So the coloring bug came back full bore in 2024. Coloring for relaxation and stress relief, no pressure to do original work although I could probably do some but nowdays coloring in, as the Brits say, is a good way to relax. Pursuing any art form really is almost always good for the brain, so though I have hardly colored in since 2019 or so, I have become an appreciative fan of Johanna Basford's work. Her drawings alone are worth buying her books. These are not ordinary coloring books. I have now donated almost all my other coloring books and concentrated on Johanna Basford's books. I color slowly and intermittently, so I have now got enough books and pencils for the millennium. I only use colored pencils, and the occasional Gelly Roll Sakura pen in white. I did acquire a couple of small bottles of a glittery substance to give a try at the smallest touch of embellishment - say in a winter scene with snow?! I don't like backgrounds in my pages, nor do I want over-the-top flamboyant touches. Everyone has their own style, and mine is rather understated I hope. Johanna's drawings seem to need a light touch in the colors, and the ethereal worlds they evoke need some ethereal coloring. :) Pencils - I have donated loads of pencils over the years as well. But now I am settled with Prismacolors, Polychromos (recent addition), Faber-Castell Goldfabers, and Staedtler Design Journeys, as well as the nice Faber-Castell Classic Red.
Secret Garden was the first book she published, and it is my favorite but that could change as I get into the others. The British editions of most of her books are the nicest, and I want to slowly get the British editions of the books I have in the US editions. I do have a lovely coloring book with Japanese designs. Might write about one or two pictures from that book later on.
