is my project a ONE and DONE?

Let's say you're throwing a birthday party for your seven-year-old.   You want something fun and creative for the children to do, but you just know that it'll be chaos no matter how carefully you prepare. 

A thin paper poster on top of the table and a bunch of colored pencils, crayons, and washable markers is perfect!  And if it gets covered in cake crumbs and spilt soda?  Who cares?  You just crumple it up after the party and throw it away.  

We sell these in an easy-to-ship and inexpensive folded format, or rolled if you'd rather avoid the creases.

The paper is high-quality enough that you could make these posters keepsakes with proper care.  They do crease and tear much more easily than the Art Paper posters.  But , if you prefer one of the Everyday Paper designs over what's available on the Art Paper posters, and you want to keep it to enjoy for longer than just a few hours, I recommend purchasing the rolled Everyday Posters.  They're a little more expensive, simply because they cost more to ship.  

We have over a dozen designs to choose from in our Everyday Paper line, created specifically for low-key group fun.

3.  What's your MEDIUM?

Not all papers will tolerate all art mediums.  Oil pastels, for example, might bleed oil into ordinary paper.  And haven't we all experienced the Sharpie bleed-through?

If you're using crayons, water-based markers, or colored pencils, you're choices are limitless!  Any poster in our shop will do.

However, if you're more media-ambitious and want to explore copic markers, oil pastels, gouache, watercolors, etc. your answer is our Art Posters.  You can use nearly any medium on them and they'll hold up great!  They'll also hold up to more vigorous methods of applying the media, because the paper is so stiff.  It will resist folding or crumpling as you scrub that chalk or scrape on that acrylic art paint with your pallet knife.  And will Sharpies bleed through?  Not EVEN!

4.  Want something you can REUSE?

Is that possible?  Actually, YES!  Our line of Reusable Coloring Tablecloths are just the thing.   They're made from a sturdy polyester fabric that withstands dozens of washes without hanging onto the color, like some weird rainbow hoarder.  And a waterproof backing prevents the markers from leaking through onto your tabletop.

Perfect!  AND we have FOUR NEW DESIGNS!

While you are limited in the media you can use on them, these tablecloths are capable of being colored and rewashed over and over again.

Just use Washable Markers and the tablecloth will wash completely clean time after time--and we've tested a WHOLE LOT of washable marker brands.

We've tried washable crayons, too.  Mixed results, I hate to say.  Sometimes the red colors fail to wash out completely, and often the wax doesn't totally dissolve, leaving grease-like stains, so use at your own risk.  

5.  Are you looking for something UNUSUAL?

We've got you covered there, too, with our 18-Foot-Long Coloring Rolls!

Made of our high-quality Everyday paper, they fit perfectly on any standard paper roll dispenser or children's art easel paper roller.  They're suitable for markers, crayons, and water-based markers, and add a unique flair to your next family gathering.  Just open it up and let it roll on down the center of the dinner table and let the cousins (and aunts and uncles) color away!

You can also add it to your One and Done collection.  Simply roll out as much as you'll need, cut it off, color and toss!

6.  Who's Coloring?

One or a group?  Kids and/or adults?    These questions may steer your choices.

For groups, we offer our Everyday Paper Posters, our Art Paper Posters, and our Washable Tablecloths in multiple sizes.  The bigger the group, the bigger the product!

We sell LOADS of our BIGGEST Art Paper Posters to folks who want to put it up on a wall for co-workers, family, co-eds, or students to color.  A couple of small baskets loaded with markers, pencils, crayons, etc., and let everyone go to town!

Our large Washable Tablecloths are 7 feet long.  Perfect for your Thanksgiving tables, camp or picnic tables, outdoor birthday tables, to set up at the family Christmas or Easter get-together, your Independence Day BBQ, or beach party.

What if it's just for you or a gift for someone special?  I recommend our BIG Art Paper Poster.  At 30" x 21" it's still a bold statement--roughly six times the size of your average coloring book page--but small enough to lay out on a card table for easy coloring and then tack to a bedroom door for display.

And will it be all grown-ups?  All kids?  A mix?  Is it for a preschool group?  An office event?  A family party?  

Our posters come in a variety of themes and difficulty levels, from densely packed abstract designs for fine-detail coloring to larger-area simpler designs that may be more suitable for little fingers just developing the fine motor skills needed for staying inside the lines.

No matter your who, we certainly have something you'll love!