In an increasingly busy
world, it is vital to take time out and relax. One way to
aid this and enter a zen-like state of mindfulness is in activities
like drawing and coloring, and here is a method that involves
all of this and more.
This book is subtitled “Meditative drawing to calm your
inner self” and this describes the process in a nutshell.
Using just plain paper and a fine line black pen, fill shapes
in with repetitive patterns, adding color if desired. Here
are pages of sample patterns to start you off, blank shapes
to trace/photocopy/scan and print, and ideas as to what to
draw and what to do with your finished work. After a brief
description of the method, this book gets on with the practical,
showing how to draw each pattern in simple steps. Each step
adds the new lines in red, the existing part drawn in black
so you can easily see what is happening. There are geometric
patterns, scattered shapes, individual drawings and decorative
lines, as well as ideas on dividing up shapes and tips for
using the book with children. I was instantly itching to get
started and pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to produce
something attractive, and by the fact that here at least was
one craft that did not involve a lot of spending! There are
some ideas as to what to do with your work and, at the back,
a handy overview of the patterns, although putting this at
the front and making each thumbnail sketch a bit larger would
have been even better. This aside, this is the best book of
its kind I have seen and definitely one for the keeper shelf.
If you cannot find a good range of drawing and coloring materials
locally try www.searchpress.com
for a list of suppliers.
|