How a Coloring Book and Crayons Can Help Dissolve Stress - Coloring Therapy

Remember when you were a child, lying on your tummy on the floor, coloring book open, crayon in hand with the other crayons spilling out of the box? Can you remember the sense of peace and enjoyment you felt while you were coloring? Why not consider revisiting this favorite childhood pastime to help during those times when you find yourself feeling on edge.

Coloring is one of the best forms of meditation

For many of us, when we think of coloring, we connect to the innocence of childhood and a time when we weren't burdened by responsibility and expectation. Picking up a crayon once again can help us reconnect to a sense of simplicity we have temporarily lost.

You could think of coloring as letting your inner child come out and have a fun time, or you could think of this activity as a form of meditation. Choosing colors and the gentle, repetitive motion of your hand as you bring color to paper helps quiet your mind--bringing your usual rapid-fire thoughts down to a much slower pace.

Now that you're an adult, there are no limits

Not only can you now give yourself permission to color outside the lines, you can keep your coloring as simple, or get as sophisticated, as you want.

For less than $10 you can buy a jumbo coloring book and a box of Crayola crayons. There is nothing like the smell of new crayons and getting reacquainted with your favorite color as well as opening a fresh coloring book and looking through all the possibilities before choosing your first page to color.

(You can also search the Web for the many sites which offer free, printer-friendly coloring pages.)

You may find that you have outgrown crayons and want to color using something with a different texture and a different feel. Pencil crayons and felt pens are an affordable alternative. But you may want to spend a bit of extra money and try colored pencils, Conte Crayons, oil pastels, pastels or watercolor pencils.

These days, many coloring books are used to market and promote children's movies or TV cartoon characters. Finding books containing basic illustrations of flowers, food, animals, etc are a bit more difficult, but not impossible. Themed coloring books are often best sellers.

Also, if you feel the need to bring some intellectual stimulation to your coloring time, there are several coloring books containing illustrations of the anatomy. It is said, one of the most effective ways medical students learn about the intricacies of the human body is by coloring detailed illustrations of various body parts.

Want to get a little risqué? There are also adult-themed coloring books as well.

To make coloring a true meditative and spiritual experience seek out a pre-made mandala design or create your own to color. Mandalas are complex, symmetrical geometric designs which draw the eye toward the center. Many religions use mandalas as a means of connecting the self to a higher power. Within Buddhism, mandalas are created as sacred places which, by their very presence, remind a viewer of the vastness of sanctity in the universe and its potential with in his or her own life. Creating a mandala is said to be a very powerful and sacred experience.

Think of coloring as a creative quick-fix

We all love to create. However, for some of us, painting and/or drawing is not our forte. And for those who do enjoy painting and/or drawing, sometimes it's difficult to find the time to begin a project. Coloring is the perfect creative quick-fix for anyone. It's a time to experiment with color and to express your moods with color in an effortless, convenient and affordable way.

Coloring alongside children can be inspiring. How about inviting a friend or two over for tea and some coloring time? And for any artists who are feeling a bit burnt out working in their usual medium, why not use coloring as a way to rejuvenate your creativity?

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When is a Crayon Not a Crayon?

The history of Conte Crayon is interesting. During the French Revolution, when Paris was under siege, much needed supplies of English graphite were permanently embargoed, creating a problem for the French pencil-maker, artist and scientist Nicholas-Jacques Conté. Conté had opened his pencil factory with his brother, Louis in 1793. For his business to survive, he had to find another way to produce a workable writing medium with a minimal amount of graphite that could be manufactured in France.

In 1795 Conté developed a method that involved mixing powdered local graphite with clay, waxes and water, firing the mixture in a kiln and forcing it into wooden casings. This process allowed the French to produce their own pencils and control the hardness of the leads, which in turn controlled the darkness of the mark made by the pencil. The process was so successful that Conté became synonymous with pencil, and Conté still manufactures high grade writing and drawing tools.

To this day Conte is still a major supplier of fine drawing and writing pencils and crayons which come in a vast range of rich, vivid colors. Conté crayons traditionally were black, red, and brown. The reddish sepia tone of Conté crayons is sometimes called sanguine, and was used by many eighteenth century artists in sketches and preliminary drawings. Modern Conté crayons come in an assortment of vibrant colors, including blues, aquas, greens, violets, pinks and reds. Although some artists prefer using the traditional colors, focusing on nuances of shading and design rather than bold coloration. Regardless of color use, a skilled artist is able to achieve very subtle shading, creating almost photorealistic work with Conté crayons.

Most often, Conte Crayons are used on rough-textured or high-grained paper that holds pigment well, permitting rich textures and wide ranges of tonality. Conte crayons work well on prepared primed canvases as well, for the purpose of underdrawing for a painting. The Conte Crayon stick, being square and small in size, is suitable for detailed work, especially if the tip is beveled to a point by rubbing it on a sandpaper pad.

Conté crayons are waxier and firmer than soft pastels, so they produce little dust and are easy to control. The sticks, which are 2 1/2" x 1/4" square, can be broken into shorter sections for ease of use for detail and shading. Today, Conte Crayons come in small sets of earth toned colors or larger color sets which include tans, violets, blues, reds, greens and yellows in rich, vibrant shades. The purity of the pigments used in Conte Crayons assures their permanence and longevity in art work. Some artists choose to use colored paper for their work with Conté crayons because the density of pigmentation in the crayon holds up well on a dark or colored paper surface.

Conté crayons are often compared to pastels. Granted, both are an artistic medium stick of solid pigment applied directly to the paper. However, Conté crayons are much harder than pastels or charcoals, yielding crisp, tight lines, rather than the more softer, less defined lines characteristic of pastels. Using Conté crayons, an artist can achieve subtle variations of shading in clear, distinct drawings. Conte crayon is quite permanent and artwork produced with a Conte crayon is often treated with a sprayed fixative for added longevity.

As a Conte Crayon is used, the stick will slowly erode, and it should not require any sharpening unless detail is desired. Manufacturers also offer Conté crayons in varying degrees of hardness, allowing artists to use Conté crayons for softer lines and more delicate shading as well as strong, precise lines for delineation. Conte Crayons are sold both individually and in boxed sets, with many art supply stores carrying an abundance of individual black, brown, and red Conté crayons, since these colors are in high demand.