Have you noticed the recent adult coloring book trend? In the past few years coloring books for adults have grown in popularity; the New York Post reports that more than 2,000 adult coloring books have been published since 2013. And as of this writing, seven of the top 100 best sellers on Amazon are coloring books.
Here at Advanced Print & Finishing, we’ve had a first hand view of this trend–we’ve printed a number of them in the past couple of years. And it makes sense that this number will continue to grow as new studies show adult coloring books are good for your mental health.
How adult coloring books help your mental health
The benefits of art therapy – “a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being” – have been known for some time. And though coloring books don’t exactly qualify as art therapy, the benefits are similar.
“Coloring definitely has therapeutic potential to reduce anxiety, create focus or bring [about] more mindfulness,” Marygrace Berberian told CNN. The effects of coloring for adults are akin to to the benefits of meditation.
“My experience has been that those participants who are more guarded find a lot of tranquility in coloring an image. It feels safer and it creates containment around their process,” adds Berberian. The CNN article also cites 2005 research that found “anxiety levels dropped when subjects colored mandalas, which are round frames with geometric patterns inside.”
Adult Coloring books at Advanced Print & Finishing
As mentioned above, we’ve printed quite a few coloring books for adults at Advanced Print & Finishing in recent years. Making an adult coloring book can be just as much of a form of artistic release as coloring them.
If you have an adult coloring book you need printed – or are thinking about making one – let us know and we’ll be glad to provide any help you need during the printing process. You’ll end up with a great looking coloring book that also can help others as a form of art therapy.
The image for this article is taken from “Whimsical Women & Fanciful Females” by Kim Johnson-Smith, which was recently printed by Advanced Print & Finishing and can be found on Amazon.
Kim Johnson-Smith has been creating striking exotic women, fairies, and exquisite art since she was a young girl. She sails through time to bring you “Whimsical Women & Fanciful Females”.
Since 1987 Duckboy has been cracking people up with their novelty black and white country humor. Owner Sheila M. Johnson-Schiwal is a graphic artist/editor for the last 15 years.
